Eel sauce or unagi no tare (うなぎのたれ) is a thick and sweetened soy sauce used to glaze broiled eel or recipes that feature unagi. While you can easily buy it at the market or online, it’s incredibly easy and tasty to make at home!
My Japanese Homemade Eel Sauce recipe uses just four ingredients and takes only 20 minutes to make. It keeps for 2–3 months in the refrigerator, so you can make a batch and use it for your favorite dishes. Let me show you how it’s done!
What is Eel Sauce?
What is that caramelized brown sauce with a syrup-like consistency that goes with grilled unagi in your unagi don or unagi sushi? Well, this irresistible glossy sauce is eel sauce or unagi sauce.
This savory-sweet sauce is made with basic Japanese pantry ingredients (it doesn’t use eel as an ingredient). The best eel sauce is the homemade version, hands down! Compare it to commercial sauce brands that you can buy in the market or on Amazon and you’ll notice a difference.
Eel Sauce vs. Teriyaki Sauce
Unagi sauce and teriyaki sauce use different proportions of the same ingredients—sake, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. You might think these sauces are the same, but you’ll notice slight differences in the richness and sweetness.
Try my homemade recipe on the blog if you want to make authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce the way we make it in Japan!
Ingredients for Homemade Eel Sauce
You only need four simple ingredients from the Japanese pantry to create a rich, umami-packed sauce:
- sake (Japanese rice wine) – adds umami flavor; the alcohol burns off during cooking, so it’s suitable for all ages
- mirin (sweet rice wine) – for a mild sweetness and luster
- soy sauce – use Japanese soy sauce for an authentic flavor; use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari for GF
- sugar – sweetens and thickens the sauce so it’s easy to pour
Note: Authentic unagi sauce does not use rice vinegar, which has an acidic tang that takes away from the sauce’s integrity. While you might be tempted to make other variations using substitutes, don’t add cornstarch, garlic, and ginger. Those flavors will overwhelm the delicate unagi.
Jump to RecipeHow To Make Eel Sauce
Making homemade unagi sauce is so simple. Plus, you get to adjust the balance of sweet and salty to suit your taste when making it yourself. There are no additives or preservatives, either. The instructions couldn’t be more simple:
- Combine the mixture in a small saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Simmer on medium heat until the sauce caramelizes and thickens to your desired richness.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container or jar in the fridge (or freezer) for 2–3 months.
How To Use Eel Sauce
Aside from unagi dishes, unagi sauce is finger-licking delicious on BBQ. Think grilled fish, pan-fried chicken, tofu, mushrooms, and onigiri rice balls. All you need is a light brush or a drizzle of this sweet-savory sauce to heighten the flavor.
In addition, you can use it as a marinade for meats or as a dressing for noodles.
Recipes for Unagi Sauce You’ll Love
Unadon (Grilled Eel Rice Bowl)
Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Balls)
More Recipes for Authentic Japanese Sauces
- Teriyaki Sauce – the way we make it in Japan!
- Tonkatsu Sauce
- Ponzu Sauce
- Okonomiyaki Sauce
- Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise
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Homemade Eel Sauce (Unagi Sauce)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. To make a larger batch of Unagi Sauce, see Notes below for the ingredients list.
- In a small saucepan, add ¼ cup mirin, 1½ Tbsp sake, and 2½ Tbsp sugar. Turn on the heat to medium and whisk all the ingredients together.
- Then, add ¼ cup soy sauce and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering for 10 minutes. Toward the end of cooking, you will see more bubbles.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools. It‘s now ready to use.
To Use
- Use this Homemade Eel Sauce when you broil or grill freshwater eel fillets in recipes like Unadon (Grilled Eel Rice Bowl), Eggplant Unagi Donburi, and Unagi Chazuke. You can also use this versatile sauce to make Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Ball) and Dragon Rolls.
To Store
- You can store the sauce in an airtight jar and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 months.
Notes
For the full amount Unagi Sauce (extra will keep for 3 months)
- ¾ cup (180 ml) soy sauce
- ¾ cup (180 ml) mirin
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) sake
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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Editor’s Note: The post is originally published on May 6, 2013. The new images have been added to the post in May 2019.
