Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce

Quick and easy sweet, salty, savoury, sticky, authentic and delicious Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce.  Make it in under 10 minutes and it keeps for upto 2 weeks.  Such a versatile sauce that works with Chicken, Beef Salmon and Fish.

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.

Why Make This Recipe

• Super quick to make
• Multiple uses  - Glaze, Marinade, Stirfry Sauce, Drizzle Sauce over noodles!
• Tastes authentic but without the sugar
• Has a punchy garlic hit
• Keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge
• Its sweet, but not too sweet
• Easy to make  it thick and luscious, according to how you like it

Ingredients

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 sold in Woolworths and Coles in Australia in the Asian food aisle.  Alternatively you could use the same amount of Mirren (available in supermarkets in the Asian aisle), or dry sherry.  Or you could use actual Sake.
• Lakanto Maple Syrup:  For sweetness and flavour.  If you can’t find this brand, any type of sugar free maple syrup will work, or if all else fails, use pure maple syrup.  This is available at Woolworths in Australia and online through Amazon in the US.
• Lakanto Gold Monkfruit Sweetener:  This is a granulated sweetener that measures like sugar and it a brown sugar substitute.  It adds sweetness and counteracts the salt in the soy sauce.  Its also sold in Woolworths.  If you can’t find Lakanto Monkfruit Gold, you could use Natvia Gold, or even Lakanto Classic which is the white granulated sweetener.
• Garlic:  Theres a good punch of garlic in this sugar free teriyaki sauce, but you could easily reduce the amount by half if you prefer less garlic without it affecting the overall balance of the sauce.
• Ginger:  If you like a good hit of ginger, stick with 1 tablespoon, or you can reduce the amount to ½ a tablespoon for a less intense ginger hit.
• Substitute for Cornflour:  Arrowroot Flour.   Also known as Tapioca flour – they are they same thing.    Arrowroot is a thickening agent and is in the baking aisle of most large supermarkets, along with the flour.  (both Coles and Woolworths have it in Australia).  Arrowroot thickens sauces nicely without making them go cloudy like cornflour.  Instead the teriyaki sauce retains its dark glossy colour.

This sugar free teriyaki sauce has definitely passed the taste test in our house and is a firm favourite, 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 maple syrup, monkfruit sweetener, garlic, and ginger to a pot on high heat. 
2. Heat on medium high heat:  Heat for 1 – 2 minutes until sweetener has dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool:  Let it sit covered in pot for about 10 minutes to cool a little
4. Pour and Store:  Pour into a clean Mason Jar with lid.  Store in the fridge for upto 2 weeks.

Expert Tips

• On Making and Storing Sauce for Future Use:  I’ve deliberately left out the thickener in this recipe because it thickens as it cools down and again in the fridge.  It also keeps better in the fridge without the thickening agent.  When you’re ready to use it, if you’d like the sauce to have a thicker consistency, that’s the time to add it.
• On Making and Using the Sauce Straight Away: make a cornflour slurry, consisting of 1 tablespoon cornflour plus 2 tablespoons tap water mixed together with a spoon.  Pour into wok or pot over the meat and veges.  Stir through on high heat and it will thicken quickly.
• Sweetener:  If you can’t find  both Lakanto Monkfruit granulated sweetener and Lakanto Syrup, replace the syrup with extra granulated sweetener.
• Quantity and Usage:  This recipe makes ¾ of a cup of sauce which is a good amount to use as a stirfry sauce for 4 people.  There’s enough to coat the meat and veges and some to soak into the rice as well.
• Don’t cook the sauce down and try to thicken it on the stove as this will cause it to become very salty and bitter.  It only needs a short cooking time to bring all the flavours together to create that magical teriyaki sauce taste.
• Jars:  If you’re using properly sterilized jars with sealed lids, the sauce may keep longer than 2 weeks.  If you’re using a regular mason jar, 2 weeks is the maximum.

How To Use Teriyaki Sauce

• As a Stirfry Sauce:  Grab your favourite meat, dice it into strips (about 500 grams or 1 pound – that’s enough for 4 people), 2 cups of your favourite green veges (beans, zucchini, spinach, bok choy, asparagus, broccoli).  Cook the meat, add the veges and cook through, and stir the sauce through at the end.
• 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 in this Asian Salmon Salad. 

This no added sugar teriyaki sauce isn’t spicy at all, 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, learning to make your own healthier sauces at home is a great way to start.

Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce

Kim

Quick and easy sweet, salty, savoury, sticky, authentic and delicious Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce that makes three quarters of a cup.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 2 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 12 mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4 people

Calories 40 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 10 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Cooking sake
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Lakanto maple syrup
• ▢ 3 tablespoons Lakanto Gold Monkfruit granulated sweetener
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Crushed garlic
• ▢ 1 tablespoons Grated ginger
• ▢ Instructions

Instructions

 

• Add ingredients to a pot: Add soy sauce, sake, monkfruit maple syrup, monkfruit sweetener, garlic, and ginger to a pot on high heat.
• Heat on medium high heat: Heat for 1 – 2 minutes until sweetener has dissolved.
• Remove from heat and let it cool: Let it sit covered in pot for about 10 minutes to cool a little
• Pour and Store: Pour into a clean Mason Jar with lid. Store in the fridge for upto 2 weeks.

Notes

1. 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.
2. Cooking Sake: This is sold in Woolworths and Coles in Australia in the Asian food aisle. Alternatively you could use the same amount of Mirren (available in supermarkets in the Asian aisle), or dry sherry. Or you could use actual Sake.
3. Lakanto Maple Syrup: For sweetness and flavour. If you can’t find this brand, any type of sugar free maple syrup will work, or if all else fails, use pure maple syrup. This is available at Woolworths in Australia and online through Amazon in the US.
4. Lakanto Gold Monkfruit Sweetener: This is a granulated sweetener that measures like sugar and it a brown sugar substitute. It adds sweetness and counteracts the salt in the soy sauce. Its also sold in Woolworths. If you can’t find Lakanto Monkfruit Gold, you could use Natvia Gold, or even Lakanto Classic which is the white granulated sweetener.
5. Garlic: There's a good punch of garlic in this sugar free teriyaki sauce, but you could easily reduce the amount by half if you prefer less garlic without it affecting the overall balance of the sauce.
6. Ginger: If you like a good hit of ginger, stick with 1 tablespoon, or you can reduce the amount to ½ a tablespoon for a less intense ginger hit.
7. Making and Storing Sauce for Future Use: I’ve deliberately left out the thickener in this recipe because it thickens as it cools down and again in the fridge.  It also keeps better in the fridge without the thickening agent.  When you’re ready to use it, if you’d like the sauce to have a thicker consistency, that’s the time to add it.
8. Making and Using the Sauce Straight Away: make a cornflour slurry, consisting of 1 tablespoon cornflour plus 2 tablespoons tap water mixed together with a spoon. Pour into wok or pot over the meat and veges.  Stir through on high heat and it will thicken quickly.
9. Don’t cook the sauce down and try to thicken it on the stove as this will cause it to become very salty and bitter. It only needs a short cooking time to bring all the flavours together to create that magical teriyaki sauce taste.
10. Nutrition Information:  this is calculated at 40 calories per person for 4 people

Nutrition

Calories: 40kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFiber: 3gSugar: 2g

Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners.

Keyword sugar free teriyaki sauce

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