Homemade sauces and condiments always taste better than store bought, and this delicious Honey Teriyaki Sauce is no exception. And you won't believe how easy it is to make!
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What is Teriyaki Sauce?
Teriyaki Sauce, as opposed to teriyaki marinade, is meant to be a glaze or grilling sauce. A teriyaki marinade is made with the same ingredients as teriyaki sauce, but it is not cooked or thickened before marinating. We can also use this Honey Teriyaki recipe as a marinade by skipping the cooking step, which thickens the sauce.
Teriyaki is a combination of two words. Teri, which in Japanese means "gloss", or "shine" and Yaki which means "grill". So, although we in North America think of teriyaki as a sauce or marinade, in Japan it's a cooking method.
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What's to Love About This Recipe
- This sauce is thick and glossy, without cornstarch or any thickeners.
- It's super easy to make. Whisk everything together and cook for 5 minutes. That's it!
- Only 5 ingredients. No unpronounceable additives or preservatives.
- No refined sugar. Just honey, so it's not an overly sweet sauce.
- Takes just 5 minutes! Okay, 6 if you count the measuring of ingredients.
- Goes on everything. Chicken, salmon, beef, pork, shrimp, tofu, noodles, rice, vegetables, you name it! Teriyaki sauce is one of the best all-around sauces there are, so it's worth making it yourself.
- Crazy delicious. So much better than anything on a store shelf.
Here's What You Need
- Honey. You can make this recipe vegan by replacing the honey with agave or corn syrup. Although maple syrup might work, I haven't tried it so I can't vouch. If you try it with maple syrup, please let me know how it went!
- Mirin. Mirin is a fermented rice wine that is a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. It's tart, rich, a bit syrupy, and slightly sweet. You can find it in the Asian section of your grocery store or on the link at the beginning of this paragraph and it's definitely worth looking for. If you haven't used mirin before, when you do, you will realize what's been missing when you cook Japanese recipes.
- Soy Sauce. There's quite a lot of soy sauce in the recipe, so it can be very salty unless you use a low or reduced-sodium version. I use reduced-sodium tamari, which is gluten free. You can also find reduced-sodium gluten-free soy sauce in the grocery store.
- Garlic and Ginger. I love my little mini food chopper for making quick work of mincing both garlic and ginger.
How To Make It
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes before removing it from the heat and allowing the honey teriyaki sauce to cool.
Tips
- Use a non-reactive pan. Stainless steel works best.
- After bringing the sauce to a boil, immediately reduce the heat to low or just to a simmer. Even then, it may bubble up, and you will need to watch it carefully and stir to prevent bubbling over.
- Brush teriyaki sauce on food at the end of cooking time. Because it is a sweet sauce, it can burn if brushed on the food too soon.
FAQs
Yes, you can! Just skip the cooking step and marinate your protein or vegetables in the combined ingredients.
Your teriyaki sauce may seem thin when you remove it from the heat. But don't worry, it will thicken to the perfect consistency while it cools.
No cornstarch or any other thickening agent is required for this recipe! The sauce will thicken on its own while it simmers.
You can store homemade teriyaki sauce in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Regular soy sauce is made with wheat, so this recipe is only gluten-free if you use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce. As always, check labels carefully.
Yes, you can swap the honey for agave syrup or corn syrup to make this sauce vegan.
How To Use It
This honey teriyaki sauce is super versatile. Its delicious brushed on Grilled Asian Salmon Kebabs, or, instead of Chimichurri Sauce, on Grilled Pork Tenderloin. Use it on steaks, burgers, or stir-fries like Cabbage Stir-Fry or Steak & Asparagus Stir Fry. It's a perfect chicken wing sauce, and you can even use it as a dip for Air Fryer Asparagus Fries.
More Sauces To Try
Now that you've seen just how easy it is to make your own teriyaki sauce, you might also want to try these other simple sauces, too:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
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Honey Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.25 cup mirin
- 1.25 cup tamari or soy sauce reduced-sodium
- .25 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan, whisk together all ingredients
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring down and bubbling for 4 minutes, or until the sauce has started to thicken.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely
- Transfer to a glass jar with a lid and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Raquel
This sauce was perfect for our chicken and I cannot believe how easy it was! Perfectly tangy and just the right amount of sweetness!
Colleen
Hi Raquel, I'm super happy to hear that you loved this sauce. It's delicious for chicken and we had it on salmon last night.
Lauren Michael Harris
I love how simple, yet flavorful this recipe is. It's such a great staple to make for sooo many different recipes!
Colleen
I'm so happy that you love it Lauren! It's definitely a staple for us!
Chef Dennis
I agree! Homemades are really the best. This Honey Teriyaki Sauce looks really good. I will definitely make this.
Colleen
Hi Dennis, You'll be glad you made it, because it's just so simple, but delicious!
Natalia
This looks and sounds delicious. I will definitely be making it this weekend. I haven't made teriyaki sauce myself but I would like to give it a try. Thanks for the recipe!
Colleen
Hi Natalia. I know you will love how great this sauce tastes and how easy it is to make! Enjoy!
Gloria
I agree, homemade everything is better than store-bought. This would be such a wonderful sauce on so many things. It would make a great food gift too.
Colleen
Hi Gloria. Yes this would make a great edible gift!
Genevieve
Honey teriyaki sauce sounds amazing! Perfect for all the summer grilling!
Colleen
Absolutely perfect for grilling, Genevieve!
Kristina
I love this sauce! It works great with breaded chicken. We love how it turns out in the air fryer.
Colleen
Hi Kristina! We love it as a dip for air fried breaded chicken too! So happy that you love it!
Addie
This was absolutely delicious with chicken! Such a great homemade recipe!
Colleen
So happy that you loved this sauce with chicken, Addie. I appreciate your feed back!
Oscar
I really enjoyed making this recipe. It went really well with the chicken I made. My family loved it.
Colleen
Hi Oscar, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed making this teriyaki sauce and that you're family loved it! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Jeri
This sauce was so delicious and flavorful, so much better than store-bought! We used it tonight with our pork tenderloin. We will definitely be making it again!
Colleen
Jeri, it always makes my day when someone sends me feedback about a recipe and really loved it! So happy that your family enjoyed it (its amazing for pork tenderloin). Thanks so much for coming back to comment!
Beth
This is such a lovely sauce and has so much flavor! My family enjoyed this recipe over grilled chicken I had made for lunch. Absolutely delicious!
Colleen
Hi Beth, It's so great to hear that your family enjoyed this teriyaki sauce. We also love it on grilled chicken. Cheers!
Biana
Love that you add honey to the teriyaki sauce! It adds so much flavor.
Colleen
Hey Biana, I know, the flavor of honey just seems to belong in teriyaki!
Cathleen
I am so glad you included those questions and answers because I am always afraid that the sauce I make is too thin. This might be one of my favourite sauces!!
Colleen
So happy to give you a new favorite, Cathleen!
Serena
I loved this recipe. Nothing better than making your own sauces.
Colleen
Serena, I'm super glad to hear that you loved it! Thank you for letting me know.
Denay DeGuzman
What an incredibly flavorful recipe. My husband assembled it today. The sauce was quick and easy to make!
Colleen
Hi Denay, So happy that you liked this sauce, which, yes is so quick and easy!