This recipe shows you how to make Okonomiyaki Sauce that is drizzled over the delicious Japanese savory pancake, Okonomiyaki. You need only 4 ingredients to make this simple Japanese condiment!
Okonomiyaki Sauce (お好み焼きソース) is brushed over the popular Japanese savory pancake, Okonomiyaki. Sweet, savory & packed with umami flavor, the sauce is very similar to Tonkatsu Sauce.
When I make Okonomiyaki at home, I often whisk up the sauce quickly to serve with the pancake. Homemade version is always the best as you can adjust the taste to your liking.
To make Okonomiyaki sauce :
For a basic recipe of this essential condiment, all you need is ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce and sugar (or honey). Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well together. Have a taste and adjust any seasonings if needed. It’s that simple!
If you prefer, you can also purchase this Otafuku Okonomi Sauce from a Japanese grocery store or Amazon.
This recipe shows you how to make Okonomiyaki Sauce that is drizzled over the delicious Japanese savory pancake, Okonomiyaki. You need only 4 ingredients to make this simple Japanese condiment!
- 4 Tbsp ketchup (Some ketchup is sweeter than others, so please adjust the amount of sugar)
- 3 ½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (Japanese brand "Bulldog" Worcestershire sauce (Usuta-so-su, ウスターソース) is milder and less sour than Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce)
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce (If you're allergic to shellfish, use LEE KUM KEE Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce)
- 1 ½ Tbsp sugar (Add more sugar, if needed)
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Adjust the sauce according to your liking.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Nami, I had no idea Okonomiyaki sauce was so easy to make! And I have all these ingredients already:) When we run out, we have to make a special trip to the Japanese grocery store more than an hour away… Thank you for sharing!
Hi Heather! Yay! Hope you like it! 🙂
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I’ve been making my own Hoisin Sauce now for two years- and it is so superior to anything commercial that I am sure this Oyonomiyaki Sauce will be a huge success too. Making my own sauces also allows me to replace sugar with rice bran syrup, which tastes better and is healthier.
Hi Jan! SUPER impressive!! I wish I can taste your homemade Hoisin Sauce and Okonomiyaki Sauce!
You guys are amazing, i made great takoyakis using your instructions.
Hi Sharmake! Thanks so much for trying my Takoyaki recipe and for your kind feedback. 🙂
Bought some sauce (the one in the pic above) and made this recipe and to be honest they are completely different. No comparison. The only similarity is the colour.
Hi Peter! Thanks for trying this recipe. If you compare the ingredients, it’s not easy to make a copycat with condiments you have in the fridge. But I did side by side comparison to make it similar to Okonomi Sauce. I’m glad you can purchase Okonomi Sauce where you live as many people said they can’t purchase this brand.
I think if I was to try it again I’d only use about half of the tomato sauce as this is the dominant flavour and may be masking the other flavours.
I used organic ketchup – pretty healthier one for this recipe. Maybe that might be our difference?
This recipe comes out too sweet. You can add the tangy flavour it needs by adding rice wine vinegar (1 tblsp) and less tomato and a bit of soy (1/2 table spoon)
Hi Philip! Thank you for your kind feedback!
I’m searching for an authentic okonomiyaki sauce recipe that is not based on worstershire and ketchup. Do you happen to know how to make a fermented version completely from scratch?
Thank-you.
Tina
Hi Tina! I’m so sorry I don’t know. I’ve looked up in Japanese too, but there is no one making all the way from scratch from fruits and vegetables, vinegar, and spices.
Hi, just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. This is my first time visiting your blog. Keep up the good work!
Hi Kristin! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! Hope you enjoy the sauce. 🙂
I’m trying to make a low carb okonomiyaki sauce. I’m wondering the main source of the carb is from sugar only. If so, I will try to substitute the sugar with Splenda to make the amount of carb as close as zero (1 g should be low enough).
I appreciate if you can share your thought!
Hi Stella! I’ve never used Splenda before so I can’t tell how it goes when it turns of taste. If you give it a try, let us know. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the okonomiyaki!
Tastes like weird ketchup, just buy the real thing online.
Hi Riley! Thanks for trying this recipe. It really depends on the brand of ketchup you use (We noticed that especially when we are making bbq sauce etc with different brands of ketchup). I’m sorry this recipe didn’t’ work out for you.
I’m that kind of person who obsessively reads a recipe’s reviews before trying it to make sure it’s a foolproof recipe.. almost didn’t make this one because of one bad review BUT I’m so glad I listened to the majority! Of course it’s not the exact same sauce as the bottled one you find in Asian shops, but it’s only slightly different and definitely just as tasty and tangy, perfect with my okonomiyaki and Kewpie mayo. Thank you so much!
Hi Debie! I think it’s important to read the reviews of the recipes you’re making or products you’re buying, especially the bad reviews to see what went wrong. 🙂
It’s my job to make sure my recipes work. And this was the result of my attempts to make a similar recipe as Otafuku Okonomi Sauce with condiments we have at home and without any other additives or unknown ingredients. I did side-by-side taste testing for this recipe several times (after a while, my tongue gets numb so I had to spend several days! LOL).
I think it’s tricky when each condiment tastes slightly different. I can’t force everyone in the world to buy the same brand and everyone has different preferences, so I can’t make everyone happy… but I’m so glad you liked this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to write your kind feedback. It meant so much to me. xoxo
Perfect! I always have Bulldog sauce on hand but not the yakisoba or okonomiyaki sauces as it starts taking too much space. Also I don’t use it often enough to always have it around. Now that I have this recipe which is delicious by the way, I won’t have to buy another sauce!