A recipe for Homemade Teriyaki Sauce! This Japanese-based sauce comes together in minutes with just a handful of ingredients.
Teriyaki sauce (照り焼きソース) is a versatile sweet and savory condiment perfect for pairing with a variety of dishes from fish and vegetables to chicken, beef, and noodles.
Using just four ingredients, this simple, glossy sauce comes together in less than 15 minutes!
Just simmer together soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar until slightly thickened. Either use right away or cool and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Notable Ingredients
Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking rice wine. I use hon-mirin (true mirin) in recipes calling for mirin. I have been able to find it in markets with Japanese ingredients and some larger grocery stores.
Sake is an alcoholic beverage made with fermented rice. Brewed in a similar manner as beer, the rice starch is converted to sugar, then converted to alcohol with the help of yeast. I have been able to locate it in many larger grocery stores with a wine section, liquor stores, and Japanese markets.
Thickened Teriyaki Sauce
I personally like to store Teriyaki Sauce on the thin side to use as an easy glaze. If you’d like to thicken the sauce further, you can simmer it longer on the stove to reduce the mixture, or stir in cornstarch or potato starch as a thickener.
Keep in mind the longer you simmer the mixture, the more salty the sauce will become as the moisture evaporates.
To thicken with cornstarch or potato starch, add about 1 tablespoon of the starch to a small bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of water to form a slurry.
While simmering the sauce (strain it first if using any additional ingredients), whisk in the cornstarch/potato starch slurry until evenly combined. Continue to simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. As a note, I personally do not like the texture or cloudiness in this sauce created by the starch.
The teriyaki sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
A Few More Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Tips
This homemade teriyaki sauce recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups (360 milliliters), but you can easily increase or decrease the amounts as needed. Just be sure to use 2 parts soy sauce, 2 parts mirin, 2 parts sake, and 1 part sugar.
I have occasionally included other ingredients such as onion (about 1/2 of one roughly chopped), ginger (2 slices), and garlic (1-2 cloves) to infuse a little more flavor after seeing it mentioned in Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking by Masaharu Morimoto. In general, I don’t bother doing this since I usually include all of those ingredients in whatever I will be preparing with the sauce.
If you do use the additional ingredients, make sure to strain the mixture well before using or storing. Keeping them in will make the sauce go bad faster. Do not use garlic/ginger/onion powder.
This sauce is best made in a small saucepan to keep the moisture from evaporating too quickly.
Adjust the heat as needed between medium and medium low to keep the mixture at a simmer. Do not turn the heat up too high or the sugar may burn and become bitter.
After removing from heat, allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Serving Ideas for Teriyaki Sauce
This homemade teriyaki sauce is perfect for pairing with a variety of meals.
It is especially delicious brushed over grilled or pan-fried meat and seafood to add a burst of flavor and shine. Our favorites include grilled chicken, meatballs, and fish.
When updating the photos for this post, we used the sauce to make Teriyaki Chicken Pasta (照り焼きチキンのパスタ) / Teriyaki Chicken Spaghetti (照り焼きチキンスパゲティ). Al dente spaghetti or other types of noodles are tossed with pan-fried chicken, onions, garlic, and a few splashes as desired of the teriyaki sauce for a quick and easy meal.
I also have a few recipes on the blog using teriyaki sauce such as Teriyaki Chicken Hand Rolls, Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken, and Hambagu (Japanese-Style Hamburger with Tangy Sauce).
This recipe was originally posted in March 2019 and updated in August 2025 with new photos.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
Adapted from Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) soy sauce
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) mirin
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) sake
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and granulated sugar.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat to bring to a simmer.
- Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium low and cook, whisking occasionally, for 8-15 minutes. The sugar should be completely dissolved.
- If desired, continue to cook for a few more minutes to reduce the sauce and thicken slightly.
- If not using right away, allow the teriyaki sauce to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
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