Learn how to make delicious and easy homemade Teriyaki Sauce the authentic Japanese way. You only need four ingredients! Sweet, savory, and versatile, it will be your go-to sauce for chicken, salmon, tofu, pork, and even meatballs.
Savory and versatile, Teriyaki Sauce (照り焼きのたれ) is now the mainstay seasoning outside of Japan. Many of you have asked me if you could make your own homemade teriyaki sauce without having to get the store-bought stuff. I am happy that you asked because most Japanese home cooks actually make our own sauce at home.
The best part about homemade teriyaki sauce? It takes only 4 simple ingredients, and you’ll get the most delicious sauce that goes well with everything! It’s so easy that you want to keep it on hand at all times.
Table of Contents
What Exactly is Teriyaki?
First of all, if you aren’t aware, teriyaki (照り焼き) in Japanese actually describes a cooking method. “Teri” (照り) means luster and “yaki” (焼き) means grilled, broiled or pan-fried. It’s not the sauce we refer to, but rather how the food is prepared. So teriyaki essentially refers to any grilled/broiled/pan-fried food with shining glaze.
When the food is prepared in “teriyaki” style, we season the food with soy sauce, sake, and mirin (and sometimes sugar). Since the meaning of ‘teriyaki’ has been deviated by simply referring to a Japanese sauce outside of Japan, I’d just refer to it as a sauce in this post.
As mentioned briefly, we actually don’t use bottled teriyaki sauces in Japan as we make our own sauce. Sometimes I get asked which brand of teriyaki is the best and I can only say the best teriyaki sauce is homemade and it’s as easy as 1-2-3 steps shown in this recipe.
How to Make Authentic Teriyaki Sauce – The Japanese Method
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make the teriyaki sauce, you’ll need only 4 most basic ingredients from the Japanese pantry:
- Soy sauce – Please use only Japanese soy sauce as it has a different flavor profile from Chinese, Thai, or Korean soy sauce. You could use low-sodium, tamari, or gluten-free versions.
- Sake – This is Japanese rice wine. It imparts a hint of fruitiness and complexity to the sauce. You can find sake at Asian grocery stores with an alcohol license, or at any major liquor stores. I recommend Gekkeikan, Sho Chiku Bai, or Ozeki.
- Mirin – This is Japanese sweet rice wine. It adds a delicate sweetness and fragrance and gives the sauce a nice luster.
- Sugar – Sugar adds sweetness and balances the savory taste of the teriyaki sauce. It is also crucial to give the sauce its sticky texture. We don’t use honey or maple syrup because they have a strong flavor. But, if that’s your preference, go ahead but take care as it burns easily.
Both sake & mirin are important ingredients for teriyaki-style cooking. If you can’t consume alcohol, please read the substitution options in my sake and mirin pantry pages. I also included specific substitutions in the recipe card below.
The basic formula is to use equal parts of the first three ingredients, then adjust the amount of sugar to your liking. The easiest way? Have this formula memorized:
Ratio For Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce:2 Tbsp sake:2 Tbsp mirin:1 Tbsp sugar
Overview: 3 Easy Cooking Steps to Make The Best Teriyaki Sauce
- Heat: In a medium-sized saucepan, combine sake and mirin, and add the soy sauce and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and continuously stir the sauce until the sugar is dissolved.
- Thicken: Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
- Enjoy: Remove from heat and cool. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Notes on Non-Japanese Style Teriyaki Recipes
I’ve seen many non-Japanese recipes include ingredients such as rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, or fresh garlic in the teriyaki sauce. Some also use ground ginger or garlic powder. I would not recommend them if you wish to follow the authentic Japanese cooking method.
The addition of these ingredients produces a slightly different flavor and potentially overpowers a dish. Japanese cuisine is all about delicate taste.
That said, you have the freedom to do what you like and adapt a recipe to your liking. Depending on the protein or vegetable, I sometimes add grated ginger, minced garlic, and butter in my teriyaki sauce for extra flavors.
How to Thicken Teriyaki Sauce
Americanized teriyaki sauce is very thick and syrupy compared to the teriyaki sauce in Japan. Japanese teriyaki sauce is reduced in the pan until it reaches a thicker consistency. We do not use cornstarch slurry or honey, like other non-Japanese versions.
Of course, there is no strict rule on the recipe, you can still make a thick sauce by adding a mixture of 2 Tbsp water and 1 Tbsp cornstarch or potato starch if that’s your preference.
Adjust the ratio of ingredients each time you make a teriyaki recipe. Homemade teriyaki sauce is healthier than store-bought ones since it does not contain any additives.
How to Store Your Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
You can use the homemade sauce immediately as needed or store it in an airtight, sterilized jar like mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
Teriyaki sauce is great to make ahead so you can always reach for the sauce when you need to cook up something quick for a weeknight meal.
How to Use This Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
The wonderful thing about teriyaki sauce is its versatility. Here are some of my favorite ways to use this sauce:
- As a marinade for meat or seafood
- As a glaze over your grilled or pan-fried dishes
- In stir-fries
Once you start to experiment with your own teriyaki sauce, you will have fun dishing out different delicious recipes with this all-purpose seasoning.
Delicious Recipes with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Pan-Fried Teriyaki Tofu Bowl
- Teriyaki Burger
- Teriyaki Salmon
- Beef Teriyaki
- Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
- Teriyaki Chicken Quesadilla
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Teriyaki Sauce
Video
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. See Notes for half-portion ingredients and substitutions for sake and mirin.
- In a saucepan, add ½ cup sake and ½ cup mirin.
- Add ½ cup soy sauce and ¼ cup sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and continuously stir the sauce until the sugar is dissolved. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium low. Simmer for 10–15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
- As you mix the sauce or tilt the saucepan, small bubbles will start to rise and appear on the surface. When this happens, the sauce is ready to use. Pour the sauce into a sterilized jar and leave uncovered to cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
To Store
- Once cooled, close the lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 weeks.
To Use the Teriyaki Sauce
- Teriyaki Salmon: Season salmon fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lightly coat the salmon with all-purpose flour. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, then add cooking oil or butter. Add the salmon to the pan and cook it on one side for 3 minutes. Once nicely browned, flip the salmon. Add 1 Tbsp sake and cover to cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the lid and spoon the Teriyaki Sauce over the salmon to coat well.
- Teriyaki Chicken: Season boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (or chicken breast, if you prefer) with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lightly coat the chicken with all-purpose flour. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, then add cooking oil or butter. Add the chicken to the pan, skin side down, and cook until browned. Flip the chicken and cover the pan until the chicken is cooked through. Wipe off the oil from the frying pan with a paper towel. Spoon the Teriyaki Sauce over the chicken to coat well.
- Teriyaki Tofu: Drain well a block of firm tofu (pressing it or microwaving it for 1 minute). Cut the tofu into steaks (slabs) and lightly coat them with all-purpose flour. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, then add cooking oil. Add the tofu steaks and cook on both sides until golden brown. Spoon the Teriyaki Sauce over the tofu steaks to coat well.
- You can also pour additional Teriyaki Sauce onto the finished dish.
Notes
- with alcohol: ½ cup dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
- without alcohol: ½ cup water
- with sake: ¼ cup sake + ¼ cup water + 3 Tbsp sugar
- without sake: ½ cup water + 3 Tbsp sugar
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Jun 12, 2013. It’s been updated with a new video and images in January 2018 and with updated content in August 2022.
I’ve made the la-yu oil {bought the same as the picture once). I like your oil because you can control the heat. Also made the teriyaki sauce. never bought any from a store and never will because your sauce is fantastic. Also made the mentsuyu sauce for the yakisoba noodle dish. also fantastic.
We have been eating a lot of Japanese inspired food. Love it.
We (on a few occasions) have had Japanese university students stay with us for a 2 week Home stay and fell in love with Japan. I could leave the house with 10 students at home and come back in a couple hours and the house would be neater than when I left. loved the humor and the teaching English as well. I think of those students often. GO GIFU.
Hi Terry! Aww thank you so much for sharing your sweet stories! How wonderful that you sometimes host Japanese students! I’m happy to hear you enjoy cooking Japanese food at home! 🙂
You must be complimented on your website. It was very precise and to the point with nicely done photos. The one question I have is what brand and kind of Sake can I use without spending a lot of money and not buying cooking sake which has salt in it ? Thank you, Jerry S
Hi Jerry! Thank you so much for your kind feedback on the site. I’m glad to hear you like it. 🙂
For sake, I buy one of these 3 sake brands that you can get in Japanese grocery stores or Asian markets. It’s roughly $5-10 (I get them on sale, so it’s closer to $5 for a big bottle).
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sake/
Hi! I tried to make this teriyaki sauce today. Am i suppose to still taste the alcohol after it is done? Or is it because i have not reduced it enough? I let it simmer for at least 20mins i think (did not time 😅)
Hi Cindy! Nope, alcohol should be already evaporated, so no alcohol taste or smell. 🙂
I’m not sure when you were last in Japan but, contrary to your “Fun Fact” statement, Japanese supermarkets DO carry bottled teriyaki sauce….and with variations of teriyaki sauce designed to go with various types of food….low-salt teriyaki sauce, low-calorie teriyaki sauce, etc.
Some traditional housewives and foodies may still make their own teriyaki sauce, but most Japanese people (especially working women) buy bottled teriyaki sauce.
FYI, I’ve lived in Japan for 30+ years….am now retired and so am the full-time “homemaker” (including chef) for my Japanese wife, who is very busy at work.
Hi Kirk! The last time I was in Japan was this past summer and I spend 2 summer months in Japan every year (my family lives in Yokohama). I’m not too far “off” from life in Japan as I still go shopping and cook while I’m in Japan. And yes, there are “a few” brands like Ebara that make teriyaki sauce (in fact, you can google in Japanese and you will find only a couple unique house brands carrying teriyaki no tare). After reading your comment I was curious and asked around my friends who are working moms (in Japan). They think most people still make teriyaki-style food with soy sauce, mirin, sake because it’s easy and the condiments are used for the majority of Japanese food. In the US, the “Teriyaki Sauce” has that specific taste that’s well known, but in Japan, this combination of condiments are used in fish, grilled food, nimono, and so many things and it’s not one single taste (due to different ratios). I assume that’s why teriyaki no tare is not something everyone has in their fridge?
My teriyaki sauce is not thickening? Why?
Hi JK! First of all, I want to ask if you use any substitute for this recipe and if you change the amount of each condiment. Secondly, when you stopped cooking, how was the consistency? Was this comment made before the sauce is cooled? While cooling, the sauce continues to evaporate and it will thicken. Let me know. I make this sauce often and I think you probably didn’t go reduce enough (if you follow my timing only). Everyone has different stove/heat and reduction time will vary. 🙂
[…] tablespoons storebought or homemade teriyaki sauce or oyster sauce (see […]
Hi Nami. Is it okay if I use honey instead of using sugar in this recipe…
Hi Fira! Please adjust the amount as sweetness probably varies. And remember, honey burns easily so be careful. Enjoy! 🙂
My mother showed me how to make her teriyaki sauce when I went off to college so I could cook for myself (she also gave me a very small “National” rice cooker, which shows how long ago I went to college!), and her recipe, which I’ve basically followed ever since, is very much like yours. And thank you for explaining to your non-Japanese audience that teriyaki sauce in Japan isn’t thick and gloppy!
Hi Gil! I have to be like your mom when my kids are off to college one day. 🙂 It’s wonderful that you keep making the traditional chicken teriyaki since then! Thank you so much for your kind comment. I was bothered by the taste and texture of the sauce when I first encountered teriyaki sauce here. 😀
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[…] Teriyaki Sauce and chicken adapted from justonecookbook.com+Added garlic to the sauce+Added sesame seeds to the chicken when finished […]
Tried this recipe out and it taste almost like the one I’d have at Edo Japan in food courts but not as thick. I love how its very simple to make but there’s room to experiment so I’ll definitely try the ginger + onion next time I make another batch of the sauce.
I made the sauce tonight and let it cool off while I prepared some sliced chicken thighs and a bunch of veggies to stir-fry. At the end of it all I spoon about 1-2 Tbsp of the sauce and did a final fry of all the ingredients and it turned out REALLY good. I think once the sauce cools off next day it will thicken up for sure but I was really blow away by the flavour!
Hi Kevin! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this sauce and thank you for your kind feedback. Yes, as the sauce cool down, moisture continues to evaporate and it gets thicken. We don’t add corn starch or potato starch when we make this sauce in Japan (but you can, and sometimes we do to save time or extra thick sauce etc). Glad yours came out well and thank you again!
Hi Nami, thank you so much for the recipe!
I have a question, which one is a better substitute for sake, ryorishu or goseishu? This is my first time trying an authentic teriyaki sauce, and I’m kinda confused 😂
Hi Jinnie! I’d say Ryorishu 料理酒 – cooking sake. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Which brand of soy sauce do you use?
Hi Stacie! I use the soy sauce shown in the second picture. 🙂 https://www.justonecookbook.com/soy-sauce/
[…] shelf. I will choose to buy off the shelf because of convenience. But I recently saw a post from Just One Cook Book, which teaches you how to make your own teriyaki sauce. I thought that is so good! You can control […]
Hi Nami!
First of all congrats for this blog !!! Very helpfull and also very good explain all the recipes for ‘europeans or non japan people’ ✌🏻️☺️☺️
I have a question what is the different between TERIYAKI and YAKITORI sauce?
Thanks in advange
Ursula
Hi Ursula! Thank you for your kind words! So in Japanese, teriyaki means a style of cooking. You cook the ingredient first (whether on the grill or pan) and coat with the soy sauce based sauce (soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sometimes sugar). It’s not the sauce’s name. Yakitori is a dish name, yaki (grill) and tori (chicken), which specifically name for grilled chicken skewers. So for this dish, you usually have salt seasoning option or “tare (pronounce ta re)”. This sauce is translated to “Yakitori sauce”, made from soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sometimes sugar, and other ingredients such as green onions, ginger, whatever people want to add. Hope this helps!
thank you very much for your quick answer !
yes, i did understand that teriyaki is a style of cooking and not a sauce, bcause you have already explain very clear in this recipe post above ✌🏻️☺️ but my question is when you write ‘how to make the AUTHENTIC TERIYAKI SAUCE’ you are refering to yakitori sauce…? Is the same ‘sauce’ (i know teriyaki isnt a sauce) when we are saying ‘teriyaki sauce’ or ‘yakitori sauce’? …
thank you very much and sorry for my silly question !
Have a nice day
Hi Ursula! I am referring to the “Teriyaki Sauce” that people are calling (we don’t use this word in Japan). And “teriyaki sauce” is different from “yakitori sauce”. The ingredients are different, although it’s similar.
Yakitori sauce is very thick, reduced A LOT, and add more ingredients besides condiments. 🙂
Hi Nami !
Thank you. I’ve got it now ✌🏻️ You are the BEST! 😊
Thank you!
Hi Nami, How long can you keep the teriyaki sauce in the frig? How long does it stay fresh in the frig? Love this recipe. Thanks very much.
Hi Jill! 2-3 weeks, but if you keep it well, one month should be okay. I’m glad you like the recipe! 🙂