Ever noticed how tough it is to find dressings and sauces that don’t have MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) and HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup)? MSG, by the way, is a flavor enhancer that is made up of a bunch of chemicals I can’t pronounce and a bunch of scary stuff I don’t want to know about. You can read all the big words here.
I’ve been so excited each time I figure out how to make a new homemade salad dressing or condiment (see the whole list of healthier condiment recipes on our site)! Making your own condiments is not only much healthier, it’s often quite a bit cheaper too. And, lo and behold, these items are easy to make.
Shall we now all take a moment and enjoy a collective sigh of wonderment? Yes indeed recipes that are healthy, cheap and easy. All at the same time.
The beauty of homemade condiments too is how delicious and flavorful they are…all by themselves. We do not need to add MSG and HFCS or BGNJ to make our food taste good. (I made that last one up just for kicks and it was very fun.)
Well, apparently that was my little “rant” for the day. Try homemade condiments. They taste so good and pure.
And now for the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe!
Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup tamari soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger or dry ground ginger (more or less to taste)
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 2 Tablespoons organic cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- Combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup cold water and add to sauce.
- Stir constantly and allow the sauce to thicken.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of water or soy sauce to thin.
(I use Organic Tamari Soy Sauce from OliveNation which is gluten and MSG free!) We LOVE this Teriyaki Sauce on chicken wings.
And with that, the Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Challenge continues. I’ve almost got another recipe ready to share. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but I will tell you that it starts with chocolate and ends with milk. Otherwise, I’m not giving any hints.
I make my own teriyaki sauce too. For an easy meal I take boiled pasta, cooked broccoli, cooked ground meat and teriyaki sauce. Mix all together. It is really good.
Please share your process for making the chicken wings.
Can you also work on homemade steak sauce (with bar-be-que season coming in a couple months, I would really like a good and healthy version. thanks.
I will have to give this a try as it seems I’m starting to have issues with MSG. Thanks, Laura! And I’m very interested in the next ‘secret’ recipe!!! ;)
Im going to have to try that recipe my husband has alot of issues with msg in his food. Were can I find tamari soy sauce?
I find it in the Asian food aisle. Mine is labeled no msg.
Ok, this isn’t about the Teriyaki Sauce, but about your link to homemade salad dressings!! My husband’s favorite salad dressing is ranch, and sadly our plain ranch has been used up and we’re working on using up the other store-bought dressings from “back in the day” of, well, buying Salad Dressings! I’ve been wanting to find a healthy recipe for a good Ranch dressing to make, and now I have!! I can’t wait to make it, I plan to pick up the missing ingredients tomorrow. And I’ve been missing French/Catalina dressing so that is going to be a high priority to make, too! Thanks so much!
Cool!! Thank you!
I have a bottle of teriyaki sauce in my fridge that needs to be tossed along with several other items. I’ve been wanting to make my own sauce for awhile now, so thank you for sharing this.
Thank you we have an Asian food store here where I live so I might look there for it
Thank you Thank you Thank you! I have been looking for a good teriyaki sauce recipe that has happy ingredients but isn’t too complicated. Friday’s dinner will definitely be including this!
Thank you! As soon as our regular soy sauce runs out, I now know what to be getting instead.
I will echo all of the thank you’s above!!!! I have always thought I just had to bite my lip and use the chemical laden crap in the store! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
How long will this last in the fridge? I don’t use teriyaki sauce very often, but would love to have some without all the bad stuff in it.
This sounds easy and delicious!
You know, I’ve never really kept track before. But, I’ve had some in my fridge for a month now and it’s still fine! I would imagine that it can keep for up to two months or so?
My hubby LOVES teriyaki sauce – I will be making this asap!
Do you really use 2 tsp ginger? I made it and it was too fiery!!
You know, the first time I made this, I used 2t. and we liked it okay, but it WAS strong! The next time I used about half that amount. I edited the recipe in the post. Thank you for pointing that out!
YAY!! My hubby loves going out for teriyaki…and I have tried to make at home before, but its always a flop…will be trying this one out asap!! thanks!
Erin
GymboCraze.weebly.com
Just saw this post and I want to eat the chicken wings right off the page!
I’m subscribed to your updates but I missed this one somehow! I’m so glad I found it! We used to use teriyaki sauce for so many things but haven’t for a while because of all the stuff that’s in it! Thanks Laura, you’re the greatest!!
I just made this for my family last night! It was a hit! (even with the 3 year old!) thanks a lot, and keep the recipes coming! :)
Tried this sauce w shredded pork (we are lucky to live in a place we can get organic pork) and this sauce w rice and veggies. YUM! It was super easy yet super good. Although I tried some of the soy sauce w braggs amino acid.
Can you use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch?
Yes, that would be fine!
Made this for dinner tonight–sauteed tofu, stir-fry veggies, brown rice & teriyaki sauce. It was my favorite sauce ever! Thanks, Laura! :)
Laura….once again you have helped me feed my family delicious and nutritious food!! This sauce is outstanding…and so simple! The entire fam loved it and this is going to find its way on my weekly meal plan. Thanks for all you do!
I made this to use in our stir fry last night and it was so yummy! My husband really enjoyed it. I used the Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce as you suggested. :)
Hi Laura! I made chicken drumsticks this even and coated the Teriyaki sauce over it. It was delicious!
EXCELLENT! I made this sauce and also made your chicken and veggies recipe. It was a big hit with our dinner guests! Thanks for sharing!
Do you know of a low sodium substitute for soy sauce?
Hmmm…I’m sorry, I don’t know. :)
Thanks for the recipe! I was recently diagnosed with Celiac’s and have had the hardest time finding gluten-free teriyaki in the store. This is so much better than store-bought, and won’t make me sick either! :)
yum! this may seem a ridiculous question, but is there a good substitute for the soy sauce? My little one is allergic (plus I’m discovering how UNhealthy unfermented soy is for us!). Guess it wouldnt really taste like the typical teriyaki sauce, but we’re up for new things. :)
This was a great recipe! I marinaded salmon in it and drizzled it over roasted brussel sprouts! So delicious! I’ll never by teriyaki sauce again! Thanks for the great recipe!
You can try something called Braggs liquid amino acid.
This is the best homemade and easy teriyaki sauce I have ever tried! Thank you so much!
It’s important to note that NO soy sauce, including Tamari, is MSG free. ANY soy based product has naturally occuring msg. It still gives me migraines.
Unfortunate!
Can you can the teriyaki sauce? I want to make it in bigger quantities. My concern is my recipe has no vinegar, just wine.
Thanks
Kathy
I would imagine that it’s possible, but I don’t know enough about using a pressure cooker to tell you how to go about it!
Thanks for the reply, we’re going to give it a try, hope for the best.
I know this was a long time ago…but have you ever tried coconut aminos?
It appears that OliveNation no longer sells soy sauce. I was wondering if you have any other recommendations for where to find a good savoy sauce.
I get it from Vitacost now: https://www.vitacostrewards.com/88IDbmr
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I stumbled across your recipe when searching for a healthier teriyaki sauce. I have to follow a low sodium diet for heath reasons, and this teriyaki sauce fits the bill! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I cannot wait to have my tofu and veggie teriyaki for dinner!
What can I use instead of ginger? I love teriyaki but cannot have ginger. Also, can I substitute arrowroot for the cornflour? I am intolerant to both
Hmm, I’m not sure what a good ginger substitution would be. But yes, arrowroot powder would sub fine for cornstarch. :)
You are doing a great and possibly dangerous disservice to your readers claiming this is MSG free. Technically yes but there is no soy sauce available that does not have glutamate in it, something anyone avoiding msg will want to avoid. A neurotoxin.
This is my regular teriyaki sauce, and as if it’s not already simple, I actually throw all the ingredients in a blender, then simmer it to thicken in a pan. This is a good recipe!
Although MSG was not directly added to the soya sause, MSG is produced during the fermenting process of the soy into sause. There is no such thing as MSG free soya sause. The manufactures don’t want anybody to know either.