Here we want to show you a list of the teriyaki sauce that is known to be the best. When we get the hankering for some tasty grilled fish, meat, or chicken covered in a sweet and salty teriyaki-style sauce, we usually go ahead and make our own (it lasts forever; I always have a supply in my refrigerator), and it's not hard to do. But there are situations in which using a marinade that comes in a bottle is simply more convenient. Who makes the tastiest teriyaki sauce that comes in a bottle? I had great expectations going into this taste test because I am a huge fan of teriyaki in all its forms; however, I quickly learned that evaluating bottled teriyaki sauce in the United States is not as simple as it may first appear. 
The problem is that the traditional Japanese version of teriyaki sauce is extremely different from the concept of teriyaki sauce that is prevalent in the United States. As a direct consequence of this, the term "teriyaki" is used to refer to two separate types of sauce that can be found on the market. The term "traditional Japanese-style teriyaki" refers more to the method of cooking than it does to the sauce used in that method. To make teriyaki, the meat (typically fatty fish such as hamachi, salmon, or mackerel in Japan, though chicken and beef are not uncommon) is grilled over hot coals or broiled while being brushed with a sweet soy glaze called tare. In Japan, fatty fish such as hamachi, salmon, or mackerel are used. The sauce is added several times throughout the cooking process, and it can also be added right before it is served at the very end. At its most fundamental level, tare is prepared by reducing soy sauce, mirin (a sweet Japanese wine), sake, and sugar until they reach a thick and syrupy consistency through prolonged boiling. When done correctly, teriyaki should have the appearance of a lacquered glaze (Teri translates to "shiny," while yaki means "grilled"). The best teriyaki restaurants in Japan will store its sauce in a container that is never replaced and is never allowed to become empty; instead, it is only ever topped off. Certain restaurants make use of a sauce that has been refreshed for at least many decades, if not several centuries. On the other hand, American-style Teriyaki Sauce is more of a catch-all word that refers to a variety of other sweet-and-salty Asian sauces that are based on soy. It has a more robust flavor profile, typically including ginger, garlic, sesame seeds or oil, and maybe the zest or juice of some citrus fruits. It can be purchased either as a marinade or sauce to be used on meat or as a finishing or serving sauce for meat on its own. Since the majority of individuals favor one type over the other and since they can't technically be interchanged, we thought it would be best to rank them both independently for our recommendations. 
The Contestants: A Japanese-Style Approach
- Brand 1: Yamasa Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce at Amazon
- brand 2: Tabasco Brand Spicy Teriyaki Sauce is available on Amazon
- brand 3: homemade (Serious Eats Recipe)
- Brand 4: Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce at Amazon
The Contestants, Done the American Way
- Brand 1: Kikkoman Original Teriyaki Takumi Collection
- Brand 2: Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki
- Brand 3: San-J Teriyaki Stir-Fry & Marinade at Amazon
- Brand 4: Annie Chun's Gourmet Teriyaki
In this blind testing, we first tried the sauces on their own, and then we tried them with ribeye steaks. Before being cooked, marinades, which are sauces, were let sit out at room temperature for an hour. The levels of sweetness, saltiness, and overall preference were used to rank the sauces. A teriyaki sauce made in the Japanese style should have a glossy appearance, a clean flavor, and a flavor profile that strikes a nice balance between sweetness and saltiness. To bring out the flavor of the grilled meat that it is being applied to, it should have a good deal of umami punch. It is more important to get a proper balance of tastes when making teriyaki sauce in an American manner. Neither the ginger nor the garlic nor the sesame should take precedence over the basic sweet and salty base. he End Result Is Japanese in Fashion The vast majority of the bottled sauces that we purchased from the supermarket were... not very good. The majority of them had vinegar (perhaps to make them appear brighter?), which some people found off-putting. 
They were watery, astringent, and excessively salty without having enough sweetness to balance them out. When you consider how easy it is to make your teriyaki sauce at home (there are only four ingredients!), there is no reason to purchase a bottled version of Japanese-style teriyaki sauce. There isn't a single one of these store-bought brands that come close to earning our recommendation. 1: Homemade The handmade version garnered universal praise for its "nice sweet soy flavor," according to one reviewer. It was noticeably more glossy and viscous than any of the brands that could be purchased in stores. It was also the only sauce for which reviewers mentioned appetizing wine-like flavors, even though it was made with genuine sake and mirin. There are only four components needed for the straightforward teriyaki recipe. 2: Yamasa Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce Although it did not contain actual rice wine, the ingredients list boasted "alcohol" and "natural flavorings," which would explain some of the sauce's harshness. It received the highest grades for a balanced sweetness, and it was the simplest tasting of the sauces that could be purchased in a store. 3: Tabasco Brand Spicy Teriyaki Sauce comes in third place. Does Tabasco make teriyaki sauce? They most certainly do so. Their sauce was similarly classic in style (once again, it lacked sufficient sweetness), but it had a unique peppery heat that some tasters found enjoyable while others found distracting. Although it had an ingredient list that appeared to be most similar to the Japanese original, several people commented that it had a "strange, manufactured taste." 
4: Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce "This tastes like soy sauce," claimed more than one taster. Both sweet and salty, with only a little hint of wine flavoring. In addition to that, it had a somewhat astringent flavor and was very thin. "HEY THERE, SALT!" The Outcomes: Within the American Category In general, the American-style brands performed much better than their thin Japanese-style counterparts. This may be because the American-style brands contain a wider variety of flavors than their thin Japanese-style counterparts, which helps to mask the sometimes overt harshness of the Japanese-style brands. The winning rub is one that we would gladly use to season our steaks. 1: Annie Chun's Gourmet Teriyaki This one was made with soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine, and it had a wonderful, syrupy viscosity without being unduly gloppy. Onion, garlic, and sesame seeds gave it its distinctive flavor. "Tastes like what you'd get in a restaurant." "Neither excessively sweet nor salty; just the right amount of each." Although some of those who tried it thought it had "a little bit too much sesame," we liked it all together. 2: Kikkoman Original Teriyaki Takumi Collection This sauce had a texture that was more gloppy and mucus-like than properly syrupy due to the large amount of xanthan gum that was used, but the flavor was acceptable because of the presence of a sufficient amount of ginger, garlic, and sesame. "Sticky, with a combination of sweet and salty," commented one of the tasters. Another person chimed in and commented, "This one pair nicely with steak." 
3: Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki This brand, which was established in 1984 by a Jewish couple and a Chinese partner, is ubiquitous in the supermarkets of New York City (and in the homes of many Serious Eats staffers and interns). It was the only brand on the market that included oil as a component of its formulation and was extremely strongly seasoned with garlic, ginger, and sesame. 4: San-J Teriyaki Stir-Fry & Marinade One of the tasters said, "Whoa, a lot going on." The overall impression was of something more similar to Worcestershire sauce than teriyaki sauce because there were too many conflicting flavors. On the list, you'll find such things as cider vinegar, honey, and plum juice among other things. It has a pleasant flavor when used on meat, "but it's not at all like teriyaki."