Japanese Restaurant-Style Teriyaki Sauce

Written by
Setsuko Yoshizuka
Setsuko Yoshizuka is a freelance food writer and Japanese cookbook author.
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Setsuko Yoshizuka
Updated 09/29/20
Teriyaki sauce in a turquoise bowl with teriyaki chicken in the background
The Spruce
  • Total: 15 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 10 mins
  • Servings: 2 to 4 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
83 Calories
0g Fat
10g Carbs
3g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 83
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1869mg 81%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Protein 3g
Calcium 10mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This Japanese-style teriyaki sauce recipe, similar to that which is often enjoyed at restaurants, can be easily made at home with just a few simple pantry ingredients in only 10 to 15 minutes.​​

Teriyaki sauce is made using a combination of soy sauce, mirin (a sweet cooking sake), and sugar. While it can be made with just soy sauce and sugar, the addition of mirin adds a beautiful luster to the sauce and mimics that restaurant quality feel. It's sweet, tangy, and a little sticky.

If you are looking to add to your repertoire of Asian cooking skills, this sauce is a great one to know how to make. Because ti's easy and requires pantry staples, if you have some vegetables and a protein such as chicken or shrimp at home and the ingredients for teriyaki sauce, dinner can come together very quickly, even on a weeknight.

Traditional Japanese teriyaki sauce is thin in texture, in contrast to the typical bottled teriyaki sauce which tends to be very thick and sticky.

Westernized recipes for teriyaki sauce may include the addition of a slurry of cornstarch and water (1-to-1 ratio) to thicken the sauce, but the addition of a cornstarch slurry is entirely up to you.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup mirin
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon ginger root (chopped)
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon garlic (chopped)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for teriyaki sauce

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  2. In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Add more sugar, if desired.

    Soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a skillet for teriyaki sauce

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  3. If you are using the optional fresh ginger and/or garlic, slice or chop the ginger and garlic and add it to the other ingredients.

    Teriyaki sauce recipe in a skillet with garlic and ginger

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  4. Heat the skillet over a medium-high while stirring the mixture well.

  5. Lower the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a boil, then turn down the heat to low. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes until it reduces slightly.

    Teriyaki sauce recipe reducing in a saucepan

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  6. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the teriyaki sauce to cool.

    Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
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  7. If you added ginger or garlic to the sauce, strain the sauce to remove the ginger and garlic pieces using a strainer.

    Garlic and ginger strained out of teriyaki sauce over a bowl

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  8. Use the sauce as desired in a recipe. Enjoy!

    Teriyaki sauce recipe on chicken

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Tips

  • When making teriyaki sauce, the general rule for ingredients is a ratio of 1 to 1. For example, this recipe uses one part soy sauce (1/2 cup) to one part mirin (1/2 cup). Granulated white sugar is added to taste.
  • Another simple teriyaki sauce recipe is a ratio of 1 to 1 with equal parts of soy sauce and granulated white sugar. This recipe works great if you do not have mirin in your pantry or if the ingredient is not easily accessible to you. 
  • Adding ginger and garlic is optional, but if you do choose to use them, how you use them can impact the taste. If you want a mild flavor, slice them into big pieces. For a bolder flavor, chop them finely. You can vary the amount that you add to suit your taste as well.

How to Store Teriyaki Sauce

If you want to make this ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator or make a double batch so you have some on hand, teriyaki sauce will keep in a tightly sealed container for a long period of time (a small plastic lidded one works well), but will taste best if you use it within a week.