A savory and sweet Asian teriyaki sauce is very popular around the world. Also, many meat and vegetable dishes use it such as famous teriyaki chicken and teriyaki tofu. This simple Asian homemade teriyaki sauce recipe only has a few ingredients that you can easily find at home or at regular grocery stores. Let's learn how to make homemade teriyaki sauce with step by step photos and a video for your meals!
Love sauces? Check out these black pepper sauce, ginger scallion sauce, chili oil, XO sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce, Thai peanut sauce and sweet and sour sauce recipes.
What is teriyaki sauce?
Teriyaki sauce is a popular Japanese sauce used for marinade or glaze various dishes, such as grilled or broiled meats and vegetables. The word of teriyaki (照り焼き) is from two Japanese words: "teri" means luster or shine and "yaki" means to grill or broil. Also, the sauce has a sweet and savory flavor with a glossy appearance.
Traditionally, Japanese teriyaki sauce is made of soy sauce, mirin (rice wine) and sugar. The ingredients are combined and simmered to create a thick and syrup-like sauce. Some variations of teriyaki sauce may include ginger, garlic or sesame seeds for extra Asian flavor.
Besides, teriyaki sauce is incredibly versatile. It is for marinating and flavoring a wide range of foods such as chicken, beef, pork, fish, tofu, and vegetables. The most common is used in dishes like teriyaki chicken, salmon, beef, tofu and stir fry vegetables. In addition, the sauce has an ability to caramelize and create a delicious glaze when brushed onto food during cooking.
Although teriyaki sauce is from Japan, it has become popular in many other parts of the world and often in fusion dishes and international cooking. You can find commercial teriyaki sauces in most grocery stores, but some people like to make their own homemade teriyaki sauce to customize the flavor they like.
What is teriyaki sauce taste like?
In general, teriyaki sauce has a distinctive sweet and savory taste with a hint of umami flavor. The sweetness comes from ingredients like sugar or honey. Also, the sweetness is to balance with other flavors to create a harmonious taste. Besides, the sauce is savory and has a rich umami flavor because of soy sauce. It adds depth and complexity to the sauce.
Some teriyaki sauce recipes may contain additional ingredients like garlic, ginger or sesame seeds which add aromatic and further enhance the sauce's taste. In addition, teriyaki sauce often has a glossy appearance because of its sugar content. When it is used as a glaze, it can create a beautiful caramelized finish on grilled or broiled foods.
The best homemade teriyaki sauce recipe:
It is not hard to make teriyaki sauce. In fact, it’s quite simple. And, you can easily find ingredients at home to make it. This homemade simple and easy Asian teriyaki sauce recipe, I use ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and sesame seeds. I like to add ginger, garlic and sesame seeds to add extra aromatic flavor to the sauce.
Besides, I do not use mirin (rice wine) because I cannot always find it and my kids do not like the taste of it. Moreover, this is the best homemade teriyaki sauce recipe because it is sweet, savory, full of umami and aromatic flavor. My kids love this sauce and they cannot stop eating it when I make it. Often, they like to dip the chicken or just add the sauce to rice.
What are the ingredients for this Asian homemade teriyaki sauce recipe?
In this homemade easy Asian teriyaki sauce recipe, the ingredients are ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, brown sugar, sesame seeds, black pepper, water and cornstarch. These are the ingredients you can easily find at regular grocery stores.
Do you use teriyaki sauce as a marinade?
Yes, teriyaki sauce is versatile and great to use as a marinade for a wide range of proteins and vegetables to add flavor and create a delicious glaze. You can marinate chicken, beef, pork, seafood, tofu and vegetables with teriyaki sauce.
To use teriyaki sauce as a marinade, simply place your choice of meats or vegetables in a sealable container, plastic bag or a container and pour the sauce over them. Make sure the food is evenly coated, then refrigerate. Let it marinate for at least 20 minutes to several hours, depending on the thickness of the food and your preference for the flavor.
How to thicken teriyaki sauce?
To thicken teriyaki sauce, I usually add cornstarch and water to make the cornstarch slurry. Then, simmering it also can help thicken the sauce.
How long does homemade teriyaki sauce last?
It can be refrigerated over two to three weeks.
Cooking tips for how to make Asian homemade teriyaki sauce:
- Use a grater to grind ginger and garlic.
- Add grind ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, white sugar, black pepper and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes. Next, add sesame seeds and stir it well.
- Be careful it may overflow if the fire is too high. Keep stirring it once a while.
- Normally, when I use it to marinate meat, I do not add cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce. However, when I use it as a dipping sauce. Then, I will add cornstarch to thicken the sauce a little bit.
- When the sauce cools off, it will thicken.
FAQs:
It's great to go with any meat such as chicken, hamburger, meatballs, tofu, vegetables etc.
You can use tamari sauce. It is a Japanese sauce that is very similar in flavor and consistency to soy sauce. It is often considered a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce because some tamari sauces are made without wheat. Also, it can use a 1:1 ratio as a replacement for soy sauce in most recipes.
Instructions for how to make homemade teriyaki sauce:
Preparation:
- Use a grater to grind 2 tablespoons of garlic.
2. Then, use a grater to grind 1 tablespoon of ginger.
Cooking:
3. After that, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil into a pot and turn on fire to medium. Add grind garlic, ginger and stir fry them a little bit.
4. Pour 1.5 cups of soy sauce into the pot.
5. Next, put 1 & ¾ cups of white sugar, ¼ cup of brown sugar and ¾ teaspoon of black pepper into the pot. Mix it well.
6. After, let it cook until it's boiling. Then, turn the fire to very low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. (Be careful it may overflow if the fire is too high. Keep stirring it once a while.)
Thicken the sauce:
7. In the meanwhile, in a small container add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water. Mix it very well.
8. Remember to mix the cornstarch very well before pouring into the sauce. Keep stirring the sauce for a minute and wait until it's boiling again. Then, simmer for 5 minutes. (Stir it once a while.) Lastly, add 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds (this is optional) and stir it well.
9. Let it cool down before putting it into a container. When the sauce cools down, it will be thicker.
Enjoy this homemade best teriyaki sauce recipe! Also check out these chocolate strawberries, California rolls, chicken udon stir fry, red bean mochi, beef gyudon bowl, Japanese chicken curry and tonkatsu recipes.
You May Also Like These Recipes:
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- CINNAMON HONEY BUTTER
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Teriyaki Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Ginger
- 1.5 cups Soy sauce
- 1 & ¾ cups White Sugar
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon White Sesame seeds (optional)
THICKEN THE SAUCE:
- 4 tablespoons Corn starch
- 3 tablespoons Water
Instructions
- Use a grater to grind 2 tablespoons of garlic.
- Then, use a grater to grind 1 tablespoon of ginger.
- After that, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil into a pot and turn on fire to medium. Add grind garlic, ginger and stir fry them a little bit.
- Pour 1.5 cups of soy sauce into the pot.
- Next, put 1 & ¾ cups of white sugar, ¼ cup of brown sugar and ¾ teaspoon of black pepper into the pot. Mix it well.
- After, let it cook until it's boiling. Then, turn the fire to very low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. (Be careful it may overflow if the fire is too high. Keep stirring it once a while.)
- In the meanwhile, in a small container add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water. Mix it very well.
- Remember to mix the cornstarch very well before pouring into the sauce. Keep stirring the sauce for a minute and wait until it's boiling again. Then, simmer for 5 minutes. (Stir it once a while.) Lastly, add 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds (this is optional) and stir it well.
- Let it cool down before putting it into a container. When the sauce cools down, it will be thicker.
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make homemade best teriyaki sauce:
- Use a grater to grind ginger and garlic.
- Add grind ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, white sugar, black pepper and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remember to stir the sauce a little bit when it’s simmering. Next, add sesame seeds and stir it well.
- Be careful it may overflow if the fire is too high. Keep stirring it once a while.
- Normally, when I use it to marinate meat, I do not add cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce. However, when I use it as a dipping sauce. Then, I will add cornstarch to thicken the sauce a little bit.
- When the sauce cools off, it will thicken.
Theresa says
when do you add the mirin?
Tracy O. says
You can add mirin with soy sauce and sugar. I did not use mirin in this recipe because our kids do not like it. Thank you for your comment!
Kristina says
How long will this last in the fridge ?
Tracy O. says
HOW LONG DOES HOMEMADE TERIYAKI SAUCE LAST?
It can be refrigerated over two to three weeks.
Jane says
I like your receipes which are very detailed and organised for an inexperienced cook like me. Can i check 1 cup is equivalent to how many ml?
Tracy O. says
Different countries have slightly different measuring cups. I searched on the internet. I found out 1 cup of US legal cup measurement is 240 mL.