Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

You’ve gotta try this homemade teriyaki sauce. It tastes like the sweet, sour, rich sauce you know and love but uses only ingredients you already have at home. No special grocery trip required!

If you’ve ever been disappointed to find that the bottle of teriyaki sauce you thought you had is empty, worry no more. I’ve got an amazing homemade teriyaki sauce recipe that uses ingredients you likely have at home already. In just a few minutes, you can be enjoying that sweet, tangy, salty sauce you love.

Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.

What Is Teriyaki Sauce?

Teriyaki sauce originates in Japan and is a sweet, tangy, and rich sauce that can be used in a wide variety of ways. It’s most often used as a marinade or glaze for meats, but don’t let that limit you.

Teriyaki Sauce With On-Hand Ingredients

I really wanted to make a teriyaki sauce but a lot of the recipes I found online had ingredients that I didn’t have, like rice wine. I decided to make a version that uses things I always have in my pantry. This teriyaki recipe was born!

It’s made out of soy sauce, water, regular white vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, ground ginger, and cornstarch. First you make a paste out of the cornstarch and some water. Then you mix that with everything else in a small saucepan. Heat it to a boil and simmer it until it’s thick.

What Can I Use Teriyaki Sauce With?

Toss it with wings, use it in a stir fry or Japanese rice bowl, or try our Teriyaki Chicken recipe. It so sweet and tangy, rich and good. I know you’ll love it!

If you love making sauces from scratch, you’ll want to take a look at all my sauce recipes. Enjoy!

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe

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• Author: Christine Pittman
• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 7 minutes
• Yield: 1 cup 1x
• Category: Sauce
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Japanese

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You’ve gotta try this homemade teriyaki sauce. It tastes like the sweet, sour, rich sauce you know and love but uses only ingredients you already have at home. No special grocery trip required!

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Ingredients

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• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. water, divided
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, plus more to taste
• 2 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground ginger

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Instructions

1. In a small saucepan mix together the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of the water.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir. Heat over medium-high until it reaches a boil, stirring often.
3. Reduce to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.
4. Taste and stir in more brown sugar if you’d like it sweeter.

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This post originally appeared in January 2016 and was revised and republished in February 2023.