I’m going to admit right from the start that this is NOT authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce. From my research, the authentic kind is made without seasonings like garlic and ginger. But, being a full blooded American, I like my teriyaki sauce with punchy flavors. So that’s the type of homemade teriyaki sauce recipe I’ll be sharing with you! It’s really easy. You’ll be able to pull it off in about ten minutes with only 8 ingredients!
Let me show you how:
Ingredients for Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Here’s what you’ll need: maple syrup, cornstarch, garlic powder, ginger, Mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and water (not shown).
I like to buy this Ohsawa organic Nama Shoyu because it’s unpasteurized so its enzymes and beneficial organisms aren’t killed off.
How to Make Teriyaki Sauce:
It almost feels like cheating, but all you do is dump everything into a saucepan and bring it to a boil, whisking now and then. Boom. That’s it.
You can use this in many different ways. It’s lovely on salmon fillets. Or you could toss it with chicken for easy teriyaki chicken. We like it with rice bowls or fried rice.
NOTES:
- You can adjust the thickness of this homemade teriyaki sauce by adding or subtracting tablespoons of water. If you’d like it quite thick for glazing salmon, use only 1 tablespoon of water. Or, if you’d like to thin it out so it’s more of a drizzling consistency, up it to 3-4 tablespoons.
- I used maple syrup, but you could substitute honey or cane sugar.
- If you want to avoid alcohol, substitute 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon water for the 2 tablespoons of mirin.
More Condiment Recipes:
- Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Mock Devonshire Cream
- Homemade Pizza Sauce with Tomato Paste
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Baconnaise
- Butter Mayonnaise
- Homemade Kimchi
- How to Make Basil Pesto

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
An easy, American-style teriyaki sauce recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup organic soy sauce
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp organic rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp mirin (rice cooking wine)
- 1/2 tsp organic ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp organic garlic powder
- 2 tbsp water (see note)
- 1 tbsp organic cornstarch
Instructions
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Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking often. Remove from heat and serve.
Recipe Notes
You can adjust the thickness of the sauce by increasing or decreasing the amount of water. 1-2 tablespoons is nice for glazing. You may wish to thin it out for drizzling.