Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe

Name: Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 6 Cloves Garlic (Minced); 1/2 Tbsp Ground Ginger; 1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper; 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar; 1 Cup White Sugar; 1 1/2 Cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce; 1 Tsp Sesame Oil; 2 Tbsp Water; 3 1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch; 1 Tsp Sesame Seeds (Optional)

Recipe Discuss

This Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe is great for stir fry, chicken and all your Asian favorites. This sauce is ready in about 20 minutes leftovers store great.

Strait on shot of teriyaki sauce in a glass mason jar with white background.

As some of you may know my family and I are relocating from Wisconsin to Japan for my husband's job. We have lived in Japan before and loved it and are very excited to return this time with our kids in tow. I am so excited to the food culture of Japan and have been making all my Asian favorites lately.

This Easy DIY Teriyaki Sauce recipe is the perfect addition to stir fry, veggies, fried rice, chicken, beef and so much more. This simple sauce is ready in about 20 minutes and stores great in the fridge or freezer. I hope you love this way better than the store-brand teriyaki sauce.

Kitchen Tools

A Small Sauce Pan
Measuring Cups and Spoons
A Whisk: A fork will with as well.
An Airtight Storage Container (Optional-For Leftovers): I like using an empty mason jar or glass Pyrex container to store my leftover sauce.

Ingridients

Soy Sauce: I like using low sodium soy sauce for my teriyaki sauce, but tradition will work as well.
Spices including ginger and garlic: I use ground ginger and minced fresh garlic, but fresh garlic works great and adds an even bigger punch of flavor to this DIY teriyaki sauce.
Sugar
Sesame Oil
Water and Cornstarch
Sesame Seeds

Close up shot of teriyaki sauce in a mason jar with white background.

How to Make Teriyaki Sauce

In a small saucepan add minced garlic, sesame oil and ground ginger and cook over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant (1-2 minutes).
Add soy sauce (I like low-sodium), brown sugar, white sugar, and ground black pepper to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, add cornstarch and water to a small bowl and whisk together. The mixture will be very thick, so make sure to combine well.
After 10 minutes add the cornstarch/water mixture to the saucepan and stir to combine. Let simmer for an addition 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the sauce is thicken stir in the sesame seeds and use with your recipe of choice or store leftovers.

Pro Tip

Whisk it: When combining the cornstarch and water the mixture will be extremely thick and you need to make sure all of the cornstarch is dissolved. After that when adding into the sauce whisk it in immediately and fast. This will help the sauce thicken, but not get clumpy.

Prep image collage showing step by step cooking process of teriyaki sauce in a blue pan.

Try These Sauce Recipes Next

Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce
Easy Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Pretzel Cheese Sauce Trio

Close up shot of gold spoon in teriyaki sauce.

Common Questions

How should leftover diy Teriyaki Sauce be stored?

Homemade teriyaki sauce stores great and works wonderfully for a variety of dishes. To store leftover teriyaki sauce place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Can the teriyaki sauce be frozen?

To further extend the life of this diy teriyaki sauce you can freeze it. I love to store the sauce in a ice cube tray and then pop out each cube of sauce and toss it into my favorite recipes. Alternatively, you can store the sauce flat in freezer bags, or in a plastic container. When stored in the freezer the sauce will last for up to 3 months.

When ready to use the sauce you can use it frozen in crockpot meals or it a skillet. Or you can let it thaw the teriyaki sauce recipe in the fridge overnight before you use it.

How to Use Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki sauce goes great with a variety of dishes. It can be drizzled over salmon, chicken, roasted veggies or mixed into a stir fry. Check out these awesome recipes to pair with your sticky and sweet sesame teriyaki sauce.

Grilled Chicken Teriyaki Kabobs: This Asian style Grilled Chicken Teriyaki Kabobs recipe is perfect for the sunshine of spring and summer. The skewers are loaded with chicken, peppers, onion, mango and drizzled with teriyaki sauce.
Instant Pot Teriyaki Fried Rice Bowl: This teriyaki fried rice is filled with colorful veggies and makes a delicious one-pot dinner idea! Flavors blend well and are delicious! it’s ready in 20 minutes which makes it family friendly for busy weeknight dinners.
25-Minute One Pan Teriyaki Salmon and Snap Peas: One Pan Sriracha Teriyaki Salmon with Sugar Snap Peas is a quick, easy and healthy dinner, ideal for busy weekdays. The salmon is seared, glazed with a mildly spicy, sticky teriyaki sauce, and served with crisp and tender sugar snap peas. It’s like cooking a restaurant-quality meal at home.
10-Minute Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli: In just a few simple steps you can make takeout at home with this easy & flavorful teriyaki chicken & broccoli! Consists of 9 simple ingredients, no marinating required, and only 10 minutes to cook up.