Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

This easy homemade teriyaki sauce recipe only takes 5 minutes and contains no refined sugar or preservatives! You will never buy teriyaki sauce again.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Have you ever made homemade teriyaki sauce? Alex and I didn’t have this until recently, and now our worlds have changed. Our homemade teriyaki sauce is prepared in just 5 minutes and tastes really good. It tastes better than store-bought teriyaki sauce and contains no salt, sugar, or preservatives. There is also no refined sugar, but a natural sugar: in this case maple syrup. We’ve distilled the teriyaki sauce down to its basic ingredients, but the flavor is still there Then good with just a few ingredients. How do you make this magic sauce? Read on for our Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe.

Homemade Teriyaki Marinade

Where does teriyaki sauce come from?

Teriyaki is originally from Japan, but in Japan actually refers to a method Cooking: by grilling food in a mixture of soy, mirin and sugar. A dish like teriyaki chicken is actually more American food than Japanese food! Teriyaki sauce is believed to have originated with Japanese immigrants who settled in Hawaii. They created a marinade using local produce like pineapple juice mixed with soy sauce. This eventually became what we now call teriyaki sauce. In short, teriyaki sauce has Japanese roots but is more of an American creation than an authentic Japanese one.

How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Making homemade teriyaki sauce is really easy: and in this recipe, we’ve made it even easier by distilling it down to its key ingredients. Our recipe uses only soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and maple syrup. Using maple syrup means it contains no refined sugars and is naturally sweet, which is a plus! The soy sauce content is also perfect: it’s just salty enough, but not too salty.

The mixture is heated and then a cornstarch slurry is mixed in, making it thick and glossy. Our homemade teriyaki sauce takes about 5 minutes to make, which is a breeze. We will never buy teriyaki sauce again! As noted in the recipe, the sauce will become very thick as it cools. You may need to mix in a very small amount of warm water to bring it to a slightly more runny consistency.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

How to use homemade teriyaki sauce

There are so many uses for homemade teriyaki sauce! Our favorite way to use it is in our teriyaki vegetable stir fry and grilled teriyaki mango skewers. Or brush it onto the outside of this teriyaki veggie burger (plus the teriyaki flavor on the inside). You can also use it as a homemade teriyaki marinade for meat: simply marinate chicken or beef about 30 minutes before grilling, or try our Teriyaki Salmon recipe.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

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This recipe is…

This easy homemade teriyaki sauce recipe is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free (with tamari), plant-based, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and naturally sweetened.

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The description

This easy homemade teriyaki sauce recipe only takes 5 minutes and contains no refined sugar or preservatives! You will never buy teriyaki sauce again.


  • ¼ cup regular soy sauce (or substitute tamari or coconut aminos)
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ cup the water

  1. For the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce: Combine the soy sauce, maple syrup, and rice vinegar in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the water and whisk until dissolved. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan.
  3. Heat the sauce for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it becomes very thick, smooth, and shiny. Pour the sauce into a bowl and let the sauce cool while you prepare the rest of the recipe. (You can also make the teriyaki ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve.) If the sauce gets too thick after cooling, gradually add a very small amount of warm water to bring it back to the desired consistency .
  • Category: sauce
  • Method: Cook
  • Kitchen: Japanese American

Keywords: Homemade Teriyaki Sauce, Easy Teriyaki Sauce, Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce, teriyaki, sauce

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Hello everybody, Even if you're limited on time and money, I believe you can prepare wonderful food with everyday products. All you have to do is cook cleverly and creatively!