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    Home » Recipes » Pantry

    Thick Teriyaki Sauce in 5 Minutes

    Published: Oct 19, 2022 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    The teriyaki sauce in the saucepan on top, skillet meatballs on the bottom.

    This thick teriyaki sauce is an easy homemade recipe that you can make in just a few minutes with pantry staples you have on hand. It is sweet and spicy and perfect for brushing over grilled chicken, meatballs, or stirring into a stir fry.

    A pot of warm homemade teriyaki sauce is on the stove top.

    When you need a thick teriyaki sauce for brushing over grilled chicken or glazing your favorite pork chops, it is best to make this easy homemade teriyaki sauce recipe vs. buying a prepared jar of teriyaki at the store.

    Bottled teriyaki sauce is very thin and runny and will not work nearly as well for glazing meats.

    But this thick teriyaki sauce is rich and hearty and will definitely stick to chicken so much better!

    I love to use it alongside my favorite teriyaki meatballs from Costco for a budget-friendly dinner in a pinch.

    Jump to:
    • Why This is the Best Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make It
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Make Ahead Tips
    • Variations
    • More Teriyaki Sauce Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why This is the Best Recipe

    With just a few key ingredients on hand in your pantry, this is the best homemade teriyaki sauce recipe because:

    1. You can control the level of sweet vs. spicy.
    2. You can adjust how thick or thin the sauce is with a simple tweak.
    3. You can make the whole recipe in just a few minutes on your stovetop.
    4. There's no special skills or equipment required.
    5. You can pronounce everything that goes into the recipe! No preservatives or hard-to-find ingredients required.

    Ingredients

    It is really likely you have everything you need to make this quick recipe in a pinch:

    • Soy Sauce
    • Dried Ginger
    • Minced Garlic
    • Brown Sugar
    • Honey
    • Cornstarch
    • Water

    How to Make It

    Making this thick teriyaki recipe is so very easy, all you need to do is measure all the ingredients except the cornstarch and add them to a sauce pan.

    Whisk them together and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken:

    The ingredients have been added directly to the sauce pan and are being stirred over medium heat.

    In a small measuring cup, whisk the cornstarch into COLD water with a fork.

    This will help prevent any lumps of cornstarch in your teriyaki sauce.

    Cornstarch and water are combined in a measuring cup.

    Pour the cornstarch into the sauce pan while whisking to prevent any lumps from forming.

    Then simply stir the sauce with a spoon until thickened.

    This should take just 1 - 2 minutes total:

    The teriyaki is now thickened and can be tested with a wooden spoon.

    You know the teriyaki sauce is thick enough when you can see trail lines from your spoon as you drag it through the sauce.

    Serving Suggestions

    The skillet of teriyaki meatballs coated in teriyaki sauce.

    This rich and thick teriyaki sauce is perfect for glazing chicken or salmon but I especially love to use it with the pineapple teriyaki meatballs from Costco.

    I make a simple pineapple teriyaki meatballs stir fry and use this sauce as the base served over jasmine rice.

    I also love to thread the meatballs on skewers and grill them. I brush this thick teriyaki over the grilled meatball skewers and serve. SO GOOD.

    You could also substitute this teriyaki sauce in my stir fry beef and broccoli recipe.

    This teriyaki sauce is my favorite variation to swap for my sweet and sour meatballs in the Crockpot.

    • A platter of 4 meatball skewers with teriyaki glaze. A plate of grilled vegetables and fresh pineapple are in the back.
      Easy Grilled Meatball Skewers
    • A serving of teriyaki meatballs with pineapple and vegetables over rice.
      Pineapple Teriyaki Meatballs Stir Fry
    • The white bowl has the stir fried beef and broccoli with chopped green onions over a bed of white rice against a blue background.
      Stir Fry Beef and Broccoli
    • The white serving bowl is filled with sweet and sour meatballs in a rich glaze.
      Sweet and Sour Meatballs in the Crockpot

    Make Ahead Tips

    You can make this homemade teriyaki sauce recipe several days in advance and just keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

    It should keep for a week or so.

    I rarely make it in advance because it is so quick and easy I can pop it onto the stovetop while I'm prepping the rest of dinner.

    Variations

    A jar of Mike's Hot Honey sits in front of a measuring cup filled with chicken marinade.

    My favorite variation to this recipe is to use Mike's Hot Honey in place of regular honey.

    This turns the recipe into a spicy teriyaki that pairs so well with the dinners we love to use it with.

    Mike's Hot Honey isn't too spicy though and my kids never mind when I use it in these delicious hot honey recipes.

    If you don't have Mike's Hot Honey, you can add a sprinkle of cayenne powder or crushed red pepper flakes if you want a spicy teriyaki sauce for your recipe.

    If you prefer a seafood version of this dish, you should check out this rock cod in ginger soy sauce recipe. It has very similar flavors but uses light fish.

    More Teriyaki Sauce Recipes

    You could use this thick teriyaki sauce to glaze easy baked chicken breasts or brush over my favorite broiled chicken tenderloins.

    If you have chicken thighs on hand, you could substitute the marinade on my honey garlic chicken thighs and use this teriyaki instead.

    • A baking pan lined with foil has finished baked chicken breasts on top.
      12 Easy Baked Chicken Breast Recipes
    • A broiler pan of chicken tenderloins.
      Easy Broiled Chicken Tenderloins
    • A white plate has jasmine rice and a pile of honey garlic chicken thighs sprinkled with fresh green onions.
      Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

    📖 Recipe

    A pot of warm homemade teriyaki sauce is on the stove top.

    Thick Teriyaki Sauce

    5 from 2 votes
    This easy homemade teriyaki sauce is thick and savory. It works perfectly for brushing over grilled chicken or stirring into a healthy stir fry.
    TOTAL TIME 5 minutes minutes
    COOK TIME 5 minutes minutes
    YIELD 1.5 cups sauce
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • ¼ cup soy sauce
    • 1 cup water
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
    • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water

    Instructions

    • Measure and add the soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and honey into a medium sauce pan.
    • Whisk it all together and cook over medium-high heat until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
    • In a separate container, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth.
    • Whisk the cornstarch mixture into your sauce pan and heat through. The sauce should thicken considerably in 1 - 2 minutes.
    • If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of water to thin it out. Keep warm until ready to use.
    COURSEPantry
    CUISINEAsian
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

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    The teriyaki sauce in the saucepan on top, skillet meatballs on the bottom.

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for women.

    More about me →

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