Vegan teriyaki sauce is incredibly flavorful and easy to make. You'll never want to buy the bottled stuff again!
It takes less than 10 minutes to make vegan teriyaki sauce from scratch. You're truly going to be obsessed with this recipe!
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Why make teriyaki sauce from scratch?
Homemade teriyaki sauce is just so much more flavorful than most store-bought options! And when you see how easy it is to make, you'll be hooked.
This sauce is packed with flavor and takes only eight minutes to make. You can multiply this recipe, if needed, to make as much as you like. It keeps for about a week.
Recipe notes
You mix this sauce up in the same pan you use to cook it. Start with a cold pan, and whisk together the water and the cornstarch.
Now, add seasoned rice vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, maple syrup, and fresh garlic and ginger. Simmer for just a few minutes to thicken, and boom! Vegan teriyaki sauce.
To save time, I like to mince my garlic and ginger together in the food processor. Mincing by hand is fine, though. You do you.
Substitutions
If you don't want to use cornstarch, you can replace it with potato starch or arrowroot instead.
You can also use a teaspoon of garlic powder and ½ teaspoon ground ginger in place of fresh, though fresh definitely gives this sauce more flavor.
Storage directions
Leftover vegan teriyaki sauce will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. Shake or whisk before serving.
This sauce also freezes well for up to six months. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours. Once it's thawed, give it a good whisk to reincorporate any ingredients that have separated.
Serving suggestions
This sauce is great for adding a flavor boost to all kinds of delicious meals!
I originally created it for my baked teriyaki tofu recipe. It's also great for drizzling over air fryer tofu, cooked tempeh, roasted eggplant, or roasted or steamed sweet potatoes.
Use vegan teriyaki sauce to pump up your next sushi bowl or noodle bowl, too!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1" piece of ginger - minced
Instructions
- In a cold pan, whisk together the cornstarch and water, then mix in all of the rest of the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for a 2-3 minutes to thicken. It might be hard to see that it's getting thick, but you can tell because the bubbles start rolling more slowly. Remember that it will thicken even more as it cools, so don't overcook!
- You can stir in a tablespoon of sesame seeds at this point, if you want. Use now or refrigerate for up to a week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
It can be, though some companies do use honey in their teriyaki sauce. This recipe is 100% vegan friendly.
Teriyaki sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, water, sweeteners, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. You can also stir sesame seeds into the finished sauce, if you like!
The last time I checked, this brand was free of animal ingredients. However, I do not recommend using this sauce in this recipe. It isn't thick enough to cling to the tofu.
If you want to make this recipe with another sauce, feel free! Stir fry sauce, BBQ sauce, sweet chili sauce, or hoisin sauce thinned with a little water all work well.
Teriyaki sauce is basically seasoned soy sauce. It starts with soy sauce and water and adds sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. It also contains cornstarch to thicken it.
I don't recommend doing that. Teriyaki sauce contains a lot of seasoning, and your recipe is going to be lacking if you use plain soy sauce instead.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!