An easy homemade teriyaki sauce that’s full of flavour and made without any nasty ingredients! Easily made gluten-free and vegan, it’s so good that you’ll never go back to store-bought.
I’ve got a quickie for you guys today!
Well, a quick recipe. And an easy one. And one I feel like should be a staple in everyone’s recipe books… at least if you like stir fries. Which I do.
Actually, stir fries were one of the only ways my mom could get me to eat vegetables as a child… and even then I’d do my best to pick out as many veggies as I could without it being too obvious. Except the carrots. Carrots were okay in my books.
Looking back at it, though, I’m pretty sure the only reason I tolerated veggies in stir fries were because they were covered in sauce. 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
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup
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
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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I’ve been buying store-bought teriyaki for years because I assumed homemade would be complicated. Using coconut aminos is a game changer — can’t wait to try this!
This homemade teriyaki sauce sounds so delicious and easy to make! I love the tip about using orange juice instead of water for extra depth of flavor. Can’t wait to try the gluten-free and vegan version.
Made a batch for meal prep this week—used it on tofu and veggies, turned out so much better than store-bought.
Love the orange juice trick and the certified gluten-free tamari tip—this is exactly the kind of recipe that makes homemade so much better than store-bought. Speaking of better value, I recently used a currency exchange tool to see how much my imported soy sauce costs in different markets, and making your own sauce is clearly the smarter move.
This teriyaki sauce looks absolutely perfect — so simple and clean, and I love that it’s gluten-free and vegan without sacrificing any flavor. Definitely bookmarking this to ditch the store-bought stuff for good!
It’s refreshing to find a recipe that fits both gluten-free and vegan diets without requiring hard-to-find ingredients. Your story about your mom using stir fry to get you to eat vegetables really resonated with me since I had a similar experience growing up. I usually grab bottled sauce on autopilot, but I think I’ll try making this at home to see if it beats the store-bought version.
Using orange juice instead of water is an interesting detail. It sounds like it would add more depth without requiring extra ingredients. Would arrowroot replace the cornstarch in the same amount?
This homemade teriyaki sauce sounds amazing. Making it from scratch with orange juice instead of water is a great tip for extra flavor.
This homemade teriyaki sauce recipe is fantastic—simple, clean ingredients, and so versatile. I love that it can be made gluten-free and vegan without sacrificing flavor. The orange juice trick for extra tang is genius!
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Love that this is gluten-free and vegan. I always run out of teriyaki sauce, so making my own sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing!
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I can’t believe how easy this was! The flavor is balanced and fresh—highly recommend trying it.
thanks for sharing this recipe
Making this with just pantry staples instead of having to rely on the store-bought stuff packed with weird preservatives is a total game changer. I’ve always wondered why my homemade attempts turn out a bit too sweet, so I’m curious if cutting back on the sugar would throw off the sticky thickness of the sauce. Can’t wait to try tossing this with some roasted veggies tonight!
Love that this uses pantry staples! Going to try it on chicken stir-fry this week—so much better than store-bought.
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Tried this on chicken last night and the flavor was spot on, way better than store-bought. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been making my own teriyaki sauce for a while, but this version with fresh ginger and garlic sounds like a nice upgrade—definitely going to try it next time. Speaking of quick solutions, I recently stumbled upon a tool that makes checking Powerball tickets a lot less tedious. You just snap a photo, tap the numbers, or use Quick Pick to fill in a line, and it compares them with the latest draw. No more squinting at tiny tickets. Have you found any shortcuts for double-checking lottery results after a busy week?
This looks amazing! I’ve been looking for a clean, homemade teriyaki sauce that’s both gluten-free and vegan, and this recipe sounds perfect. Can’t wait to try it on my next stir fry—thanks for sharing!
I’ve been looking for a homemade teriyaki sauce recipe that doesn’t use refined sugar, and using orange juice instead of water is such a clever idea to add natural sweetness and depth. I’m curious, have you tried substituting the honey with maple syrup for a fully vegan version, or would that change the flavor profile too much? The tip about adjusting the cornstarch to control thickness is really helpful for someone who tends to make sauces too runny.
This teriyaki sauce looks so simple and flavorful — love that it uses fresh ginger, garlic, and orange juice for a more vibrant homemade taste. I also appreciate the gluten-free and vegan flexibility, since it makes it easy for more people to enjoy. Recipes like this are exactly why I prefer making sauces from scratch instead of buying bottled ones. I’ve been exploring quick ways to keep meal prep fun and customizable, and I’m always drawn to creative food tools like randompokemongenerator.app when I want a fresh idea to pair with recipes like this.
so much better than store bought
This homemade teriyaki sauce recipe is fantastic—simple, clean ingredients, and so versatile. I love that it can be made gluten-free and vegan without sacrificing flavor. The orange juice trick for extra tang is genius!
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This looks so good! I’ve been looking for a clean, simple teriyaki sauce recipe that doesn’t have all the junk from the store. Can’t wait to try it on my next stir fry!
This looks so easy and delicious! I love that it’s gluten-free and vegan without sacrificing any flavor. Definitely going to try this instead of store-bought next time I make a stir fry.
This looks amazing! I’ve been looking for a clean, homemade teriyaki sauce that’s both gluten-free and vegan, and this recipe sounds perfect. Can’t wait to try it on my next stir fry—thanks for sharing!
This looks so simple and delicious! I love that it’s gluten-free and vegan without any weird ingredients—definitely going to try this for my next stir fry. Thanks for sharing, Amanda!
This sauce is a game-changer for weeknight dinners! I love how the orange juice gives it such a bright, unique sweetness that store-bought versions never quite capture. I have been using it for stir-fries and marinades all week. Thanks for sharing such a flexible base recipe!
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