This Easy Teriyaki Sauce is a great sauce to make at home in just less than 10 minutes. It's made with simple ingredients, loaded with flavor, and no need to heat it on the stovetop. Try pairing it with chicken, shrimp, or salmon.
Use this teriyaki sauce recipe to make some Teriyaki Chicken and Hibachi Noodles. If you're craving another tasty homemade recipe, then try making some Homemade Yum Yum Sauce.
When it comes to teriyaki sauce, I love the restaurant and take-out version, but have not had any success any finding a store-bought bottle version that I like.
There just always seems to be something missing. So I decided to try making my version using ingredients that I had available in my pantry.
Let’s get started!
What is Teriyaki Sauce?
Teriyaki sauce is a Japanese condiment or sauce known for its sweet and savory flavor. It can be used as a marinade, glaze, dipping sauce, or stir-fry sauce for meat, seafood, tofu, and veggies.
The sauce combines a few simple ingredients, that once combined create an amazingly rich and flavorful sauce.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Soy Sauce - This ingredient is much needed to form the base of any good teriyaki sauce. It provides a savory and umami flavor that pairs well with the other sauce ingredients. Tamari or coconut aminos could be used instead.
- Water - Needed to smooth out the sauce and bring all of the added ingredients together.
- Mirin - A tangy and sweet rice wine that’s commonly used in Japanese cooking. It can usually be located at the local grocery store in the aisle with soy sauce and other Asian ingredients. Dry sherry or dry white wine mixed with white sugar could be used as a substitute.
- Brown Sugar - I prefer to use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar will work as well. Adds additional sweetness to the sauce that takes the edge off the acidity.
- Honey - Use your favorite brand of honey to sweeten the teriyaki sauce and make it a bit sticky.
- Salt - Helps to bring out all ingredient flavors and prevent them from tasting flat. Feel free to adjust as needed.
- Garlic - I love using fresh garlic to add an intense and earthy flavor to the simple teriyaki sauce. Jarred garlic or garlic paste could be substituted.
- Ginger - Gives the sauce a warming and spicy note. I love using ginger paste for this one, but freshly minced ginger is a great option.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities and instructions.
How Do You Make Teriyaki Sauce
Begin the sauce recipe by grabbing a large bowl and using an immersion blender or regular blender.
Add the soy sauce, water, mirin, brown sugar, honey, salt, garlic, and ginger.
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Blend until the sauce is combined and slightly thickened. At this point, you can use that sauce immediately as a marinade. You may also use it as a cooking sauce for teriyaki chicken or shrimp.
If you prefer to use it as a glaze for cooked fish or chicken thighs, add the blended sauce to a small saucepan, allow it to heat to a simmer, and spread it on top of cooked protein before serving. Enjoy!
Best Sauce Recipe Tips & Tricks
- I prefer to use a combination of brown sugar and honey to make this sauce, but feel free to double the honey and omit the brown sugar.
- Cornstarch is not needed to make this particular teriyaki sauce recipe. Instead, I would suggest adding a cornstarch slurry to the meat, and vegetables, and stir-frying to prevent the sauce from becoming clumpy.
- The sauce does not need to be heated if it is used as a marinade or cooking sauce.
- Garlic powder and ground ginger could be used as a substitute, but I highly recommend opting for fresh ginger and garlic instead.
Storage Tips
Storage. Pour the finished sauce into an airtight container or jar with a lid. Place it into the refrigerator to store for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to serve it, stir it, and enjoy.
Reheating. Reheat the sauce by adding it to a small saucepan on the stovetop. Allow it to heat over medium heat until warm.
Freezing. Place the sauce in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to use it, simply allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat separately in a saucepan on the stovetop or add it to whatever dish you’re cooking.
Want a Few More Easy Recipes? Try These:
- Homemade Heinz 57 Sauce
- Comeback Sauce Recipe
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Honey Mustard Chicken Marinade
- Hibachi Shrimp
- Hibachi Vegetables
Do you have any comments, questions, or other tasty ways to enjoy the Best Teriyaki Sauce? Please share them in the comments below!
📖 Recipe
Easy Teriyaki Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons honey
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
Instructions
- Begin the sauce recipe by grabbing a large bowl and immersion blender or regular blender.
- Add the ¾ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons mirin, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 4 tablespoons honey, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger. Blend until the sauce is combined and slightly thickened.
- At this point, you can use that sauce immediately as a marinade. You may also use it as a cooking sauce for teriyaki chicken or shrimp.
- If you prefer to use it as a glaze for cooked fish or chicken thighs, add the blended sauce to a small saucepan, allow it to heat to a simmer, and spread it on top of cooked protein before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- I prefer to use a combination of brown sugar and honey to make this sauce, but feel free to double the honey and omit the brown sugar.
- Cornstarch is not needed to make this particular teriyaki sauce recipe. Instead, I would suggest adding a cornstarch slurry to the meat, and vegetables, and stir-frying to prevent the sauce from becoming clumpy.
- The sauce does not need to be heated if it is used as a marinade or cooking sauce.
- Garlic powder and ground ginger could be used as a substitute, but I highly recommend opting for fresh ginger and garlic instead.
- This recipe yields approximately 1 ½ cups of sauce.
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