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 or vegetables.
In the mood for teriyaki? Make up a batch of this sauce and then use it to make Teriyaki Chicken Pizza or Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers!
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
There are lots of things I used to 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 love to make from scratch is homemade Teriyaki sauce. It is so super easy and good, it made me wonder why I ever bought the store bought kind!
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!
Ingredients
Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar. You could also up the amount of honey, but I think they both bring in different flavors, so I like to use both.
Soy Sauce: I always use low sodium soy sauce. You could also use tamari.
Honey: If you like the sauce sweeter, use 2 tablespoons, otherwise just use one.
Garlic: I always have fresh garlic on hand, so I like to use fresh. You could sub in garlic powder. If you do, you’ll need about 1/4 teaspoon.
Ginger: I don’t always have fresh ginger on hand, so that is why I use ground ginger. Feel free to use fresh if you do have it, though. You’ll need 1-2 tablespoons of fresh ginger if you do sub.
Cornstarch: This is what will thicken up your sauce. The sauce will get decently thick, so if you prefer a thinner sauce, feel free to cut this amount in half.
How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
It really doesn’t get much easier than this recipe!
1: Start by combining all of your ingredients except the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water. Whisk to combine, and set over medium heat.
2: In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the 1/4 cup water.
3: Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan.
4: Cook, whisking, until the sauce thickens.
How to Use This Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
This homemade teriyaki sauce makes a thicker sauce that the bottled sauce, so it would be good served on top of something, but I have also used it as a marinade. If you don’t want it thick as a marinade you can skip adding the cornstarch and extra water.
Here are some of my favorite ways to use this sauce:
As sauce with grilled chicken
Add it to chicken pieces and broccoli and serve over rice
As a glaze for salmon
Mixed into noodles
In any stir fry
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Video
If you want to watch how this teriyaki sauce is made, watch the video above.
Storage
I usually make this teriyaki sauce when I need it, but it’s also great to just have on hand for an easy dinner.
I store it in a mason jar in the refrigerator. I will usually try to go through it in a week or less, but really, it should be good for 2-3 weeks if stored properly.
I have not tried to freeze this, although I’m assuming it would freeze well.
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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 or vegetables.
Ingredients
1cup(8 oz) water
5tablespoons(67 g) packed light brown sugar
1/4cup(2 oz) low sodium soy sauce
1-2tablespoonshoney
1large clove garlic,minced
1/2teaspoonground ginger
2tablespoonscornstarch
1/4cup(2 oz) 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.
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.
Authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce combines soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake to create a distinctively sharp taste, with Westernized versions incorporating honey, garlic, and ginger for added edge. Cornstarch is often added to teriyaki sauce as a thickener.
Sesame oil: A drizzle of sesame oil will add a nutty and aromatic flavor to your teriyaki sauce. It's a great way to enhance the overall taste and aroma of the dish. Honey or brown sugar: Adding a little honey or brown sugar will give the sauce a touch of sweetness that will balance out the saltiness.
Adding cornstarch doesn't allow the sauce to caramelize and will result in a flat taste. Instead, allow the soy sauce and sugar to caramelize during cooking. As an added bonus, this will naturally thicken the sauce and transform it into a glaze.
The easiest way to make teriyaki sauce thicker is with a cornstarch slurry (which this recipe uses). Whisk together 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, and add the mixture to your sauce while it simmers.
The main difference is that marinades are used to flavor food before cooking while a sauce is added during the cooking process or after the dish has been cooked. One important thing: don't use premade marinade that's been used to marinate meat, poultry, or fish.
You know how the irresistibly sweet-salty teriyaki-slathered grilled meat you get at a Japanese restaurant is infinitely more delicious than the stuff you make at home? Well, the reason is simple: Homemade teriyaki sauce is just always better than the sickly sweet store-bought stuff.
I usually make this teriyaki sauce when I need it, but it's also great to just have on hand for an easy dinner. I store it in a mason jar in the refrigerator. I will usually try to go through it in a week or less, but really, it should be good for 2-3 weeks if stored properly.
Home cooks should be aware of the two versions of teriyaki sauce when they go shopping. The thinner teriyaki sauce makes for a better a marinade, though in our teriyaki taste test, we determined you're better off making your own teriyaki marinade at home than buying a bottle of the thin stuff.
Rice vinegar is sold near other kinds of vinegar, but if you cannot find it, try cider vinegar or white wine vinegar as a substitute. When tasting the sauce after adding the vinegar, it might taste a little strong.
Don't fret if your sauce is a little thin, simply use heat to reduce the liquid or add a little corn flour. In no time at all, you will have a thicker sauce that is ready to add to your meal.
Typically, you'll find a combination of honey and brown sugar in teriyaki recipes. I wanted this recipe to be entirely naturally sweetened, so I used all honey instead. If you want teriyaki sauce without honey, simply use maple syrup. It's great, too!
Mirin - This is what gives this recipe an authentic Japanese flavor. Mirin adds subtle sweetness and acidity to this sauce. Sugar - I prefer using white granulated sugar for it's clean flavor but you can use brown sugar or honey if you prefer.
Panda Express Mandarin Sauce is the same savory sweet condiment that you get over chicken at the popular fast food joint. You can now enjoy it in your own home with beef, pork, poultry, veggies and more. This Panda teriyaki sauce is free of high fructose corn syrup for a more wholesome experience.
Is Teriyaki sauce healthy? A. While the low amount of calories in teriyaki sauce makes it healthy, the presence of sodium in the sauce in abundance makes it unhealthy. Therefore, the amount of sauce consumed daily determines whether the sauce will prove to be beneficial or not.
Teriyaki sauce is a sweet and savory sauce made from soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. On the other hand, soy sauce is a dark, salty sauce made from fermented soybeans, wheat, and salt.
Differences. Teriyaki sauce is thicker, sweeter and spicier than soy sauce, so it will impart a different flavor and texture to recipes if substituted for soy sauce. In addition, depending on the amount used in your recipe, the calorie count per serving may be significantly higher.
Why Is Teriyaki Sauce Not Vegan? Most teriyaki sauces are vegan. If they aren't, it's usually because they contain honey or beef-derived ingredients. Make sure to double-check labels, and when in doubt, look for a “certified vegan” label or confirmation on the brand's website.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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