Classic Teriyaki Sauce

Skip the store-bought stuff and make our classic teriyaki sauce recipe! When this easy soy-sauce based sauce is freshly made, it adds an even bigger umami-rich boost to everything from proteins and veggies to stir fries and great grilling recipes. From the Japanese words for “gloss” (teri) and “to grill” (yaki), teriyaki is technically a centuries-old cooking technique that creates a lacquered finish on food.

The bold, tangy and subtly sweet sauce that we know today dates back to the 1960s when Japanese immigrants settled in Hawaii. They created a distinct, flavorful marinade using local ingredients like pineapple juice. The sauce also has roots in Seattle, another area of Asian immigration.

Traditional teriyaki ingredients include common pantry items like sake, mirin, soy sauce and sugar. This teriyaki recipe does not use cornstarch — instead the sauce gently simmers, reduces and thickens in just 15 minutes. Plus, we whipped up two variations — garlic-ginger and honey-lime — to enjoy on show-stopping Honey-Glazed Salmon or a sweet and salty supper like Pork, Pineapple and Onion Skewers. Other switch-ups include using it to marinate chicken or tofu before grilling or drizzling on top of a burger with a seared pineapple slice. Whether you want to prepare a quick summer dinner or you’re looking for a quick and easy dipping sauce, we promise that you're going to want to put this on everything.