How To Make Teriyaki Sauce Like They Do In Restaurants

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Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe. Look no further: Ready in 10 minutes, no junk ingredients, and crazy delicious – you'll never use store-bought again! It's simply the BEST!

homemade teriyaki sauce recipe best authentic Japanese traditional mirin

It happened one too many times. I needed teriyaki sauce for a recipe and thought I had some on hand only to find – after all the other ingredients had already been prepped – that there wasn't any. No doubt you can relate to this scenario, whether it's teriyaki sauce or some other condiment like tahini paste,black bean sauce, or hoisin sauce. So I whipped up my own homemade teriyaki sauce…and have never touched store-bought since!

Trust me, after making this teriyaki sauce recipe, you won't either.

This sauce is popular all around the world with its dark, bold, savory-salty-sweet flavor with lots of umami undertones. Its primary ingredients include soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, honey and mirin.

The word teriyaki refers to both a Japanese cooking technique as well as to the sauce. It was developed in the 17th century and has become synonymous with Japanese cuisine, being served all over the world. The term teri in teriyaki refers to the aesthetic shine on the food created by the sugar content in the sauce, while yaki refers to the method of grilling. With its shiny luster and robust flavor, teriyaki sauce is a natural pairing for grilled foods.

How To Use Teriyaki Sauce

Quick and easy to make, this sauce is as versatile as it is delicious. Use it as a sauce or as a marinade (simply omit the cornstarch). You can use it for beef, chicken, fish and seafood, as a glaze, for barbecuing, in Asian salad dressings, in noodle dishes, stir-fries and more.

different dishes featuring the sauce

Can I Use It As a Marinade?

Absolutely. Simply omit the cornstarch, let the sauce cool completely, and you've got the perfect teriyaki marinade!

Wonderfully versatile, this is a sauce you can whip up quickly in a pinch to boost the flavor of your Asian-inspired dishes.

How to Make Teriyaki Sauce

This is a super quick and easy sauce to make, all you have to do is:

Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, honey, sesame oil, mirin and water mixed with cornstarch together in a bowl
Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and simmer for about 4 minutes until thickened.
Your sauce is ready!

You can use it right away or store it in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks. And the flavors will get even better over time. Enjoy this fantastic best homemade teriyaki sauce in the dish of your choice!

Ready in less than 10 minutes, thoroughly delicious and free of fillers or junk ingredients, there simply is no good reason to EVER use store-bought again!

simmering ingredients in saucepan until thickened

Enjoy!

homemade teriyaki sauce recipe best authentic Japanese traditional mirin
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teriyaki sauce recipe authentic

BEST Teriyaki Sauce

The best homemade teriyaki sauce recipe EVER! You'll never get store-bought again!

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Course condiment, Sauce

Cuisine Asian, Japanese

Servings 12 servings

Calories 48 kcal

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
see brown sugar alternative (for low sugar option)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger ,minced
1 teaspoon garlic ,minced
1 tablespoon honey (Vegans: use agave nectar or sweetener of choice)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons mirin (see note)
1/4 cup water mixed with 3 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Store in the fridge for up to a week. Makes about 1 1/4 cups teriyaki sauce.

Mirinis a sweet Japanese rice wine, similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. If you don't have mirin, you can use sherry with a pinch of sugar added to it.

NOTE: If using as a marinade omit the cornstarch and let the sauce cool completely before using.