Umami, sweet, and mildly spicy, this spicy teriyaki sauce instantly elevates any dish! All you need are 10 minutes and a few simple ingredients to make this recipe.
Along with our vegan stir-fry sauce, Thai basil pesto, and vegan tomato sauce, this is one of our staple condiments that works great in a variety of recipes!
This spicy teriyaki sauce came about when I was craving something umami yet spicy. Using my vegan teriyaki sauce as a base, I added chili flakes to bring up the heat, and as a result, this amazing spicy teriyaki sauce was developed!
I love using it in my vegan teriyaki chicken and teriyaki tofu stir-fry. It is also great as a dipping sauce for finger foods like vegan lumpia and tofu egg rolls, or drizzled over my tofu lettuce wraps.
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💚Why you will love spicy teriyaki sauce
- A bold condiment that has a balance of sweet and savory flavors
- Easy to make and ready in 10 minutes
- Highly versatile - Use them in stir-fries, as a dipping sauce, or even to marinade protein like shrimp, chicken, tofu, or seitan (like my homemade instant pot seitan)
- Store well and is freezer-friendly!
🌶What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Soy sauce - Use Japanese soy sauce for the best flavor, but you can go with regular soy sauce if that is what you have on hand.
- Mirin - Can be substituted with the same amount of sake or rice vinegar for an alcohol-free version, but you will need to increase the amount of maple syrup used by 1-2 tablespoons.
- Maple syrup - Feel free to substitute with another sweetener such as brown sugar or honey.
- Red pepper flakes - I use a teaspoon for a gentle kick, but feel free to adjust the amount depending on how spicy you prefer it to be.
- Other add-ins - Customize this recipe by adding aromatics such as minced ginger, garlic, or chopped chilies to dial up the heat. For a nuttier aroma, add a dash of sesame oil right after cooking.
🔪How to make
Step 1: Add all ingredients (except cornstarch) to a saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Step 2: Meanwhile, combine 1 tablespoon of water with cornstarch to form a cornstarch slurry.
Step 3: Pour in the slurry and allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens.
Step 4: Use it immediately or store it in glass jars until ready to use.
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✔Helpful tips
- Sauce will thicken as it cools - It is normal for it to be slightly runnier right after cooking.
- Adjust sauce thickness - For a thicker sauce, add up to 11/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Use half the amount or omit cornstarch for a runnier consistency.
- Adjust taste to preference - add more sweetener for sweetness, soy sauce for saltiness, and chili flakes to dial up the heat.
- Make it spicier - In addition to increasing chili flakes, you can also add other seasonings, such as sriracha, garlic chili sauce, or chopped fresh chilies.
❄Storing suggestions
Fridge - Once the sauce cools down, store it in a glass jar. It can be refrigerated for up to a week.
Freezer - Spicy teriyaki sauce can be frozen for 3 months. Portion out using ice cube trays or souper cubes. Once the sauce is frozen solid, feel free to transfer it to zip-top bags for easier storage.
🍜How to use
- As a marinade - This spicy teriyaki sauce is the perfect marinade for chicken, beef, or plant-based proteins such as tofu, tempeh, and seitan chicken.
- In stir-fries - Elevate any of your stir-fries with this sauce. It is also great added to stir-fry noodles like my teriyaki soba noodles.
- To dip finger foods - Use it to dip vegan onigiri, vegetable lumpia, or tofu dumplings.
- As a glaze - Brush it onto roasted vegetables, air-fried Portobello mushrooms, grilled meat, or seared salmon for an extra punch of flavor!
❔Commonly asked questions
The classic teriyaki sauce recipe is generally not spicy and has a sweet and savory flavor profile. However, you can spice it up by adding ingredients such as chili flakes, chili garlic oil, or chopped fresh chilies to make it spicy!
This recipe for spicy teriyaki sauce is mildly spicy, but you can easily adjust it to your liking.
Use less red pepper flakes to make it less spicy. Similarly, increase the amount of red pepper flakes used, or add other ingredients such as garlic chili oil or freshly chopped chilies to dial up the heat!
🍽More flavorful vegan condiments
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup Japanese soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- ½ cup mirin see notes*
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes or red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a pan or saucepan, add all ingredients, except cornstarch. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to simmer.
- In the meantime, make the cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water.
- Once the mixture starts simmering, add slurry and mix well. Let the sauce simmer for another few minutes, or until the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Remove from heat, and let it cool down slightly. You can now use your spicy teriyaki sauce or store it in a jar for later use.
Notes
- Sauce will thicken as it cools - It is normal for it to be slightly runnier right after cooking.
- Adjust sauce thickness - For a thicker sauce, add up to 11/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Use half the amount or omit cornstarch for a runnier consistency.
- Adjust taste to preference - add more sweetener for sweetness, soy sauce for saltiness, and chili flakes to dial up the heat.
- Make it spicier - In addition to increasing chili flakes, you can also add other seasonings, such as sriracha, garlic chili sauce, or chopped fresh chilies.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Bett says
Maybe I'm missing it, but I don't see an actual serving size in terms of volume. Can you please mention how many tablespoons (or grams) constitute a serving of this sauce? This would be helpful to me in portion planning. Thanks!
Meesha says
Sorry I had forgotten to add that, but a serving is around 2 tablespoons! 🙂