You'll never want to buy Teriyaki Sauce again at the store! This easy recipe creates the BEST flavourful Teriyaki sauce that's garlicky, glossy, and has the perfect sweet-salty balance. It's also healthier thanks the it's lower sugar content.
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Why You'll Love This Healthy Teriyaki Sauce
Here's three reasons why you're going to want to make this easy and healthy teriyaki sauce again and again:
- Made with simple ingredients you already have in your pantry
- Versatile: use it as a dip, marinade , or finishing glaze on your grilled meat recipes or noodle bowls
- Low in sugar: traditional teriyaki sauce tends to be composed of quite a bit of brown sugar - our recipe reduces the required sugar while still having satisfyingly familiar sweet-salty balance
What is Teriyaki Sauce?
Teriyaki is a style of Japanese cooking where meats and vegetables are cooked with a sweet-savoury glazed sauce - that's the Teriyaki sauce. In fact, the word Teriyaki means "glossy broil", thanks to the shiny and smooth appearance of Teriyaki sauce.
What is Teriyaki Sauce Made Of?
This recipe calls for soy sauce, sesame seeds, ginger, water, corn starch, orange juice, and a splash of mirin. While this recipe isn't the authentic, traditional Japanese teriyaki sauce, it's a modification for anyone who's mindful of their sugar intake.
Traditional Teriyaki sauce typically includes sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and sake.
Should Teriyaki Sauce Be Thick or Thin?
Teriyaki sauce should be thick if you're planning to use it as a finishing glaze, like for grilled salmon or on top of karaage (popcorn chicken).
Make the sauce thinner if you're using it in stir-fry recipes so it evenly coats the vegetables and noodles. This advice also applies if you're using teriyaki sauce to marinate meat, such as short ribs.
If you make it too thick, the Teriyaki sauce will just keep cooking down and it will become too viscous to enjoy in the end.
Is Teriyaki Sauce or Soy Sauce Healthier?
Generally speaking, Teriyaki sauce is healthier because it's less salty than soy sauce thanks to its higher water content. This teriyaki sauce also has garlic and ginger, making it minutely healthier because of the vitamins they bring.
Expert Tips to Make Teriyaki Sauce Taste Amazing
- Don't reduce the amount of corn starch - this is what makes the sauce glossy and coat your food.
- Use fresh garlic and ginger for a sharper, punchy flavour.
- Store teriyaki sauce in the fridge for up to a week.
- Toast the sesame seeds before adding it to the sauce allowing the heat to release the aromatic oils.
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Recipe for Easy and Healthy Teriyaki Sauce
Best Healthy Teriyaki Sauce (Low Sugar)
Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds toasted
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger grated
- ¼ cup water mixed with 4 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- Mince garlic and grate ginger. Mix water with corn starch in a small bowl, then set aside. Toast sesame seeds (optional).
- In a small sauce pot on high heat, add orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger,and sesame seeds. Stir. Let sauce hit a boil. Once it's boiling, turn heat down to medium. Add corn starch slurry and whisk the sauce quickly to prevent clumping. The sauce will thicken quickly. Add extra water if it's to thick.
- Once thickened, immediately take sauce off heat and let cool. Store in a glass contained in the fridge for up to a week.