How Much Sugar Is in Teriyaki Sauce?
One tablespoon of teriyaki sauce has about 8 g of added sugar — a hidden-sugar sauce in the same family as ketchup, just easier to over-pour.
in 1 tbsp (18 g) · about 1.9 teaspoons
- Per serving
- 8 g
- Per 100 g
- 44 g
- Type
- Added sugar
- In teaspoons
- ≈ 1.9 tsp
Fine in a portion — worth keeping an eye on.
A single tablespoon of teriyaki sauce carries about 8 g of added sugar (44 g per 100 g), which puts it well above most savoury condiments. It's built on soy sauce sweetened with sugar or honey to get that glossy, sticky glaze — sugar is doing a lot of the flavour work, not just soy.
Like ketchup, the trap is portion. Marinating chicken or stir-frying vegetables typically uses 3–4 tablespoons, which quietly adds 25–30 g of sugar to a meal that reads as savoury, not sweet. Checking the label for a 'reduced sugar' version, or measuring instead of pouring, keeps it in check.
Lower-sugar swaps
- A reduced-sugar teriyaki sauce, or make your own with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic
- Measure a tablespoon per portion instead of pouring straight from the bottle
Frequently asked questions
- Why does teriyaki sauce have so much sugar?
- The sticky, glossy glaze comes from sugar or honey balancing the salty soy sauce — sugar is a core ingredient, not a minor add-on.
- Is teriyaki sauce worse than ketchup?
- Per tablespoon, yes — teriyaki has roughly double the sugar of ketchup, and recipes often use several tablespoons at once.
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Sugar values from Typical nutrition label; actual amounts vary by brand, ripeness, and recipe. Last updated 2026-08-09.