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This Homemade Teriyaki Sauce can be made in less than 10 minutes. This recipe consists of simple ingredients, using pantry staples. Use this sauce to make my delicious weeknight meal, Teriyaki Chicken.
I love making sauces and items you would normally buy in the store, at home. Like my Homemade Cream Cheese, Homemade Luxardo Maraschino Cherries and Homemade Harissa Paste. Homemade is always better. Always.
What is Teriyaki Sauce?
Teriyaki Sauce is a Japanese marinade and sauce that’s added to everything from vegetables and meats. It’s a key ingredient in many stir-frys, too. Teriyaki sauce is a delicious balance of sweet, umami, savory with hints of ginger and garlic.
Like all homemade versions of things you most likely can buy at the store, the best part about making the homemade version is customization. And that’s what we’re doing today!
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
I like to make this homemade teriyaki sauce because it has the absolute best balance of sweetness, hints of honey, soy sauce and sweet rice wine. All delicious. The viscosity is perfection too; not too thick and not too thin. The best part about this recipe is that it keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks. I’ll make Teriyaki Chicken a few time with it and will even brush it on some veggies and throw them on the grill. So good!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Soy sauce. This is an absolute must in any teriyaki sauce. Use gluten-free if you like. This adds a base level of umami and savory notes.
- Mirin. This is a cooking wine that gives the perfect amount of sweetness and acidity.
- Brown Sugar. I love brown sugar in Teriyaki Sauce. It gives us nice caramel notes.
- Fresh ginger. The freshest flavor.
- Fresh garlic. I love fresh garlic in this recipe for optimal results.
For the rest of the ingredients (and exact measurements), please see the recipe index card below!
How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Whisk together the soy sauce, water, mirin, brown sugar, garlic and fresh ginger.
- Bring it to a simmer. Immediately bring the heat down to low and allow to reduce for 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; the mixture will thicken as it cools.
- Thicken (if you want to). As a result, you’ll need to add cornstarch.
- Let it cool. And then pour it into a airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Tips and Tricks
- No cornstarch. In the testing of this, we found that the recipe is best with no cornstarch added to the teriyaki sauce. And instead a slurry of cornstarch is added to the actual dish/stir-fry. It gets very gummy and clumpy when added to the sauce itself.
- Use honey. I like this recipe with brown sugar but some people might want to avoid using brown sugar. You can use 1/3 cup of honey in place of the brown sugar.
Recipe FAQs
Teriyaki sauce that is on the thinner side is better for marinating. I like to use this recipe to marinate beef, pork or chicken. And when making a stir-fry, add it to the pan, along with a cornstarch slurry, which will thicken the sauce.
I think everything from eggplant, zucchini, carrots and snowpeas.
If you don’t have fresh ginger and garlic, use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. You’ll want to whisk it vigorously so it’s not clumpy.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
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Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, (roughly 1 ½-inch knob), peeled and finely grated
Instructions
To Make the Teriyaki Sauce:
- In a saucepan, set over medium heat, whisk together the soy sauce, water, mirin, brown sugar, kosher salt, garlic, and ginger. When the mixture reaches a simmer, bring the heat down to low and allow to reduce for 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; the mixture will thicken as it cools.
- Note: If you want super thick teriyaki sauce, you can use a bit of cornstarch to help. Here's how: pour a tablespoon of the sauce into a small bowl. Add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the small bowl and whisk until it completely dissolves. Add the cornstarch mixture to the teriyaki sauce, whisking until dissolved.
- This teriyaki sauce will give you about 1 cup of teriyaki sauce. This sauce keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Notes
- No cornstarch. In the testing of this, we found that the recipe is best with no cornstarch added to the teriyaki sauce. And instead a slurry of cornstarch is added to the actual dish/stir-fry. It gets very gummy and clumpy when added to the sauce itself.
- Use honey. I like this recipe with brown sugar but some people might want to avoid using brown sugar. You can use 1/3 cup of honey in place of the brown sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
*This post was originally posted on June 4, 2014. It has since been re-posted with updated recipe and photos.
Wow, that sauce looks delicious! I usually find teriyaki too sweet so I’m keen to try your version.
I’m usually all about the sweets, but this looks sooooo yummy right now! I could put teriyaki on anything, and I am totally gonna try this recipe soon.
This recipe is literally making my mouth water. Your photography is STUNNING.
Mmmm, that sounds delicious! I love teriyaki flavors, I’ll have to try this sauce sometime soon. 🙂
Yum!! Those look great… and how good would that be in like a pork rice noodle bowl… the possibilities!!
If I were to make a big batch, how long do you think it would keep in the fridge?
Thanks!
xx Becky
www.miseenplacetheblog.com
becandteej.blogspot.com
Oh it’ll keep for a good while. I’d say a month, if properly covered. 🙂
this looks amazing! what kind of sweet wine would you recommend? if i have to open a whole bottle for 2 tbsp i’d love for it to be something i actually want to drink the rest of!
ah, nevermind– saw that it was sweet RICE wine. hahah!
Yes yes…that’s definitely better than using just a lil’ bit of an entire bottle of wine!
Maybe I’m missing sometthing…I hate to ask, but is there a difference between rice wine and rice wine vinegar? I’m having super mondo for serious trouble finding rice wine : /
It’s sweet rice wine also known as Mirin. Here’s a link so you can take a look at the picture.
http://www.target.com/p/kikkoman-manjo-aji-mirin-sweet-cooking-rice-wine-10-oz/-/A-13473434
Have you tried it on salmon?
I haven’t, but I’ve had teriyaki sauce on salmon before and I looove it.
This looks great! And that chicken looks super tasty with the sesame on top!!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
I have been wanting to do this for years, so thank you. Love this recipe, so easy to make too!
Hey you! I need some homemade teriyaki sauce in my life… and my kids would love me forever if I made them these sticky good drumsticks. My girl often goes for two drumsticks at once, serious cavewoman style.
BTW, I just saw on Will Write For Food that you’ve got another book coming down the pike. I’m so glad to see it’s a “cozy” book. Can’t wait!
xoxox
E
Hi lady! I haven’t talked about it yet but it’s definitely not a big secret. More info soon! I’m super excited. It’s definitely cozy. Lots of pie and a certain corgi will make appearances, too! xoxo
a COZY book with a cozy CORGI!! I can’t wait!!!
oh and this sauce looks delicious too 😀
Just throwing this out there…but if Amelia ever had her own site, it should be A Cozy Corgi. 😀
A Cozy Corgi! LOVE! Haha…she is sort of cozy. She loves curling up to blankets and pillows and stuff.
It’s true! xoxo