My pantry isn’t complete without a good teriyaki sauce. I love tossing it with pan-fried tofu or using it as a stir-fry sauce. However, I can’t bring myself to buy it at the store because those sauces usually contain too much sugar. Whenever I cook with the pre-made sauces, I end up adding much more salt to my food to balance out the sweetness. That’s why I wanted to create my own teriyaki sauce recipe.
WHY YOU NEED MIRIN FOR TERIYAKI SAUCE
Besides soy sauce and sugar, one important ingredient that gives teriyaki sauce its deep, rich flavor is mirin. Mirin is a Japanese rice-based cooking wine that has a lower alcohol content than sake and is usually lightly sweetened. It gives teriyaki sauces that characteristic rich umami flavor. I see many teriyaki sauce recipes online that omit mirin, and I can’t help but be skeptical of them. Without mirin, all you really have is sweetened soy sauce. You can usually find mirin in the Asian section of your grocery store or at your local Asian supermarket.
One thing to note, you might find bottles of “aji-mirin” at your local store. Aji mirin translates to “mirin-flavored.” They taste just like mirin but contains slightly more sugar. It works just fine for this recipe.
Some teriyaki sauce recipes call for equal parts of soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Because I don’t typically keep sake around the house, I use water for the recipe instead. I think the sauce still has great flavor without the sake.
For more information about mirin and its various types, check out my mirin post here.
RECIPES USING TERIYAKI SAUCE
- Pan-Fried Teriyaki Tofu
- Teriyaki Tofu Spring Rolls with Tofu
- Homemade Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps
How to Make Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 6 tablespoons mirin
- 6 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (see note )
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Add the soy sauce, mirin, 5 tablespoons of water, sugar, garlic and ginger to a saucepan. Use the remaining tablespoon of water to dilute the cornstarch. Set the cornstarch slurry aside.
- Mix the contents of the saucepan and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Give the cornstarch slurry a quick stir and pour it into the saucepan. Stir to combine. Let the sauce cook for another 1 to 2 minutes so that the sauce thickens slightly. Turn off the heat.
- Let the teriyaki sauce cool to room temperature before pouring it into a jar. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Judy says
Delicious and so easy to prepare!!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you!
Coxex says
Give ing it a try tonight! Thanks for posting.
Sherman says
Making authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce without Morin is truly a sin. I prefer using freshly grated ginger and finely diced garlic, which when combined offer that ‘real’ umami flavor.
Thank you for the recipe. Making a batch today.
Jessica says
I made this today and loved it! I cut down the sugar to about only 2 tablespoons. I used it on shrimp and served it with steamed rice and vegetables. I will be adding this sauce to my list of meals I regularly cook for the family.
Thank you for this recipe!
Lisa Lin says
Jessica, thank you so much for trying it and leaving a note! I’m glad you like it!
Kevin L says
I made this sauce tonight to add to the roasted Brussels sprouts that Lisa made on her instagram story this past Sunday. I’m not going to lie—I had high hopes. And this sauce still exceeded my expectations. It was really fun and simple to make, and I had leftovers to put on future items this week. It truly is a quick and powerful staple you should add to your repertoire if you enjoy teriyaki sauce!
I used sake instead of water because there was some cooking sake next to mirin at my grocery store, but I likely won’t always carry sake and will use water in the future if I’m at home and don’t want to run to the store just for it.
Lisa Lin says
Kevin, I’m so glad you were inspired by my Instagram stories! This is my go-to sauce, so I’m glad you liked it. Also, the sake swap is a great idea!
Rii says
I found your website from an instagram post that David Lebovitz posted a while ago.
Now I keep coming back because you have lots of Asian vegan recipes <3 <3
This will be my 3rd batch of making this sauce… before, instead of sugar, I used 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup kecap manis (need to get rid of it); also using arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. This time I'll try it with date paste or coconut sugar =)
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Rii, I love all the different variations you are trying!
ROBIN MCKAY says
I just watched your IGTV with David Lebovitz and am inspired to make recipes from your blog. I turn first to your teriyaki sauce. The first ingredient is soy sauce. What type and what is the difference between sweet soy sauce, lite soy sauce, tamari, and shoyu,? I am sure I left out more varieties. Which in your opinion, and if available, is preferable to make a quality teriyaki sauce?
Sarah says
I make this recipe every week and it’s so easy and so delicious!
Lisa Lin says
THANK YOU, SARAH!!!!!
Lorraine says
I make this sauce almost every month. I love it , so easy with my pantry staples. I just cut down on the sugar a bit. Also I now use my microplane zester on FROZEN ginger root. Makes it sooo much easier to grate!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Lorraine! Ok that tip on freezing the ginger first is fabulous!
splatoon 3 says
TERIYAKI SAUCE is a dish that I have made according to a variety of recipes and have not been satisfied. Reading this article made me find the best way to do it. Great
getaway shootout says
This is my first time eating this dish. Thank you for revealing
Lorraine says
No fail sauce! My tip for grating ginger that I saw somewhere on the internet is to freeze your ginger. That will make grating on a micro plane seater a complete breeze.