Teriyaki Sauce
on Mar 04, 2024
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Homemade Teriyaki Sauce can be used as a marinade, glaze, or dipping sauce. It pairs wonderfully with any meat or vegetable and adds a delicious, rich flavor to your meal!
Making teriyaki sauce at home is an easy and inexpensive way to bring impressive flavor to your dish. You can use this sauce for practically anything, and you will want to after tasting it! The simple ingredients blend together perfectly to give you a sauce that somehow has savory, sweet, and spicy flavors all in one.
My favorite way to use this teriyaki sauce is as a marinade for chicken, beef, or fish and create my own meal with vegetables and rice or noodles. Because of its versatility, teriyaki sauce has become very popular so why not give it a try and make your own at home!
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
- Soy sauce—This will be the base of your sauce, to give it a salty and bright flavor.
- Honey—To add the classic sweet flavor!
- Sesame oil—For extra flavor and to make the sauce more rich.
- Red pepper flakes—Brings a hint of spiciness.
- Ground ginger—Adds extra edge and spice to the sauce.
- Garlic powder—To balance the ginger and bring a savory flavor to your teriyaki sauce.
- Cornstarch—Helps thicken the sauce.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Teriyaki Sauce
Step #1. Gather all of the necessary ingredients for teriyaki sauce and measure them all out.
Step #2. Combine the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and ginger in a small pot over heat. Stir to combine.
Step #3. Once the mixture is homogeneous, whisk together the cornstarch in a small bowl with some water, and add the slurry to the pot.
Step #4. Cook the sauce until it has thickened. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Soy sauce is a liquid condiment that is made from soybeans, wheat, salt, and sometimes yeast. It has a pungent and umami flavor, and can be used alone or as an ingredient in other sauces such as teriyaki sauce. Along with soy sauce, teriyaki sauce is made with a sweetener, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and sometimes other seasonings. Because of this, teriyaki sauce is known for a richer, sometimes sweet and spicy flavor, but soy sauce has a distinct salty taste.
It depends! You will find that most store bought teriyaki sauce is on the thicker side. In this recipe the cornstarch will help to thicken the sauce but it won’t be too thick. If you are using the sauce as a marinade, it is better for it to be thinner so that more of the flavor is absorbed. You can easily thin it out with a tablespoon or two of water. On the other hand, if you are planning to use it as a glaze or topping for a dish, then you will want it to be a bit thicker or more like a dip.
Absolutely! You can make this ahead of time, or simply save it for later if you have leftovers. Homemade teriyaki sauce will stay good in the fridge for about 2-3 days in an airtight container. Once you’re ready to use it again, you can reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat for best taste!
How to Serve Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki sauce has a wide variety of uses! The combination of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors makes it desirable to people with different tastes. It can be used as a dip, glaze, or marinade. Here are some ways that you can serve this homemade teriyaki sauce:
- Teriyaki beef and noodles—Use the teriyaki sauce as a marinade for your beef, then cook and serve with noodles and broccoli.
- Teriyaki salmon with salad—Marinate salmon with the sauce, cook, and serve over a green salad with extra sauce on top.
- Dumplings or egg rolls—Serve your sauce on the side as an optional dipping sauce.
- Teriyaki fried rice—Cook any veggies on the stovetop, add rice, then pour in one half cup of teriyaki sauce and stir to incorporate.
- Teriyaki chicken tacos—Cook your chicken with a half cup of teriyaki sauce. Serve on a tortilla with shredded carrots, green onions, cabbage, and another drizzle of teriyaki sauce.
- Crockpot Teriyaki Meatballs —Pour teriyaki sauce over meatballs and let the slow cooker do the work.
Expert Tips
- You can replace the honey with brown sugar for a sweetener if you are not a fan of the light, floral flavor that comes with honey.
- Whisking the cornstarch with water prevents it from clumping together when added to the sauce. Doing this will ensure that your sauce thickens properly.
- Allow your sauce to thicken until it can coat the back of a spoon! Remember that the sauce will also continue to thicken as it cools.
- Be sure to make the sauce over medium heat and don’t allow it to get too high to avoid it from burning. You should also stir it occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pot as it combines.
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Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and ginger in a small pot over medium heat. Stir to combine.
- Once the mixture is homogeneous, whisk together the cornstarch in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of water and add the slurry to the pot.
- Cook the sauce for about 5 minutes over medium heat, or until it has thickened.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- This makes about 1 cup of sauce.
- Whisking the cornstarch with water prevents it from clumping together when added to your sauce. This will ensure your sauce thickens properly.
- You can replace the honey with brown sugar if you are not a fan of the light, floral flavor that comes with honey.
- I like to let my sauce thicken until it costs the back of a spoon. It is also important to note that your sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- You can store your sauce in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat.
- As soon as the sauce has thickened you can add it to whatever dish you would like to use it in.
