This Easy Three-Ingredient Teriyaki Sauce recipe is such a keeper. You are going to love how easy it is to make and how it can be used to create so many different dishes. You will use this recipe all.the.time. I use it for the sauce base in my Teriyaki Garlic Chicken Stir Fry, and also in my kids’ favorite meal, Sticky Teriyaki Baked Chicken Thighs. It can also be a stand-alone sauce that you add to rice, drizzle on wraps, mix into a stir-fry, baste grilled meat with or use for a dip.
The ingredients couldn’t be easier to keep on hand. All you need is sugar, soy sauce, and Italian salad dressing. That’s it!
My Favorite Asian Style Recipes You’ve Gotta Try
- Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Easy Homemade Pot Stickers
- Korean Beef Bowls
- Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs
- Teriyaki Chicken
Have you made my Sticky Teriyaki Baked Chicken Thighs recipe? If so, you know that in that recipe I just mix the sauce ingredients together and pour it over the chicken. I don’t cook it first because the sauce ingredients thicken as they bake with the chicken. In this recipe, I’m showing you how to make a sauce. You can then use the sauce to baste grilled meats, as a dip, to drizzle on rice or veggies, mix into stir-fries or put it on anything else you would use teriyaki sauce for.
To make the sauce you basically boil the three ingredients until they reduce into a syrup-like consistency. Let me show you.
How to Make Easy Three-Ingredient Teriyaki Sauce
Start by pouring the Italian Salad Dressing (I usually use this one because it’s my favorite, and I typically have it on hand), soy sauce (my favorite brand is LaChoy), and sugar into a small saucepan.
Next, stir it together and heat on medium-high heat until it is boiling. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 5-7 minutes. The sauce will visibly thicken, but remember, it is always going to be thinner when it is hot than it will be when it cools. You can check the consistency better if you put some on a spoon and blow on it to see how thick it appears once it is cooled off.
You want the sauce to be about the same consistency as maple syrup when it is cooled.
Recently we made this sauce and used it to glaze Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs and drizzle over coconut rice. It was awesome. The kabob recipe and the coconut rice recipe are coming soon. You’ll love them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Easy Three-Ingredient Teriyaki Sauce:
What if I don’t have Italian Salad Dressing? Is there anything I can substitute?
If you don’t have Italian Salad dressing, no problem. You can get a very similar flavor by using 1/4 cup canola oil and 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. You will need to add a few good dashes of salt and pepper and about 1/8 tsp of each of these: dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Basically, you are making a make-shift Italian salad dressing.
How much Sauce will the finished product produce?
Once the sauce has simmered and thickened, you are left with about 1 cup of sauce. So if you really like the sauce and want to use it on your grilled meat and your rice, you may want to double or one and a half the recipe.
Can I use a sugar substitute in place of the sugar?
I actually don’t know. I have never tried using a sugar substitute and have very little experience cooking with them. If you have used them a lot and feel comfortable experimenting with them in this sauce, go for it and let me know how it works out.
Can I use lite Soy Sauce?
Yes, definitely. It will still work great and just make the sauce a little “healthier.”
What can I add if I would like this to be a little spicy?
If you would like your sauce to have a little kick, you can add some crushed red pepper before you start boiling it. Another option is to stir in a little sriracha after the sauce is finished.
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- ½ cup Italian salad dressing
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- Combine all three ingredients in a 1-quart saucepan and stir until well combined.
- Turn burner on to medium-high heat and bring mixture to a boil while stirring constantly.
- Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer (about medium-low) and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Continue to stir constantly during this process.
- After 5 minutes, check the sauce's consistency by taking some on a spoon and blowing on it until it cools. You want the cooled sauce to have a consistency similar to maple syrup.
- Use sauce warm on rice or favorite Asian dishes. Use for a glaze on grilled meats or whatever you like teriyaki sauce on.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Treats your whole family will love
This sounds delish! I have never heard of this combination before. Do you taste the Italian dressing at all? Thank you!
Hi Lisa, it is delicious and soooo easy. The Italian salad dressing is undetectable. 🙂
#augustgiveaway
I’ve been using this recipe as a marinade for grilled or baked chicken breast, and it’s delicious (I don’t even thicken it in the pot, just use it in thin liquid form) . I use nonfat Italian dressing and Splenda to bring the calories way down and add a 1/2 tsp ginger powder. Thanks for a super easy, low cal, delicious recipe!!
Awesome! Great idea Becky! Thanks for sharing you tips for making it more low cal.
Wow!! Delicious and so easy! I was making a hibachi recipe, only to discover that I was out of teriyaki sauce. I decided to try this recipe because it was so simple and used ingredients I had on hand. It was so good that I immediately made a double batch to use later. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! I am so glad you like it!
This was amazing. The three ingredients blended perfectly to make a delicious sauce.
Thanks, Arlene! So glad you like it.
Saved my flank steak. Tried to grill my marinated flank steak and chicken before thunder storm. Didn’t make it. Put in oven to finish. Horrible. Next night heat heavy pan, added olive oil, seared steak and chicken adding some of the teriyaki sauce to pan. Wonderful! My husband couldn’t believe I saved the meat and that it was so good. Thank you!
That makes me so happy! What a great idea to use this easy sauce!