Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

5 from 18 votes

One of the staple sauces I always have in my fridge is a bottle of homemade teriyaki sauce. Authentic teriyaki sauce actually only requires 4 basic ingredients but I love to add some garlic and ginger in mine for extra flavour.

I also shared two recipe options below--the first is a more authentic teriyaki sauce while the second is an alternative teriyaki sauce recipe that don’t use any mirin or sake.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Course Sauces

Cuisine Asian, Japanese

Servings cup

Calories 597 kcal

Ingredients

TERIYAKI SAUCE (Just choose 1 option depending on your preference!)

Teriyaki Sauce (Option 1) - the more authentic version

1/2 cup sake or add more mirin
1/2 cup mirin (corn syrup-free mirin here)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar (55 g)
Optional: 1/2 tsp minced garlic and/or 1/4 tsp grated ginger

Slurry, For the Glaze (For Option 1)

1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
3 tbsp room temp water

Teriyaki Sauce (Option 2) - no mirin and sake

1/4 to 1/2 cup soy sauce see notes
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar or adjust according to desired sweetness
Optional: 1/2 tsp minced ginger and/or 1/4 tsp minced garlic

For the Glaze (For Option 2)

1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp room temperature water

Instructions

Teriyaki Sauce (Option 1)

Heat a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat.
Add in the sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar.
Leave to simmer over medium high heat until it starts to boil.
Add in the garlic and ginger, if using. Keep mixing until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Leave to boil over medium high heat until the sauce starts to thicken a little. Note that the sauce will not thicken like a glaze but will slightly thicken from the sugars. If using as a marinade or sauce to cook other dishes, you can opt not to thicken it like a glaze.
If you’d like to thicken this sauce into a glaze, prepare the cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch and water together.
While mixing, pour in the slurry into the teriyaki sauce and leave to boil until it thickens.
Mix well and then when it boils, lower the heat. Continue stirring to ensure the starch doesn't stick at the bottom of the pan.
Once it thickens, taste the sauce, and adjust the seasonings accordingly. Turn off the heat. It’ll continue to thicken as it cools.
Transfer the sauce/glaze into a jar and leave it to cool completely before storing. See storage tips below.
Enjoy your teriyaki sauce/glaze by cooking it with your favourite protein, as a sauce for noodles, fried rice, or as a delicious marinade—it’s totally up to you! Teriyaki sauce is really so versatile.

Teriyaki Sauce (Option 2)

Heat a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add in soy sauce, water, and sugar. Start with 1/4 cup soy sauce and adjust as you go along (see notes). Leave to simmer over medium high heat until it starts to boil. Add in the garlic and ginger, if using. Keep mixing until the sugar has dissolved.
Taste the sauce and add more of the soy sauce, if needed. You can also add more sugar and adjust depending on your desired sweetness.
if you’d like to use this sauce as a glaze, prepare the cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch and water. While mixing, pour in the slurry into the teriyaki sauce and mix until it thickens. Once it thickens, taste the sauce, and adjust the seasonings accordingly. Turn off the heat. It’ll continue to thicken as it cools.
Enjoy your teriyaki sauce/glaze sauce by cooking it with your favourite protein, as a sauce for noodles, fried rice, or as a delicious marinade—it’s totally up to you! Teriyaki sauce is really so versatile.

Teriyaki Sauce Storage Tips

Transfer the teriyaki sauce in a jar. Leave the sauce/glaze to cool completely before covering. Refrigerate until ready to use. It can be stored for up to 1 month (or even longer!)
You can also refrigerate the teriyaki glaze the same way but note that the cornstarch can clump together so you’ll need to shake or mix the sauce well before using. You can also heat it to completely dissolve the clumps.

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Notes

For Option 2 of the Teriyaki Sauce:

Start with 1/4 cup soy sauce and adjust according to desired taste since some soy sauce can be really salty.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

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