Making home-made teriyaki marinade is so simple and so delicious especially when it has maple syrup in it! You’ll never have to buy bottled again. Bonus: this recipe is made with wheat-free tamari so it is gluten-free.
Teriyaki marinade will never get old. We just love it! I love the sweet and salt and garlic and ginger. All of the simple ingredients play off each-other so well. Today I used maple syrup instead of another sweetener. Maple goes really well with the ginger and soy and adds a woodsy caramel flavor to the marinade.
The recipe makes two cups of marinade which is enough for three pounds of chicken or meat. It keeps in the fridge for days, but you can also freeze what you don’t use right away. Use 2/3 cup marinade per pound of meat.
It is really easy to make. The hardest part (if you can even call it hard) is grating the ginger. Let’s chat about that for one sec. You all have a microplane grater right? I have been extolling the virtues of this simple kitchen tool since 2010. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend getting one. I use mine every single day. I am not exaggerating. I use it for citrus zest, garlic, Parmesan and ginger. And more! It is a simple way to add flavor to a recipe without extra calories.
I love using it for ginger because it makes such a fine result. It is wet and paste like, as opposed to hand minced ginger, which is drier and fluffy by comparison. Grated ginger melts into the recipe and creates an overall ginger flavor without a stark contrasting ginger pop. Minced has bigger pops of flavor that are more distinct. Both have their merits depending on the recipe.
But heres a tip. Don’t assume that 2 tablespoons of grated ginger is the same as 2 tablespoons of minced ginger. For this recipe, I used a piece of ginger that was about three inches long! If I were to mince that same piece of ginger root, I’d have way more than a two tablespoons because it is fluffier. Does that make sense?
So anyway, ginger, check! So good.
Then we have the maple. If you have my cookbook, which hopefully you have that too *wink* then you know about pairing the flavor of maple with other ingredients. As I said in the book, maple pairs well with the flavor of soy sauce and tamari. So it seemed like a logical substitute for other sweeteners in this marinade. Sure enough the maple really makes the whole marinade more rich and caramely than brown sugar would. Plus it is lower glycemic than brown sugar and it has trace micronutrients and minerals.
I used reduced sodium tamari instead of traditional soy sauce. So it is lower in sodium and gluten-free.Yay! Don’t get me wrong, I love salt, but usually teriyaki is too salty even for me.
QUESTIONS:
Do you mince or grate your ginger?
What do you use your microplane for?
Do you find bottled teriyaki marinades too salty?
Healthy home-made teriyaki marinade made with maple syrup, grated ginger root and wheat-free tamari.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup reduced-sodium tamari sauce
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup, dark or amber
- ¼ cup chopped fresh garlic
- 2 tablespoons grated peeled ginger root
- ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flake (optional)
Instructions
- Place juice, tamari, maple, garlic, ginger and red pepper in a 2 cup jar. Cover and shake to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use up to 1 week. Use 2/3 cup per pound of meat or poultry. Marinate chicken or meat 4 to 12 hours, marinate fish or seafood 30 to 45 minutes.
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Twitter: LivingtGourmet
on April 26, 2016 at 7:15 am
Dear Katie, this marinade is right up my alley…I love the deep, rich color…and the more ginger the better in my opinion! I love the fresh ginger coming through…absolutely delish! xo, Catherine
I love fresh ginger too. I think it is so much tastier than the ground dried spice.
Katie recently posted…black bean quinoa salad with mango and avocado
Twitter: julieruble
on April 26, 2016 at 8:04 am
This sounds right up my alley!!
Julie recently posted…Quick and Easy Cherry Cheesecake Pie Bites
Yay, glad you like it Julie. Thanks for coming by.
Katie recently posted…super green tea antioxidant smoothie
There’s nothing better than homemade marinades, this one looks amazing!
Kellie recently posted…Comment on Grilled Seafood Paella by Taylor Kiser
Thanks so much Kellie.
Katie recently posted…roasted root vegetables with spring herbs
I love my microplane too!!! Freshly grated ginger and maple. Can’t think of a better combo for this delicious teriyaki marinade.
allie recently posted…Four Ingredient Easy Pea Salad
Microplane zesters are the best! Thanks so much for coming by Allie, have a great day.
Katie recently posted…healthy american chop suey
Twitter: cookinrd
on April 26, 2016 at 10:05 am
Oh Katie! You hit the nail on the head! Love this one so much!
Sara recently posted…Fertility Feature: Meet Elana Natker
Thank you my friend. Have a great day Sara.
Katie recently posted…black pepper maple candied bacon
This marinade looks amazing, I can’t wait to give this a try!
Marye recently posted…Low Carb Crispy Taco Bowl
Thank you Marye. So glad you stopped over for a visit. Have a good one.
Katie recently posted…sweet potato noodles with shrimp and cilantro pesto
I am all about this for summertime!:)
Thank you Maria. I am too! Ha ha. Thank you for coming by and saying hello.
Katie recently posted…grapefruit champagne cocktail
I am such a sucker for teriyaki! Love the maple (of course!)
Rebecca recently posted…Freedom Feature: Jules Shepard “gfJules”
It’s a classic, isn’t it? Yay, maple lovers unite!
Katie recently posted…southwest cobb kale salad
Twitter: bhatdixy
on April 26, 2016 at 10:15 pm
teriyaki doesnt get old at all..i have never tried making it at home, so will definitely be keeping this in mind next time.
dixya recently posted…Virtual Coffee Date (NYC Edition)
It’s a breeze, you’ll love knowing how easy it is.
Katie recently posted…slow cooker ham and broccoli brunch bread pudding
Twitter: CraveSomeHealth
on April 26, 2016 at 11:44 pm
Very delicious for summer grilling! I recently discovered the jars of organic minced ginger at Sprouts and Whole Foods. No more cleaning the microplane for me!
Anne recently posted…16 Ways to Celebrate the Year of Pulses
Hi Anne, thanks for your comment. Minced has it’s place, so I am sure that comes in handy.
Katie recently posted…black pepper maple candied bacon
This sounds delicious, what a super recipe! Can’t wait to give it ago.
Lucy recently posted…Focaccia Rolls
Thanks so much Lucy!
Katie recently posted…roasted root vegetables with spring herbs
I am obsessed with teriyaki sauce! It tastes so much better homemade too!
Shannon recently posted…Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Mini Muffins
I agree home made is always the best choice!
I’m reading over the ingredients and did wonder if 1/4 cup of chopped garlic was correct. It seems like an awful lot.
Twitter: healthyseasonal
on August 30, 2017 at 9:11 pm
I know and I would normally balk at the idea myself because too much garlic can be… well too much. But the recipe makes enough for 12 servings of marinated meat. So 1/4 cup divided by 12 isn’t so bad. Especially since it just flavors the meat.
Katie recently posted…greek yogurt apple streusel muffins