Name: Simple Teriyaki Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 11 min
Ingredients: 1 cup water; ¼ cup soy sauce; 5 teaspoons packed brown sugar; 1 tablespoon honey, or more to taste; ½ teaspoon ground ginger; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; ¼ cup cold water

This simple but amazing teriyaki sauce is great for chicken, fish, or meat dishes. I will add a Japanese flavor to noodle stir fries or rice dishes, and can also be used as a dip for dumplings or shrimp.

Simple Teriyaki Sauce

water

soy sauce

brown sugar

ginger

garlic powder

cornstarch

Combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger, and garlic powder in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until nearly heated through, about 1 minute.


Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cold water together in a cup; stir until dissolved. Add to the saucepan. Cook and stir sauce until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.


I have to give a three based on the original recipe. It wasn't very flavourful. I made it a second time, added about 2 tbsp white vinegar, fresh grated ginger, fresh crushed garlic (3 small segments), 1 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp sesame seeds. I replaced the honey with maple syrup . I also added onion powder. The original recipe is basically a fantastic base to build your own next level sauce . Try out my take on this one and you won't be disappointed :)

Made a double batch. I substituted 1/2 cup of water (1/4 or the called for water) for 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, because I used half of it as a marinade for my chicken, before thickening the rest. 

I served it mixed with the chicken that I cubed and marinated with the sauce and cooked with sesame oil. If you are new to using sesame oil, it has a very low flash point, so use half sesame oil and half some other oil. I use canola.  After the chicken was cooked, I added a can of pineapple chunks, drained, and half of the thickened sauce and simmered for about 3 minutes, just to get everything hot again (pineapple was room temperature) and incorporated, stirring once or twice. The other half of the sauce had on the side. 

This was all served over white rice, cooked in chicken broth with a little ginger added.

Everybody loved it, even my son's girlfriend, who is a very finnicky eater.

Good, could have been a bit more flavorful.  Next time I'll use fresh garlic and a lot more as well as ginger.  But good from just what is in my pantry in a pinch.

Great Basic stir fry sauce! Just what I was looking for. You can go any which way from here.... Sweeter, Spicier, Thicker, Thinner, etc. But this sauce is great just the way it is.

This was awesome!  So being on a lockdown for the coronavirus, I checked my pantry and had all the ingredients to make this recipe except the ginger.  After tasting it, I only changed a couple of things:  I added a little extra honey (it  didn't make it  too sweet), I also added in a little bit of pepper, a little more garlic powder, onion powder, and then a few dashes of MSG.  Afterward, I stir fried up some cabbage and carrots and then threw it on some thin noodles I had lying around.   Easy and quick recipe and this sauce was delicious.

I think each person has a a slightly different opinion of what teriyaki sauce should taste like. But I think this is a good base to start with, and then tweak it to your personal taste. Like the rest of the reviews I found it not overly flavorful. I ended up adding about a 1/4 cup more soy sauce and a total of about a 1/2 cup of brown sugar and a 1/4 cup of honey. I noticed in the other reviews the vinegar that was added and will probably put in a touch of that next time I make it. I think most people have a slightly different opinion of what teriyaki sauce should taste like. But I think this is a good base to start with, and then tweak it to your personal taste.

Excellent!  Living in Costa Rica we don't have easy access to many of the things that I use to cook with in the US...   If we do manage to find it, it is usually 2-3 more expensive than back home.  So I find the cheaper alternative is to make my own.   This recipe was one of them...  I needed it for a new recipe that I had found.  I made no changes and It came out wonderful !!  I have added it to my arsenal of homemade sauces and will definitely use it again!!

okay, so, I used all the same ingredients. I used my own measurements and added flour to thicken a little more since a lot of the reviews said it wasn't thick enough. 

the mix of the ingredients made a wonderful taste. I did just four stars because I didn't actually do what the instructions said. I loved it anyway though! (as well as VERY picky husband, who doesn't eat ANY terkyaki) thanks for the dinner boost.

This was a great basic teriyaki sauce recipe. I was in a pinch since I had forgotten to pick up sauce at the store. I remembered a friend had recommended this recipe, so I followed the recipe exactly. I found it a bit too bland, and added a bit more honey, more ginger and garlic powders, and a bit of Japanese pepper powder. My son and my friend absolutely loved it. I found it could do with some acidity, and a bit more flavor. Next time, I’ll try to add some orange juice or vinegar, use fresh garlic and ginger, and add onion powder.

One of my favorite dishes at Islands are their Yaki tacos, but I needed a good sauce. This was simple and easy to make. Like others I replaced 1/4 cup of the water with Apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes, 3 cloves fresh chopped garlic and 1/4 cup of pineapple juice. I would like to use fresh ginger next time. This made plenty for our needs and even some left over.  I will make this again ..

I am not the best cook, but it was easy simple and quick and my family loved it

really flavorful. I did, however, add a T. of Molasses and only one T. of honey. Will make again.

Watery and pretty lacking in flavor. I really don't even think this makes a starting point for a sauce to fix up because of the amount of water in it. I'll salvage it by adding some more soy, ginger, and sesame oil, but in the future I would look for another recipe.

I  agree with most reviews left as far as depth of flavor, there wasn’t enough.    The recipe was simple to follow and I added a couple teaspoons of liquid  aminos  all purpose seasoning (from soy protein)  which gave it the perfect flavor for me. 
 Thank you for this recipe and I will definitely make it again with the modification included.

Very quick to make Andy use. We ordered Chinese food and they barely gave us sauce on the chicken so I thought why not make a glaze or sauce and this popped up first in the search engine on google. 

Amazing and like that I made it to my own zing minus the measurement for water. But then again I’m again I meant familiar with cooking.

Like most people who have made this recipe and reviewed it, it is a good base for a Teriyaki sauce because it does end up being not so flavorful. I decided to make it into a tangy-orange teriyaki by using the zest of half of and orange, the juice of a whole orange, two table spoons of lemon juice, and a half tablespoon of red chili flakes. My family enjoyed it with some battered and fried chicken. I gave this recipe a three star because of the amount of extra things I had to put into it to really make it more teriaki like.

As someone else noted - everyone's ideal teriyaki seems to be a little different. Mine almost intrudes on sweet-and-sour territory, so I used 3 Tbsp brown sugar, replaced 1/4 c of the water with 1/4 c of pineapple juice, and added 2 Tbsp of cider vinegar. This recipe is a great base, though, and easily adapted to specific dish and tastes.

This recipe saved my life tonight! My bottle of store bought sauce got knocked off the counter &amp; shattered. Almost every teriaki sauce recipe I found had ingredients not in my pantry. This uses stuff I always have on hand, only change I made was I minced fresh ginger instead of ground ginger. It's the trifecta Easy. Delicious. Made with basic "on hand" ingredients.  I will never buy another bottle. Dinner got raves from the family Thanks for my new "Go To" sauce.

I did half pineapple juice half water to make it island style. It was delicious!

i like that this is scalable - fantastic as I did not need a gallon :)

I think this is better than any store purchased sauce.

Very simple.  I skipped the corn starch because I needed a marinade for fish.  Worked out well.

Quick and easy. Let cool and used to soak some burgers to make a tasty grilling time and saved some back for some roast veggies.

Recipe was direct, to the point and easy to makr

Was ok. Dont expect this to taste like takeout. It works for a quick dinner.

Very quick and very easy. And very tasty! Don't need to buy teriyaki sauce at the store anymore, this is my new teriyaki sauce!

I originally made this for a scallop dish which was superb! I used the leftovers to pour over grilled salmon and it was a s just delicious!! Very versatile, I'll use it for many other recipes as well!!

Add Fettuccine noodles and steamed bag of broccoli.

Simple recipe that delivers in the kind of flavors I like. Over time, I have made my own modifications to this recipe to suit my tastes, but I think it is pretty good as is.

I am very disappointed. It doesn’t have that much flavor and the ginger is very over powering!

I don't use teriyaki sauce very often and the bottle in my refrigerator was very old. I needed something to go on my chicken with the cauliflower fried rice type dish I was making. I also am watching my sodium intake. So, I made with low sodium soy sauce. I thought it was good and will make it again in the future.

Delish and I won’t buy teriyaki again!!! Added the apple cider vinegar and sesame seeds and oil as recommended! Keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks.

I absolutely LOVED this sauce! I used light brown sugar and added a bit more soy sauce &amp; honey. OMGGGG yummm! I will NEVER buy teriyaki sauce again! I love how thick the sauce is.

I doubled everything except the water. I used fresh garlic and coconut amino's instead of soy due to allergy. Added 1/2 tsp onion powder and substituted 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar for water. The key is to let it simmer a long time to reduce the water down. The longer it simmers, the better the flavor.  At least 30 minutes over low heat and stirring occasionally.

I have no complaints with this recipe. Used it to switch up leftovers. Perfect sweet and salty balance and super simple.... NO cutting.

Followed exactly except used pineapple juice instead of the 1/4 cup of water to mix with the cornstarch. It was fantastic!

Quick, easy and exactly what I needed for my stir fry recipe

Great sauce! I was surprised that I had everything I needed in my kitchen. Quick and easy!

I combined this recipe and a few more ingredients in Mickedazzling’s comment, and the sauce turn out awesome! I didn't use ground ginger though, just 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger.

So good and easy! My mom never wants me to buy more spices or things well only use once and cornstarch is usually that item. But I finally bought all the ingredients and it came out so gooood. Definitely going to be obsessed with this sauce for a while. I made it to go with some chicken tenders we made and put it in a low carb wrap with scallions and it tasted amazing.

Simple ingredients from my pantry! Sometimes BBQ sauce gets to be boring for quick recipes. Try this one! Changed nothing!

With this recipe I will always make this from home for now on. And with this simple recipe you can make this in many different ways.

I love this recipe. I modified to our taste by adding more brown sugar. I sub half of the water for pineapple juice. And depending on the taste add about a 1/4 cup of pineapple bits.

Oh my god. It's so good, cannot recommend enough!

Very nice and simple! I made the standard batch for a throw together dinner. I mistakenly doubled the garlic powder, but a touch more honey evened it out. This one is a keeper, thanks!

AMAZING! Never buying teriyaki sauce again! :D

Too much soy sauce. I’d recommend half the amount the recipe calls for. And double the amount of honey.

This was excellent and easy. I used fresh garlic (one large clove) instead of garlic powder, but otherwise, it was great as stated.

Not sure what I did wrong? Only my 4th time using the instant pot but have not had any other issues. Followed the directions step by step...but after the 5 minutes the rice/meat still were not cooked? Not sure if the recipe does not work or if it is just me? Oh well

Everyone loved it! It was quick and easy and tasted delicious!

Delicious, fast and easy..using as a marinade.

Very good, quick &amp; easy. I added a bit more honey but it thickened nicely  has a wonderful taste. Basted skewers of smoked sausage, bell pepper, shrimp &amp; pineapple over yellow rice.Delicious!!

It was  super  easy-to-make taste was amazing .

Very tasty I made it exactly as recipe said.  It does have a subtle taste but then again most ppl add soy sauce to their dish so I think it will compliment it well

Giving 4 stars instead of 5 because I modified the recipe big time.  But loved the basic recipe.  I followed some of the other suggestions posted in that I used 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar.  I was making this to use in a Pineapple Chicken recipe so I wanted the acid.  I used fresh ground ginger. Also used fresh garlic. DId not use soy sauce.  Instead, I replaced it with 5 TBSP worchestershire sauce mixed with 2 TBSP water.  Replaced the brown sugar and honey with 2 TBSP pure maple syrup and 2 TBSP honey.  Wasn't looking for a lot of sweetness because of using it with pineapple in my other recipe.  This will be my go-to recipe to adapt as needed when recipes call for teriyaki sauce.

It's no panda express-level sauce, but it's great for homemade teriyaki sauce!

I initially tried the recipe, subbing pineapple juice for the water and adding caramelized onions, and it was great. The second time I kept the onions but used the water instead of the juice and liked it even better. This is a great basic teriyaki sauce that tastes exactly like it's supposed to, and it's dead-simple.

I disagree with a lot of reviewers that this isn't a very flavorful sauce, or that it's not very thick. It's thick enough, and a lot of other sauce recipes are too sweet and salty for my taste. This recipe would be great if you subbed fresh garlic and ginger, and added some sesame oil and seeds.

no flavor at all, I don't know who made this recipe; but I'd bet plain celery is too much flavor for them

Really odd recipe for Teriyaki sauce. It lists water twice, which must be a mistake, because otherwise there is way too much water. Teriyaki sauce needs only 1/4 cups water at the most. 

There is also no sesame oil or mirin listed, which are main parts of Teriyaki sauce. Not having them in the recipe throws off the taste completely.

Would not recommend.

I followed the recipe exactly.  It turned out nice.  I had to add a little more water because the sauce got a little to thick.

Followed the recipe. The sauce was great and thickened very quickly with the cornstarch. Used it as a marinade for blue fin tuna and served as a sauce. Enjoyed and will make again.

Asian cooks use a broth of some type if I am not mistaken, I swapped the water with chicken broth. More flavorful

I found the sauce to be very salty. Perhaps using low sodium soy sauce would help.

I made  delicious glazed turkey meatballs with this but added 1 T sesame oil and 1 T apple cider vinegar. I used two 20-oz packages of lean ground turkey to make 40 meatballs and seared them on medium high heat in batches of 10, then just poured all the sauce (without the 1/4 c water or cornstarch) into the pan with all the meatballs and let it reduce until the meatballs were glazed and sticky. I may leave the vinegar out next time, not sure if it contributed much. If you reduce the sauce in this way, it turns into a 'glaze', no cornstarch needed.  If you make this be sure to sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions! This teriyaki sauce recipe is a keeper :)

This was a good sauce for a quick dinner but it didn’t have much depth of flavor

I added twice as much ginger and twice as much honey.
It was an excellent recipe.

Instead of 1 cup water I used 1/2 cup pineapple juice and 1/2 cup water...

I went by the recipe and was very pleasantly surprised how easy it was to make and how delicious it turned out!

I cut the recipe in half and used it in Asian noodles with sous vide cooked pork. It was just the right flavor and just the right amount for two people.

Needs way more honey than it calls for, but very easy and very tasty. The moment when it thickens up and goes clear is very satisfying.

Going to try replacing some of the water with pineapple juice next time!

I liked it. Didn't use all the corn starch because I didn't want it real thick. Brushed it on chicken wings from the air fryer. Enjoyed it and will make it again.

made as directed, but doubled only the garlic powder, and this second time, I added toasted sesame oil, how much?  Several shakes of a fresh bottle, guessing a teaspoon.  As always, I use lower sodium soy sauce.  Can this sauce be frozen?  I'd love to make it that way, even if adding the cornstarch/water had to be added after defrosting.

Will make again wife and I loved this sauce

3 stars and only after I tweaked it. I followed the instructions exactly and it was was really sour and strong. I added a LOT more brown sugar before it tasted okay. It did not set up at all and was very liquidy.

Delicious!! Super easy and quick! I’ll never buy teriyaki sauce again!! I grilled some tofu, steamed some kale, made brown rice and topped it with this sauce and my hubby loved it!

Yep, quick &amp; easy. Next time I will add some crushed red pepper as I think it needs a little zip.

Needed a quick recipe and here it is, with simple ingredients in stock. It all came together with no problems. Flavor was okay but barely there. IMO it needs a little more work.

Followed it exactly to judge it fairly. Was excellent. I used it for a teriyaki burger, then baked some chicken breasts in it, and served over rice. Also excellent.

I will make one small change to the next batch; I'll probably add some sesame oil at some point for just a bit more umami.

Great, simple recipe that we personalized a bit because we are such garlic lovers.  I replaced garlic powder with 1 teas of chopped garlic and a bit more cornstarch to make it really thick..  It

I love this recipe because it is really easy, simple, and quick to make! Unfortunately, it was a bit bland like many of you have said and I tailored the recipe to my own taste from everyone’s  suggestions based on their own reviews. I added about 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 2 tablespoon of garlic power, 4 tablespoons of honey, and of course 1 tablespoon of real ginger instead of powder. It was creamy and taste awesome just the way I like it! Next time, I will use the real garlic instead of powder! Thank you so much!

Loved this recipe. I wanted to make teriyaki salmon, but forgot to buy the sauce. I had all these ingredients in my pantry and the recipe saved the day.  Based on other reviews, I used slightly less water initially, but added it back as I found it thickened up without any problem. After tasting it, I added 1T of rice vinegar for more zip but that's just my preference.

Absolute disappointment and completely flavorless.  I had to doctor it to the point the original recipe was not even recognizable.

Amazing and so easy to make. Thank you for this great recipe. Never using store brands again.

I added an extra 2 table spoons of honey and an extra sprinkle of ginger, it was easy and delicious.

No need to order delivery when you can make your favorite Asian takeout sauce at home!

Simple Teriyaki Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Total: 11 minutes

Servings: 2

Author : Goat Berry Kitchen

Ingredients

Instructions

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