Homemade Teriyaki Sauce is a versatile, flavorful sauce you can use as a marinade, glaze, or dipping sauce. Made with simple pantry ingredients, this recipe yields a balanced sweet-savory sauce that brightens stir-fries, grilled meats, vegetables, rice, and more. Keep a jar in the fridge to elevate quick weeknight meals.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
This teriyaki sauce is rich and glossy, with a thick texture that clings to proteins and vegetables. Making it at home means you can control the sweetness and saltiness to suit your taste or dietary needs. It’s excellent on grilled chicken, salmon, pork chops, or tossed through stir-fried noodles and rice. Use it as a marinade for an hour (or overnight for deeper flavor), brush it on while grilling, or serve it warm as a dipping sauce for appetizers.
The base of the sauce is soy sauce balanced with brown sugar and a touch of mirin for a subtle acidity. Sesame oil, garlic, and ginger add aromatics, while a cornstarch slurry produces a glossy finish. Finish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions for texture and freshness. When cooled and stored in an airtight container, it will keep in the refrigerator and be ready whenever you need a flavor boost.
Recipes Using Teriyaki Sauce
- Blackstone Beef Teriyaki
- Blackstone Teriyaki Meatballs
- Grilled Teriyaki Pork Chops
- Blackstone Teriyaki Shrimp Kabobs
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Smoked Teriyaki Beef Jerky
- Teriyaki Steak Yakisoba
- Traeger Chicken Teriyaki
- Grilled Teriyaki Salmon
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthier Alternative: You control the ingredients, so you can reduce sugar or sodium compared to many store-bought sauces.
- Versatile Usage: Use as a marinade, glaze, dipping sauce, or to finish soups and stir-fries with an extra layer of flavor.
- Quick and Easy: The sauce comes together in minutes on the stove with minimal hands-on time.
- Customizable: Tweak sweetness, salt, or spice—add chili flakes or sriracha for heat, or use a gluten-free soy sauce for dietary needs.
- Good Shelf Life: Properly cooled and refrigerated in an airtight jar, the sauce will stay usable for several weeks.
Try our Homemade Bang Bang Sauce too!
Recipe Shopping List
Check your pantry against this list before you start. For exact amounts see the recipe card below.
- Water
- Soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if needed)
- Dark brown sugar
- Mirin
- Sesame oil
- Garlic (minced or pressed)
- Ginger (fresh grated or ground)
- Cornstarch
- Sesame seeds
- Green onions (scallions)
Also great with a Korean Chicken Wing Sauce preparation.
How To Make This Recipe
This is a straightforward stovetop sauce that takes only minutes to prepare. Follow the steps below and refer to the printable recipe card for precise measurements and serving details.
- Combine: In a small saucepan, add water, soy sauce, dark brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Stir to combine over medium heat.
- Simmer: Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes until the sugar dissolves and flavors meld.
- Thicken: Whisk cornstarch together with a little cold water to create a smooth slurry. Slowly pour the slurry into the simmering sauce while whisking to prevent lumps.
- Finish: Continue to simmer and whisk until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. Remove from heat.
- Stir-Ins: Stir in sesame seeds and chopped green onions while the sauce is hot. Let the sauce cool to room temperature before storing.
- Store: Transfer to a clean, airtight jar and refrigerate. Reheat gently before using if needed.
Honey BBQ Sauce is another favorite to try.
Recipe FAQ
Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the sauce will keep for up to one month. Always use clean utensils to avoid contamination.
Yes. Pour cooled sauce into a freezer-safe container or ice cube tray for convenient portioning. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
For spice, add a pinch of crushed red pepper or a teaspoon of sriracha. For a deeper flavor, substitute some brown sugar with honey or add a splash of rice vinegar for brightness.
Yes. Use a gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos in place of regular soy sauce.
Homemade Chimichurri Recipe
Serve This With…
- Traeger Teriyaki Smoked Shrimp
- Teriyaki Pineapple Pork Tenderloin Sliders
- Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
- Traeger Broccolini
More Asian-Style Recipes
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Asian Chicken Salad
- Thai Red Curry Chicken Wings
- Quick Cucumber Kimchi
- Smoked Pulled Pork Fried Rice
- Korean Ground Beef Bowl
- Spicy Beef and Korean Rice Cakes (Tteokbokki)
- Blackstone Beef and Broccoli
- Bachan’s Smoked Flank Steak
- Shrimp Udon with Miso Brown Butter
- Blackstone Chicken Fried Rice
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Teriyaki Sauce
A simple, homemade teriyaki sauce that is savory-sweet and perfect for glazing, marinating, or dipping. Ready in about ten minutes and easily adjusted to taste.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon ginger (fresh grated or ground)
- 1 teaspoon cold water (for slurry)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons green onions, chopped
Instructions
- Combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring so the sugar dissolves. Simmer for about 5 minutes to meld flavors.
- Whisk together cornstarch and cold water to form a smooth slurry.
- Slowly drizzle the slurry into the simmering sauce while whisking. Continue to cook and whisk until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
- Remove from heat and stir in sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
- Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat gently before using if desired.
Nutrition Information (per serving)
Calories: 89 | Total Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 832mg | Carbohydrates: 17g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Protein: 2g