Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce

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.

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.

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

1. Add ingredients to a pot:  Add soy sauce, sake, monkfruit sweetener, garlic, and ginger to a pot on high heat. 
2. Heat on high heat:  Heat for 1 – 2 minutes until sweetener has dissolved.
3. Add Cornflour Slurry: Pour in whilst still on the heat and the sauce will thicken quickly
4. 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

How I Use This Sauce

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.