easy homemade teriyaki sauce

How To Make Healthy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

It’s so quick and easy that I’m betting you never go back to the store-bought kind! So let’s start by talking about what goes into the sauce:

• I like to used a reduced-sodium soy sauce because I find the regular kind a little too overpoweringly salty for my tastes, and even so, the sauce is still pretty salty. And because most soy sauces contain wheat, be sure to use a certified gluten-free tamari if you need this sauce to be gluten-free.
• Most teriyaki sauce recipes call for water to dilute the soy sauce, but I like to use orange juice instead. I find it adds some extra sweetness, tanginess, and depth to the flavour.
• For sweetness, I use a combination of honey and coconut sugar because I find it gives the best taste and texture. If you need this sauce to be vegan, you can just use coconut sugar, but you need to increase the amount to 1/2 cup (100 g).
• Rice vinegar. Used mostly to balance out the sweetness. If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can substitute with apple cider.
• I know it’s a little bit of extra work, but fresh ginger and garlic really do make a difference. If you don’t have them on hand, you can use 1/2 tsp of each, ground.
• Cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce, otherwise it would be super runny instead of nice and saucy. Combine it with a tablespoon of water before adding it to the sauce just to get any clumps out and make sure it’s nice and smooth. And if you’re avoiding corn, arrowroot works fine as well.

See? All good stuff and none of the nasties that you often find in store-bought sauces.

Okay, But What’s It Like?

Salty. Sweet. Tangy… Saucy? There’s really not much else to say about a sauce.

I made a few different versions of this sauce and these quantities ended up being my favourite, but your tastebuds probably differ from mine so don’t be afraid to do some experimenting! Want a sweeter sauce? Add more sugar. Saltier? Add a few more splashes of soy sauce. Thicker? More cornstarch. That’s one of the best things about making things at home! Well, that and it lets you avoid a lot of the preservatives that end up in store-bought sauces.

As for how to use this sauce, my favourite is obviously in a stir fries (I’ve got a recipe coming up for you guys soon!), but it also works great as a marinate. I hope you love it!

Happy eating!

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easy homemade teriyaki sauce

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5 from 17 reviews

• Author: Amanda @ Running with Spoons
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 cup

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Ingredients

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari*
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) orange juice
• 1/4 cup (80 g) honey**
• 2 Tbsp (24 g) coconut sugar**
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) rice vinegar
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp (7 g) cornstarch***
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) water

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Instructions

1. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the soy sauce, orange juice, honey, sugar, vinegar, ginger, and garlic. Bring it to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, mixing until smooth. Add this mixture to the sauce, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 1 minute.
3. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool completely before transferring it to a sealed container and storing in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Use as desired.

Notes

* Use a certified gluten-free tamari if you need this to be gluten-free. I also recommend using a reduced-sodium version so that you have more control over how salty it is.

** Omit the honey and increase the sugar to 1/2 cup (100 g) if you need this sauce to be vegan.

*** You can use arrowroot powder instead.

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Looking for more tasty vegan recipes? Try one of these!

Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheese
Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos
Instant Pot Black Bean Burrito Bowls

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