Pantry Teriyaki Sauce (No Mirin / No Sake)
Quick, glossy teriyaki sauce using pantry ingredients — no mirin or sake needed. Great as a pour-over sauce, glaze, or stir-fry base. Ready in 10 minutes.
Equipment
- 1 Small saucepan Non-stick or stainless steel recommended
- 1 Whisk or heatproof spoon For stirring and dissolving sugar
- 1 Digital scale For weighing ingredients accurately
- 1 Heatproof container or jar For weighing out and storing leftover sauce
Ingredients
Pantry Teriyaki Sauce (no mirin/ no sake)
- 100 g soy sauce Regular or tamari for GF
- 150 g water
- 50 g golden syrup Or honey/corn syrup if needed
- 65 g caster sugar / superfine sugar
- 9 g fresh grated garlic, or 1 g garlic powder (optional)
- 9 g fresh grated ginger, or 2.7 g ginger powder (optional)
Instructions
1. Combine ingredients
- In a small saucepan, add soy sauce, water, golden syrup, and sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar.
2. Simmer the sauce
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Simmer for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glossy and slightly thickened.For a pour-over sauce: reduce to around 250g (30% reduction)For a thick glaze: reduce to 180g (50% of starting weight)To measure: pour the sauce into a heatproof bowl and weigh it using a kitchen scale.
Notes
📝 Notes
Yield: This recipe makes about 360 g sauce before reduction, or about 180 g after reducing by 50% into a thick glaze. Reduction guide:For a pour-over sauce or stir-fry base, reduce to about 250 g. For a thick, glossy glaze, reduce to about 180 g. Use a digital scale for the most accurate result. Flavour add-ins:
For garlic, use 9 g fresh grated garlic or 1 g garlic powder. For ginger, use 9 g fresh grated ginger or 2.7 g ginger powder. If using both, try 5.4 g fresh garlic and 3.6 g fresh ginger. Cooking method tips:
Add fresh garlic, garlic powder, or ginger powder at the start of simmering to mellow sharpness and deepen flavour. Add fresh grated ginger at the end for a brighter, fresher aroma. Powders dissolve easily and work well for quick, consistent flavour. My choice:
I like adding fresh grated ginger at the end because it lifts the sauce beautifully. Garlic powder is quick and reliable, but I prefer the rounder flavour of fresh garlic added early. Storage:
Store cooled sauce in a clean airtight container in the fridge for up to 2–3 weeks. Reheat gently before using. The sauce will thicken slightly as it chills.