How I Developed This Mock Teriyaki Recipe
People often ask me if teriyaki can be made without sake and mirin. The short answer is yes and no.
In Japan, authentic teriyaki is a cooking method where a glossy glaze is made with soy sauce, sake, and mirin (sometimes with sugar added). Each ingredient plays an important part and without them, it’s not technically teriyaki. Removing the sake and mirin is essentially taking away half of the ingredients, leaving you with just a slightly sweetened soy sauce.
However, sake and mirin can sometimes be difficult to find outside of Japan and some people can’t consume alcohol for health or religious reasons.
If this is you, don’t worry! I’ve designed this recipe so that you can enjoy the flavors of teriyaki without using any alcohol! A sake-free, mirin-free teriyaki-inspired glaze that almost anyone can enjoy!

The main purpose of sake is to tenderize the meat, soften odors and add umami. It also creates a chemical reaction that adds to the “shine” in teriyaki. Mirin has a similar purpose, but also adds sweetness and depth. It is said that mirin has twice the shine and luster of regular sugar. That said, many teriyaki recipes (including mine) use sugar as well for another dimension of sweetness.
When creating this recipe, I was trying to figure out what to do about the mirin and sake, especially the mirin. I decided to ask Hidefumi Aoki, a professional Japanese chef with over 30 years of experience and currently the head chef at a Japanese ryokan. “What could be a good non-alcoholic alternative to mirin?”
His suggestion was… cola!
I was a bit skeptical at first, but I started experimenting with cola, and I can confirm, this was the sweetness and depth I was looking for! The final result tastes surprisingly close to teriyaki and is seriously good!
I just want to confirm here that this is not technically “teriyaki”, but a teriyaki-inspired alcohol-free glaze. Hence the name, “Mock Teriyaki”.

Wanna find out how I did it? Keep reading to find out!
Key Ingredients & Substitution Ideas

- Protein of your choice: I’ve tried this recipe with chicken thighs, wings, and salmon, but feel free to try out your favorite proteins! This recipe is really versatile, so you can get great results with different meats and fish, or even tofu!
- Potato starch: This key ingredient is what gives our protein that light, crispy coating and also helps thicken the glaze. You can use cornstarch or tapioca starch too.
- Soy sauce: This is the base for our delicious glaze and I used regular koikuchi shoyu (dark) Japanese soy sauce. For the best Japanese brands that will take your dish to the next level, be sure to check out my detailed soy sauce guide.
- Sugar: You can use regular white granulated sugar or light brown cane sugar here.
- Honey: It not only adds a touch of sweetness but also gives our glaze a subtle stickiness. If you are vegetarian you can use maple syrup instead.
- Cola: I used Coca-Cola, but any cola brand will do. This ingredient is a bit of a surprise, but it really adds depth and subtle caramel notes.
- Dashi granules: I used these granules will make up for the umami that would usually come from the sake.Vegetarians can used a plant-based dashi powder.

Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Mock Teriyaki at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
Select your protein of choice and pat it dry with paper towels. Season by sprinkling salt and pepper on both sides.
In this example, I’m using boneless skin-on chicken thigh meat. Just give both sides a light dusting of potato starch to create a thin, even coating.

The starch layer helps the sauce stick and gives the exterior a slightly crispy texture.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Cook times will vary depending on your chosen protein. For chicken thighs, cook skin-side down for 7 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes. For salmon, aim for about 4 minutes on the skin side and 2 minutes on the other.

Just make sure the protein is cooked through before moving on. For more detailed cooking times for various proteins, check out our comprehensive teriyaki recipes below:
In the meantime, mix together the ingredients for the mock teriyaki (soy sauce, sugar, honey, cola, water, dashi granules).

Once the protein is fully cooked, pour the prepared sauce into the pan. Let it cook, stirring gently until the sauce reduces to a thick, syrupy consistency and coats the protein evenly.

This process caramelizes the sugars in the sauce, creating a rich, glossy glaze. Move the protein around in the pan and flip once or twice to ensure it’s fully coated all over on both sides. You can also baste the top if you’re cooking something with a crispy skin.

Once the glaze has reached the right consistency and fully coats the protein, take the pan off the heat.

You can garnish it with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.


Best served with freshly cooked white rice!

I hope you enjoy this Mock Teriyaki recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!

More Mock/Hack Recipes

Mock Teriyaki (No Sake, No Mirin)
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp cooking oil
- 450 g protein of choice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko)
- finely chopped green onions optional garnish
- toasted white sesame seeds optional garnish
Mock Teriyaki Sauce
- 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 1 tbsp cola
- ½ tbsp honey or maple syrup for plant-based diets
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- ⅛ tsp dashi granules use vegetable dashi for plant-based diets
Instructions
- Heat a pan on medium with ½ tbsp cooking oil. While it's heating, pat 450 g protein of choice with kitchen paper to dry the surface, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, and 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko).
- Once the pan is hot, add the protein and fry on both sides until browned and almost cooked through. If you're using a protein with skin, fry the skin-side down first and flip once it becomes crispy.
- While it cooks, take a small bowl and mix together 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tbsp cola, ½ tbsp honey, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp water and ⅛ tsp dashi granules.
- Pour the sauce into the pan and move the protein around the pan to coat it. Flip once or twice to ensure both sides pick up the sauce, alternatively, you can baste it. Continue to cook until the sauce has become thick and glossy.
- Garnish with finely chopped green onions and toasted white sesame seeds before serving. Enjoy!
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