This homemade teriyaki sauce is the BEST! It’s ready in minutes and the sweet-salty, savory flavors are second to none. It’s delicious as a sauce or marinade, especially for grilling. You’ll never use store-bought again!

Teriyaki is a bold, sweet-sticky Japanese sauce that I use on grilled chicken, pineapple chicken, and more. And if you love this easy recipe, be sure to give my homemade barbecue sauce a try, too.

 

We’re big fans of Japanese food, and one of the easiest ways to recreate some of my favorite dishes is with this homemade teriyaki sauce! “Teriyaki” comes from the Japanese word “teri”, referring to the shine that comes from the sugar in the sauce, and “yaki”, which is the grilling method most often used in teriyaki recipes.

I’ll use this teriyaki sauce recipe for everything, whether we’re grilling, making a stir-fry, or simmering crockpot teriyaki chicken. Making it at home is easy, and a million times better than store-bought. I’ve been making this recipe forever and figured it was time it had its own post!

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

• Authentic taste. I use traditional ingredients to recreate the authentic teriyaki flavor at home. This rich, salty, sweet-savory sauce is better than even my favorite store-bought brand. 
• Easy ingredients. This sweet-savory, sticky sauce needs just a handful of common ingredients that you might already have in the pantry. If not, they’re easy enough to find in the grocery store, or at your local Asian supermarket.
• Quick to make. My homemade teriyaki sauce comes together in under 20 minutes on the stovetop. 

What Does Teriyaki Sauce Taste Like?

Teriyaki is a sticky Japanese sauce known for its sweet, salty, tangy, and savory flavors. The ingredients include mirin (cooking wine), caramelized sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. It’s a simple sauce, but it packs big flavors into recipes for chicken, vegetables, and more.

Is It Spicy?

Most teriyaki recipes, including this one, are very mild. It makes it the perfect sauce if you’re not a fan of spicy food, or if you’re cooking for kids. Of course, if you prefer some heat, there are plenty of ways to spice up this homemade teriyaki sauce with chili flakes or chili sauce, like Sriracha.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here are the easy teriyaki sauce ingredients that you’ll need to make it at home. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable list of ingredients with the full amounts.

• Soy Sauce – I like low-sodium soy sauce, or you can substitute tamari.
• Mirin – Mirin is a type of Japanese cooking wine. You can substitute sake for mirin, or you can try dry white wine or dry sherry instead. 
• Sugar – Granulated sugar or brown sugar.
• Rice Vinegar – You can use white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or distilled white vinegar in a pinch.
• Garlic – I love using freshly minced garlic and ginger. You can also substitute ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove, and ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh ginger.
• Sesame Oil – There’s really no replacement for sesame oil in this recipe. It can be toasted sesame oil or regular.

How to Make Teriyaki Sauce

Gather your ingredients, and follow the steps below. Teriyaki sauce takes about 15 minutes to simmer before it’s ready to use or store. You’ll find the printable directions in the recipe card.

• Combine the ingredients. Add all of your teriyaki sauce ingredients to a saucepan and bring that to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Simmer. Lower the heat and simmer the sauce for 10-15 minutes.
• Strain. I usually skip this step, but if you’d like, you can strain the finished sauce after it’s off the heat. Afterward, let the sauce cool down before storing it in the fridge. See further on for storage details.

How to Use Teriyaki Sauce

This Japanese-style sauce is crazy versatile (if you ask anyone in my house, it goes great on just about anything!). Here are some easy ways to use teriyaki sauce:

• Marinade. Pour this sauce over your favorite protein and let it marinate in the fridge before cooking. It’s delicious with chicken, beef, pork, or seafood, like these grilled teriyaki shrimp kebobs or juicy salmon bites. It’s also great with tofu for a vegetarian option.
• Grilling. Use this as a basting sauce for teriyaki grilled chicken or vegetables cooked on the grill.
• Rice and noodles. Drizzle this sauce over white rice and noodle bowls to boost the flavor. 
• Stir-fries. Make teriyaki stir fry noodles or an easy ramen stir fry with teriyaki stir fry sauce.
• Dipping sauce. Teriyaki is perfect for dipping chicken wings, sushi, tempura, spring rolls, and Japanese gyoza.
• Burgers. Brush this sauce over burgers for an extra flavor boost. It’s also great to drizzle over sandwiches and wraps.

Proper Storage

• Refrigerate. This homemade sauce is ready to use right away, or I’ll store it airtight in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It keeps well in an airtight jar or container and gets even better with time!
• Freeze. Yes, you can freeze teriyaki sauce, too! Store it in a freezer-safe, airtight container and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw the sauce in the fridge before you use it.

More Sauces and Marinades

• Homemade Enchilada Sauce
• Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce
• Spicy Cajun Dipping Sauce
• Homemade Ranch Dressing

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