How long does homemade teriyaki sauce last?
Teriyaki sauce is known as a good ingredient for marinade or glaze, especially on meat and fish dishes. You can even make it at home easily if you have the base ingredients to make the sauce.
If you’ve just made a batch, but haven’t used it all, you might be wondering: how long does homemade teriyaki sauce last?
Due to its base ingredients, teriyaki sauce naturally has a long shelf life. Store-bought unopened teriyaki sauce can last for up to six months in a pantry. But homemade teriyaki sauces can only last for a few days or a week after it is poured in a sterilized container. When refrigerated, a homemade sauce can last for two to three weeks.
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Read for freeWhat affects the shelf life of teriyaki sauce?
Traditionally, a teriyaki sauce only needs sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar to make.
Due to its high soy sauce content, even a homemade basic sauce can last for a bit. What makes your sauce spoil faster is the additional ingredients put into it.
Most homemade teriyaki sauce recipes add ginger, garlic, or other spices for an additional kick.
Homemade teriyaki sauces are often consumed immediately to avoid spoilage.
If you do want to store it though, make sure that the bottle or jar is sterilized thoroughly before pouring the sauce on it. You might also want to avoid opening the bottle frequently because the content will spoil faster when exposed to air.
Another good question: Is teriyaki sauce gluten free? Safe brands to buy & how to make your own
How to store a homemade teriyaki sauce properly?
If your recipe doesn’t include additional organic flavoring, the sauce can take a place or two in the pantry. You can put it next to soy sauce and vinegar.
As long as your pantry is cool, dry, and not exposed directly to the sun, you’re good to go.
You also need to seal the bottle opening tightly to avoid air exposure. Take note: the flavor quality diminishes after opening the bottle after the initial pour, even if the bottle is stored properly.
Consider consuming homemade condiments as soon as possible if you don’t want the flavor to deteriorate.
Since teriyaki sauce is quite easy and fast to make, it’s better to make another batch than to store it for a long time.
Also read: teppanyaki vs teriyaki, do they really only sound alike?
Do you need to refrigerate teriyaki sauce?
Store-bought teriyaki sauces can last for three years in the pantry if left unopened. You don’t really need to refrigerate your sauce, as long as it’s still unopened, and its opening is tightly sealed.
But that’s not the case for homemade teriyaki sauce. You need to refrigerate your sauce if you intend to keep it within a week or longer.
Read next: Chinese Hoisin sauce vs Teriyaki: are they alike?
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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.
