Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

No need to buy teriyaki sauce when you can make a homemade teriyaki sauce recipe in your own kitchen! Bonus, this teriyaki sauce can also double as a marinade.

Need some inspiration for what to do with this better than store bought teriyaki sauce? Start with our crockpot teriyaki chicken!

Best Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe

We’re so glad you landed on this homemade teriyaki sauce because it’s truly a fan favorite (and one of our favs, too!). This teriyaki sauce recipe whips together in less than 10 minutes and is the perfect addition to any stir fry, grilled or baked chicken, and more!

Here’s the low-down on this teriyaki sauce recipe:

Made with 5 ingredients
Sweetened with all-natural sugar
Easily gluten-free
Ready in 10 minutes

Teriyaki sauce is a thick, sweet, soy sauce-based sauce.

Our homemade teriyaki sauce is made with a soy sauce base and garlic base and is sweetened with maple syrup (and honey). It has hints of freshly grated ginger and a zing from the sriracha.

How to Make Teriyaki Sauce

Are you wondering how do you make teriyaki sauce from scratch? Whether you’re looking for a homemade teriyaki sauce recipe that’s better for you or just an easy teriyaki sauce to make in your own kitchen, we’ve got the recipe for you!

Teriyaki sauce is such a yummy sweet and savory sauce to add to stir-frys, grilled chicken, and pretty much any vegetable. Today, we’re taking the classic teriyaki sauce and using ingredients that are easy to find and that you probably have on hand in your own kitchen.

Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients

Classic, store-bought teriyaki sauce is made with soy sauce, sake, sugar, and ginger. While our recipe swaps out some of the classic ingredients, it’s still delicious and very much-so tastes like classic teriyaki sauce!

This homemade teriyaki sauce recipe calls for 5 basic ingredients and a little bit of cornstarch to thicken things up, so let’s get started!

You’ll notice one outlier in this recipe compared to most and it’s maple syrup. Most teriyaki sauce recipes call for brown sugar, however, we’ve found that maple syrup is equally as delicious, if not better. Plus, it’s an all-natural sugar with an amazing caramel flavor.

Mix it all together!

Once you’ve got all of your ingredients measured out, all you have to do is stir the mixture together and you’ve got your sauce.

If you’re hoping to thicken this sauce for a stir fry or any kind of serving sauce, all you have to do is:

First, create a corn starch slurry. Whisk together cornstarch and warm water in a small bowl until dissolved. Set aside.
Next, transfer teriyaki sauce into a small saucepan.
Heat it over medium/high heat.
Once the teriyaki sauce begins to simmer, whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
Turn heat down to medium heat and continue whisking until it thickens and you reach your desired consistency.

What is teriyaki sauce made of?

Store-bought teriyaki sauce is made from a base of soy sauce, sugar, sake (or mirin), and ginger.

What is the difference between soy sauce and teriyaki sauce?

Teriyaki sauce has soy sauce in it and is thicker and sweeter than soy sauce.

What is the best teriyaki sauce?

We might be biased, but the best teriyaki sauce is homemade teriyaki sauce! Scroll down for our recipe!

Is teriyaki sauce unhealthy?

Store-bought teriyaki sauce definitely isn’t the best for you because it’s high in sodium and sugar. However, homemade teriyaki sauce is better for you because you can make some swaps such as a low-sodium soy sauce and maple syrup to make it better for you.

Is teriyaki sauce the same as marinade?

You can use teriyaki sauce and teriyaki marinade interchangeably.

How to Use Teriyaki Sauce

Baked Teriyaki Chicken
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Teriyaki Salmon

Looking for a quick teriyaki chicken marinade? Check out our easy tutorial HERE or simply mix up a batch of this marinade and transfer it into a square casserole dish or gallon-size plastic bag.

Then, submerge your chicken breast in the marinade and let marinate for 30 minutes to 24-hours.

We like to store our teriyaki sauce in a Mason jar with a tight lid. This not only prevents it from spilling when it’s in the refrigerator but also allows you to give it a nice shake before you use it ensuring all the ingredients are mixed sufficiently when you’re ready to use it.

This teriyaki sauce will last for up to a week in the fridge.

Mix all ingredients except the corn starch (you’ll wait to do this until you thaw your teriyaki sauce when you’re ready to cook!).
Transfer teriyaki sauce evenly in an ice cube tray.
Freeze the ice cube tray for around 2 hours.
Then, transfer the frozen cubes into an airtight container.
Freeze for up to 3 months.

More of our Favorite…

Recipes with Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

PS: Learn how to make our favorite Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken that use this amazing homemade sauce.

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free option
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
optional: 1 teaspoon sriracha
optional thickener: 2 teaspoons corn starch + 2 tablespoons warm water

Place soy sauce, maple syrup, minced garlic, and ginger into a mason jar. Option to add sriracha if you like a little spice. We suggest adding sriracha by the teaspoon.
Close the lid and shake until combined.
To thicken, make a corn starch slurry. Whisk together 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of hot water until dissolved.
Next, place teriyaki sauce in a small saucepan and heat over medium/high heat. Once the sauce begins to simmer, add in the cornstarch slurry and whisk until combined.
Turn the heat down to medium and continue whisking until it begins to thicken.