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Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

I love the flavor of teriyaki.  It’s a nice and safe choice – when it comes to all kinds of things.  Stir fry.  Beef jerky. Marinades for pork and chicken.  I love it when making chicken fried rice.  If I go to a Chinese restaurant and there isn’t a clear choice, teriyaki it is!

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So I love making it at home, so that I have some on hand when I need it.  There’s a variety of reasons that you make a homemade version instead of a store-bought version.  For some, it’s about choosing the quality of the ingredients.  For others, it’s about reducing costs.  For me, it’s about controlling the taste.  When I make it myself, I can make it as sweet as I want.  I can use more or less garlic.  I can add more pepper, if I want.  I can make it as thin or thick as desired.  That’s why I make this sauce homemade instead of buying it at the store.

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I’ve gotten the recipe just the way I like it – nice and thick.  Sweet, but not overly so.  We like it so much that I make a big batch at a time and store it in 1/2 – 1 cup portions in the freezer.  It lasts for a good long time there, but we go through it so quickly!  It makes meals come together quickly, which I love!

Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients

To make 1/2 cup (about what I use for 1 meal for a family of 4):

  • 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 tablespoon cold water
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/8 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
  • black pepper to taste

To make 4 cups (a big batch):

  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 2 cups soy sauce (about a whole 15 ounce bottle)
  • 1 cup rice vinegar
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced (4 teaspoons)
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth and no lumps. Then, whisk in the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and ground black pepper.
  • Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce it and simmer until thickens.
  • To freeze it, wait until room temperature (or cooled in frig), then place in storage container in smaller portions. I do 1-cup portions as most of the recipes I make take 1/2 cup. When I take out a portion, I'll usually make 2 recipes that week with it. We love it!

Jayme is a wife to 1 and a mother to four little boys. She coupons, price matches and meal plans. While she likes to cook, she’s in the stage of life where simple is usually better – she never knows how many hands she’ll have free at dinner time! You can find her at No Regrets Living.

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{ 2 comments… add one }
  • Meredith Walter February 12, 2017, 9:52 am

    We use a slight variation of the above. We add a few very thin slices of fresh ginger that dissolve almost completely when the sauce is cooked, and we also use brown sugar instead of white. Always comes our great! I’m going to try your version as well to compare. Love teriyaki! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Jayme February 12, 2017, 8:33 pm

      Ginger would be awesome! I have a stir fry recipe that I used to make that used ginger – it was AMAZING! It’s just too intensive for this time in my life. But I loved the flavor!

      Reply

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