Homemade teriyaki sauce is easy to make, and you’ll find most or all of the ingredients in your grocery store. This great sauce adds a ton of flavor to your favorite Japanese cooking. And I think it’s a whole lot better than the store-bought stuff!

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Recipe for Teriyaki

This simple sauce, made with basic ingredients found in your pantry, offers a perfect balance of savory, salty, and sweet flavors, providing a shiny glaze that’s perfect for teriyaki chicken, teriyaki salmon, or even as a dipping sauce for your favorite recipes.

Teriyaki is one of my favorite flavors of Japanese cuisine. In fact, I used to order teriyaki chicken when I lived in Japan because it’s so yummy. I also love this stir fry teriyaki beef and broccoli dish served over white rice.

Ingredients

Take your easy dinner to a whole new level with the best flavor by making your own. Here is what you’ll need:

• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup soy sauce (preferably low-sodium soy sauce for less sodium content)
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup for a different twist)
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger (or fresh ginger for extra flavor)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder (or fresh garlic, minced)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (for the cornstarch slurry)
• ¼ cup cold water (in addition to the 1 cup listed first)

How to Make Authentic Teriyaki Sauce

Next time you crave Asian food, make your own teriyaki sauce from scratch. First, combine ingredients. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger, and garlic. This mixture of simple ingredients forms the base of soy sauce that is essential for the best teriyaki sauce recipe.

Next, cook on medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. The slow simmering process is crucial to meld the flavors together, creating a sauce with great depth and character.

Prepare the corn starch slurry. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ¼ cup of cold water. This cornstarch mixture acts as a thickening agent, making sure your sauce has the perfect consistency.

Now thicken the sauce. Add the corn starch slurry to the boiling sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

Finally, cool and store. Once your sauce has reached the perfect thickness, remove it from the heat and let it cool.

Pour it into an airtight container, such as a mason jar or a decorative jar, and store it in the refrigerator. This homemade sauce can easily outshine store-bought teriyaki sauce with its fresh and authentic flavor.

Tips for Customization and Variation

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy changing things up a bit. Here are some easy but flavorful ways to take this recipe to a whole new level of deliciousness:

• Sesame seeds and oil: For an added touch of flavor, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds into your sauce or add a few drops of sesame oil.
• Pineapple or orange juice: For a fruity twist, substitute some of the water with pineapple juice or orange juice. This adds a delightful sweetness and tang, creating a more complex flavor profile.
• Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar: A splash of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar can introduce a subtle acidity, enhancing the overall taste of the sauce.
• Sweetener variations: If you want a sweet sauce, adjust the sugar content by experimenting with white sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup to find your favorite way to sweeten the sauce.
• Spice it up: If you enjoy a bit of heat, a pinch of red pepper flakes can add a spicy kick to your teriyaki sauce. Or you can use a dash of cayenne.

Asian Fusion for Any Food

Creating your own homemade teriyaki sauce not only allows you to adjust the flavors to your liking but also offers a healthier alternative to the high sodium and sugar content found in store-bought versions. This delicious teriyaki sauce recipe uses pantry staples and simple ingredients to produce a sauce with great flavor, perfect for stir fries, salad dressings, or as a marinade for chicken, and pork chops. 

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