Spice up your next meal with this sweet and spicy teriyaki sauce, made with a kick of chili garlic sauce for an added pow. Top on chicken wings, fish, vegetarian wraps or use in a salad dressing!
Talk about finger-lickin’ good, this sauce is taking things up a notch.
You know I’m over the top passionate about homemade sauces. For many reasons, too.
Making it homemade means you know EXACTLY what is in it. You can adjust flavors to your preference. It’s cheaper. And overall, it’s the healthier option. You really cannot go wrong.
So when I started having a slight teriyaki obsession, homemade was the only option.
If you love the combination of sweet, tangy, slightly spicy, and incredibly versatile, then you’re gonna love this…
What is Teriyaki Sauce?
I’m not going to lie, I didn’t grow up with teriyaki sauce.
In fact, it’s been a recent discovery in my life (hello, when I said a new slight obsession, I meant new. When I like something, I really go for it). It wasn’t so long ago I was asking the same question.
What’s it taste like? What’s in it? What IS it?
Teriyaki sauce is a salty, slightly sweet, tangy, gooey sauce from Japan, and therefore used in many Asian recipes. It has a soy sauce base, along with a bit of rice vinegar (you can also sub mirin or sake!), sugar, and ginger.
Now that we have the basics down, let’s get to it…
How to Make Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
IT. IS. SO. E.A.S.Y.
Yes, this spicy teriyaki sauce recipe is EASY! Start with the following ingredients:
- soy sauce
- brown sugar
- honey
- fresh ginger
- garlic
- sesame oil
- rice vinegar
- water
- corn starch (to make it gooier!)
And the key to making it spicy… chili garlic paste.
The added kick from the chili paste really takes it up a notch. It gives it such a depth of flavor and gives it an unexpected twist.
Not into spice? Go ahead and replace the chili garlic paste with a few red pepper flakes. Doing so makes it a more traditional take on teriyaki, leaving it a little less spicy with just a hint of oomph.
So you have the ingredients, now what? This is the quick and easy part.
Combine all ingredients except for the corn starch in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let the mixture combine as the sugar dissolves.
Then, remove a bit of the sauce – approximately 2 tablespoons – to create the corn starch slurry. Whisk the corn starch in with the removed sauce, and then whisk it back into the sauce to thicken.
Once it boils for a few minutes, the sauce will begin to thicken. Remove from heat and get ready to serve. It will thicken a bit more as it cools.
How about making this teriyaki sauce vegan?
You can easily sub out the honey for additional brown sugar, maple syrup, or simply leave it out.
Any other dietary restrictions? Teriyaki sauce is naturally gluten-free as well as dairy-free! WIN!
Serve with Spicy Teriyaki With…
The possibilities are basically endless. But here are a few ideas:
- Asian Lettuce Wraps
- Chicken Wings
- Salmon
- Veggie Stir-Fry
- Tofu
- Broccoli
- As a dipping sauce for Egg Rolls or Spring Rolls
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
PrintSpicy Teriyaki Sauce
Spice up your next meal with this sweet, spicy, tangy teriyaki sauce! Keep a jar of it on hand for anytime the craving strikes!
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 TBSP honey (omit or sub brown sugar for vegan)
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 fresh garlic clove, minced
- 2 tsp chili garlic paste (or sub 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
- 3/4 tsp sesame oil
- 2 1/2 TBSP rice vinegar
- 2 TBSP water
- 1 TBSP corn starch
Instructions
- In a saucepan, whisk together all ingredients except for the corn starch. Bring to a low boil over medium heat and let all sugar dissolve, approximately 1 minute. Carefully remove approximately 2 TBSP of the liquid. Whisk together with the corn starch to make a slurry, and return back to the saucepan. Whisk to incorporate it in and low boil for another 2-4 minutes until sauce thickens, continuing to occassionally stir.
- Remove from heat and let cool to continue to thicken. Serve as desired or store in an airtight container (once cooled) in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tbsp
- Calories: 61
- Sugar: 10.5 g
- Sodium: 930 mg
- Fat: .5 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: .2 g
- Protein: 1.1 g
Keywords: vegetarian, vegan, asian, homemade, easy, 10 minutes, dairy free, gluten free
Molly Libra
I was rummaging around trying to figure out what to make for dinner last night. I have all this extra time with the whole COVID-19 crisis, but not much motivation to make food. I had some chicken thawed and I remembered seeing your teriyaki recipe. I whipped it up in no time and used it to make a chicken stir fry along with some red peppers, onions and insta pot rice! Wow, it was exactly what my family needed! This teriyaki sauce is soooo good and easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe! I’m going to be using this a lot!
★★★★★
Becca
I’m so glad to hear that, Molly! Sounds delicious! A little homemade dinner that’s easy is just what we all need right about now! <3
Leigh Walter
So glad I found this recipe! Try to keep some in the frig, but it goes quickly because my family agrees it makes everything taste better!
★★★★★
Becca
Yay! I’m so glad everyone loves it! Thanks so much for commenting, Leigh!
Mari
Delicious and think enough to coat all our veg! Just the right spice to sweet to salty ratio. Love it. Thank you!
★★★★★
Becca
I’m so glad you loved it, Mari! Thank you so much for commenting!
Carol
Absolutely delicious 😋-used for filet stir fry and salmon – if you love extra heat add an extra chili paste spoon
★★★★★
Becca
Yum, that sounds delicious! So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Carol!
Anna Vos
This is my favorite sauce EVER! I literally instagram messaged the account one day when I couldn’t access the website because I cannot live without it. Great over salmon, tofu, veggies, anything!
★★★★★
Becca
Haha, I feel the same way! Thanks, Anna!! I’m so glad you enjoy it!
Mackenzie Beck-Esmay
I can’t get enough of this teriyaki sauce. So easy to make and ridiculously good!! We made it to serve with Becca’s teriyaki salmon which turned out great, but looking forward to eating this sauce with everything! Thanks for the recipe!
Mackenzie Beck-Esmay
I can’t get enough of this teriyaki sauce. So easy to make and ridiculously good!! We made it to serve with Becca’s teriyaki salmon which turned out great, but looking forward to eating this sauce with everything! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Becca
Yessss so good with SO many things! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for commenting! <3
Becky Applin
Very yummy! I’ll definitely make this again.
★★★★★
Becca
So glad to hear! Thanks, Becky!!
Anita
Hi Becca
Made your teriyaki sauce with a chicken stir fry with udon noodles and it was wonderful! Thanks – I needed a good teriyaki recipe and this fit the bill.
★★★★★
Becca
I’m so glad to hear, Anita! Thank you!!!