Valentina Ablaev
This recipe makes the best teriyaki sauce from scratch! The sauce is thick and flavored with fresh ginger, garlic, and a hint of sweetness. The cooking process is easy; you’ll have a homemade teriyaki sauce in under 10 minutes!
This teriyaki sauce is versatile and fantastic for marinades or even a chicken stir-fry.
This easy recipe makes the best teriyaki sauce! This sauce uses simple ingredients you most likely already have. The flavors are similar to our classic hibachi sauce and make an incredible addition to our collection of Asian cuisine home cooking!
Why Make Teriyaki Sauce From Scratch
While store-bought teriyaki sauce can be tempting, nothing beats the flavors and benefits of homemade! This sauce is easy to cook, it’s ready in under 10 minutes, and uses only a few dishes! It’s the perfect way to level up your home cooking, and the best part is that your sauce is preservative-free, compared to store-bought versions!
Ingredients for Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Low-sodium soy sauce – the key to a delicious teriyaki sauce. Low sodium is a must for a balanced teriyaki sauce.
- Water – dilutes the soy sauce.
Substitute: Use low-sodium chicken broth as a substitute for a more flavorful sauce. - Garlic and ginger – fresh, minced garlic and ginger give the sauce a fantastic flavor.
- Cornstarch – a thickener for the sauce.
- Red pepper flakes – bring the perfect amount of heat to the sauce with a dash of red pepper flakes.
- Brown sugar – sweetens and thickens the teriyaki sauce.
Substitute: Use honey, cane sugar, and even maple syrup in place of brown sugar.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Low-sodium Soy Sauce Substitutes:
- Regular soy sauce: Using the full amount of regular soy sauce would result in a too-salty teriyaki sauce. If you only have regular soy sauce on hand, dilute ¼ cup of soy sauce with ¼ cup of water.
- Gluten-free options: Tamari is a great gluten-free alternative for low-sodium soy sauce. Tamari is naturally less salty than regular soy sauce so it can be substituted for a 1:1 ratio.
How to Make Teriyaki Sauce From Scratch
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.
- Add the mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until it simmers.
- Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, or until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Once the sauce is thickened, remove it from the heat, and it’s ready!
How to Use Teriyaki Sauce
- Stir fry: Make a simple chicken and broccoli with teriyaki sauce or make a ground beef stir fry!
- Teriyaki rice bowls: This teriyaki sauce is essential to our 20-minute teriyaki bowl recipe.
- Marinade: Teriyaki sauce makes a great teriyaki chicken marinade! Marinate the chicken thighs in teriyaki sauce and grill! The teriyaki sauce caramelizes, leaving a glaze on the chicken for a crispy and delicious exterior.
- Teriyaki salmon: Marinate a salmon with teriyaki sauce and bake for an incredible flavor combination.
- Vegetables: Teriyaki is the perfect savory sauce to drizzle on top of your grilled veggies.
Expert Tips:
- Double up the recipe. Make extra teriyaki sauce to enjoy throughout the week! It’s great to serve as a dipping sauce for homemade potstickers or a drizzle on your favorite sushi bowl!
- Use fresh ingredients. Fresh garlic and ginger root give this teriyaki sauce a remarkable flavor you can’t replicate with dry spices.
FAQ’s
This teriyaki sauce is made with soy sauce and is not gluten-free. Use tamari or coconut aminos as a gluten-free substitute.
This recipe uses cornstarch to make the sauce thick and rich.
Low-sodium soy sauce helps prevent this teriyaki sauce from becoming overly salty.
How to Store Homemade Teriyaki Sauce:
- Storage. Keep the teriyaki sauce fresh in a jar or an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freeze. Add the teriyaki sauce to a bag or a container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw: Add the frozen sauce directly to your stir-fry. Thaw the frozen sauce in the fridge overnight if you plan to use it as a marinade.
More Sauce Recipes
If you enjoyed this japanese teriyaki sauce recipe, be sure to try our other easy sauce recipes; here are some of our favorites:
If you’ve tried this homemade teriyaki sauce recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a starrating and let me know how it turned out in the comments below – we appreciate it!
The Best Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce see notes
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together all of the teriyaki sauce ingredients.
- Add the mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the mixture begins thickening.
- Remove from the heat once the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Garnish with sesame seeds.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- We recommend using low-sodium soy sauce for this recipe, as ½ cup of regular soy sauce would result in an overly salty sauce. If you only have regular soy sauce, dilute ¼ cup with ¼ cup of water.
- Double up this recipe to make extra teriyaki sauce to store in the fridge!
- Store teriyaki sauce in a jar and refrigerator for up to a week.
- This recipe makes 1.5 cups of sauce.
