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 been making this for a couple years now and I’d love to give some to family as a gift. What is the best way to store teriyaki sauce? Can I bottle it?
Hi Jennnifer!
Wow! What a great idea!
Yes. You can bottle it. Considering it is homemade, please store it in the refrigerator and use it up within 2-3 weeks.😉
Hi Rob!
There are discussions in Osaka about how Okonomiyaki should be eaten. Some prefer to eat with the Okonomiyaki spatula while others eat with chopsticks after cut into small squares. There is no right or wrong way… At home, many people just cut the Okonomiyaki into smaller bites with chopsticks (just normal chopstick skills) and eat it.
Yes very clear, thank you very much for you respose. I love japanese food so i’m trying to learn as much as i can and with the ingredientes that i found here in Colombia. Your page is a deligth thank you
Aww thank you so much for using my recipes in Colombia! I’m honored! Have fun cooking!
Hi Nami, i’m Felix from Colombia, love you page i have a doubt, what is the diference between teriyaki and unagi sauce
Hi Felix! We make a lot of dishes with soy sauce, sake, and mirin (and sugar sometimes). This combination is for almost all Japanese dishes. It makes the sauce for Unagi (which is why we call Unagi Sauce), and sauce for meat etc (Teriyaki style), or seasoning for simmered dishes. So if you ask for the “difference”, then it’s how it’s prepared and used. We don’t really make “Teriyaki Sauce” like this and keep in a jar in Japan (we could), because we want to adjust the flavor of dishes differently. Otherwise, all our foods will end up with the same taste! Therefore, a lot of Japanese recipes won’t say “teriyaki” even with the same ingredients. Teriyaki is only specific when the “grilled meat” is seasoned with the sauce made of these ingredients. Hope I answered to your question??? Let me know if I wasn’t clear.
Hi Nami, just a quick question. I first saw teriyaki sauce in the salmon teriyaki recipe. In there you put – 1 tbsp sake, mirin, sugar – and – 2 tbsp soy sauce -. In this recipe though, you have different portion (1 cup sake, mirin, soy sauce, and 1/2 cup sugar). So which portion is correct? More sugar or more soy sauce? Thanks..
Hi Fifi! Please know that we never make the same sauce for all dishes in Japan. Depending on ingredients, cooking method, feeling, we change up the portion. In Japanese cooking, we use soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar in 80-90% of the recipes… and we cook dishes in different portions of these ingredients. There is no standard “Teriyaki sauce” in Japan as everyone makes the sauce differently based on the recipe/ingredients. Even the same recipe, we change up the portions! Hope I answered your question. 🙂
Can I store this at room temp?
Hi Janice! I recommend storing it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks. 🙂
Hi! delicious !! I was wondering: can I use this sauce as a marinade? Thanks a lot!!! 🙂
Hi Gail! It’s concentrated though, so it’s better for final finish than using for marinading. But I guess you can do that. 🙂
Hi Nami, I just discovered your site, and am super excited to try your recipes! If I substitute the sake for cooking sake, would it be an equal substitution? Or add less, because of the salt?
Hi Myra! I’d say try the taste would be a subtle difference, but not that much. You can always adjust the salt, later on before finishing, so you can reduce salt first, too. 🙂
Hi.
I warmed up my overnight teriyaki sauce and it is too thick I feel. Do I add water to it or other things like sake or mirin?
Hi Bop! If you plan to keep this for a longer time, do not add water (as we didn’t add in the recipe). Put the teriyaki sauce back in the saucepan and add a bit of sake and let it evaporate completely and loosen up. Remember, the reduced sauce always thicken as it cools and moisture evaporates. 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. Yes much better than store bought and healthier. Nothing like a true janpanese to follow…thank you.
Hi Chit! Thanks so much for trying my recipe! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
This recipe is great and I have created it as well as used it, however I am curious. In a separate recipe, namely the Chicken Teriyaki, in that one you mixed the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl without heating it then poured it with the chicken at the end of cooking. My question is, is there a difference between boiling the mixture before hand like in this post or just dumping the mixture,without needing to boil it, as in the Chicken Teriyaki.
Since we boiled it prior I’m guessing we wouldn’t have to wait longer for it to reduce.
Hi David! That’s correct. You can drizzle this sauce more like just to coat with whatever you’re working with – like grilled chicken. In Japan, we don’t really make “teriyaki sauce” as we always cook with the sauce. But I wanted to share this recipe to replace everyone’s store-bought ones. 🙂
I made this recipe with great success. The family loves it. I made a large batch and froze in 1-cup containers so I can just pull some out when I need it. Question: I’m trying to go low(er) carb. Has you or anyone else ever used erythritol in this recipe?
Thank you
Hi Margate! Thanks so much for trying this recipe! So happy to hear your family like it. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂 I’ve never tried using erythritol before. Sorry I wish I can tell how it is using it.
Hi I tried this recipe it was vert good but there’s too much sugar which is not healthy..Any healthier version for this sauce?
Hi Nikita! Please feel free to adjust the sweetness as you like, but remember that soy sauce is salty and needs some sweetness to balance it out. I also recommend using less amount of teriyaki sauce for making a dish. 🙂
Hi! Thank you very much for this recipe! I’m wondering if the alcohol in the same evaporates while cooking?! Thank you!
Hi Liv! Yes, alcohol will evaporate while cooking so it’s safe for kids, too. 🙂
OMG – this is awesome! I used to buy Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce. Yours is sooooo much better, no comparison and easy to make. Thank you so much for this!
One question – I like to marinate things before cooking to provide additional flavor (like chicken and shrimp). Is this common in Japan to marinate before cooking, and if so, how long to marinate?
Thanks
Steve
Hi Steve! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 Most recipes that require marinating in Japan is 30 minutes. You rarely see “overnight” marinating. I think because the ingredient gets salty and we do care about the flavor of the ingredients in our cooking. Anyway, that’s another reason why you see adding flavor while cooking not before. The marinate unless you wipe off burns as soon as it hits the pan. So you can’t properly sear food as you would worry about marinate getting burnt. Hope this helps!