Here's everything worth knowing about teriyaki sauce and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 117 recipes to cook tonight.

What is teriyaki sauce?

Teriyaki sauce is a sweet, glossy soy-based sauce that started in Japan and got reworked into the thicker, sweeter version most Americans know. The Japanese original reduces soy sauce and mirin with a splash of sake until it turns syrupy and glossy.

The bottled supermarket kind leans harder on sugar. It usually adds garlic and ginger, plus cornstarch for body.

What you taste is salt and sweetness at once, with the savory depth that soy brings. That balance is why it works on chicken, beef, salmon, or vegetables without much help.

Ways to Use It

Teriyaki pulls double duty as a marinade and as a finishing glaze. As a marinade, an hour or two is plenty for chicken or fish, while beef is happy overnight. As a glaze, you brush it on near the end so the sugars caramelize instead of burning.

On the grill it lacquers Teriyaki Beef Kebabs and a whole Grilled Whole Salmon Fillet, since the sugar chars into a glossy crust. In a hot wok it coats Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry in seconds, clinging to the meat and vegetables.

It also works low and slow, as in Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken, where it reduces into the cooking juices.

A spoonful even sneaks into burgers. Peter's Burgers mixes it into the patty for a salty-sweet backbone.

Cooking and Pairing

Teriyaki loves quick-cooking proteins: chicken thighs, salmon, flank steak, shrimp, firm tofu. On the plate it wants steamed rice and a scatter of sesame seeds and scallions, plus crisp vegetables that can stand up to the sweetness, like broccoli and snap peas.

The most common mistake is adding it too early over high heat. Teriyaki carries a lot of sugar, and sugar scorches fast, turning a glaze bitter and black before the inside is done.

Brush it on in the last few minutes of grilling, or stir it in at the end of a stir-fry, then let it bubble just long enough to thicken and coat.

The other trap is drowning the food. Teriyaki is intense, so a thin coat that clings beats a puddle that steams the meat and washes out the char.

Substitutes

No teriyaki on hand? Stir 3 tablespoons soy sauce with 1 tablespoon each of honey or brown sugar and mirin, plus a pinch of grated ginger and garlic. Simmer two minutes and you have a workable stand-in.

Hoisin thinned with a splash of water and rice vinegar gets you in the same sweet-savory zone, with a thicker, more five-spice character. A simple soy-and-honey mix works in a pinch but lacks the rounded depth.

Plain soy sauce is not a substitute on its own. It brings the salt and the savory color but none of the sweetness or gloss, so the dish tastes flat where teriyaki would have glazed.

Buying and Storage

Bottled teriyaki splits into two camps: thin pourable marinades and thick "teriyaki glaze" meant for brushing. Check the label, because the thin kind runs right off a grill while the thick kind clings.

For homemade depth, look for real mirin and brewed soy sauce near the top of the ingredient list rather than corn syrup.

An unopened bottle keeps in the pantry for a year or more. Once opened, refrigerate it and use it within a few months. The soy and sugar preserve it well, but the aromatics fade.

Never reuse marinade that touched raw meat as a sauce unless you boil it hard for at least a minute first. Better still, set aside a clean portion before the meat goes in so you have a safe glaze for the table.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find teriyaki sauce: Teriyaki sauce is usually found in the condiments section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Teriyaki sauce is a member of the Soups, Sauces, and Gravies US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

照烧酱

British (UK) term

Teriyaki sauce

en français

sauce teriyaki

en español

salsa teriyaki

How much does teriyaki sauce weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup	288 grams
1 tbsp	18 grams
1 fl oz	36 grams

Related

Soups, Sauces, and Gravies

Recipes using teriyaki sauce

There are 117 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 117 recipes

More teriyaki sauce recipes

• Cinnamon Chicken
• Citrus Chicken & Rice Teriyaki
• Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
• Crockpot Orange Honey Chicken
• Elegant Asparagus Beef Roll with Teriyaki Sauce
• Glazed Chicken Breasts
• Linguine Stir-Fry with Green Beans & Garlic
• Low Fat Pepper Steak
• Luau Pork Teriyaki
• New York Strip Steak
• Oriental Chicken
• Pepper Chicken
• Pineapple Teriyaki Burgers
• Red-Cooked Beef & Carrots
• Roast Pork Tenderloin with Mustard
• Saucy Chicken
• Seasame Chicken
• Shark Teriyaki Sorta
• Szechuan Eggplant
• Tea-Smoked Turkey
• Tomato & Chicken Stir-Fry
• Turkiaki Fiesta
• Zesty Orange Barbecued Chicken