This simple recipe for teriyaki sauce makes about 1 1/2 cups and can be used with any of your Asian-inspired recipes instead of unhealthy bottled versions from the store with toxic additives.
I go through a lot of homemade sauces cooking for my family. I use the easy teriyaki sauce recipe below primarily for marinating chicken.
It is also very useful for making homemade barbecue sauce as well.
Bottled teriyaki sauce from the grocery store has so many additives that it is downright frightening to read the label.
The brands at the healthfood store are, disappointingly, not a whole lot better. For example, the organic brands I’ve examined are either loaded with sugar and/or contain toxic seed oils!
Canola oil, a popular choice in commercial teriyaki sauce brands, is surprisingly STILL considered by some in the health community to be a quality oil.
Nearly all restaurants cook with an olive oil/canola oil blend (25/75). Even when nonGMO, organic, and cold-pressed, canola oil should be actively avoided.
For this reason, skip any bottled sauces or dressings that contain this very misunderstood, unhealthy fat.
My teriyaki sauce recipe below is inspired by the version in Nourishing Traditions Cookbook. My method differs by using ground ginger and garlic powder (quicker for busy Moms!), and uses wheat-free, traditionally fermented, unpasteurized Tamari sauce instead of soy sauce to make it friendly for those healing their gut microbiome.
Use this delicious DIY teriyaki sauce to make this teriyaki chicken recipe with roasted vegetables.
By the way, making your own homemade steak sauce is a good idea too for the same reasons outlined above!
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
This recipe for teriyaki sauce makes about 1 1/2 cups and can be used for any of your Asian recipes instead of unhealthy bottled versions from the store.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Tamari sauce naturally fermented, unpasteurized
- 1/4-3/4 tsp ground ginger or 1-3 tsp freshly grated
- 3/4-1 tsp garlic powder or 3 cloves, freshly minced
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar preferably organic
- 2 Tbsp raw honey or date syrup
- 1 Tbsp liquid whey optional
Instructions
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Mix all the ingredients together except the whey in a small glass bowl until well blended.
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If not using the optional whey, the sauce is ready to enjoy immediately.
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If using whey, stir it into the sauce, pour into a one pint mason jar and affix the lid. Leave the jar on the counter overnight to lightly culture it before refrigerating.
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Homemade teriyaki sauce will keep for a couple of weeks without whey added and over a month when this optional ingredient is used.
Recipe Notes
*Use date syrup instead of raw honey if you plan to cook with your homemade teriyaki sauce.
I found this too salty for a teriyaki sauce. Had to add more sugar anyway although I really wanted just the honey to work on it’s own as a sweetener. Also added a bit of ginger powder as well, which gave it a deeper flavour.
Hi Sarah, Just found your website and am looking forward to trying your teriyaki recipe. Unfortunately, I live in an area where I cannot get farm fresh milk so I will have to forgo the whey. I have one more possibility, but have never noticed if there is farm fresh milk in the health food section of our smallish grocery stores. It is surprising how many wonderful healthy things we do carry, so I am hoping. Any suggestion?. One other thing is I notice you still eat wheat products. My husband and I have eliminated wheat for almost 8 months now and it has made a huge difference in our over all well being. not only have we lost some weight, but have not had indigestion at all. We used to take an acid reducer, no more. Also, my husband had many symptoms of Celiac and those are completely gone. Okay, I subscribed to your news letter and am sure you will have lots of recipes I can use in our “Just eat real food lifestyle. One more thought, there is a lady here that has a couple of goats. Would goat milk make whey?
MSG is a natural flavor that is not good for anyone. Be aware that when you see natural flavor in the list of ingredients it may well be MSG.
I just pinned a link to your recipe on my Pinterest so that I can make this. I hope you don’t mind..
Just proves that there’s basically nothing you can’t have when eating real food…you just have to make it yourself. 🙂 The other day I made my kids “lemonade” with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, water, and a little raw honey. They loved it. And my daughter just finished eating GAPS-friendly coffee cake. The point being…the (food) world is open!!
Sarah, If whey is not used should you still keep on counter overnight? Should it be stored in refrigerator or on counter ? Is there a non-dairy sub for the whey that can be used instead?
Hi Cara, refrigerate right away if not adding the whey. You can add a bit of a probiotic capsule (BioKult is a good one) to the sauce and leave on the counter overnight instead .. I’ve not tried this but other folks have used this method with my other lactofermented recipes with success.
Teriyaki chicken is a tradition in my family. It is a “comfort food” and holds special memories of my mom who passed away in ’99. I love “her” recipe (it is Kikkoman based) but I definitely want to try yours Sarah. Thanks for the healthy option 😉
PS ( The way we love our teriyaki chicken meals is with mashed potatoes, make a well in a dollup of taters and pour t. sauce in like gravy …. so yummy 😉 … OK, gotta make me some now! )