Pantry Staples Teriyaki Sauce Recipe

For most Americans, teriyaki sauce is something that comes out of a jar. But if you're sick of spending money on mediocre jarred sauce, this incredibly quick and easy teriyaki sauce recipe from recipe developer Erin Johnson is just what you're looking for. This recipe only takes 10 minutes to make and requires a handful of pantry staples. "I love teriyaki sauce and like being able to control the amount of sugar in it," Johnson says. "Making my own is the perfect way to do that!

Teriyaki sauce is a staple in Japanese cuisine and, while it is usually used to marinate fish or poultry, there's really no stopping what you can use this salty, tangy sauce for. You could drizzle some over stir fry or jazz up some plain ol' white rice. All you need to make this recipe is 10 minutes, five ingredients, and the desire to make your own teriyaki sauce. Let's get started!

Gather your ingredients for pantry staples teriyaki sauce

To make this teriyaki sauce, you'll need soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon each of grated ginger and minced garlic. You'll also need mirin, which is a type of Japanese rice wine. If you've never used mirin before or can't find it at the grocery store, don't worry. "If you can't find the mirin, just increase the rice wine vinegar to ¼ cup," Johnson says.

Make the sauce

Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Stir everything together well in order to dissolve the sugar. Bring the saucepan to a boil and then remove the pot from the heat. Don't worry about stirring the sauce the entire time it's on the stove. "Once the sugar is dissolved you can really just let it simmer," Johnson says.

Strain the sauce

After boiling the sauce and removing it from the heat, you have the option of straining it to remove the garlic and ginger pieces. This is an optional step and it's completely fine to leave the garlic and ginger pieces in your teriyaki sauce.

Serve and store the teriyaki sauce

And that's it! Making homemade teriyaki sauce can be that simple. Johnson recommends serving this sauce with any protein, such as tofu, salmon, shrimp, chicken, or beef. "When you use the sauce to marinate or cook protein, the sauce will reduce further and will caramelize and get sticky," says Johnson.

Your teriyaki sauce should last in the refrigerator for at least a week if stored in an airtight container.

Pantry Staples Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
4.9 from 36 ratings
Skip the storebought stuff and opt for this pantry staples teriyaki sauce instead.
Prep Time
5
minutes
Cook Time
5
minutes
Servings
4
servings
shrimp, broccoli, rice in bowl
Total time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Directions
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir them together well to dissolve the sugar.
  2. Bring the sauce to a boil, then remove from heat.
  3. Optionally, strain the sauce to remove the garlic and ginger pieces.
  4. Use the teriyaki sauce as a marinade or as desired.
Nutrition
Calories per Serving 56
Total Fat 0.2 g
Saturated Fat 0.0 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Total Carbohydrates 7.1 g
Dietary Fiber 0.3 g
Total Sugars 4.5 g
Sodium 1,752.8 mg
Protein 2.7 g
The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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