Here are the easy and popular Japanese sauces that go well with everything! From the citrusy ponzu sauce to yakiniku BBQ sauce to all-purpose miso, each of them is going to make your dishes more delicious, and your life more flavorful.
Homemade sauces are the secret to delicious Japanese foods at home. In our opinion, a truly good sauce is not only versatile but also requires only a few pantry ingredients.
These Japanese sauces will be in your rotation. You can use them as dressings, dipping sauces, marinades for proteins, flavor your steamed vegetables, and so much more. Learn how to make them all!
Easy and Popular Japanese Sauces For Flavorful Meals
1. Ponzu Sauce
Bright, savory, and tangy, ponzu sauce is a very versatile Japanese condiment that goes with everything! The citrus aroma is especially refreshing. Use it as a dipping sauce, marinades, or dressing over salads, noodles, or rice bowls!
2. Teriyaki Sauce
This authentic Japanese method makes teriyaki sauce easy for everyone. Only four ingredients are needed. It will be your keeper sauce for chicken, salmon, beef, tofu, or even meatballs!
3. All-Purpose Miso Sauce
This all-purpose miso sauce adds delicious depth and complexity to everything it touches. It’s great on chicken, seafood, vegetables, and pretty much everything! little depth or complexity.
4. Tonkatsu Sauce
If you make Japanese deep-fried dishes such as tonkatsu cutlet, chicken katsu, korokke, and ebi fry at home regularly, you will want to serve them with this quick and easy Tonkatsu Sauce. Only 4 pantry ingredients are needed!
5. Teppanyaki Sauce
Sweet, savory, and flavorful, teppanyaki sauce is a Japanese BBQ sauce that complements grilled short ribs, vegetables, and other grilled goodies.
6. Unagi Sauce
Don’t let the name stop you from making this golden brown sauce! It’s not just for unagi eel, but a multitude of BBQ dishes. The richness and caramelized flavor can transform any bland dish. It’s seriously good on smoked ribs, grilled fish, grilled tofu, grilled mushrooms, and grilled rice ball (yaki onigiri).
7. Okonomiyaki Sauce
This simple condiment is a must for drizzling over the iconic Japanese savory pancake, okonomiyaki.
8. Yakisoba Sauce
This yakisoba sauce is the default to season the popular Japanese fried noodles, but you can use it in any of your stir fry recipes too!
9. Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) Sauce
This sweet and savory Japanese BBQ sauce is perfect for dipping thin slices of well-marbled beef short ribs and other grilled delicacies.
10. Sesame Sauce (Goma Dare)
Creamy, flavorful, and savory, this sesame sauce can be enjoyed as a dipping sauce for shabu shabu hot pot or try it with steamed vegetables, cold or hot tofu, green salad, and somen or udon noodles.
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- 12 Japanese Pickles You Can Make At Home
Thanks, Nami, for the wonderful website. It’s my go-to site every time I make Japanese dinner.
I have a few questions about this post. How long can I keep these sauces in the fridge? And if I put them in the ice cubes in the freezer, can I use them as dip and marinade directly after thawing them in room temperature or should I reheat it before use?
Thanks a lot! 🙂
Hi Carol! Thank you very much for your kind words to Nami.🥰
We are so happy to hear you enjoy her recipes and website.
Yes, you can freeze these sauces and use them directly. However, we recommend thawing them in the refrigerator and keeping the sauce cold. If you defrost them at room temperature, we recommend reheating them.
As for the length of shelf life, please check the bottom of each recipe card. Most of them are good for 2~3 weeks but slightly different, and we explained how to keep them in more detail.
We hope this helps!
Hello Nami,
Thanks AGAIN for this wonderful site. Always packed with good ideas. I was thinking of making all my own sauces where possible. I am addicted to my home made garlic mayonnaise already. Less preservatives too. Not sure, if it will save a lot, as everything is up (except salaries and taxes)
warm Regards,
May
Hi May! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and for your kind feedback.
Nami and all of us at JOC are so glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying the recipes and everything else that we share. It means so much to us.
Thank you for sharing your cooking experience.🙂
Hi Nami! I’m so happy happy that I found your page. Stay happy and keep safe.
Hi Noemi! Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you enjoyed our website!🥰
Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and for your kind feedback!
What is a habachi sauce
Hi Melina,
Hibachi sauce? Is it to use for dipping the BBQ meat? Hibachi is a traditional Japanese heating device and designed to hold burning charcoal.
If you are looking for the dipping sauce, it will be similar to Nami’s “Yakiniku sauce.”
We hope this helps.🙂
MY DIET HAS NO SUGAR AT ALL. DOES YOUR RECIPE CONTAIN SUGAR? HOW ABOUT YOUR SAUCE? WITH SUGAR TOO? DO YOU HAVE AN OPTION THAT WITHOUT SUGAR?
Hi Emmy! Thanks for your question. My website focuses on authentic Japanese recipes and flavors and it’s not focusing on specific dieting. Therefore, I do not provide a sugar substitute. If you have a sugar substitute you normally use, please use it. I’m sure you’re more familiar than me and I am not familiar with different types of substitutes.
In Japanese cooking, we use sugar to balance out the soy sauce and miso, which are made from the fermentation of soybeans and salt. If you don’t add sugar, it’s too salty to take it own. Most Japanese dishes do not overuse sauce/marinade compared to westernized Japanese food. So even though the sauce includes sugar, we don’t overuse it. Just FYI…
I also love the sauce that’s made with your honey soy chicken recipe! I drained it off and just use it to cover all sorts of things it’s soo moreish!
Hi Kirsty! Aww I’m so glad to hear you enjoy that sauce! Thanks for your kind feedback, Kirsty!