How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce – a simple, easy teriyaki sauce recipe that is perfect for salmon or chicken!
Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Alright guys, have you made homemade teriyaki sauce before? Well, you are about to start. It is ridiculously easy, tastes amazing and will make you wonder why you ever bought it from a store before. It is a great sauce to make on a weekend and work into the rest of your week to up your weeknight-dinner-game. I make a double or triple batch of it and then use it in various recipes throughout the week. It can be used as a marinade, glaze or a simple sauce and it is a must-have for your culinary repertoire (we love it on this Delicious Teriyaki Salmon)!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- water: this is the base of the liquid/sauce.
- sesame oil: love the flavor this adds – a little goes a long way!
- brown sugar + honey: both of these add in that classic sweetness of a teriyaki sauce. You can use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar if you prefer.
- soy sauce: a classic teriyaki sauce ingredient – you can use a gluten-free option instead here (like coconut aminos, etc.) or a reduced sodium option.
- garlic + fresh ginger: these add such a punch of flavor!
- Slurry: combine some water and cornstarch to make a classic slurry which is then added as our thickener to the liquid.
What to Make with Teriyaki Sauce
How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Add your ingredients to a saucepan, except for the slurry ingredients. Bring to a simmer.
Combine you slurry – make sure that water is COLD.
Add in slurry and whisk while simmering.
It will take a few minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
Once sauce is nice and thick remove from the heat and let cool (it will thicken more as it cools).
Use in your favorite recipes like this Teriyaki Salmon!
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce FAQs
The term “teriyaki” actually refers to a style of Japanese cooking where someone grills meat over hot coals and, as it cooks, it is brushed with “tare” or a sticky and sweet glaze. This specific recipe is more accurately an Americanized version of the original recipe (but we love it and it tastes like the teriyaki sauce we grew up eating!).
Yes! I love that is so simple + quick and is made with simple, real ingredients.
Yes! We tested using this specific recipe as a marinade (note: you have to let it cool completely first) and used it to make grilled teriyaki chicken. It worked perfectly!
Yes! We tested this specific recipe as a glaze for grilled chicken breasts and it worked perfectly.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To freeze, fully cool and place in an airtight, freezer-safe container and label. Freeze for 3-6 months. Thaw overnight in the refridgerator.
Made this recipe and loved it?!
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How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
- Diet: Low Lactose
Description
How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce – never buy store-bought teriyaki sauce again! A simple and delicious homemade teriyaki sauce tutorial!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (sub reduced sodium, coconut aminos or Tamari)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/2–1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced or paste
- Slurry: 2 tablespoon cornstarch + 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
- Combine: In medium saucepan whisk together 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 1/2 – 1 teaspoon ginger (minced or paste).
- Make Slurry: Whisk together slurry in a small bowl; set aside.
- Simmer: Bring ingredients in saucepan to a simmer.
- Thicken with Slurry: Add slurry to saucepan; whisk to combine. Whisk slowly but continuously while bringing sauce to a simmer. After a few minutes of simmering, sauce will start to thicken.
- Let Cool: Remove when it reaches your desired thickness – remember it will thicken more as it cools slightly.
- Serve or Save: Use immediately or refrigerate for later use – we love using it on our Teriyaki Salmon.
Notes
- Flavor: if you want a stronger-tasting sauce simply add an additional tablespoon of brown sugar or another tablespoon of soy sauce. You do want a fairly strong sauce, as it will mellow out once it is on your main dish.
- Gluten-Free: use Tamari or coconut aminos to make this gluten-free.
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: feel free to reduce the sodium by using a low-sodium soy sauce.
- Teriyaki Marinade + Teriyaki Glaze: this recipe can be used a either a marinade or a glaze. If using as a marinade just be sure the mixture has fully cooled before marinating meat in it.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- How to Freeze Teriyaki Sauce: let sauce cool completely and then transfer to freezer-safe, airtight container. Label and freeze for 3-6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Recipe to use with: we absolutely LOVE using this recipe with our 10 Minute Teriyaki Shrimp, these Teriyaki Steak Bites and this Ridiculously Good Chicken Teriyaki Noodles.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 62
- Sugar: 7.9 g
- Sodium: 562.9 mg
- Fat: 0.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.5 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Originally published January 22, 2017.
Erin says
Turned out perfect!
Chris says
Made this tonight with the rotisserie chicken I had in the fridge, rice and broccoli! Threw some cashews on it and yum!! Thanks for this recipe!!
Erin Jensen says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this one, Chris! (and that sounds like a delicious + quick/easy meal! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review! I really appreciate it!
Rebecca says
I made this tonight as we like to dip grilled steak in Teriyaki and I didn’t want to go to the store. Oh my this was so good! Best I have had. In my save list!
Erin Jensen says
Yay!! So glad you liked it, Rebecca! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!
Melissa says
Thank you!
Erin says
Glad you enjoyed it, Melissa!! Thanks for leaving a rating and review!
EmaLee Noggle says
This is so dang good! I’m here making it again lol thank you for it! I can’t seem to click the stars to give it a 5 but I tried maybe it’ll show up after it’s posted
Erin says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!