Whole30 Teriyaki Sauce (Paleo + GF)

It's easy to make homemade Whole30 Teriyaki Sauce in just 10 minutes. This paleo, gluten free and soy-free sauce is perfect for chicken, salmon or stir fry!

Making your own sauces at home is the easiest way to know exactly what's going in it. If you have dietary restrictions, such as soy, gluten or dairy, making homemade sauces is the best way to know that your sauce doesn't contain any of these ingredients.

On Bowls Are The New Plates, we love sharing healthy homemade sauce recipes! And most importantly, we like to make the recipes quick and easy, so you can make sauces for all of your favorite bowls and salads!

This Whole30 Teriyaki Sauce is perfect for drizzling over Asian style bowls, glazing salmon, making teriyaki chicken or tossing in your favorite stir fry. It's made with healthy, gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients, that are all paleo and whole30 compliant!

Ingredients you'll need

• Coconut aminos - this alternative to soy sauce contains 73% less sodium than soy sauce and has a slight sweetness that goes great in this teriyaki sauce recipe. If you want to learn more about coconut aminos, we wrote an entire post on this delicious and versatile whole30 ingredient.
• Orange juice - feel free to use fresh squeezed or 100% orange juice bottled at the grocery store. I do recommend pulp-free for a smoother sauce and make sure the bottled juice has no added sugar.
• Rice vinegar - is easily found in the Asian section of most major grocery stores.
• Garlic cloves
• Fresh ginger - I like to keep a peeled knob of ginger in the freezer for easy grating into recipes, just like this one!
• Red chili flakes
• Tapioca starch - also called tapioca flour, this paleo and whole30 approved ingredient is made from purified cassava root. You will find it at most major grocery stores near the other flours, or in the gluten free aisle.

Step by step instructions

1. Add coconut aminos, orange juice, rice vinegar, crushed garlic, fresh grated ginger, and red chili flakes to a saucepan on the stove over medium heat.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 4-5 minutes on the stove over medium heat.
3. In the meantime, whisk tapioca starch with water in a small bowl.
4. Add this mixture to the boiling sauce and whisk all of the ingredients together.
5. Reduce the heat on the stove to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 3-4 minutes.
6. Remove the teriyaki sauce from the heat and set aside to cool.
7. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to use in a recipe.

How to use the sauce in recipes

• Glazed salmon (pictured above) - this whole30 teriyaki sauce is perfect for glazing salmon to add to a healthy bowl with roasted vegetables and cauliflower rice. Try it in this Teriyaki Salmon Bowl recipe.
• Stir fry - add the teriyaki sauce to stir fried veggies, chicken or tofu.
• Crispy Asian Brussels Sprouts Bowl - instead of the miso vinaigrette dressing used in this recipe, sub in this whole30 teriyaki sauce for crispy teriyaki brussels sprouts! Serve the brussels sprouts over cauliflower rice instead of brown rice to make these bowls whole30 approved!
• Baked tofu - toss crispy baked tofu in the sauce for a delicious teriyaki tofu recipe.
• Chicken - teriyaki sauce is most commonly paired with chicken. Stir fry cubes of chicken with vegetables, then toss in the sauce to make Whole30 Chicken Teriyaki Bowls. You can also grill chicken breasts or thighs, then brush them with the sauce during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time.
• Japanese chicken meatballs - for a fun spin on chicken teriyaki, try the sauce on these chicken meatballs from I Heart Umami.
• Chicken wings - for another chicken recipe idea, toss baked or grilled chicken wings in this paleo teriyaki sauce for a delicious paleo appetizer or game day snack!

Frequently asked questions

• Is this recipe keto-friendly? Depending on how much sauce is used, this recipe can be incorporated into a keto diet. One tablespoon of the sauce contains 2 net carbs. Compare this to a traditional teriyaki sauce which contains 8 net carbs per tablespoon and you're saving yourself a lot of carbs!
• How long does the sauce last in the refrigerator? This sauce will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• Can I use liquid aminos instead of coconut aminos? Liquid aminos is a totally different product with a different taste profile and is much higher in sodium. It will make the sauce way too salty, so I would not recommend using it in this recipe.
• Can I make this sauce spicy? Yes! The coconut aminos and orange juice make this sauce naturally sweeter, but simply add more red chili pepper flakes to spice it up!

More whole30 approved sauces

Add each of these sauces into your regular rotation! They're all gluten free, dairy free and whole30 approved!

• Creamy Vegan Cashew Chipotle Sauce
• Lemon Tahini Dressing
• Vegan Poblano Cashew Ranch Dressing
• Harissa Tahini Sauce
• Vegan Avocado Ranch Dressing
• Whole30 Sugar Free BBQ Sauce

Recipe

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4.75 from 8 votes

Whole30 Teriyaki Sauce

It's easy to make homemade Whole30 Teriyaki Sauce in just 10 minutes. This paleo, gluten free and soy-free sauce is perfect for chicken, salmon or stir fry!

Course Sauce

Cuisine Japanese

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10 ounces

Calories 23kcal

Author Whitney Bond

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut aminos
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch also called tapioca flour
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

• Heat a saucepan on the stove over medium heat, add the coconut aminos, orange juice, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and red chili flakes to the pan, whisk to combine.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for 4-5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine the tapioca starch and water, add this to the boiling sauce and whisk together.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer 3-4 minutes.
• Remove the teriyaki sauce from the heat and set aside to cool.

Notes

• This recipe will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• Do not substitute liquid aminos for coconut aminos. It's a much saltier product and will alter the taste of the sauce dramatically.
• This recipe contains 2 net carbs per tablespoon, making it keto-approved when used in moderation. For comparison, traditional teriyaki sauce contains 8 net carbs per tablespoon.

Nutrition

Calories: 23kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 273mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 40mg | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

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