Simple Teriyaki Sauce

4.4
(482)

This simple but amazing teriyaki sauce is great for chicken, fish, or meat dishes. I will add a Japanese flavor to noodle stir fries or rice dishes, and can also be used as a dip for dumplings or shrimp.

55
55
55
55
Prep Time:
5 mins
Cook Time:
6 mins
Total Time:
11 mins
Servings:
12
Yield:
2 cups

You'll never reach for the store-bought stuff again after making this incredibly tangy, rich, and sweet homemade teriyaki sauce. Enjoy a quick, flavorful glaze, marinade, or dip made with pantry ingredients like soy sauce and brown sugar. Plus, learn about the ingredients needed for an authentic teriyaki sauce, how to make it, and how it's stored.

What Is Teriyaki?

Teriyaki refers to a style of Japanese cuisine that includes cooking proteins and vegetables in a thick, sweet, and savory sauce. The word loosely translates to "glossy broil" and is synonymous with a bold, tangy flavor that is beloved the world over.

Teriyaki sauce can be used as a marinade, basting agent, or dipping sauce. It's a versatile tool in the kitchen, elevating stir-fries, steaks, and seafood dishes. It's easy to throw together with just a few pantry ingredients and packs a potently delicious punch.

Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients

Authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce combines soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake to create a distinctively sharp taste, with Westernized versions incorporating honey, garlic, and ginger for added edge.

Cornstarch is often added to teriyaki sauce as a thickener. Create a slurry with cornstarch and cold liquid before integrating it into the mixture.

Simple Teriyaki Sauce

How to Make Teriyaki Sauce

Making our top-rated homemade teriyaki sauce couldn't be easier. Simply combine soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, spices, cornstarch, and water over medium heat, stirring throughout. Cook the sauce for five to seven minutes or until it has thickened.

Remove sauce from heat and allow time for cooling. It's that straightforward — have tantalizingly delicious teriyaki sauce ready to glaze, marinade, or stir-fry at a moment's notice with this effortless recipe.

How to Store Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Homemade teriyaki sauce can last up to a week in the refrigerator, but be mindful of added ingredients like alliums or herbs that can shorten its shelf life. Keep leftover sauce in an airtight container for best results.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"I have no complaints with this recipe," shares home cook Ashley. "Used it to switch up leftovers. Perfect sweet-salty balance and super simple."

"Great basic stir-fry sauce!" raves Jumpiwan. "Just what I was looking for. You can go any which way from here — sweeter, spicier, thicker, or thinner, but this sauce is great just the way it is."

"This recipe saved my life tonight!" says reviewer Sherri. "My bottle of store-bought sauce got knocked off the counter and shattered. Almost every teriyaki sauce recipe I found had ingredients not in my pantry. This recipe uses ingredients I always have on hand."

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 12 servings

  • 1 cup water

  • ¼ cup soy sauce

  • 5 teaspoons packed brown sugar

  • 1 tablespoon honey, or more to taste

  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger

  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • ¼ cup cold water

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

    a top down view of all ingredients measured and prepped for a simple teriyaki sauce

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  2. Combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger, and garlic powder in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until nearly heated through, about 1 minute.

    simple teriyaki soy mixture in a small saucepan

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  3. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cold water together in a cup; stir until dissolved. Add to the saucepan.

    simple teriyaki ingredients in a sauce pan with a slurry nearby ready to thicken the sauce

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  4. Cook and stir sauce until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.

    thicken simple teriyaki sauce in sauce pan with a spoon.

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  5. Enjoy!

    a super close up view of simple teriyaki sauce being stirred with a spoon.
    Dotdash Meredith Food Studio
500 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

21 Calories
5g Carbs
0g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 12
Calories 21
% Daily Value *
Sodium 302mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 0g 1%
Calcium 4mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 17mg 0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.