It is surprisingly easy to make this simple teriyaki sauce at home, and nothing compares to the flavor of a homemade sauce. This sauce is rich with umami flavour, thick and perfectly sticky, and once you taste it, you'll want to put it on everything. It is made with just a handful of pantry staples, and it comes together in under 10 minutes!
This homemade teriyaki sauce easily beats anything store-bought and can be customized to fit dietary needs or flavor preferences, making it the perfect sauce for everyday meals!
If you love easy sauce recipes that are delicious, foolproof, and full of flavor you have to try my famous honey garlic sauce that is #1 on Google, this creamy and delicious sriracha aioli and my buttery buffalo wing sauce, which is perfect for any kind of chicken or bowl! If you're looking for more of an Asian flair, try my to-die-for Japanese roasted sesame sauce, or my easy homemade eel sauce!
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- What You'll Love About This Recipe
- What Is Teriyaki Sauce
- What Goes Well With Teriyaki Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
- Curate Your Own Teriyaki Sauce
- Special Diet Substitutions
- How To Use Teriyaki Sauce
- How To Make This Simple Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
- Expert Tips
- How To Store Teriyaki Sauce
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Ways To Use Simple Teriyaki Sauce
- 📖 Recipe
- ⭐️ Leave a Review
What You'll Love About This Recipe
- It uses simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
- Teriyaki sauce is extremely easy to customize, and it takes 10 minutes or less to make.
- It has incredible versatility. Easily use it as a dipping sauce, glaze, or marinade (or all three)!
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What Is Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki sauce is a Japanese marinade and sauce that has become extremely popular and is known worldwide for its rich, tangy, sweet umami flavor.
Learning how to make teriyaki sauce at home requires just a few basic pantry staples. While a traditional Japanese teriyaki sauce recipe relies heavily on mirin, this easy adaptation utilizes everyday teriyaki sauce ingredients you likely already have on hand. It combines savory soy sauce, sweet brown sugar, and tangy rice vinegar, which are quickly thickened with a standard cornstarch slurry for that rich, sticky glaze we all know and love.
It is often used as a marinade for fish, chicken, beef, pork or vegetables before grilling to give an added punch of flavor to the finished dish.
Teriyaki sauce gets its name from the cooking techniques used to prepare it - "teri" which means glaze, and "yaki" which means to grill or broil. However, the popular sauce is also widely used as a dipping sauce or stir-fry sauce, too.
What Goes Well With Teriyaki Sauce
Use this simple teriyaki sauce as a topping for baked chicken wings, air fryer cauliflower wings, or crispy baked tofu. You can also use this sauce in place of the honey garlic sauce in my honey hot salad recipe or on these delicious crispy salmon bites. So good!
Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients
- Brown Sugar - Alternative sweeteners such as honey or pure maple syrup can be used in place of brown sugar.
- Soy Sauce - Substitute for tamari or coconut aminos to make this sauce gluten-free.
- Ginger - While fresh ginger is preferable for its pungent fresh flavor, ground ginger may be substituted in a pinch.
- Rice Vinegar - This can be substituted for white wine vinegar, plain white vinegar, or, more traditionally, mirin.
- Sesame Seeds - Regular or toasted sesame seeds can be used. Toasting the sesame seeds will add a delicious boost of flavor to the recipe.
A full ingredient list with the exact quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
"This is the best sauce I've ever had. I've tried a few Teriyaki sauces, and this is number 1.
-Ted
Curate Your Own Teriyaki Sauce
Love a good spicy teriyaki sauce? Or maybe you are looking for a sweeter version or a kid-friendly dinner idea? I've got you!
- Spicy Teriyaki Sauce - or "hotti-yaki" sauce as some like to call it. To make this, prepare the teriyaki sauce recipe as stated below and stir in your favorite hot sauce until the desired spiciness is reached (my buffalo wing sauce works perfectly for this).
- No Spice - to eliminate all of the spiciness in this recipe, omit the crushed red pepper flakes.
- Kid-Friendly - Set the table with a Tupperware container and a tight-fitting lid for each person. Make oven-baked chicken wings, air fryer cauliflower wings, crispy tofu, or crispy salmon bites and leave them undressed. Fill separate bowls with teriyaki sauce, honey garlic sauce, bang bang sauce, and creamy buffalo sauce. Have your kids place some wings in their container and add whichever sauces they like. Place the lid securely on the container and shake, shake, shake to coat the wings with the sauce. Open the lid, and they can enjoy their very own personalized flavor for dinner!
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Special Diet Substitutions
See below for options on how to make this teriyaki sauce recipe sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan, or soy-free.
- Sugar-Free - Instead of regular brown sugar, you can use a sugar-free brown sugar substitute as the sweetener.
- Vegan/Vegetarian- This recipe is already vegan/vegetarian, no substitutions are required.
- Soy-Free- Substitute soy sauce for coconut aminos to make this sauce soy-free.
- Gluten-Free- Substitute the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos.
- Low Sodium- To make low sodium, replace the soy sauce with this recipe for a low-sodium soy sauce substitute.
How To Use Teriyaki Sauce
This homemade, simple teriyaki sauce is incredibly versatile and can be used as a dipping sauce, glaze, or marinade. It can be served warm or cold, depending on how you're using it.
As a Dipping Sauce
For an easy teriyaki dipping sauce, portion the sauce into small bowls and serve alongside baked chicken wings, cauliflower wings, or crispy tofu.
As a Glaze
To use this sauce as a glaze, allow it to cool completely first. Brush it onto cooked chicken quarters, juicy burgers, quick air fryer salmon or shrimp, then add another light coating just before serving for extra flavor and shine. Teriyaki sauce can also be brushed onto vegetables, like this oven-roasted broccoli, before grilling or broiling.
As a Marinade
To use this sauce as a marinade, prepare the recipe without the cornstarch. Cook the sauce just until the brown sugar dissolves, then let it cool completely. Use it to marinade chicken, salmon, beef, pork, or vegetables before cooking. Always discard any marinade that has come into contact with raw meat.
How To Make This Simple Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
There is just nothing that compares to a sticky homemade teriyaki sauce. This sauce only takes 10-15 minutes to prepare, and it will last for 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer!
Step 1
In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, ginger and red pepper flakes.
Step 2
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Stir it together until the cornstarch is fully combined. This is called a "slurry".
Step 3
Add the cornstarch slurry to the saucepan and stir to combine. Place over medium heat, bringing the sauce to a boil.
Step 4
Once the sauce is boiling, lower it to a simmer. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until it is thick and sticky. Let the teriyaki sauce cool before serving.
Hint: You will know the teriyaki sauce is done cooking when it has become clear and glossy, and the haziness of the cornstarch mixture has cooked off.
Expert Tips
- Thickening the teriyaki sauce is optional. To use this sauce as a marinade, omit the cornstarch and water. Heat the sauce until the brown sugar has dissolved, and let it cool completely before using it as a marinade on raw meat or vegetables.
- Do not add cornstarch directly into the saucepan. Before adding the cornstarch, make a "slurry" with the cornstarch and water, and mix it in a separate bowl, then pour it into the saucepan. Adding the cornstarch directly to the saucepan in powder form will cause the cornstarch to seize up and become lumpy and gummy.
How To Store Teriyaki Sauce
Store any leftover teriyaki sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and give it a quick stir before serving.
Homemade teriyaki sauce freezes exceptionally well. Cool it first to room temperature before packing it up in a ziplock bag, an airtight container, or even an ice cube tray works well. Teriyaki sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Dispose of and do not store any leftover teriyaki sauce or marinade that has been used on or come in contact with raw meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is not recommended for canning. Cornstarch is not an approved ingredient for safe canning practices.
It can be made gluten-free by substituting the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos.
Yes! No ingredient substitutions are required.
Store leftover teriyaki sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Do not store and discard any sauce that has come in contact with raw meat immediately.
Yes! Store cooled teriyaki sauce in ziplock bags or an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Yes! I have a detailed section on using teriyaki sauce as a marinade above. To use it as a marinade, prepare it without the cornstarch so it stays a thin, watery consistency and use it to marinate anything!
Remember to dispose of any teriyaki sauce marinade that has come in contact with raw meat, as this poses a contamination risk.
Ways To Use Simple Teriyaki Sauce
This simple teriyaki sauce recipe is incredibly versatile and delicious on just about any meal!
If you made this simple teriyaki sauce recipe or any of the other recipes on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating, a 💬 comment and share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
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Simple Teriyaki Sauce
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Garlic minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons Toasted Sesame Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- ½ teaspoon Ginger minced
- ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- ¼ cup Cold Water
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
Instructions
- In a small saucepan combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- In a separate small bowl combine the cold water and cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch is fully dissolved in the water. Add the cornstarch "slurry" mixture into the saucepan and stir.
- Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, lower it to a simmer and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The sauce is ready when it is glossy and clear and all of the haziness from the cornstarch has disappeared. Remove it from the heat and serve warm or cold.
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Notes
- This teriyaki sauce can be used as a dipping sauce, glaze, or marinade.
- To use this teriyaki sauce as a dipping sauce or glaze, prepare as directed and use as desired.
- Thickening the teriyaki sauce is optional. To use this sauce as a marinade, omit the cornstarch and water. Heat the sauce until the brown sugar has dissolved, and let it cool completely before using it as a marinade on raw meat or vegetables. Be sure to fully cook your meat to the recommended guidelines after it has marinated, and dispose of any leftover marinade that has come in contact with raw meat.
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- Leftover teriyaki sauce can be stored in the refrigerator, in an air-tight container, for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Dispose of and do not store any leftover sauce that has come in direct contact with raw meat.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Allison says
Great sauce will be using this recipe all the time.
Orbis says
Great sauce!!!
Randy says
Sauce ingredients is simple. Everything I already have at home. Will be making this more.
Ted says
This is the best sauce I've ever had.
I've tried a few Teriyaki sauces and this is number 1.
Kellie says
Would you put it on stir fried vegetables after cooking them or during. Thanks for the recipe, looks epic!
Lori says
Used this sauce on chicken last weekend and it did not disappoint.
Awesome recipe!
Thanks for sharing.
Jeremy says
Omg! So good, you have to try this.
Wendy says
Excellent!
Annie says
Amazing sauce..!!Great recipe..!!
Jennifer says
This is the best teriyaki sauce I've ever been able to make myself. Easy to follow. Had all the ingredients on hand. BOMB. MUST TRY!
Jordan says
Hands down the best homemade teriyaki sauce out there!! Unreal.
Samantha says
Super easy to follow recipe that tasted GREAT on Salmon! Will be my go to Teriyaki recipe for sure.
Jessica says
Yay! We love to use this teriyaki sauce on salmon too 🙂
Mary Lee Navid says
Best versatile sauce recipe ever
Ed says
Hard to say which one is better between the honey garlic sauce and this one, they are both so good.