Best Teriyaki Marinade Recipe (Easy and Homemade)

This homemade teriyaki marinade is the best! Paired with an optional glaze, it’s perfect for chicken breasts, thighs, pork tenderloin or any of your favorite meats or vegetables! The marinade is easily made gluten-free by using tamari instead of soy sauce. The recipe uses coconut sugar (or brown sugar), fresh ginger, green onion and other simple ingredients.

This easy marinade recipe comes together in a matter of minutes, letting time work it’s magic to infiltrate your meat or veggies with tons of flavor. The recipe uses less sugar than most to try to make it healthier without sacrificing flavor.

Teriyaki is technically of Japanese origin and refers to the grilling cooking method and glaze. As with most recipes that come to the USA, Japanese immigrants coined teriyaki the way we think of it today. Now, here it usually refers to the sauce flavor itself, not the overall style of cooking.

I’ve used this recipe to make teriyaki steak, chicken, salmon, veggies – you name it! Everything this marinade touches turns to gold. Trust me, you won’t be satisfied with store bought sauce after this.

While the teriyaki sauce is listed as an optional part of the recipe, it truly takes whatever you make to the next level so I definitely recommend it. Plus, once you have a batch of teriyaki sauce made up, you can baste it onto anything and everything until it runs out!

What Makes This Homemade Teriyaki Marinade So Good

You’re bound to fall in love with this recipe, just like we did! It’s so flavorful and turns regular chicken breasts (or whatever meat you’re marinating) into a truly heavenly dinner. Here are the top reasons you need to choose this recipe.

• Easily gluten-free using tamari instead of soy sauce
• Takes under 10 minutes to prepare
• Has clear instructions for making a simple teriyaki sauce out of the marinade
• Lower in sugar than your standard teriyaki marinade
• The incredibly delicious flavor!

Ingredients

This homemade teriyaki marinade calls for 7 main ingredients that are mostly pantry staples. It’s enough marinade for about 2 pounds (1kg) of meat or vegetables but can easily work for 3 pounds if you stir regularly to make sure the marinade get’s into every crevice.

Marinade Ingredients

• low sodium soy sauce or tamari – using tamari makes the recipe gluten free. You can substitute coconut aminos if you must but the end result will be much sweater and less salty. If you add coconut aminos, definitely adjust the salt level to your preference using table salt.
• rice vinegar – can substitute apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or even lime or lemon juice if you’re really in a pinch.
• coconut sugar – substitute light or dark brown sugar if preferred but I do not recommend substituting honey since has such a strong flavor profile and won’t result in authentic tasting teriyaki.
• sesame oil – sesame seed oil adds flavor and helps the marinade penetrate deeper into the meat.
• minced garlic – fresh garlic is always ideal but pre-minced jarred garlic is totally fine here. You can substitute 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder if needed.
• ginger – as with the garlic, jarred minced ginger is totally fine here. You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger in powder form if needed.
• green onions – you can leave the green onion out if you want but it adds extra flavor and visual appeal.
• chili garlic sauce or sriracha (completely optional!) – leave it out to keep the marinade mild or adjust to your spice preference.

Sauce Ingredients

You can make the marinade without a sauce but the sauce truly elevates the overall dish. Plus, if you’re using the marinade for meat, you can easily brush the sauce onto veggies and/ or pour it over rice to pull the whole meal together.

• All ingredients for marinade (double the recipe and reserve half)
• water
• arrowroot – this acts as a thickener. I prefer arrowroot over corn starch since it isn’t made from GMO corn that has been heavily sprayed with pesticides. That being said, you can definitely substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch in place of the arrowroot.
• honey – *technically* this is optional and you can substitute agave syrup or maple syrup if needed. I don’t recommend skipping it though! I tested this recipe several ways and adding honey at this stage created the best teriyaki sauce with the perfect stickiness and saltiness to sweetness ratio.

Variations

• For a sweet Hawaiian kick, add in some pineapple juice
• Replace the rice vinegar with lime or lemon for a citrus punch
• Add mirin or sake for depth of flavor
• Use cilantro in addition to or in place of the green onion (would be great with lime juice added in)
• Add sweet chili sauce and a small splash of fish sauce for a Thai fusion flair

How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Marinade

As I’ve said several times already, this marinade is easy.

1. Add marinade ingredients to a bowl or bag. Use a wire whisk to dissolve the sugar and mix all ingredients. If you want to serve with additional teriyaki sauce, double the recipe and divide in half, saving half in a separate container from the meat.*
   
2. You can poke holes in large pieces of meat with the tines of a fork to allow the marinade to penetrate deeper. This is helpful if you’re doing a shorter marinade time but isn’t necessary if you’re marinading longer or marinading smaller pieces of meat or seafood.
   
3. Let meat marinate in refrigerator. See marinade times section or the recipe card notes for each meat type’s recommended marinade time.
4. Remove meat from marinade and throw away the extra liquid. Let meat sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes before cooking for best results. You can use this wait time to make the teriyaki sauce if you are making that too.
5. Cook meat and/ or veggies the grill, in a skillet, the oven, air fryer or however you prefer. Let cooked meat sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Making the Teriyaki Sauce (optional)

1. To make the sauce, while meat is coming to room temperature, heat the half of the marinade that you reserved earlier in a small sauce pan or skillet over medium-low heat.
   
2. Whisk in the honey.
   
3. Mix ¼ cup of water with 2 teaspoons of arrowroot powder (or substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of cornstarch) to make a slurry and whisk into the sauce until it is dissolved.
   
4. Bring the sauce to a low simmer and simmer for 1-2 minutes until it has thickened. Teriyaki sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon without running off but not too thick that it won’t run at all.
   
5. Remove from the heat and set aside while you cook the marinated meat or vegetables.
6. Use the teriyaki sauce as a basting sauce, brushing it onto the meat and/ or vegetables directly after done cooking. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds and serve with extra teriyaki sauce to use as a dipping sauce.
   

What to Marinade

This marinade works on pretty much anything! The beauty of a marinade like this is you can easily double or triple the recipe and use it for several meat types. Here are some of my favorite things to toss in the marinade and then baste in teriyaki sauce.

Meats to marinade

• Chicken breasts
• Chicken thighs – boneless skinless thighs work great for multiple cooking methods but bone-in work great for cooking in the oven
• Salmon
• Pork chops or pork tenderloin
• Beef – flank steak, hanger steak, or whatever cut you prefer
• Shrimp

Vegetables (and fruit!) to marinade:

• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Sliced carrot
• Pineapple
• Bell peppers

Just make sure to marinade the vegetables separate from the meat!

Marinade Times

As with most marinades, this marinade recipe needs time to do it’s magic. For whole cuts of meat like chicken breasts or steaks, 24 hours is the sweet spot for getting the most flavor without the texture of the meat downgrading. Here’s a guide on marinade parameters:

• Whole chicken breasts or thighs: at least 6 – 8 hours but 24 hours preferred, up to 3 days maximum
• Chicken, diced or sliced or chicken wings: 2 – 4 hours, up to 24 hours maximum
• Pork chops: at least 6 – 8 hours but 24 hours preferred, up to 3 days maximum
• Salmon: 30 minutes – 1 hour
• Shrimp: 20 – 30 minutes
• Beef steaks or large cuts: 12-16 hours and up to 3 days maximum
• Beef cubes, strips or otherwise small pieces: at least 6 – 8 hours but 24 hours preferred, up to 3 days maximum
• Vegetables: 2-4 hours, up to 24 hours maximum
  • firmer vegetables like broccoli and carrots can marinade longer than softer ones such as peppers and mushrooms.

Storage and Freezing

Plan ahead! Unused marinade will keep in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days and longer if you leave out the green onion. Stir reserved marinade well before using as a marinade or turning into teriyaki sauce.

Marinades are excellent for meal prep and I almost always make a double batch and freeze half for later use. Work smarter not harder and you’ll thank yourself later on.

To freeze meet in marinade for later use, add meat and marinade to a freezer safe bag or container and seal tightly. Place in freezer and freeze for up to 6 months. I recommend doing this right after making the marinade since the meat will absorb enough of it later when you defrost it.

To defrost, place bag with marinated meat in the refrigerator overnight or defrost in a bowl of cold water on the counter for 1 hour. Don’t trust the defrost setting on the microwave.

Recipe Notes

Are Teriyaki Sauce and Teriyaki Marinade the Same Thing?

No, teriyaki sauce and marinade are different. Marinade is a flavorful liquid that is meant to be absorbed by the meat. Teriyaki sauce is a thicker version that is basted onto the cooked meat or served alongside it as a sauce.

Can the Teriyaki Marinade be Used as a Stir Fry Sauce?

Yes, it makes an excellent stir fry sauce. To use the teriyaki marinade as a stir fry sauce:

1. Take 1/3 of the marinade and use it to marinate pieces of meat cut into 1″ pieces for about half hour. Reserve the rest to use in the stir fry.
2. While the meat is marinating, cut vegetables (carrots, broccoli, onion, bell pepper, snap peas, etc.) for the stir fry. Heat oil in a hot pan over medium heat and cook chicken for a few minutes until browned. Remove chicken and set aside.
3. Add more oil and then add veggies to the pan and cook for several minutes until tender but still crisp.
4. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of arrowroot starch into 1/4 cup of water and then pour into the pan. Add chicken back in and cook together with veggies until sauce has thickened to the desired consistency. Server over rice, brown rice, quinoa cauliflower rice, or however you want.