My homemade Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce is savory, sticky, sweet and salty and takes just 10 minutes to make on the stovetop and lasts for a week in the fridge.
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I use it in my Healthy Teriyaki Chicken Stirfry and these Teriyaki Salmon Bowls for a sticky, sweet and savoury dinner that's better than takeout!
There are so many different brands and varieties of Teriyaki Sauce in the supermarkets, but many of them are loaded with sugar. Homemade teriyaki sauce is always going to taste better than store bought in my book. I've been making my own Asian sauces for years and it really is easy once you know how.
I also love making the lighter sugar free versions of the classics, like sugar free ketchup, sugar free Smoky BBQ Sauce and this delicious sticky Sugar Free Sweet Chilli Sauce.
Recipe Highlights
- Super quick to make and naturally sweetened with no added sugar
- Multiple uses - Glaze, Marinade, Stirfry Sauce, drizzle sauce over noodles!
- Makes enough sauce to use in one Stir fry dish (about half a cup)
- Has a punchy garlic hit and keeps for 7 days in the fridge
Ingredient Notes
- Soy Sauce: Light Soy Sauce is what I used, however you could also use a low sodium version, or even Tamari. Avoid using Dark Soy Sauce as its too strong.
- Cooking Sake: this is the secret to making homemade Teriyaki sauce. Whilst many recipes use Mirren, Rice Vinegar or even pineapple juice, I find it to be OK, but using cooking sake really mimics that taste and flavor of traditional teriyaki sauce we all know and love.
- Monkfruit Sweetener: This is a granulated sweetener that measures like sugar. It adds sweetness and counteracts the salt in the soy sauce. If unable to find monkfruit, any other natural granulated sweetener will also work, such as stevia. You could also use honey or maple syrup, however this would n longer make it sugar free and would increase the calories.
- Garlic and Ginger: These two elements add flavor and taste to tehsauce and balance out the strong soy. Garlic paste, garlic powder, or fresh crushed garlic will all work. Ginger paste or freshly grated ginger are both great to use
- Cornflour and Water: This is how the sauce is thickened and is essential to the recipe otherwise the sauce will be be too liquid, almost watery. The cornflour and water is used to make a "slurry" that is added to the sauce at the end whilst still on the heat to make it thicken.
This sugar free teriyaki sauce has definitely passed the taste test in our house and is a firm favorite, along with this Cashew Nut Chicken and Sweet and Sour Fish.
How To Make
- Add ingredients to a pot: Add soy sauce, sake, monkfruit sweetener, garlic, and ginger to a pot on high heat.
- Heat on high heat: Heat for 1 - 2 minutes until sweetener has dissolved.
- Add Cornflour Slurry: Pour in whilst still on the heat and the sauce will thicken quickly
- Remove from heat and let it cool: Let it sit covered in pot for about 10 minutes to cool a little and it will thicken to a syrup like consistency.
Expert Tips
- It needs high heat to thicken: make sure to add the cornflour slurry to the pot whilst it is still on the heat as heat is what activates the thickening agent in the cornflour. It will happen quickly, generally within about a minute, and I would suggest to keep stirring it as it thickens then remove from heat quickly once desired consistency is reached.
- Add Ins: Red pepper flakes or a ¼ teaspoon of chili paste for a little heat
Top Tip
This recipe is all about getting the balance of salty, sweet and savory just right. Too salty, add a little more sweetener. Too sweet, add a little more Soy. Too savory, add a little more cooking sake.
How I Use This Sauce
- Cook diced chicken breast in a hot wok with a little crushed garlic and 1 tablespoon of sauce. Once chicken is cooked, remove from Wok and set aside.
- Add stir fry chopped vegetables (for example: bok choy, green beans, zucchini, baby spinach) and 1 tablespoon of water to wok and cook for approximately 2 minutes until just tender.
- Add Chicken back to work, stir through mixing in with the vegetables. Pour teriyaki sauce over and stir through.
Other Ways to Use this Teriyaki Sauce
- As a Glaze: Its easy to glaze skinless chicken thighs, meatballs, chicken skewers, or even salmon. Brush some on before cooking, and after for that delicious dark glossy richness.
- As a Marinade: Get your meal prep sorted with diced chicken and salmon fillets, some sauce, into ziplock bags and freeze for when you need them. Or marinate your meat upto 3 hours ahead of time (30 minutes if your short on time) if you're eating it that night. This tenderises the meat beautifully and creates and amazing depth of flavour that's more intense than using it as a pure stirfry sauce.
- Over Noodles: when you have nothing in the house except packet noodles, this sauce will bring them to life.
- And a few more ideas: Add to Roast Veges, drizzle over fish, add to fried rice. You could even use it to drizzle over this Asian Salmon Salad.
This no added sugar teriyaki sauce isn't spicy, however you could easily add some red chilli flakes or fresh finely diced chilli for an extra kick. This is such a versatile sauce recipe to have in your back pocket and when you're looking to cut back on sugar, and learning to make your own healthier sauces at home is a great way to start.
Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
For Sauce
- ½ cup light soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons cooking sake
- 3 tablespoons granulated monkfruit sweetener
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic/garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger/ginger paste
For Thickening
- 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons tap water
Instructions
- Add ½ cup light soy sauce, 3 tablespoons cooking sake, 3 tablespoons granulated monkfruit sweetener, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic/garlic paste, and 1 teaspoon minced ginger/ginger paste, to a pot on high heat. Stir to mix together, keeping on the heat until it just starts to bubble.
- Meanwhile make the cornflour slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch and 2 tablespoons tap water in a small bowl.
- As soon as a few bubbles start to appear on the surface, add in the cornflour slurry, stirring through until its mixed in. Continue stirring for a minute until sauce has thickened, then remove from heat.
Notes
- Cooking Sake: This is a Japanese rice wine and using it in teriyaki sauce adds depth of flavor and helps balance the sweetness of the sauce. Find it in the Asian aisle of major supermarkets. Substitute with the same about of either dry sherry or Mirren (also found in the Asian food aisle at supermarkets)
- Sweetener: I use granulated monkfruit in many of my recipes to sweeten in place of sugar. Monkfruit measures like sugar and is significantly lower in calories. Alternatively you could try granulated stevia, or truvia.
- Storage: This sauce will last in the fridge for 7 days. Keep stored in an air tight container or jar.
- Uses: Cook up your favorite protein and vegetables and pour over the sauce. Or use as a marinade for chicken or salmon, as a glaze on cooked salmon, or finishing sauce on Asian salads, or poke bowls.
- Calories: This recipe makes approx. just over ½ a cup of sauce. 178 calories is for the total sauce.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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