Description
Forget store-bought, THIS Teriyaki sauce is super easy, delicious, inexpensive, takes only 10 minutes to make and isn't full of chemicals and preservatives. It also happens to be vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, nut-free and refined sugar-free.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce if not GF) (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (or sub brown sugar) (see note 2)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or more, to taste (or use fresh grated ginger)
- 1 cup water or pineapple juice (see note 3)
- 1/4 cup water (for thickening)
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Instructions
- Note: I would use a sauce pan with a spout --it makes it easier to pour! Especially if you are storing this sauce into a jar or pouring it directly on food (instead of adding it to another pan, say if you are stir-frying something).
- Mix most of the ingredients except the thickener: In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce/gluten-free tamari, sugars, ginger, and one cup of the water (reserve a quarter cup) (or if you're using juice, just use a cup of that here). Add to a small nonstick sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Let boil for 1-2 minutes.
- Mix the thickener: Mix the arrowroot powder/cornstarch with the remaining quarter cup of water with a whisk in a small bowl or measuring cup.
- Thicken the sauce: Pour the mixture into the pot and whisk or stir constantly until the sauce has thickened to your liking. If you want it thicker, you can either add another tablespoon of the powder to another 2 tablespoons of water (the same way you did before, with the whisk as it avoids lumps), or you can just refrigerate it since it will thicken as it chills.
- Using right away? I like to use this right away in whatever I’m making. Use it on whatever you like--vegan teriyaki cauliflower wings, vegan chicken teriyaki and Brussels sprouts, or stir fry... so many possibilities.
- Or store for later: Refrigerate the sauce for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Notes
- Note 1: I like to use reduced sodium soy sauce for my teriyaki because regular just seems way too salty. If you're accustomed to using the full strength, feel free to go ahead and use that. You can always dilute the sauce with a bit of water if you find it's getting too salty. If you’re gluten-free, use gluten-free tamari. If you’re soy-free, try No Soy or Coconut Aminos.
- Note 2: Also known as coconut palm sugar, this is refined sugar-free option that's warm and sweet like brown sugar and lends itself well to the flavors found in teriyaki sauce.
- Note 3: When I was researching teriyaki sauce, some featured fruit juces. In reading about the origins of teriyaki sauce, it seems that it is actually traditionally made with pineapple juice. I tried it this way and the flavor was too sweet for me, but feel free to replace some of the water in this recipe with a little pineapple juice or another juice like orange juice.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Ingredient
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Can be Soy-Free, Teriyaki Sauce