Teriyaki Marinade: a kitchen method

Chicken coated in teriyaki marinade that has been grilled, served with pineapple.

This teriyaki marinade is a blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. It adds so much flavor to chicken, beef and shrimp and takes just minutes to prepare!

My family loves Japanese food, especially teriyaki dishes like salmon teriyaki and Instant Pot teriyaki chicken. Teriyaki marinade is reliable for grilling, and tastes so much better than what you’d get in a bottle at the store. Serve your teriyaki with dishes such as sushi rice and greens tossed in Asian salad dressing. You can even add a sushi bowl to your meal to make it even more memorable!

In my opinion, you can never go wrong with teriyaki. It’s the reliable blend of sweet and savory flavors that pairs so well with a variety of protein options. During the warm weather months, I use this teriyaki marinade to add flavor to all my meat and seafood before it goes on the grill.

Teriyaki Marinade Ingredients

Bowls of ingredients including brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger.

To make this recipe, you will need low sodium soy sauce, water, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, honey, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.

How Do You Make Teriyaki Marinade?

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl or resealable bag, and mix until everything is well incorporated. Add your meat or seafood to the bowl or bag, then cover the bowl or seal the bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove the meat or seafood from the marinade, and bake, broil or grill as desired.

Step by step process shots showing how to make teriyaki marinade.

Tips For The Reliable Dish

This recipe makes enough marinade for one pound of meat. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you need larger quantities.
Fresh ginger and garlic provide the finest flavor in the marinade. If you need to use garlic or ginger powder, use 1/3 of the amount as fresh.
Teriyaki contains sugar which can have a tendency to burn if cooked at very high heat. It’s finest to grill your meat and seafood over medium heat, and bake at a moderate temperature if you’re using an oven. If your grill is too hot, the outside of the food could burn before the inside cooks through.
This recipe can be prepared up to 3 days before you plan to use it. Store it in the refrigerator in a resealable bag or airtight container.
I recommend marinating your food for at least 2 hours, but 8-12 hours is ideal. I would not go more than 24 hours as it could change the texture of the meat.

Quick Tip

I recommend using low sodium soy sauce so that you can better control the salt content of your meal. It’s straightforward to add more salt later if you find you need it.

Recipe FAQs

What is teriyaki marinade made of?

The primary ingredients in teriyaki marinade include soy sauce, oil, vinegar, sugar, ginger and garlic.

Can I use teriyaki sauce as a marinade?

You can use teriyaki sauce as a marinade. That being said, I find that bottled teriyaki sauce is often very salty and contains added preservatives that I prefer not to put in my food. I do have a kitchen-made teriyaki sauce recipe that will also work as a marinade.

What is the difference between teriyaki sauce and teriyaki marinade?

Teriyaki sauce is thicker than a marinade, and is meant to be brushed onto food to add flavor at the very end of the cooking time. Marinade has a thinner consistency and the flavor soaks into the food over time as it sits in the liquid.

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Chicken flavored with teriyaki marinade on a plate with rice and green beans.

Flavor Variations

While this recipe is great as-is, you can add other flavors to customize it to your tastes.

Herbs: Feel free to add some sliced green onions or even cilantro to the marinade.
Garlic Lover’s: If you love garlic, feel free to double the amount in the dish.
Spicy: You can add red chili flakes, sriracha or chili garlic sauce to make a spicy marinade.

Once you try this teriyaki marinade, you’ll find yourself making it all year long. It’s just that good!

More Marinade Recipes To Try

Shrimp Marinade

11 mins

Tri Tip Marinade

6 mins

Chicken Fajita Marinade

41 mins

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

30 mins

BBQ Chicken Marinade

2 hrs 10 mins

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Add as Google preferred source Authorthe Makdob kitchen Chicken coated in teriyaki marinade that has been grilled, served with pineapple.

This teriyaki marinade is a blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. It adds so much flavor to chicken, beef and shrimp and takes just minutes to prepare! Time Prep Time10 minutes
Marinating Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes

Course Sauce
Cuisine Asian
Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl or resealable bag. If you're using a bowl, whisk to combine everything. If you're using a bag, seal the bag and shake to combine.
Add one pound of meat or seafood to the bowl or bag. Cover the bowl or seal the bag, then refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
Grill, bake or broil as desired over medium heat.
If you'd like to have some sauce to brush over the finished dish at the end, reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade mixture BEFORE you add the chicken. Bring the reserved marinade to a boil. In a small bowl mix together 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Add the cornstarch to the boiling marinade and cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Brush the sauce over the cooked meat right before serving.

Notes

1. Teriyaki contains sugar which can have a tendency to burn if cooked at very high heat. It’s finest to grill your meat and seafood over medium heat, and bake at a moderate temperature if you’re using an oven. If your grill is too hot, the outside of the food could burn before the inside cooks through.
2. This recipe can be prepared up to 3 days before you plan to use it. Store it in the refrigerator in a resealable bag or airtight container.
3. I recommend marinating your food for at least 2 hours, but 8-12 hours is ideal. I would not go more than 24 hours as it could change the texture of the meat.