Yakiniku Sauce is a sweet and savory Japanese BBQ sauce. It‘s perfect for dipping thin slices of well-marbled beef short ribs and other grilled delicacies.
Looking for a truly great BBQ sauce that can kick things up a notch? You need to try Yakiniku Sauce (焼肉のタレ).
Sweet, savory, and complex in flavor—You’ll love everything about this sauce! Sure, it is a must-have for Japanese BBQ, but it also offers plenty of versatility. Make a batch, use it for fresh spring rolls, teppanyaki, any Asian-themed grilled offerings, or over your noodle and rice bowls!
Table of contents
What is Yakiniku Sauce?
Yakiniku sauce is the special dipping sauce for a Japanese BBQ meal called yakiniku (焼肉). To enjoy the barbecue, everyone cooks the meats and vegetables on a small grill set in the center of the table, then dip them in the sauce known as yakiniku no tare (焼肉のタレ). Everything tastes tantalizingly fresh and delicious.
The meats and vegetables are not marinaded or seasoned prior to grilling, so it makes sense to place high importance on the dipping sauce—the flavor bomb for BBQ enjoyment!
You can find commercial brands of yakiniku sauce such as Ebara Foods Sauce or Kikoman, but nothing can live up to the fresh taste of a homemade sauce. It’s simple to make, healthier, and you don’t even have to cook it!
Here’s my complete guide on how to host a Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) at home!
How to Make Yakiniku Sauce
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sweet onion – Adds natural sweetness and tang to the flavor.
- Garlic and grated ginger – These two aromatics lend depth and zest.
- Gochujang (Korean Chili Paste) – This condiment is a must as it adds a deep, savory flavor with a note of fruity and slight smoky heat to the sauce.
- Soy sauce – Use a Japanese soy sauce that has the right flavor and texture.
- Roasted sesame oil – Oh, you can’t miss out on the amazing aroma!
- Sesame seeds – For extra nuttiness and texture.
The Preparation
- Combine everything, except the sesame oil, in a jar.
- Microwave it for 30–35 seconds until it‘s hot enough to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the sesame oil to the sauce. Mix well and it is now ready to be enjoyed!
That’s it. The simple ingredients strike the right balance of sweetness, acidity, and umami. Texturally, it’s smooth and luxurious without being overly thick, with speckles of nutty sesame seeds.
I love making a batch and keeping any leftover sauce in the refrigerator. It stores well within 2 weeks and you can use it for many more things to come.
More Ways to Enjoy Yakiniku Sauce
While this yakiniku sauce is perfect for dipping mouthwatering charred meats and vegetables straight off the grill, it can do more than just that. Here are some ideas:
- Dipping sauce for fresh spring rolls such as these and these.
- Teppanyaki.
- Use it to flavor your pan-fried or stir-fried dishes like tofu, mushrooms, chicken, and all!
- Drizzle it over your rice bowl or noodle bowls!
- Use it on your Asian pulled pork or taco bowl.
Other Japanese Sauces You Need to Make
- Authentic Teriyaki Sauce
- Okonomiyaki Sauce
- Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce
- Unagi Sauce (Eel Sauce)
- Ponzu Sauce
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Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ sweet onion (75 g; grated, with juice)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ⅛ tsp ginger (grated)
- ¼ tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. If you like my previous recipe from 2014, please see the note below.
- Grate ¼ sweet onion. Make sure you collect all the juice.
- Transfer the grated onion and all of its juice to a mason jar or microwave-safe container. Mince or press 3 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press) and add to the jar.
- Grate the ginger (I use a ceramic grater) and collect ⅛ tsp ginger (grated).
- To the jar, add the grated ginger, ¼ tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste), ¼ cup soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp sugar.
- Add ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds. Microwave the sauce for 30–35 seconds until it‘s hot enough to dissolve the sugar.
- Add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and mix well. The Yakiniku Sauce is now ready to use.
To Serve
- Serve in individual dipping plates alongside a Teppanyaki meal, Fresh Spring Rolls with Yakiniku, or your favorite grilled delicacies.
To Store
- Store in the refrigerator and use it within 2 weeks.
Notes
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp miso
- ¼ tsp katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- ⅛ of an apple
- 2 tsp roasted white sesame seeds
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on July 1, 2014. It’s been updated with a revised recipe, more information, and new step-by-step and final images.
Can I remove the alcohol and will it taste amazing? As I am muslim and cannot put alcohol into foods.
In this case, please substitute with 2 Tbsp. water. And mirin contains some alcohol. You can see sub information here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/mirin/
Hope you enjoy!
I recently tried yakiniku don at Sushi Zanmai in Malaysia, and I really like the simplicity of the dish. Will try this tare.
Hi Lissa! I love yakiniku don! Hope you enjoy this tare recipe – if you prefer to make it spicy or sweeter, etc, you can always adjust to your liking if it’s homemade. Enjoy! xo
Very tasty sauce and recipe. Cooked up a batch with beef and my mom and I can’t wait til we’re hungry again!
I’m so happy to hear you and your mom enjoyed this dish! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Your recipe is fantastic! My husband loved it! It reminded us the yakiniku sauce we used to eat in Japan restaurants. I used a riped pear instead of the fuji apple, still tastes good. Thanks for having shared your recipe ^^
Hi Fanny! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so glad to hear you and your husband enjoyed it. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. We discovered it last week, and liked it so much we did yakiniku two nights in a row.
Well done!
… And making it again tonight! Huzzah!
Hi Sasha! Thanks so much for trying this recipe! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy this. Thank you for your kind feedback. xo 🙂
Hi, does it matter if i just combine all the sauces on the bowl then bring it to a boil at the same time? Instead of doing it one by one?
Thanks,
Will
Hi Will! Thank you for asking! We sometime want to let sake and mirin cook first to evaporate the alcohol smell before adding other ingredients (like soy sauce). Same thing goes to vinegar (depends on how much vinegar too) – we want to let the strong vinegar smell evaporate first, too. It’s a common technique in Japanese kitchen, but we don’t always follow depends on the amount etc. So to make the story short, yes, you can combine everything first if you like. However, remember about evaporating alcohol or vinegar in other recipes…. that’s the reason. 🙂
Hi Nami, Thanks for sharing your recipes. I have been to Gyu KaKu for the Japanese BBQ. Besides the good quality of their meat, it is their sauce that makes me going back. They have three sauces set on the table – Regular, sweet and Spicy. I love the spicy one the most. Would you know and share your way of making this spicy sauce? Thank you!
Hi Angela! It’s been a while I went to Gyu Kaku (I was a bit disappointed with the meat quality so I haven’t been back… maybe because it was an opening and they couldn’t serve good meat… anyway). I kind of forgot their spicy sauce. Is that shichimi/japanese pepper base spicy? Or more like sriracha or chili sauce spicy? I will definitely check it out next time I go again.
Hi Nami,
I think it was more of the shichimi pepper because it didn’t taste like sriracha or chili sauce, It has a very distinctive flavor…….a combination of BBQ, sweet & spicy but gentle enough that doesn’t burn my tongue or throat. I like to drip some over my rice too.
Love your site and have tried many of your recipes, they all turned out delicious!!!! Thank you Nami!
Hi Nami!
I have enjoyed your page so much.
I have a question for the sauce.
Since I don’t consume alcohol, what can I substitute the sake with?
Many thanks!
Hi Mina! Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m happy to hear you enjoy reading my blog. 🙂
Since this recipe contains both sake (2 Tbsp) and mirin (2 Tbsp), it’s about 4 Tbsp of liquid will be missing if you don’t add both of them. You must add water to balance out, but you can’t keep the sauce for a long time as it contains water (it goes bad). For 1 Tbsp. mirin you will need 1 tsp. sugar to get the same sweetness to it.
I never made the sauce without both sake and mirin, so I’m not sure how it will turn out, but that’s the best advice I can give… 🙂
I recall seeing in the Japanese Market a Aji-Mirin with no Alchohol?
Hi Spencer! Aji-mirin contains some alcohol. Here’s a post about hon-mirin vs. aji-mirin.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/mirin/
May I ask where you got your meat? Was it Nijima market?
Yes, I usually get short ribs from Nijiya or a Korean market. 🙂
I really like this grill that you use in this recipe. I have completely fallen in love with it and Amazon is out of stock and does not know it they will have any more in stock. Is there another place that I can look for this grill that you used in the picture?
Hi Marilyn! Isn’t it cute? Well, I mentioned in the post already but please note that it’s not very practical to grill over this grill as it’s very small. It’s great to bbq few dishes, like clams or few vegetables etc, but for cooking meat non stop throughout the meal, it’s just not right kind of grill… It is great for photography though.
I found similar one on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Grill-KON-106-Japanese-Tabletop/dp/B001F8LMOY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=0DVDBT43DNSSD87P0M0R
I know local stores in SF which sell the product, but I’m not sure elsewhere… sorry, I wish I could help!
No problem. I figured I couldn’t use it for big meals. I would have loved to use it for something small to do with my son and niece. I know they would have enjoyed it. They really love to help out in the kitchen. Thanks so much for your help. I enjoy reading through all your recipes and watching your videos. I have a list of them I plan on trying 😀
Thank you so much, Marilyn! xo 🙂
I spent some days in Osaka last week and my friend andI went to a famous Yakiniku Restaurant and ordered the most succulent maboroshi no misuji. Heaven in your mouth! Dipped in a little salt. Delicious!
Hi Asami! You were in Osaka last week? I love yakiniku and I know, the quality of meat is amazing! <3
Yup, arrived on the 1st of July from Tokyo and went back to Tokyo on Saturday. We stayed in a hotel in Shinsaibashi, the yakiniku restaurant was near Hozenji. Had dinner at Umeda station, lunch at a tiny restaurant (really spicy mabo dofu teishoku!). My friend also gave me Madame Shinco Baumkuchen. Really delicious! I wanna go back already.
You have a wonderful friend to take you around (best way to travel!). Glad to hear you enjoy your stay! Typhoon is coming so you left at the good time. 🙂
I’m happy that your recipes are doable. Your griller, where can I order that. 🙂
Hi Jean! Thank you for your kind words! The grill (Shichirin) info is in the post. Please read what I think of it for Yakiniku use. 🙂
Hi,
May I ask the name of the Japanese hardware store where you bought your Yakiniku Grill?
Thanks!
Hi Juli! I bought it at Soko Hardware on Post – the corner store across from Japan Center. However, the same thing was sold in Japanese ceramics store (sorry I forgot the name, but 5 stores down the street) across from Benkyodo (the sweets shop) for much cheaper price. 😉
Hi Nami,
That grill looks pro! Did you bring from japan?
The grilled meat looks absolutely delicious!
We don’t have a grill at home so we can only “BBQ” it over a pan =P
Speak of summer, have you tried 塩レモン?
As you type 塩 on google, the first suggestion is not 塩麹 anymore, but 塩レモン!!!
I’d love to see Nami’s 塩レモン recipe =D
Hi Niu! I’m still in Japan. 😀 I bought it in Japan Town in SF and shot the video before coming to Japan. I think 塩レモン is same as one in Moroccan cuisine? I should give it a try at home!
Hi Nami! I’m sooo happy to have found you and all your oishiiso recipes and look forward to preparing many delicious meals. I am curious, though, as to what brand of shoyu you use in your yakiniku tare recipe as well as what type of miso you use. Thank you!
Hi Naomi! I’m glad you found my site, and welcome! 🙂 I use this brand of soy sauce:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/soy-sauce/
And miso:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/miso/ (I like all kinds of hikari miso’s miso and have been using for many years)
This looks so yummy! Where do you purchase the Japanese style tabletop grill? Can you use charcoal indoors? Thanks!
Hi Judy! This grill is called “Shichirin.” I bought one from a Japanese hardware store in SF but you can also purchase on Amazon.
http://goo.gl/PcqA0i
It looks great on photography, but to be honest, it’s not practical for yakiniku. Hope this helps!