This EASY Teriyaki Sauce Recipe gushes with flavor and the sweet aroma of ginger and garlic. Thick and sticky like caramel sauce, it only has 5 ingredients plus an optional thickener. You can even make this delicious glaze low carb and sugarfree if you want to. Plus it’s ready in 10 minutes.
Over the years, I’ve made several teriyaki sauce recipes. One problem I’ve encountered more than once is that the sauce doesn’t thicken, so if you want that thick, restaurant-style teriyaki sauce that lusciously hugs the food, I’ve got the recipe!
Recipe ingredients & notes for EASY Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
Here you’ll also find some suggestions to make the recipe healthier, so if you’re diabetic or on a keto or low-carb diet, you can definitely enjoy this recipe!
- Soy sauce – You can use regular or low-sodium soy sauce.
- Mirin – Mirin is Japanese sweet rice cooking wine and you can make this recipe with any type of mirin. It’s a little confusing so I’ll explain:
Supermarkets usually sell Kikkoman Aji-Mirin which is sweeter than mirin and contains less alcohol. Kikkoman Aji-Mirin is, in fact, sweetened with glucose syrup and corn syrup.
But if you’d rather use sugarfree mirin, just head to a health food store and pick up Eden Mirin which doesn’t contain any refined sugar. This makes it an excellent option for diabetics and anyone on a low-carb or keto diet.
Lastly, there is Hon Mirin, or so-called pure mirin, which is produced without sugar and has a high alcohol content. It’s main ingredients are glutinous rice, rice koji (malt), and shochu (Japanese distilled alcohol) and you’ll find it in Japanese grocery stores. - Garlic – adds robust but mellow flavor and aroma.
- Ginger – adds an element of flavor and spice that enhances the flavor of this teriyaki sauce recipe.
- Granulated sweetener of choice – You usually make teriyaki sauce with white or brown refined sugar. But if you’re on a low-carb diet, you can also make it with keto-friendly monk fruit or erythritol which don’t have any calories. So, yes, you can make your homemade teriyaki sauce sugarfree and healthy!
- Xanthum gum (optional) – Use it above all to thicken the sauce.
Below you can see how plump the teriyaki sauce gets immediately after adding a teaspoon of xanthum gum.
How to make this EASY Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
Time needed: 10 minutes
It’ll be ready for your favorite dish in a flash!
- Put the soy sauce and mirin in a small saucepan on the stove.
After that, heat to a gentle boil.
- Then, add the garlic, ginger and sweetener.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Next, add a teaspoon of keto-friendly xanthum gum if you want to thicken the sauce.
To this end, use a whisk or immersion blender to disperse the xanthum gum properly.
- It’s ready.
Serve on your favorite dish or refrigerate for future use.
Below you can see how thick this sweet and savory sauce gets if you refrigerate it overnight.
Frequently asked questions
Teriyaki sauce actually comes from Hawaii and emerged in the 1960s when Japanese immigrants settled there. They ended up making homemade teriyaki sauce by mixing soy sauce with local ingredients such as pineapple juice and brown sugar.
Yes, most teriyaki sauce recipes are vegan.
Teriyaki sauce is traditionally made with soy sauce, which is not glutenfree because it contains wheat.
Yes, it can be keto and low carb if you use sugarfree mirin and sweeten it with a sugarfree, keto-friendly sugar replacement such as zero-calorie monk fruit or erythritol.
Yes, you can marinate seafood and meats in teriyaki sauce. You can also use it as a stir-fry sauce or glaze.
The sauce keeps for a good week in the refrigerator. If you want to store it longer, just freeze it, so you can reach for your delicious teriyaki sauce anytime.
For example, to stir fries or brush meats or seafood with teriyaki sauce before baking them. Other options include drizzling it over a meat or seafood platter that’s ready to be served, or using it as an overnight marinade.
What goes well with teriyaki sauce
Apply it to ingredients such as fish, chicken, beef, pork and tofu and make all-time favorites such as salmon teriyaki and chicken teriyaki. Marinate these ingredients in teriyaki sauce or brush them with teriyaki sauce before baking or drizzle teriyaki sauce over a platter of food. There is no end to how you can use this lush sauce! I even use it in salmon-teriyaki quiche.
How to store this homemade teriyaki sauce recipe
To store: Refrigerate in a sealed container for a good week.
To freeze: Freeze this sauce or glaze in a sealed container for up to 2 months.
Do you want more easy low-carb recipes? Here are some of my other failproof recipes you need to try
- Keto Chicken Pot Pie in a Cheddar Chive Pie Crust
- Black Sesame Keto Pie Crust
- Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie – Easy and Healthy!
- Keto Cream Cheese Frosting
- Keto Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Almond Flour Pizza Crust Recipe
- Chocolate-Avocado Frosting
DID YOU MAKE THIS EASY TERIYAKI SAUCE RECIPE?
I’d love to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment/star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. And, of course, be sure to tag me on Instagram as I love seeing photos of the recipes you’ve made.
EASY Teriyaki Sauce Recipe with Sugarfree Option
Equipment
- 1 Pan
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Cutting Knife
- 1 immersion blender or blender
Ingredients
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- ½ cup Mirin
- 1 teaspoon Chopped Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Chopped Ginger
- 2 tablespoons Granulated sweetener of choice The amount of sweetener will vary based on what brand mirin you use and on how sweet you want it. I recommend starting with 2 tablespoons of sweetener and tasting the sauce before adding more sweetener.
- 1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum (optional for thickening)
Instructions
- Put the soy sauce, mirin, garlic, ginger, and sweetener in a pot and bring to a gentle boil.
- Simmer 5 minutes
- With an immersion blender or blender puree the ingredients.
- If you want to thicken the sauce, add one teaspoon of xanthum gum and disperse it with your immersion blender or blender.Note that the sauce will initially be plump from the xanthum gum but if you refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight, it will thicken up considerably. Either way, it's ready to be added to your favorite dish.
Notes
Love your recipe. I’ve avoided teriyaki sauce for so long because I’m diabetic. Great idea! I had no idea that sugarfree mirin is out there. Thanks.
Glad you can enjoy it again!
Saving this recipe! Your teriyaki sauce looks so good. I love how thick and glossy it is. And your detailed information about the different mirin’s is so helpful. I will have to check out that Eden Mirin 🙂
Glad it was helpful. Yes, there are so many different mirins on the market. Let me know how the Eden Mirin works for you.