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!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
Print
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
*Disclosure: Some of the links included in this post may be affiliate links, meaning I’ll earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you so much for helping support Spoons!
I completely agree about ditching store-bought versions—making it from scratch tastes so much fresher and you actually know what goes into it. Can’t wait to try this on my next stir-fry night!
This is such a great idea! I always feel like store-bought sauces have this weird, artificial sweetness, and knowing exactly what’s going in is way better. I’m especially intrigued by using tamari for the gluten-free option – I’ll have to try that out. It reminds me a bit of how I approach picking out Halloween games online; I like knowing I can find something that fits exactly what I’m in the mood for, whether it’s a spooky puzzle or a fast-paced arcade challenge, and that the ingredients (or lack thereof) are clear. Makes me wonder if there are any “secret ingredient” teriyaki recipes out there that people hide from their friends!
Using orange juice instead of water is an interesting way to add tang alongside the sweetness. The certified gluten-free tamari note is helpful too. With the arrowroot substitution, would you keep the same one-minute thickening step, or avoid heating it for as long as the cornstarch version?
What an Excellent article! Thanks!
Using orange juice instead of water to dilute the soy sauce is such a brilliant touch, as it adds a natural citrus depth and sweetness that standard recipes usually miss. Another helpful tip when preparing homemade sauces with fresh garlic and ginger is to let the finished mixture simmer on very low heat for an extra two or three minutes before adding the cornstarch slurry; this allows the aromatics to fully infuse into the liquid, creating a much richer and more robust flavor profile for stir-fries and marinades.
用橙汁代替水来稀释酱油的做法真的很巧妙，不仅能增添自然的甜味和果香，还能让成品的层次更加丰富。对于自制酱汁来说，除了调节咸甜度和浓稠度，还可以通过提前将大蒜和生姜切碎并用微火稍微煸香释放油脂，再倒入液体材料，这样能让整个风味在短时间内煮得更加浓郁醇厚。
This homemade teriyaki sauce sounds fantastic! I love that it’s gluten-free and vegan-friendly, and the substitution of orange juice for water is a brilliant idea for added flavor. I’ll definitely be trying this out for my next stir-fry.
The orange juice and fresh ginger give this teriyaki sauce a brighter flavor than many store-bought versions, and the gluten-free and vegan substitutions are clearly explained.
ok the orange juice instead of water thing is genius, would’ve never thought of that. tried it with tamari last night and it actually tastes better than the bottled stuff I usually buy, which is annoying bc now I can’t go back lol
This teriyaki sauce sounds way better than that bottled junk they sell. Can’t wait to give it a try! If you’re curious about more cool recipes, check this out .
用橙汁代替清水来调节酱汁的咸味确实是个绝妙的点子，既能增加自然的甜度，又能带来很好的果香层次。对于需要自制调味酱的创作者来说，精准平衡咸甜比例往往是成功的关键。建议在熬煮酱汁时分次加入水淀粉，这样更容易掌控最终的浓稠度，避免一次性加太多导致口感过厚。
Using orange juice instead of water sounds like a useful way to add some tang alongside the honey. If the sauce is going straight into a stir-fry, would you add the cornstarch slurry in the pan, or thicken the sauce separately first?
I expected reduced-sodium soy sauce to taste flat, but the ginger, garlic, and orange juice should prevent that. I’ll whisk the cornstarch with water first.
da’s
Orange juice in teriyaki sauce sounds good. Does it freeze well? A few small portions would be handy for quick stir-fries.
The carrots detail got me — I did the exact same picking-out routine as a kid, and sauce was definitely the bribe. Curious about the gluten-free swap here: do you go tamari, or coconut aminos? I’ve found they behave pretty differently when reduced. Anyway, this made me think about how much of cooking is really just reverse-engineering a sauce you already like — which is kind of what tryvideotoprompt.com does for video, pulling a reusable prompt out of any clip.
The orange juice instead of water tip is genius! I never would have thought of that, but I can totally see how a little sweetness and tang would round out the soy sauce better than plain water. I’m one of those people who always has a bottle of store-bought teriyaki in the fridge, but this looks so quick that I really have no excuse anymore. I also appreciate the note about using tamari to keep it gluten-free — someone in my family avoids gluten, so knowing the swap works here is really helpful. And your childhood veggie-picking story made me laugh… I was the exact same way, except I picked out everything except the broccoli. Funny how sauce made everything tolerable back then. Definitely trying this with a stir fry this week. Thanks for sharing!
I totally agree that homemade sauce beats store-bought any day. I’ve been trying to balance my meals lately, almost like consulting the I Ching for the right ingredients. Can’t wait to try this on my stir fry tonight!
the orange juice instead of water trick is genius, never would’ve thought of that. tried it last night and it definitely cuts the saltiness better than my old recipe. still added a bit extra sugar tho, mine tasted slightly tangier than I expected but that’s probably my cheap rice vinegar lol
I just made this for tonight’s stir-fry and it completely beats the bottled stuff. Also used it to name our family food group chat using that groupchatname tool—such a fun dinner vibe!
This homemade teriyaki sauce sounds wonderfully easy, and I love the gluten-free and vegan option. For turning recipe videos into searchable text, Instagram Transcript Generator looks useful.
This teriyaki sauce sounds like a flavorful, easy alternative to store-bought versions, especially with the orange juice and fresh ginger. For clearer recipe videos and voiceovers, Clean Voice App can help remove background noise.
Wow, the switch from water to orange juice really adds a bright, fruity kick that balances the salty soy and sweet coconut sugar. It gives the sauce that extra depth without the syrupy sweetness that a lot of store‑bought ones fall into. If you’re experimenting, try increasing the orange juice slightly for a more pronounced citrus finish—just make sure you keep the cornstarch slurry to maintain the right thickness. This little tweak makes a big difference in the final flavor profile.
This teriyaki sauce sounds simple and adaptable, especially with tamari for a gluten-free version. The orange juice is a nice touch. WoW Forever Song
I really like how simple this teriyaki sauce is—no obscure ingredients, and the balance of sweet, salty, and tangy looks spot on. The note about letting it thicken slightly off the heat is helpful, too. I also spend time comparing tools when planning meals or tweaking recipes, and lately I’ve been using jev-xyz.com to browse public usage cases grouped by the decision they support, plus latency and cost measurements they ran themselves on the same tasks. It’s a useful way to see what actually worked for people, without treating every claim as verified. Do you usually add fresh ginger, or keep it closer to a garlic-only version?
Thank you for sharing this! Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you for sharing this!
On easy homemade teriyaki sauce, the stills survive and the video does not. Screen recordings and handheld clips fail the same way here. I keep the camera file and run a diffusion upscaler to 1080p before sharing.
I’ve been looking for a clean, homemade teriyaki sauce recipe for ages! Most store-bought versions are packed with unnecessary additives and way too much sugar, so I love that this version is both gluten-free and vegan-friendly. It sounds like the perfect staple for my weekly stir-fry night. I really appreciated the tip about using this sauce to get kids to eat more vegetables—my little ones can be quite picky, and a flavorful sauce usually does the trick. I’m definitely planning to whip up a batch of this tonight for dinner. It’s great to find a recipe that is quick, easy, and healthy. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful alternative!
This homemade teriyaki sauce sounds perfect—gluten-free and vegan, yet still full of flavor. It’s amazing how a few simple ingredients can create something so versatile. Reminds me of turning simple lyrics into complete songs—sometimes the best results come from the basics.
The orange juice in place of water is the detail I keep coming back to — it explains why this version tastes less flat than the bottle stuff, and using tamari plus cornstarch slurry is exactly how you keep it gluten-free without lumps. Nice that the recipe scales easily too, since a single batch of sauce rarely covers more than one stir fry night.
Okay, the orange juice swap is genius! I never would have thought to use that instead of water, but I can totally see how it would add a nice tangy depth to balance all that soy sauce. And the childhood stir fry story made me laugh — I was the exact same way, quietly pushing veggies to the edge of my plate and hoping nobody noticed. Also really appreciate the tip about mixing the cornstarch with water first… I’ve definitely had my share of lumpy sauce disasters from skipping that step. You’ve convinced me that the fresh ginger and garlic are worth the extra chopping too. Can’t wait to make a batch and keep it in the fridge for weeknight stir fries. Thanks for sharing such a flexible recipe!
The orange juice instead of water tip is genius! I never would have thought of that, but I can totally see how the extra tang and sweetness would brighten everything up. I also laughed at your story about picking out veggies as a kid — I was the exact same way, except in my case it was mushrooms that always got left behind. Sauce made everything bearable!
I really appreciate the note about using tamari to keep it gluten-free, since my sister has celiac and I’m always on the lookout for sauces she can actually eat. Most store-bought ones have wheat hidden in the ingredient list somewhere. Also good to know about mixing the cornstarch with water first — I’ve definitely had clumpy sauce disasters in the past. Do you think fresh ginger is absolutely essential, or does ground work in a pinch? Excited to try this on a stir fry this week!
This post came at the perfect time — I’ve been trying to phase out store-bought sauces and teriyaki is definitely the one I use most. The orange juice instead of water tip is genius! I never would have thought of that, but I can totally see how the extra tang and sweetness would round things out. And I’m with you on the reduced-sodium soy sauce… regular soy sauce can just take over everything.
I also loved the little story about picking veggies out of stir fries as a kid. I was the exact same way, except somehow the sauce made everything acceptable. Funny how that works, right?
Question for you — do you find the fresh ginger and garlic make a big enough difference to justify the extra prep? I’m usually lazy and reach for the ground versions, but if the flavor difference is really noticeable, I’ll make the switch. Already planning to make a batch this weekend to go with some chicken and broccoli. Thanks for another great recipe, Amanda!