Homemade teriyaki sauce without cornstarch is great to marinate beef, pork, or make our air fryer teriyaki chicken with it for dinner tonight. From scratch you can then make it mild or spicy. So much better than bottled store bought.
This is how to make homemade teriyaki sauce to serve on top of meats or as a marinade before you cook. Sweet and savory mixture that is easy to whisk together and I use on everything. Just one of our cooking basics here on the blog. (affiliate links present)
When I think of this flavor I think of Hawaiian food, and Huli Huli sauce too. I was born on the big island so my memories with this are long. When many people think of sauce for meats they might immediately go to barbecue, not me. I don’t think I’ve ever made anything with teriyaki that I haven’t loved.
How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Yes you can buy it at the store and there are a few brands I keep on hand, I’ll share which ones in a minute. BUT it really is easy to make this in a small or large batch so it’s exactly the heat level you want. From scratch is always best using a few ingredients you probably have already at home.
How to Make Really Sticky Teriyaki Sauce
To get it to this consistency where it will almost caramelize on your meat, that involves the right balance of ingredients and cooking technique. As directed below you will heat mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely and begins to simmer. Mix 1 tbsp. cornstarch + 2 tbsp. water to create a smooth slurry. Pour that in, stirring slowly for 5-10 minutes and then cool to continue thickening!
Can we talk about fresh roasted air fryer garlic for a minute? I’m obsessed, it goes in literally everything. I don’t know why I even bought this itty bitty jar in the photo because mine is typically huge. It saves a lot of time to already have it chopped and jarred.
What can you make with it?
Once this is done you’ll want to use for our teriyaki chicken drumsticks and our pop of heat (we add more). Our Instant Pot hoisin chicken uses it as well.
Let’s be honest, I don’t buy low sodium soy, I want the real thing. I do buy half a gallon though so I can refill this container often. Drizzled over Ninja Foodi rice for a quick snack or side dish is just something we all love.
Teriyaki Marinade Ingredients
- Soy sauce is the base for this, salty, and umami in the way it tastes. If you need a gluten free option you can find aminos which taste the same.
- Minced ginger is best if you crush it fresh or you can find it this way jarred. Do not use the dried type, it is not the same.
- Chicken broth is what you use to thin this out so it can be thinner if desired or thicker if you want more of a sauce that is sticky sweet.
- Minced garlic from fresh or jarred works too. I buy it in a huge container because it is an ingredient I use almost daily.
- Brown sugar is used for sweetness, I use the light vs. dark type. You could use a sugar free variety if you wanted to without any other changes.
- Hoisin sauce is a thick Asian sauce that is sweet and savory all at the same time. Provides a deep intense taste.
- Sriracha is optional for heat, use more or less depending on how spicy you want it to be. We use more for our spicy teriyaki chicken thighs
If you do have someone at home watching their blood pressure though you can certainly use the 30% low sodium soy sauce version. And then there is hoisin sauce. Let’s talk about that for a minute. You may never have heard of it but if you’ve ever had Asian chicken at a restaurant before it was surely in that sauce.
Many times I do not even cook this. I just whisk it together and use it to marinate chicken. If I want to make and serve this as a sauce to serve over meat that is already cooked, I will continue on with the cooking directions below. That will dissolve the sugar and add a bit of corn starch slurry to get to the desired thickness.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Equipment
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 cup chicken broth, use less for thicker if you don't want to add any type of thickener
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 6 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1-3 tbsp Sriracha, more or less depending on how spicy you want it to be
Instructions
- If I am using this as a marinade I whisk together and just add this as is into a large freezer bag with meat and sit into the fridge (since it will cook later). For a sauce I heat it as directed below:
- Whisk all ingredients together. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil on the stovetop just long enough for sugar to dissolve.
- Stir, allow to cook down as some of the broth evaporates to thicken. Remove from heat and pour on top of dish immediately or cool completely and then store in a bottle in your fridge. Can to store when cooled for longer.
- How to thicken homemade teriyaki sauce; #1 you can just use a bit less broth. If you would like it thicker whisk together 3 tbsp all purpose flour with 3-4 tbsp cool water until you get a smooth paste. OR 1 tbsp arrowroot with 2 tbsp water for a smooth paste OR 1 tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp water in a dish. When smooth pour that in and stir consistently, bubbling to thicken. Use immediately for best results if thickener is used.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you make this gluten free?
Yes. There is gluten free soy sauce available sometimes, but most use what is called aminos which tastes very similar but safe for those with celiac. For the liquid you have a choice beyond chicken broth. Others could be pineapple juice, orange juice, or just add 1/4 cup of those and broth or water for the rest. When using store bought ingredients beyond that just check that back to ensure there is no wheat in it.
How to make teriyaki marinade from scratch
Whisk all of the listed ingredients together and bring to a boil on the stovetop long enough for the sugar to dissolve. If you would like it thicker whisk together 1 tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp water in a dish and add that in.
Stir, once sauce thickens to your liking remove from the heat. Remove from heat and pour on top of dish immediately or cool completely and then store in a bottle in your fridge.
It’s super easy to make this homemade teriyaki sauce recipe. Garnish food with sesame seeds or a splash of sesame oil on top with this and enjoy. It’s a great stir fry sauce, marinade, topping meats.
You can cool and pour into mason jars with lids. Keep in the fridge for a week or if you want to use it longer then I suggest you follow the link below on how to can sauce. Using a hot water bath you could make a really large amount, bottle it, and have it on hand for literally years on end.
Yes, we do this all the time. It will create a rich deep flavor for chicken or beef especially if it is boneless. Pour some in a freezer bag with your meat, zip and store in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Yes but you would need to make it safe, it must be boiled thoroughly to kill any potential bacteria before serving on top of cooked meat. It must come to a rolling boil for at least 5 minutes, it will thicken as it cools.
