An easy homemade teriyaki sauce recipe made from pantry staples. This sauce is bold and thick and is great as a marinade or as a sauce served with your favorite meats.
Photos Updated July 2014
There are lots of things I never considered making before, turning instead to the conveniently bottled versions. Salad dressings, mayonnaise, etc. Some of them I still buy bottled – mayonnaise – and some I make from scratch at home – salad dressings. One of these condiments that I recently tried to make from scratch was homemade Teriyaki sauce. It was so super easy and good, it made me wonder why I didn’t think to make it from scratch earlier!!
This homemade teriyaki sauce makes a thicker sauce that the bottled sauce, so it would be good served on top of something, but I used it as a marinade. I was going to use it on some grilled kabobs, but ended up throwing it in with some chicken breasts, letting it marinade overnight, then grilling the chicken. Along with the chicken, my husband grilled some fresh pineapple, which is my favorite way to eat pineapple! We also ate the chicken with some rice, and it was a delicious, filling dinner.
This homemade teriyaki sauce recipe only takes minutes to make, and tastes a lot better than the jarred sauce. This sauce is great just served as a sauce alongside your favorite meats as well as a marinade. I love that it is so versatile!
I think that I’ll be having more Asian inspired meals soon just so that I can make this recipe again!
SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO MAKE THIS HOMEMADE TERIYAKI SAUCE HERE:
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Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
Description
An easy homemade teriyaki sauce recipe made from pantry staples. This sauce is bold and thick and is great as a marinade or as a sauce served with your favorite meats.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 5 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1–2 tablespoons honey
- 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
- Combine the 1 cup water, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the 1/4 cup water and whisk until dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan.
- Heat the sauce until it thickens to your desired thickness. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more water to thin it out.
Recipe Notes:
slightly adapted from Food.com
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Kristal says
This sounds really good. I was starting my hunt for weekend dinner ideas and this popped up! Thanks !
Ryan Tatoosh says
How’d it turn out ?
Rosalind Watson says
I made it & it turned out perfectly. A new staple in my home!!!
KJ says
This is great. I prefer not to rely on bottled or ready made foods if I can help it. If I make it myself I know what’s in it.
However, it would never occur to me to make my own teriyaki sauce. Thanks for sharing this.
Elle says
Sounds like a great recipe for teriyaki…I should make my own, too.
Valli says
Wow this sounds so good and easy to prepare as well. I would have never thought to make my own teriyaki. Kudos!!!
Stephanie Sweetman says
I made this and it is delicious, I did tweak it just a bit by adding a bit of sesame oil.
★★★★★
vincent says
My family and I love Teriyaki Chicken. Thanks for the variation. I’m sure we’ll try it out very soon.
One side dish that we typically add is
grilled jalapeno peppers. Delicious!
The kids can handle them since most of the spice is grilled out.
Nani says
I suggest going with fresh ginger. It is no more difficult than chopping up garlic, and the flavor payoff is worth it.
★★★★
Mandy says
I can just imagine how delicious the meal must be!
Kelly-Jane says
Oh I know that would be so good!
JennDZ - The Leftover Queen says
That looks beautiful! Nice job on making your own teriyaki sauce!
Orchidea says
I posted the same recipe today… this was the first time I tried Teriyaki chicken but I did not do it from scrach like you.
Nice recipe.
Ciao.
Amy says
I also recently started making my own teriyaki sauce and couldn’t believe how easy it was!
Cynthia says
Congrats! you’re now making your own teriyaki sauce, I’ll definitely try your recipe. Your dinner sounds really filling and not fussy at all. I like that.
valentina says
We seem to be very similar in taht there are loads of things that I do not buy ready. I just went through the list of the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce and it does seem pretty simple. I will try to make it as well – got encouraged by your post.
Kristen says
I love teriyaki chicken…I think I’ll make this this week. I have fresh pineapple and just the ingredients on hand! Yum!
Janet says
That chicken looks very succulent. Great recipe!
kellypea says
I haven’t had teriyaki in a while, but was scanning the bottles in Whole Foods yesterday, looking at the combos. I’m right with you on the “make your own” and have gotten into the habit of checking out the descriptions on the labels of bottles in the store to get new ideas. Yours sounds yummy. Especially in the weather we’re having. Great for the BBQ.
I’ve tagged you, so check out my Bloggarooni…=)
Patricia Scarpin says
That looks fingerlicking, Deb!
Winthropian says
Nice and easy. Tried it on burgers with grilled pineapple and it was wonderful.
michaelasmommy says
I just made this teriyaki sauce and it was very easy to make and very good. Thank you for this recipie.
michaelasmommy says
I just made this today and it was very easy as well as being DELICIOUS. Thank you for this recipie. I will keep it in my recipie box for the future as I will make it again.
Teresa says
please be advised this will NOT be gluten free unless you use gluten free soy sauce!
Jen says
how long would this last if I didn’t use it up all at once?
Deborah says
I’m guessing that it should last several weeks tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Leslie says
Little note: I use Braggs Amino Acids instead of soy. Have to watch sodium because of sons migraines. Delicious…just taste like a light soy sauce and its healthy.
kayo says
Not trying to be a troll, but this is NOT teriyaki sauce. So if that’s what you’re looking for this is not it.
True teriyaki sauce is: Soy sauce, sugar, mirin or sake, optional ginger.
Deborah says
This must be the Americanized version. 😉
Jamie says
This turned out so yummy and was super easy to make. It also saved my rear end when the steaks weren’t completely thawed and I had to rethink my dinner plans. I sliced the partially frozen steaks thin and added this fabulous sauce and served it on a bed of rice with veggies. It was a total success!
Deborah says
Awesome – so glad you loved it!! Sounds like a fabulous dinner!
Lollie says
I will try this recipe, on Wednesday. Thank You, Kindly!!!
Dana says
Great ! But why buying mayonnaise ? It’s as easy to do it yourself !
Denise says
Made this sauce for some stir fry tonight. Amazing and so easy!!! Never buying the bottled stuff again!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you loved it!
Tina says
Deborah,
This sauce is amazing! I just made it today, and it’s all the yumminess, and no saltiness that store-bought sauce offers. I was impressed with the amount of sauce this yields, I used less than half to marinade my tofu for tonight’s stir fry.
I usually don’t buy teriyaki sauce anymore because of the price and the saltiness/sodium content. It will be nice to have yummy teriyaki in the house!
Thank you!
Deborah says
I’m so glad it was such a hit!!
kristie says
I was out but needed some for dinner. Why haven’t I ever tried making my own before? Thanks for the recipe. I have it marked because I won’t be buying it from now on…
Sally A. says
I just made this.I sauted some thin sliced chicken breasts addad the cooked sauce and served it over rice. I did add the juice and zest of half an orange. So easy and delicious.
Patti says
I have made this twice now and it far exceeds anything you can buy! Going to pass this one on to the ladies in my family.
Deborah says
So glad you love it – I agree with you! 😉
Melissa Pospiel says
I just made this for our dinner tonight as a marinade! Super easy and very good! Love the thickness love the flavor! Never buying store bought ever again! Thank you 🙂
Melissa Pospiel says
And I added a little bit of sesame seeds! 🙂
Deborah says
Yay! So glad you loved it!
Jan says
how long will this last in the fridge or should I freeze it ?? I want to make big batches to give to my kids & to have on hand for myself…in hot glass jars to seal it…
Deborah says
We usually go through it in a week or less, but I’m guessing it would last for awhile in the refrigerator. I haven’t tried canning it or freezing it, so I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you how well it would work. Sorry!
Lisa says
This recipe was great! It congealed a bit when we put some leftover in the fridge. Is that normal or should it remain sauce like? I’m worried I did something wrong to it, even though it tasted great!
★★★★★
Amy says
Can I use raw honey for this recipe ?
Deborah says
I’m guessing you should be able to.
Vave says
I found this recipe on food.com ( as you noted) – I follow it which just has powdered garlic vs fresh, and it is delicious !! I’ve been making my own for about a year, this is a serious keeper recipe and an awesome staple to have on hand to use in a quick stir fry ( whatever veg you happen to have on hand) stir fried with rice, add chicken or steak …I’ve used up left over BBQ steak, finely sliced it the next day, did a quick pan fry with this teriyaki, added some chopped mushrooms, over rice, or broccoli…I also really love doing a quick stir fry of cabbage, a little broccoli , few shaved carrots, then sitfry chicken and add a ton of white mushrooms …to serve I layer it ( like the fast food places in the mall) white rice on the bottom of the bowl, topped with the cabbage mix, then the chicken mushroom mix and then top with the teriyaki…soooo good! Well. There are a few of my personal favs for using this truly awesome sauce/merinade!
Connie J says
My husband was skeptical and wanted me to use the store bought jar. I went ahead and made this and he raved! So this is now my go to teriyaki sauce. Excellent flavour! I added a bit to my rice cooker while cooking my rice. Delicious!
Maggie says
I made it. It was easy to make . It was real good and I added some chili paste to kick it up a notch. . I would of made my own sauce long time ago if I knew how easy it was to make
Deborah says
Love the idea of adding the chili paste! So glad you liked it!
Marco tee says
Hi. Need to use ginger powder?
Virginia says
I’ve been looking everywhere for a teriyaki sauce made without vinegar…. Can’t wait to try this!! Thanks!
Sarah says
Deborah, you saved my dinner the other night! I will never buy teriyaki from the store again:)
My family and I have started a new adventure called the Real Food Adventure. Basically, getting away from processed food and eating only real foods! I’m blogging about it and shared your recipe when I ran into a hurdle with my store bought sauce.
Again, thanks so much for this great recipe!
Jess says
Hi, thanks for your recipe. It looks so easy and delicious. I wonder can I make it ahead and store it in a mason jar for further use? And if i can, how long can it be stored?
Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook says
Hi, Deborah. I have made this sauce few days ago and it was amazing! I used it for ground beef and noodles. But seriously, I could just drink the whole bottle. 😀
Heather says
This is the best teriyaki sauce I have every had.Will never EVER buy bottled sauce again.Only change I made was fresh ginger.
Thank you for such a great recipe !
Deborah says
I’m so glad you loved it!
Ristie says
This is very good and easy to make. I made it and kept it in fridge so I just needed to saute the beef and mix with this Teriyaki sauce for a very quick cook… even my husband can do it !! Thank you very much for sharing…
Susan says
I have made this Teriyaki sauce a couple of times now. I use gluten free soy sauce due to dietary restrictions and it has a fantastic taste, my husband who has no restrictions likes it as well. I recommend it for anyone.
Deborah says
I’m so glad you have been enjoying it!
Betsy Monheim says
I have just made your recipe for teriyaki sauce to use as a sauce over shredded pork to be served over rice. I have about 5 pounds of pork and I made 3 times the sauce recipe or 4 1/2 cups. I know it depends on personal preference but do you think that’s enough sauce? I don’t want the meat swimming in sauce but just need to moisten and flavor the somewhat dry pork. That you for a great tasting recipe and for your advice.
Susan says
This is delicious. I had a small 6 oz can of pineapple juice that I added 2 oz water to it, to have the 8 oz liquid. I only used 2 tbsp honey since I had the sweetness of pineapple. Added some red pepper flakes to spice it up some and had a wonderful steak strips with onion, broccoli & thin carrots served over rice.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
Liz says
Wanted to try making my own teriyaki sauce and this recipe had 4.5 stars so I went for it! It is so delicious. I halved the sugar and honey content and increased the ginger and garlic by a tad, and I find it perfect. So thankful for such a simple and customizable recipe!! Any idea how long this will keep in the fridge in a sealed container (I assume it should be kept refrigerated)?
Marissa says
This is so amazing!!! Thank you
★★★★★
Paula says
This was just super yum! I was planning Korean beef for dinner and opened a jar of store bought sauce which smelled and tastes awful. Your recipe totally saved the day and my other half loved it too. Tonight I’m using it for teriyaki salmon with noodles. Thank you! 🙂
★★★★★
Deborah says
Yay – I’m so glad it saved your dinner!
Lori says
I love this sauce! It’s so easy to make. I stir fry chicken then add broccoli, red pepper and zuchinni. Put it all over rice and drizzle the teriyaki sauce on top. Delicious!!!!
Amber says
We loved the sauce! I added a bit more brown sug and less honey. Also used fresh ginger. This recipie is written down for fruture use! Thank ypu for sharing!!
★★★★★
Deborah says
Awesome – I’m so glad you loved it!
Wanda J says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’ve been wanting to make teriyaki tempeh ever since I went to a restaurant and had a teriyaki tempeh sandwich. It was delicious! So this past weekend I bought the tempeh, but forgot to buy the teriyaki sauce. Today, I decided it was time to make the tempeh so I jumped online and found your teriyaki recipe. It was sooooo easy, but good! I put just a drop of sesame oil in a little bit of it just to see what it would taste like. It was good, too! My husband prefers liquid aminos over soy sauce so when I send him to the store, that’s what he comes back with, so I sub’d the soy sauce with liquid aminos. It was a little salty, but so good! I actually told a friend about it today when he said he was making teriyaki chicken. I told him he had to try this recipe! Will definitely be making this again! Thanks!
Deborah says
I’m so glad it was a hit!! And I am going to try the sesame oil next time – that sounds wonderful!
Brooke says
What can u substitute for cornstarch? Recipe looks great, but I have a corn allergy. Thanks!
Mitch says
You can use arrowroot, potato starch, or tapioca starch. Use them the same way you would cornstarch. You can also let the sauce simmer for a really long time to reduce/thicken the sauce.
Claire says
Thank you for this great recipe! Absolutely fabulous! If someone has a problem with the high sodium content in soy sauce, try BRAGG LIQUID AMINOS. It is an all purpose seasoning from Soy Protein. It is a natural soy sauce alternative with only 6% sodium, gluten-free, NON-GMO, and contains no preservatives. My sister has a problem with the high sodium content in a lot of foods so I try to use only no sodium or low sodium ingredients when I am preparing her dinners. My grocery store carries it and the manager said most grocery stores should carry it. It has the same great soy sauce taste without the sodium, gluten, GMO’s, and preservatives.
PS: I do not work for this company but wanted to share this information in case someone has a high sensitivity to the usual ingredients in store bought soy sauces. Again, thank you for this great recipe!
★★★★★
Rosalyn says
made this. so delicious!
how long can it be stored in fridge for?
would it only last 2 days or more?
thanks!
Jimmy Doors says
When do you add THE KETCHUP ?
Deborah says
Hi Jimmy – there is not any ketchup in this recipe. 🙂
Teja says
Just made this and it is delicious! Way better than the bottled stuff I was buying, thank you!
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m glad you liked it!
Vonnie says
Sounds delicious, will definitely try to make it! How can I store it please?
Deborah says
I store mine in a jar in the refrigerator.
Majid says
Thanks for the recipe! Really!
A quick related question though, How many days I can store the sauce in the refrigerator?
Thanks!:-)
★★★★★
Deborah says
I have stored it for easily 5-7 days, but beyond that, I’m not sure how long it would last.
Grace says
This recipe was great for my late night need for teriyaki sauce. I had made some chicken kebabs and only after they were made did I realize that there wasn’t any teriyaki sauce in my pantry. Fortunately, I had everything to make this, I just needed to combine them and let it thicken. It was so quick and easy to make AND it tastes absolutely delicious. I didn’t have a clove of garlic so I ended up putting in garlic powder, and I used dark brown sugar as well as a reduced sodium soy sauce. To me this teriyaki sauce is perfect. I don’t think I’ll ever want to go buy teriyaki sauce from shelves anymore.
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m so glad you’re a convert!
Alicia says
This saved dinner 🥘 tonight. Many thanks
★★★★★
Samantha says
I used 1/4 cup honey, and 2tb molasses, ground garlic, and left out the sugar. I have to say this recipe is great! I will definitely keep rotating it into my meals!
Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m so glad you loved it!
Hannah t says
Add ning chi spicy pot sauce if you like spicy, it totally changes the sauce
Esther Schlittenhart says
This is the first teriyaki recipe I tried and it was a big hit! Thanks
★★★★★
Cheryl A Jackson says
Turned out great!
★★★★★
Denisa says
I made this teriyaki sauce this evening for grilled chicken! Hands down the best homemade teriyaki sauce! This will be my go to recipe from now on.
Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Jackie says
I followed this recipe to a T. It is taking way longer to thicken up and am not sure it ever will. Smells good but the rest of the dinner is done. Hopiuit won’t be cold before the sauce thickens.
Deborah says
Hopefully it thickened up for you. It should thicken up pretty quickly with the cornstarch, so you might want to do a quick double check to make sure the quantities you added were correct. Hopefully it all worked out!
Carol says
This is really good. Didn’t add the cornstarch because I’m using it as a marinade. Chicken pieces sitting in it right now😊.
Definitely a keeper and will be using again.
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m so glad you liked it!!
Nate says
New to cooking.
I doubled everything to have enough for a marinade and it’s not very thick, the color is of a mocha coffee (not dark like the sauce should be) and it lacks a strong taste, any ideas?
Thanks! Excited to figure this out!
Deborah says
Hmmm, the sauce is pretty thick and pretty dark. I’d double check to make sure you got all of the ingredients right. Otherwise, I’m not quite sure. Sorry!
Kaylee says
I have to give the recipe 5 stars, if I could give more I would. I have never left a comment on a recipe before, but I had to for this one. Everyone in the house loved this sauce, I made it yesterday for a recipe, now I’m making it again for another recipe!
★★★★★
Elyce says
I have used this recipe, with my tweeks for taste, many times, both in the Crockpot (slow cooker) & in the oven, & on b/s chicken thighs & breasts & on bone-in/skin- on thighs. I also add a bit of sesame oil, but very little, maybe a 1/4 teaspoon, because it will overpower other flavors. I also add a teaspoon, or more to taste, of seasoned rice wine vinegar. I always taste & tweek, as some like a sweeter sauce & some like it more savory with additional soy, garlic & ginger. This is an excellent base from which to start!
★★★★★
Danielle says
I made this for my family with a tofu stir fry and everyone wanted seconds! I used arrowroot powder, coconut sugar, fresh ginger and agave nectar as substitutes and it was fabulous. The sauce was definitely dark and thick and delicious!
★★★★★
Deborah says
Yay – so glad everyone loved it!
Suzanne says
Made this marinade today for grilled chicken. Easy to make and was great!
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m glad you loved it!
Andrew says
Great sauce, and it’s now a go to for a quick and easy dinner in my apartment. Only thing I modified is slightly less brown sugar. 2-3 tablespoons seemed to do the trick as 5 was just to sweet for myself.
Deborah says
I’m glad you enjoyed it and that you were able to modify it for your tastes!
Summer says
This was good but a little weak! Next time I might sub chicken broth for the water to give a little more flavor.
★★★★
Deborah says
That’s a great idea to sub in broth!
Candy says
I made this recipe and it turned out perfect! I added 1/8 tsp of crushed red pepper to give it a kick. It’s so much better than store bought. This will now be my go to recipe for this sauce. Thanks for sharing it.
★★★★★
Deborah says
Oooh, I love the idea of adding the crushed red pepper!
Linda says
Looks delicious! . Can’t wait to try these!
★★★★★
adela says
This is great first time i make it so good used olive oil instead thanks
★★★★★
Jessaca Mattox says
JUST finished making this for our family dinner tonight. My kids are excited to try this! Only thing I didnt have was rice vinegar…I had several other types but was out of this. So I used a ‘gourmet’ white and only added half the amount & added a 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper to not have it so sweet.
Served with some chinese noodles! Thanks for this cant wait to make this again.
Dennyc says
Just made this an hour ago and I’m really impressed! It’s delicious, really simple to make and almost filled 2 bon mamam jam jars so lots to enjoy! I have put some on diced chicken fillets to marinade overnight and will make chicken skewers with them tomorrow. I can’t wait!!! Thank you Deborah 🙂
★★★★★
Lauren Milner says
I added a bit more ginger for my taste and canned the excess for later. Perfect for meal prep. Spot on. Thanks!
★★★★★
Christine says
Love this sauce! Though for me I love a sweeter sauce so I add about 1/3 cup brown sugar and add a bit more garlic. But we all have different tastes and this is a perfect recipe to adjust to a persons liking. Thank you!
Melissa Tump says
We doubled the recipe for a large family and it worked beautifully and tasted delicious
★★★★★
Jessie says
This has become my go to teriyaki recipe! I work for an assisted living and recently made teriyaki wings and they loved it!
★★★★★
KAT says
How long does it last in fridge?
Deborah says
It should be good for 5-7 days.
Christine Colby says
Perfect!!!!!!
★★★★★
Crystal D. says
Made this for family and friends last night. EVERYONE loved it (even my super-picky eater who is 11 and hates just about everything I cook)!!! This will be a permanent recipe for our family. Quick. Simple. Easy. Delicious!
★★★★★
Deborah says
This makes me so happy – I’m so glad it was loved by all!
Natalie Blakey says
Perfect! Thanks for this. I added a dash of apple cider vinegar as it was quite sweet and it was spot on. Thanks again!!
John says
Finally a teriyaki sauce that isn’t too salty! So good!
★★★★★
Rebecca Y. says
I’ve made this sauce using this recipie. My daughter and i love it! So muchso, that my daugter could just drink it if i let her!
So easy and quick to make. Thanks for sharing. 🙏🌻
★★★★★
Kathleen S says
This turned out AWESOME! I did sub 1/2 orange juice for the water for a bit extra flavor and all in all super yum!
★★★★★
Polly says
This is Devine.. I chop up chicken thighs and coat in corn flour and fry with a bit of oil in pan, once cooked I coat in this teriyaki sauce serve with salad with pickled ginger and rice..family favourite!
★★★★★
Steven McKegney says
Wow…..amazing recipe!!!!! A must try. Absolutely perfect beef stir fry!
Liam W. says
Good recipe, but I found it’s missing something. Needs a touch of sourness.
I added 1 Tablespoon of Rice Wine Vinegar and it made all the difference.
★★★★
Robbin says
It is very easy and flavorful but it was too sweet for me so I added more of everything else and then it turned out very nice.
★★★★
Sandra Meltzer says
This is a really delicious recipe. I made it on the spur of the moment. Everyone loved it. I used it with stir fry and tofu with rice. We’re all looking forward to having it again.