This gluten-free vegan teriyaki sauce is sticky, sweet and so versatile. It's guaranteed to take any Asian inspired dish to a whole new flavor level!
This post was originally published on May 16, 2016.
I love a good Asian sauce, but the ones I find at the store are either too sweet, too salty, or just don't give me that flavor I love. Plus, the added extra random ingredients aren't really needed. So I made my own!
Gluten-Free Vegan Teriyaki Sauce
Believe it or not it's insanely easy to make your own teriyaki sauce. Which is why I knew I needed a homemade version in my cookbook. The main thing to watch is burning it, which I am embarrassed to say happened no less than 5 times when I was creating this.
Is teriyaki sauce vegan?
Many recipes, and store bought versions, are vegan. The main thing you will need to look for is if honey is used as a sweetener. Other than that you are good to go!
Teriyaki ingredients
What's in teriyaki sauce can vary by recipe. But generally, it has these main ingredients:
- Soy sauce
- A sweetener of some sort
- A thickener
- Spices and seasonings to amp up the flavor
To make my recipe gluten-free, I used Tamari instead of soy sauce and brown rice flour as a thickener. I used maple syrup for that deeper sweet flavor, and for that natural sugar angle. To ramp up the flavor I used mirin and garlic powder.
Teriyaki substitutes
If you don't have, or don't want to make teriyaki sauce, you can use plain Tamari or soy sauce with a little bit of sweetener to get that signature teriyaki flavor.
What does teriyaki taste like?
Teriyaki sauce has a sweet flavor with a touch of tang. It also has just a little bit of saltiness to it to counter sweet.
Is Teriyaki Chinese or Japanese?
Teriyaki is Japanese. It's used in many traditional dishes to marinate foods before they're cooked.
Storage tips
I am jar obsessed, so when it comes to storing my sauces, a good glass jar is my first choice. Here are some of my favorites!
Tips for using
There are so many ways to use teriyaki sauce to spice up dishes, but these are some of my favorite ways!
- Drizzle over rice and veggies
- Teriyaki rice bowl and roasted veggies
- Veggie fried rice
- Vegetable Teriyaki Stir Fry
How To Make Teriyaki Sauce
- Put all ingredients into a pot and heat over medium/low heat until thickened.
- Serve in your favorite dish!
Gluten-Free Vegan Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup Tamari , or soy sauce if you don't need it gluten-free (low sodium if needed, see note)
- 10 tablespoons maple syrup (½ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons mirin (rice cooking wine)
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon brown rice flour
Instructions
- Mix all sauce ingredients in a pot, whisk well.
- Heat on the stovetop on medium low heat until thickened, while whisking. Be careful not to overcook because it thickens more as it cools.
Notes
- You can also use soy sauce for this, or even coconut aminos if you can’t have soy. Using soy sauce will make this non gluten free.
- Using coconut aminos will make it slightly sweeter than the Tamari or soy sauce, so leave out the 2 extra tablespoons of maple syrup and taste first. It may also not be as salty so if you find it needs more salt, feel free to add salt.
- This recipe makes about 2 cups. Serving size is ¼ cup.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Lindsay
I really like this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times and others I’ve shared it with have really enjoyed it as well. The only thing I did differently is utilizing Bobs Red Mill gluten free flour as that is what I usually have on hand and it worked great. Very happy I found this recipe as my body doesn’t agree with the bottled teriyaki sauces.
Sophia DeSantis
I am so thrilled you like it Lindsay!!
Chris
This was super tasty, but mine didn't thicken at all. The only sub I made was to use coconut aminos for the tamari. I used sprouted brown rice flour, but I can't imagine that would have made the difference. Any thoughts on how to thicken it?
Sophia DeSantis
Hi Chris! I have not tried this recipe with coconut aminos or sprouted brown rice flour so I can't say if it works with those two substitutions. Sometimes different ingredients react differently. I know it definitely works the way I created it as I have made it many many times. You could try using tapioca or corn starch to thicken as those are also thickeners like brown rice flour.