My Best Teriyaki Sauce Recipe (2024)

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Make this simple Teriyaki Sauce Recipe to give your weekly meal plan a sweet and spicy kick. This easy homemade sauce is perfect on beef, chicken, veggies, noodles, and rice, and it’s ready in about 15 minutes.

This easy Teriyaki Sauce recipe can transform the most boring dishes into something fun and delicious. Whether you have a package of chicken breast in the freezer or a head cauliflower rolling around in your crisper drawer, Teriyaki Sauce is here to spice things up.

I love this recipe because it’s super simple, made with mostly pantry ingredients, and comes together fast. That means a homemade meal on the table on the busiest weeknights, and you’ll love it.

I love the combination of chicken (skillet-poached or leftover rotisserie chicken), baked rice, and roasted broccoli. Or try my freezer-friendly teriyaki chicken bowl. Stir-fries, fried rice, and pork chops are also delicious with a drizzle of teriyaki. Grab your chopsticks: dinner is done!

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Mirin:Mirin is a Japanese cooking wine that is widely available at grocery stores, Target, and Walmart. If you can’t find it, substitute 2 tablespoons dry white wine OR rice vinegar AND 1 teaspoon sugar for the 2 tablespoons mirin in this recipe.
• Ginger:Store the whole root in the freezer, as-is and grate it when you need it. Some grocery stores also sell tubes of grated ginger in the produce area and it works perfectly here (I usually pick up a tube of the garlic paste, too, if I’m going to make teriyaki sauce).
• Red pepper flakes:Maybe omit these if you’re feeding children (I always do) or add more if you love heat.

Step-by-step instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, sugar, water, mirin, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes, if using. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer.

2. To make the cornstarch slurry, remove 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce to a small bowl and whisk in cornstarch.

3. Return to the saucepan and continue simmering until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes (you should have 1 cup sauce). Remove from heat and cool the mixture to room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to one week (a mason jar works well). Bring to room temperature before using.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This Teriyaki Sauce Recipe makes about 1 cup teriyaki sauce. Feel free to double the recipe to feed more or have leftovers.
• Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Sweeteners: Substitute brown sugar for the white sugar. Stir in a teaspoon of honey, maple syrup, agave, or pineapple juice to the finished sauce.
• Garlic: Substitute ¼ teaspoon garlic powder for the fresh garlic clove if desired (or add garlic powder to taste).
• Teriyaki Chicken: For every 2 chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds), use ¼ cup teriyaki sauce. Marinade at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Grill or sauté the chicken breasts and serve with extra teriyaki sauce on the side.
• Hibachi Steak: Plain old meat and potatoes get a major flavor overhaul with thisHibachi Steak Cheesecake Factorycopycat recipe. Juicy flank steak served with grilled wasabi potatoes and a delicious teriyaki sauce make this homemade version better than anything from the restaurant.