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 or a simple sauce and it is a must-have for your culinary repertoire (we love it on this Delicious Teriyaki Salmon!
What You Will Need
- 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.).
- 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
Gather your ingredients.
Combine you slurry – set aside.
Add your other ingredients to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer.
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!
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How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Approx. 1 1/2 cups
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
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 (or coconut aminos)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/2–1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- Slurry: 2 tablespoon cornstarch + 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
- In medium saucepan whisk together water, sesame oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger.
- Whisk together slurry in a small bowl; set aside.
- Bring ingredients in saucepan to a simmer.
- 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.
- Remove when it reaches your desired thickness – remember it will thicken more as it cools slightly.
- 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.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Originally published January 22, 2017.
Patricia Osborne says
Simply delicious! I used rotisserie chicken and frozen broccoli. I made the sauce and then added the chicken and frozen broccoli to the sauce. The sauce didn’t thicken as much as I wanted but it was my own fault, I didn’t cook it long enough. I poured it over Asian noodles. It was easy, fast and delicious. I’m hosting an Asian theme dinner for a couple of friends and this recipe will be on the menu.
Erin says
Yay!! So glad to hear it, Patricia! And that themed dinner sounds amazing – can I come 🙂 Have fun!
Kyrakita says
Delicious! I like it on the sweeter side, so when I made it a second time I added two extra tablespoons of brown sugar and reduced the sesame oil to half a teaspoon and it was absolutely perfect!!!
Thank you so much! <3
Patti Watson says
Wouldn’t it be cheaper to buy teriyaki sauce than purchase all these ingredients to make it at home?
Kylie says
Not if you make it several times. These ingredients will last a while. I had these all on hand and they do come in handy for Korean beef, Thai dishes.. I have found many easy recipes that use them.
Iyaska says
This was quick and easy to make but it lacked flavor. I should have added more Brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, n honey to have that BAYUM that punch you in the mouth flavor. The next time i make this i’ll double it.
Bridget Montag says
Everyone’s taste buds are different, so definitely feel free to play around with the amount of each flavor. Thanks!
Solana Lee says
What I did was reduce how much water I used. I did 1/2 c. Water, and used it to make the slurry. And 1/4 c of rice vinegar. It seemed to be what I was looking for. The original is amazing, but I live in a area where Asian food is close to authentic (literally like 15 Thai restaurants, 8 Korean ones, 5 Chinese, 3 Japanese) And like their versions of teriyaki a lot as well.
Maureen says
Excelllent- easy, quick and very tasty-thank you!
Bridget Montag says
Glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving a review Maureen!
Roberta West says
I made this Teriyaki Sauce tonight. I bought a packaged Aisian Salad at my local Smith’s Grocery Store, added two small cans, of drained Mandarin Oranges. I cut four pieces of boneless/skinless chicken breast and cooked the pieces in two Tablespoons of Olive Oil. When the chicken was almost fully cooked I added the Teriyaki Sauce and cooked until the sauce was thickened. I then removed the chicken pieces to cool. I let the Teriyaki sauce cook about five minutes longer. Then moved off the heat. We could use the sauce as a salad dressing or put in a container to use in the next few days.
Ruth says
Very good!
Erin says
Glad you enjoyed it, Ruth! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!