There is nothing like homemade teriyaki sauce. Rich with sesame flavour, thick, and sticky, you'll be putting this sauce on everything after you taste it!
You will only need a handful of pantry ingredients to make this teriyaki sauce and it's ready in about 10 minutes.
If you love foolproof, full flavour sauces you MUST to try my honey garlic sauce, or my buttery buffalo sauce.

Use this teriyaki sauce as a topping for my crispy baked chicken wings or my air fryer cauliflower wings. You can also use this sauce in place of the honey garlic sauce in my honey hot salad recipe to make a teri-hot sauce. So good!
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Ingredients for the sauce
As I said above, this recipe only requires a handful of pantry ingredients to make!

The ingredients you will need are:
- Garlic
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Brown Sugar
- Rice Vinegar
- Sesame Seeds
- Ginger
- Water
- Cornstarch
See recipe card for quantities.
The Process
This teriyaki sauce only takes 10-15 minutes to make and it will last for up to a week in your refrigerator.

- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water

2. Stir it together until the cornstarch is fully combined.

3. Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan.

4. Stir all of the ingredients in the saucepan and place over medium heat.

5. Boil the sauce for 5-7 minutes until it is thick and sticky.
Hint: You will know the teriyaki sauce is done cooking when it is clear and the haziness of the cornstarch mixture has cooked off.
Substitutions
See below for options to make this teriyaki sauce without processed sugar, to make it gluten free, and vegan.
- Brown Sugar - instead of brown sugar, you can use agave syrup or maple syrup as the sweetener.
- Soy Sauce - use tamari instead of soy sauce to make this sauce gluten free.
- Vegan/Vegetarian - this recipe is already vegan/vegetarian, no substitutions are required.
Variations and a kid friendly fun DIY
Love a good teriyaki hot sauce? Or maybe you are looking for a sweeter version, or a kid friendly dinner idea? I've got you!
- Teri-Hot Sauce - prepare the teriyaki sauce recipe as stated below and stir in your favourite hot sauce until the desired spiciness is reached (my buffalo sauce works really well for this).
- No Spicy - to eliminate all of the spice just leave out the crushed red pepper flakes.
- Kid friendly - serve this teriyaki sauce with my honey garlic sauce and my crispy baked chicken wings, or my air fryer cauliflower wings to make a super fun DIY dinner.

Storage
Store this teriyaki sauce in an air tight container and keep in the refrigerator, use within 1 week, stir before serving.

Teriyaki Sauce
This teriyaki sauce is full of rich sesame flavour and a perfect addition to homemade chicken wings or to use as a dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons 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, stirring to combine.
- In a separate small bowl combine the cold water and cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch is fully combined. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and stir.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, lower to a simmer and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The sauce is ready when it is clear and all of the haziness has disappeared. The sauce will be thick, glossy and sticky when it is done.
- Remove from heat and serve hot or cold.
Notes
- Leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator, in an air tight container for up to 1 week.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 68Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 442mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g
Please Note- The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
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