Do you love teriyaki sauce? We eat a lot of stir fry dishes and like a range of flavours, but it would be impossible, expensive and unhealthy to keep piles of sauces in the fridge.
How about if I said you could make this at home as a marinade or a sauce in just 10 minutes, ready to slather onto your favourite stir fry? Best of all, you probably have all the ingredients in your cupboards already.
Problem solved!
What are the ingredients?
The main ingredients for this is dark soy sauce and dark brown sugar, but you can use white granulated sugar if that's what you have. It will taste very similar but be a slightly lighter colour.
You will also need garlic, fresh ginger, apple cider vinegar, (or white wine vinegar), sesame oil, water, cornflour and honey.
I tend to buy a big piece of fresh ginger and break it down into 20g chunks then keep it in the freezer. It's the ideal amount to add to curries and stir-frys and much easier than finding a dry old piece of ginger in the fridge.
More importantly, it's really easy to grate it straight from the freezer and there's no need to peel. I find it just clogs up the grater when you try and grate it from fresh.
How to make Easy Teriyaki Sauce
Grate the ginger. I find this is easier with a micro plane grater.
Measure all of the ingredients into a saucepan, except the cornflour.
Bring it to a simmer, stirring while the sugar dissolves, then cook for 5 minutes.
At this point you have a teriyaki marinade which you can use to flavour meat before you cook it.
To turn this into a sauce whisk the cornflour with water and stir into the saucepan and stir while the mixture thickens and turns glossy.
If you put the marinade or sauce in a clean container it will keep for a week in the fridge.
The Japanese name refers to the glossy sheen on fish when it has been grilled with the sauce. In the west it is typically eaten with meat instead.
This Japanese sauce is perfect for a donburi bowl with duck where dug legs are slow roasted first and then shredded and mixed with vegetables and the sauce.
When you have leftover roast meat this is perfect for a quick dinner. Simply slice up the meat and vegetables then fry the vegetables, add the meat and sauce and heat through. Serve on its own or with rice and noodles.
If you are making a stir fry with fresh meat use the marinade to tenderise the meat first before stir frying. This marinade is also perfect when you are grilling or barbecuing and can be used as a baste while you cook too.
Tell me what you use this sauce for. I would love to have some new ideas!
More Asian recipes you may like...
- Prawn and Squid Noodle Bowl
- Baked Szechuan Salt and Pepper Prawns
- Spicy Calamari with Prawns and Crab
- Thai Fish Burgers
- Sesame Garlic Tofu
- Pork and Peanut Moneybags
📋 Recipe
Easy teriyaki Sauce
Equipment
- saucepan
Ingredients
for the sauce
- 70 g dark brown sugar
- 70 ml dark soy sauce
- 20 g ginger grated
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 350 ml water
to thicken
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan.
- Stir until the sugar has dissolved over a medium heat.
- Cook for 5 minutes.
- Cool, if using as a marinade, then keep in the fridge.
- For a sauce, combine the cornflour and water together and stir through while heating until thickened.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Food safety
We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Amanda
Thanks Dannii. It's so good with salmon.
Amanda
Thanks so much Priya.
Amanda
Thanks Erika.
Amanda
Thanks Heidy. That is so kind.
Amanda
Thanks Alisa.
Alisa Infanti
I really love making homemade sauces so that I know everything that goes into them and this was terrific.
Heidy M
This Easy Teriyaki Sauce really was super easy and came out perfectly. We loved the flavor and will making our own Teriyaki Sauce from now on! Sharing your link with a few co-workers that tasted it the other day at work.
Erika
I've never made teriyaki sauce from scratch. I love how easy this is to make.
Priya Lakshminarayan
Just the recipe I needed! Thanks for sharing..making this tonight
Dannii
I love teriyaki salmon, and this sauce looks so easy to make. I can't wait to try it.