This vegan teriyaki sauce is so good you will want to dip everything in it. It is SO much more delicious than store-bought and it’s super easy to make.
There are lots of good reasons to make your own sauces. You can easily customize them to make them exactly how you like them, want more garlic or ginger? Want it saltier or sweeter? It’s all up to you.
But the main reason is that it’s just SO much more delicious. This vegan teriyaki sauce is so good it will blow your socks off. It is insanely tasty.
It makes a wonderful dipping sauce for things like potstickers, it’s divine with tofu for a teriyaki tofu, as a stir-fry sauce, with veggies (especially broccoli!) and even on salads.
For more delicious homemade sauces check out our vegan buffalo sauce and vegan BBQ sauce.
What You’ll Need To Make It:
Ingredient Notes
- Soy sauce – can be replaced by tamari if you need this sauce to be gluten-free. If you need it to be lower in sodium, then feel free to use a low-sodium soy sauce.
- Ginger – we finely grate fresh ginger for the best flavor in this sauce, though you can buy it ready grated/minced if you prefer.
- Light brown sugar – or dark brown sugar are both great to use in this recipe.
- Cornstarch – is for thickening. It works great to create a thicker sauce, but too much and it gets gloopy. So we start off conservatively and only add more if needed.
How To Make Vegan Teriyaki Sauce
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add sesame oil, water, soy sauce, light brown sugar, maple syrup, crushed garlic and finely grated ginger to a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil stirring all the while and then reduce heat and simmer for around 5 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, mix up a cornstarch slurry by adding cornstarch and cold water to a measuring jug and whisking together until smooth.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the teriyaki sauce in the saucepan and whisk it in. Let it simmer, stirring all the while for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool.
Recipe Tips
Sauce consistency. The ideal sauce consistency is a little thick, but still pourable. If the sauce doesn’t thicken enough, or you just want a thicker sauce, then make another cornstarch slurry with a teaspoon of cornstarch and a little water, and whisk it in again. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes again, stirring all the while, until it has thickened up some more.
Serving. Place the cooled sauce into a bowl and top it with sesame seeds. It makes a perfect dipping sauce or can be used in other recipes like tofu dishes or stir fries.
Storing and Freezing Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Keep your sauce stored in the fridge and enjoy within 7 days. Make sure it’s completely cooled before transferring it to a jar or container and storing it in the fridge.
You can also freeze it for 2-3 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw it in the fridge and then give it a good stir before use.
More Vegan Sauce Recipes
- Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
- Vegan Buffalo Sauce
- Vegan BBQ Sauce
- Vegan Peppercorn Sauce
- Vegan Tartar Sauce
- Vegan Chipotle Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 cup Water (240ml)
- ½ cup Soy Sauce (120ml)
- 4 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- ½ Tbsp Fresh Ginger Finely Grated
- 3 tsp Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Water (60ml)
Instructions
- Add sesame oil, water, soy sauce, light brown sugar, maple syrup, crushed garlic and finely grated ginger to a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil stirring all the while and then reduce heat and simmer for around 5 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, mix up a cornstarch slurry by adding cornstarch and cold water to a measuring jug and whisking together until smooth.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the teriyaki sauce in the saucepan and whisk it in. Let it simmer, stirring all the while for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool.
- Serve topped with white sesame seeds (optional).
Notes
- Sauce consistency: The ideal sauce consistency is a little thick, but still pourable. If the sauce doesn’t thicken enough, or you just want a thicker sauce, then make another cornstarch slurry with a teaspoon of cornstarch and a little water, and whisk it in again. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes again, stirring all the while, until it has thickened up some more.
- Make it gluten-free: Use a gluten-free soy sauce or replace it with tamari if you need this sauce to be gluten-free.
- Storing: Keep your sauce stored in the fridge and enjoy within 7 days. Make sure it’s completely cooled before transferring it to a jar or container and storing it in the fridge.
- Freezing: You can also freeze it for 2-3 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw it in the fridge and then give it a good stir before use.
- This recipe makes around 1 cup of teriyaki sauce. The nutritional information is based on 1 tablespoon of sauce.
I LOVE this sauce. I really don’t like how goopy and overly sweet premade teriyaki sauces are, and they’re usually not gluten-free, so I was so psyched to come across this recipe!
This was such a snap to put together! It works so well stir-fried with cauliflower, baby corn, broccoli, snow peas and vegan chicken. It’s also fab drizzled over steamed veggies, cauliflower rice, and edamame noodles.
I made a few modifications, and they worked like a charm! I have a sesame allergy, so I subbed grapeseed oil (my favorite neutral no-taste oil) for the sesame.
I used coconut sugar for the brown sugar, a cube of Dorot’s crushed garlic and crushed ginger and I added in 2 tablespoons of unseasoned rice vinegar for a little tang.
I like my sauces extra thick so I added in some extra cornstarch.
This was such an easy to whip up recipe and so pantry-friendly I know I’ll be making this for more meals 🙂
Awesome Victoria! Thanks so much for sharing your adjustments and the wonderful review!
Made it this evening. It was very easy as it was mostly measuring ingredients. It turned out dark, glossy and smooth. We had it with stir fried veg, tofu and sticky rice. Very tasty I’d definitely make it again.
So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks Julie!
I struggle with sauces and often fail but this one came out lovely, had it with stir fry veg and udon noodles. Very tasty!