Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
on Aug 13, 2021
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce has all those sweet & tangy flavors you need for Asian dishes. Our sauce recipe is so much better than store bought!
Teriyaki Sauce is a staple in Asian-inspired or Japanese cooking that’s so easy to make from scratch. Try using some of this sauce in our Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki!
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Sauces can really make or break a dish, which is why it’s important to make sure you’re using the best stuff. You wouldn’t top a nice salad with some cheap, runny dressing, would you? Often times, you’re safe grabbing stuff of the shelves of your local grocery but sometimes it’s better to just make something from scratch. When it comes to Asian-style cooking at home, nothing beats Homemade Teriyaki Sauce.
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Let’s start with the obvious stuff: making Teriyaki Sauce from scratch lets you get all the flavors and ingredients just right. Need it sweeter? Add a touch more sugar. Not savory enough? Put in some more soy sauce. You just can’t get those exact flavors from something from the store.
This sauce is going to be perfect for all your favorite Japanese and Asian-inspired dishes! Cut it with some extra water for a marinade, brush it onto some meat or fish for a glaze, or just stick with the classics like some Chicken Teriyaki. No need to look for Teriyaki Sauce substitutes whenever you run out- this easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe will have you covered.
Enjoyed this recipe? Try these Chinese takeout favorites next!
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If you love Chicken Teriyaki, then you’ll want to try some of our Easy General Tso’s Chicken. The sauce is pretty similar with plenty of sweet and tangy flavor to it- tastes as good as, if not better than, the stuff from your local Chinese restaurant! It’s so easy to make this classic takeout recipe at home with no exotic ingredients or special equipment needed.
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Need something a touch sweeter? Go with our Orange Chicken recipe! We love this stuff and homemade tastes so much better than Panda Express or the frozen stuff from P.F. Chang’s. Juicy, breaded chicken bites in a sweet and citrus-y sauce- what’s not to love here?
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Of course, there’s nothing wrong with some Simple Mongolian Beef. This is another frozen PF Changs favorite of ours that’s easy to make from scratch at home! Once you taste that freshly-cooked beef and that homemade sweet-and-spicy sauce, you’ll never want to make the frozen stuff again.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients
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Soy Sauce – If you’re worried about sodium, you can always sub in a lite soy sauce or a reduced-sodium soy sauce.
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Brown Sugar
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Honey
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Apple Cider Vinegar – We think it adds a welcome little “zest” to the sauce!
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Garlic
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Ginger
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Cornstarch Slurry – Just a mix of some water and cornstarch. This will help thicken up our sauce later on.
How to make Teriyaki Sauce
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Combine all the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch in a saucepan and put over medium heat.
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Mix cornstarch and water to make cornstarch slurry then add it to the pan with the other ingredients. Stir to combine.
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Keep heating sauce until reduced to desired thickness and consistency.
First, add all the sauce ingredients- minus the cornstarch- to a saucepan on the stovetop. Give those a quick mix to get them started and set the heat to medium. While that warms up, get started on that cornstarch slurry.
Add the cornstarch to some water and stir until completely dissolved. Once your slurry’s all mixed up, pitch it into the pan with all the other sauce ingredients.
From here, it’s all just occasional stirring and waiting. Keep an eye on your sauce while it cooks down and thickens up. When it has thickened to the point you want, remove it from the heat. If it’s thickened too much, keep it on the heat and just add water until you get back to your desired consistency.
At this point, your Homemade Teriyaki Sauce is done! You can use it for all sorts of recipes like Chicken Teriyaki or stir fry dishes or treat it like a Teriyaki Glaze for some fish.
Wherever you use it, we’re certain you’ll enjoy!
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1 1/4 cup Water, divided
- 5 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Ginger
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, 1 cup water, honey, vinegar, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and over medium heat.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining 1/4 cup water in a small bowl.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the pan.
- Cook until the sauce until it thickens (about 10 minutes).
Nutrition
I have made this recipe many times and thought I need to comment on it. It is the best teriyaki sauce and easy to make. If you make it once you will not go back to bottled sauce. The only change I make is I use 1 Tbsp of cornstarch instead of two just because I like it a little more runny. So good!
How long can you keep the Teriyaki Sauce in the refrigerator?
Hi Ann! You should be able to keep the Teriyaki Sauce covered in the refrigerator for about a week, be sure to cool first though. I hope that helps.