When searching the Internet for the best teriyaki sauce, you will read many claims that their homemade recipe actually tastes like your favorite restaurant teriyaki sauce recipe. There are also food websites where they rate 5-star teriyaki sauce recipe and at the same time, criticize those recipes who are below their standards.
The reality though is, it is difficult to say if one created a good teriyaki sauce recipe or not. Why? Because each one of us has different preferences. What may taste good for me, which I firmly believe is the best teriyaki sauce recipe, but may actually taste bad for others.
Since our taste buds differ, why don’t you try to create your own teriyaki sauce recipe easy quick to cook especially if you are busy with office work? You can even store it because a teriyaki sauce recipe has a longer shelf life when placed in a tight container.
2 Main Types of Teriyaki Sauce & How To Make Them
Let’s experiment with different teriyaki sauce recipes and you may decide which one you’d prefer the most that you will consider as the best teriyaki recipe.
#1. Hawaiian BBQ Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
The first one is the teriyaki sauce recipe Hawaii inspired because it contains pineapple. You can simply mix sugar and soy in a small-sized pan under low heat, which is only enough to dissolve the sugar.
Once the sugar has been dissolved, add the remaining ingredients: mirin, pineapple, water, and cornstarch.
It seems ordinary, but you can use additional ingredients to make this the best teriyaki sauce recipe. One is the use of caramel color or perhaps, try to add tamari. Some experiment in making the sauce more special by adding grated ginger.
#2. Japanese Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
Perhaps the unbeatable best teriyaki sauce recipe is the original version which came from Japan. For this sauce, the saltiness or sweetness might vary but still, the Japanese flavor should always be the same.
Prepare all needed ingredients for the teriyaki sauce recipe Japanese original version. The known ingredients for this are mirin and sake. So, let’s begin with the teriyaki sauce recipe Japanese 101.
The first step is to combine all ingredients in a saucepan which includes soy sauce, sake, mirin, and honey or sugar. Make sure that in this teriyaki sauce japan recipe you will use the authentic products from Japan in order to achieve the exact or near taste.
The next step is to put the mixture in a medium-high temperature and let it boil. The tip here to get the best Japanese teriyaki sauce is to continuously stir the sauce until all the sugar is dissolved.
Once the mixture started boiling, lower the heat from medium-high to medium-low. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 or 15 minutes.
You will start to notice that the Japanese style teriyaki sauce will have small bubbles and that’s the signal that the mixture is ready to use.
In case you will not use the sauce immediately, you can pour it in a clean jar and leave it open until the temperature cooled down. Since the best Japanese teriyaki sauce recipe is expected to be thick in consistency, you may add some cornstarch or sugar if the mixture becomes watery.
Knowing how to make Japanese teriyaki sauce will save you money because you can store the extra mixture for 2 to 3 weeks. In addition, you can control how much sauce you will only need, which will result in less food wastage.
We hope you will enjoy your very own authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce recipe. Feel free to be creative and add some ingredients that will spice up the flavor like mixing garlic and ginger.
Teriyaki As Marinade / Sauce & What to Go With Each Version
Now that you can create your own teriyaki sauce or marinade, we will help you create your own teriyaki dishes. We will present some but it is up to your cooking skills whether anyone from these dishes will be the best teriyaki sauce recipe.
#1. Dishes Using Teriyaki As Marinade
The following dishes can be paired with the teriyaki sauce marinade recipe and we also indicated how long should the main ingredients be marinated:
- Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin – marinade for around 8 hours (More about Teriyaki Pork)
- Teriyaki Steak – marinade for about 12 hours or leave overnight (More about Teriyaki Beef)
- Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry – marinade for 3-4 hours (More on Teriyaki Chicken)
- Teriyaki Grilled Salmon – marinade for 30 minutes to 1 hour (More about Teriyaki Salmon & other fish)
- Teriyaki Tofu – marinade for about 20-30 minutes
For every teriyaki dish, it would still be best to pair it with a Japanese teriyaki marinade recipe since the dish will absorb the authentic flavors. Since there are several options on how to create the best teriyaki sauce recipe, you may experiment on your own and choose which one suits your taste or your guests’ preferences.
#2. Dishes with Teriyaki Sauce
In this section, we will see how we can use the best teriyaki sauce recipe as the perfect pair for the following dishes:
- Teriyaki sauce recipe pork ribs: the sauce may be spread over the pork spareribs while grilling and you may repeatedly do this until the meat turns brownish.
- Teriyaki sauce recipe for chicken: the chicken should be stir-fried first before pouring the teriyaki sauce. You may add veggies like broccoli and let it simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Teriyaki sauce recipe for wings: the chicken wings will be baked first until they turned crispy then glaze the wings with teriyaki sauce until the dish is fully coated.
- Teriyaki sauce recipe for salmon: the salmon fillet should be marinated first before frying on the pan. If both sides turned brownish, glaze the salmon with the teriyaki sauce until fully coated. This dish can be served with rice, which is amazing, trust me!
- Teriyaki sauce recipe chicken wings: the chicken wings must be marinated first before grilling and while cooking, spread the teriyaki sauce evenly on all sides.
Bonus: A Little Twist to Your Teriyaki Sauce
What happens if we change something in the basic recipe that creates Teriyaki Sauce? Let’s see!
#1. Teriyaki Sauce without Mirin
Here’s the best teriyaki sauce recipe without the use of mirin but at the same time, it tastes like the authentic Japanese version.
Ingredients:
- Cornstarch (1 tablespoon)
- Cold water (1 tablespoon)
- White sugar (½ cup)
- Soy sauce (½ cup)
- Apple cider vinegar (¼ cup)
- Minced garlic (1 clove)
- Ground ginger (½ teaspoon) or fresh ginger (1 1/2 teaspoons)
- Freshly ground black pepper (¼ teaspoon)
Step-by-step guide:
- Combine the following in a pan: black pepper, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar.
- Mix them well and bring it to boil under a medium-high temperature.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cold water and cornstarch.
- Once the sauce boils, pour the cornstarch mixture and stir until the consistency thickens.
- After the bubbles slowly appear, remove the pan from the stove.
You may use the finished teriyaki sauce with the dish you prepared or store it in a jar for later use not exceeding 3 weeks.
#2. Teriyaki Sauce without Sake
The twist for this best teriyaki sauce recipe is mixing all ingredients without sake. It may not taste exactly like the Japanese version but the substitute ingredients will let you savor the same flavors.
Ingredients:
- soy sauce (1/2 cup)
- mirin (6 tablespoons)
- water (6 tablespoons)
- sugar (3 tablespoons)
- minced garlic (2 cloves)
- minced ginger (2 teaspoons)
- cornstarch (1 1/2 teaspoons)
Step-by-step guide:
- In five tablespoons of water, mix the ginger, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, and mirin.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in a separate bowl.
- Slowly mix the sauce on a medium-heat stove until it boils.
- Let it simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Stir the cornstarch mix before pouring it into the pan.
- Stir for about 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
#3. Gluten-free Teriyaki Sauce
More and more health-conscious individuals are opting these days for gluten-free recipes. They consider the best teriyaki sauce recipe as gluten-free so everyone can enjoy it even if they have celiac disease.
Ingredients:
- gluten-free soy sauce (1 cup)
- apple cider vinegar (1/2 cup)
- pineapple juice (1/2 cup)
- brown sugar (1/2 cup)
- garlic powder (1 teaspoon)
Step-by-step guide:
- Prepare 1-quart jar.
- Mix all ingredients inside until the brown sugar has been dissolved.
- Pour the mixture in a saucepan.
- Cook it on medium-high temperature.
- Wait until the mixture thickens.
- Let it simmer for 2 minutes before removing the pan from the stove.
#4. Vegan Teriyaki Sauce
For vegetarians, there is a suitable teriyaki sauce recipe vegan which absolutely fits their needs. This is probably the best teriyaki sauce recipe for those who hate preservatives and artificial flavorings.
Ingredients:
- Tamari (1/2 cup)
- Water (1/4 cup)
- coconut sugar (1/2 cup)
- minced garlic (2 cloves)
- minced ginger (1 tablespoon)
- rice vinegar (2 tablespoons)
- arrowroot powder (1 tablespoon)
Step-by-step guide:
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a pan.
- Continuously whisk the mixture over medium-heat stove temperature.
- Wait for the sauce to boil.
- Mix consistently until the sauce thickens.
The teriyaki sauce should be stored in a refrigerator and must be consumed for about one week.
Wanting more twists for Teriyaki sauce? Kindly check this article: Teriyaki With & Without.
Tips for Extra Healthy Teriyaki Sauce
Some claim that they can create healthy teriyaki sauce recipes but if you will look at the ingredients, not everything is really good for your health especially the measurement or amount of ingredients to be used in the mixture. So how can one identify what healthy teriyaki sauce recipes are?
Some look for teriyaki sauce recipe no cornstarch mixture but since cornstarch is not bad itself, some only look for alternatives like arrowroot starch. Others try to seek for teriyaki sauce recipe no honey mix, but honey is considered an organic ingredient as well if the portion used is within certain amounts.
Have you heard about teriyaki sauce recipe no sugar? Those living with high sugar levels absolutely love teriyaki sauce that is sugar-less. Although the mixture may taste a little different, there are alternatives like mixing pineapple or orange.
Probably one of the most favorites is the teriyaki sauce low sodium recipe since most people hate having kidney problems. More and more teriyaki sauce brands are getting conscious in their products’ sodium content so if you want to be in control when it comes to the ingredients, then you may create your own healthy homemade teriyaki sauce.
When some say the word “homemade” they feel too burdened because they will do everything. However, creating your own teriyaki sauce is quite easy and there are Internet articles that can help you on how to make healthy teriyaki sauce.
Read on some tips on how to make a healthy teriyaki sauce:
- Only use a half cup of soy sauce to lessen the sodium content and make sure to buy the brand which indicates “low sodium” on its label.
- Look for raw honey than those pasteurized in order to preserve the nutrition benefits and make your teriyaki sauce recipe healthy.
- Avoid buying bottled or preserved garlic, use a minced clove of garlic as a better alternative.
- Do not buy powdered ginger, use fresh ginger instead when creating a healthy teriyaki sauce recipe.
- Read the labels carefully when buying apple cider vinegar. Choose raw and unfiltered one.
- You can add spice to your healthy teriyaki sauce by crushing red pepper flakes.
- As mentioned above, you may use arrowroot starch to make the consistency thicker
By following the cited tips, you can probably create a homemade mixture, which may be considered as the healthiest teriyaki sauce!
Final Words
In this post, we encouraged the readers to produce their own teriyaki sauce. We also gave tips on how they can try the best teriyaki sauce recipe and from there, experiment on their own since our taste preferences vary.
Just a gentle reminder though, if you are done cooking your own teriyaki sauce, make sure you sterilize the jar that you will use to store the mixture. Also, do not cover the jar unless the sauce cooled down to room temperature.
If you want to maximize the storage, you may put the airtight jar inside the refrigerator for two weeks. You may also freeze it for up to 3 months. However, consider the health benefits. The more fresh your sauce is, the healthier, the better.