Learn how to make easy Homemade Yakisoba Sauce to season the popular Japanese stir-fried noodles! You need just five pantry ingredients for a quick and versatile condiment that tastes like Otafuku brand’s famed yakisoba sauce.
If you like Japanese yakisoba noodles, then you’ll love my easy recipe for Homemade Yakisoba Sauce! It’s so quick to whip up with five common ingredients from the pantry.
You are probably familiar with the yakisoba sauce found a Japanese or Asian grocery store. My favorite is made by the famous Otafuku brand, so I made my Homemade Yakisoka Sauce recipe to copy its taste. Let me show you how easy it is to make!
Table of Contents
What is Yakisoba Sauce?
Yakisoba sauce (焼きそばソース) is a sweet, salty, and savory sauce. Compared to similar brown sauces, such as tonkatsu sauce, it’s less fruity and sweet, with a more prominent soy sauce flavor. It’s also a bit thinner to more easily combine with ingredients like noodles and vegetables when frying in a large skillet or on a griddle.
This condiment is very popular in Japanese cooking! We use it mainly to season Yakisoba, the classic Japanese stir-fried noodle dish and common street food. However, you can use this versatile and delicious sauce to boost the flavor of any stir-fry recipe like chow mein, stir-fried vegetables, and fried rice as well as other fried dishes like okonomiyaki, tonkatsu, and takoyaki.
Yakisoba Sauce Ingredients
You’ll need just 5 simple ingredients from your kitchen pantry for this recipe:
- Worcestershire sauce — use vegan Worcestershire sauce for vegan/vegetarian
- soy sauce
- ketchup
- oyster sauce — if you‘re allergic to shellfish or vegetarian, use Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce
- sugar
How To Make Homemade Yakisoba Sauce
The instructions to make this homemade yakisoba sauce recipe are simple!
- Combine all the ingredients in a mason jar or small bowl.
- Whisk well together.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
Storage is easy, too. You can keep the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Recipes Using Yakisoba Sauce
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Homemade Yakisoba Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp oyster sauce (if you‘re vegetarian or allergic to shellfish, use Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir-Fry Sauce)
- 2 Tbsp ketchup
- 1½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ Tbsp sugar (to taste)
- 7 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I use Lea & Perrins brand; use vegan Worcestershire sauce for vegan/vegetarian)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a mason jar or bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp oyster sauce, 2 Tbsp ketchup, 1½ Tbsp soy sauce, and 1½ Tbsp sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add 7 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce and whisk it all together. It‘s important to taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, if needed. For example, some ketchup is sweeter than others, so adjust the amount of sugar to taste. Keep in mind that you will be using this sauce to season noodles, so the flavor should be strong and not bland.
To Use
- The Homemade Yakisoba Sauce is now ready to use. Try different variations of these stir-fried noodles including classic Yakisoba, Vegetable Yakisoba, Yakisoba Pan, Shio Koji Yakisoba, and Yakisoba with Malony Glass Noodles.
To Store
- You can store the sauce in a clean mason jar or airtight container for up to a month.
Can you use it without the Worcestershire sauce and Oyster sauce? I don’t have either of those. And I’m making ramen right now. I’m 13 and really want some yakisoba sauce for my maruchan ramen, (the one in the packet, not the bowl or cup.) But will it still be close to normal with only the other 3 ingredients?
Hello! Thank you for trying out Nami’s recipe.
If you’re using only ketchup, soy sauce, and sugar, you might find the flavor lacking. To enhance the taste, consider adding sauces like teriyaki, okonomiyaki, tonkatsu, or any other sauce you prefer. We hope this helps!
Thank you! I have no idea what the fuck any of those are other than teriyaki though.
My husband just loves this sauce with your prawn yakisoba. He usually makes packet noodles so I thought that making it from scratch would be better. The taste is 100% better. I gave it four rather than five stars as the amount of sodium per serve is very very high. 4733mg! Nearly two and a half times daily recommended amount. I make him drink a lot of water when he has it as he is 65 years old. For younger people out there you don’t need to worry about that. It’s delicious!
Hi, Nina! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
We’re delighted to hear you liked the flavor.🤗 Just to clarify, this recipe yields around 0.75 cups, and the nutritional data portion for this recipe is also 0.75 cups. You’ll probably need about 1.5 tablespoons of this sauce for one person’s plate. We hope this helps!
Did not have Worcestershire sauce on hand. Substituted Bulldog tonkatsu sauce and omitted sugar. Delicious recipe!
Hello Mitch! We are glad to hear all worked out well for you!
Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your experience with us.
Now I can have yakisoba whenever I want it 😀. The flavor reminded me of Okinawa, thank you so much for the perfect recipe 👌.
Hi Choco! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback! 🥰
We are glad to hear that you enjoyed her recipe. Happy Cooking!
Should it be 7 tsp of Worcester? 7 tbsp seems like a lot!
Hi, Paula! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying out her recipe!
Nami used 7 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce in this recipe, but if you prefer less, feel free to change the amount to your liking. We hope you find the perfect balance for your taste! 🤗
Hello, I just made the sauce and because of the Worcestershire sauce’s amount it’s a bit tangy…Is that how it’s suppose to be? Thank you!
Hello, Amanda. Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
She made this sauce similar to the Otafuku brand, and it may be tart. There is also a difference in sweetness between regions in Japan, and some sauces are sweeter. So, please feel free to make changes based on your preferences.🙂
Can I freeze the yakisoba sauce? I have oyster sauce to use up, so I thought I’d make several batches if they can be frozen.
Hello, Brenda! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
The flavor of the oyster sauce may not change after freezing, but freezing can cause changes in viscosity, according to the product information.
We hope this helps!
Hey, Nami! Thank you for recipe, I didnt try yet the original Otafuku Yakisoba sauce, but I liked your home-made version very much 🙂 I didnt have enough amount of Worcestershire sauce, so I changed it’s amount with soy sauce))))) I used 1.5 tb spoon of Worcestershire sauce and 7 tb spoon of light soy sauce. İnstead of sugar I used apple molases from Turkey (pekmez), it worked very well. For my opinion (maybe coz of pekmez), sauce became too thin, so I added 1 tea spoon of corn starch. After boiling my yakisoba sauce became more thick. I prepared yakisoba noodles and that was great!!!!!!!
Hello, Ola! Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed homemade Yakisoba Sauce. ☺️ Thank you for sharing your cooking experience with us.
Happy Cooking!
これで家でもっとヘルシーな焼きそば(なんていう発想思いつきもしませんでした😆)が作れます。ありがとうございます🙌❣️
Hi Naoko! Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We are glad to hear that you enjoyed homemade Yakisoba Sauce!
喜んでいただけて、幸いです。🤗