Teriyaki Sauce

High FODMAP

Serving sizes

Teriyaki Sauce changes rating with portion size. Its rating is estimated from what it is made of, so the servings are described rather than weighed.

Small serving Moderate
Moderate serving High
Large serving High

Fructans Excess Fructose

Teriyaki sauce is High FODMAP, a savory-sweet glaze built on soy sauce, garlic, onion, and plenty of sugar.

The garlic and onion bring Fructans while the sugar or honey can add Excess Fructose, so even a small serving sits at moderate and a moderate serving tips into high.
Teriyaki comes in bottled sauces, marinades, and glazes, and the aromatics and sweeteners are baked right in, so most versions carry the same load no matter the brand, though the exact recipe shifts the picture.

To get that glossy teriyaki flavor at home, try building a sauce from a splash of soy sauce, a little sugar, ginger, and garlic-infused oil instead of fresh garlic and onion.

Why teriyaki sauce is rated high

Teriyaki sauce is high. There is no measured serving behind that verdict; it is estimated from what the sauce is made of, and the recipe is the problem. Garlic and onion bring Fructans, and the sugar or honey that gives teriyaki its gloss brings Excess Fructose, so two subgroups are climbing at once. The ladder is honest about the shape of it: a Small serving already reads MODERATE, a Moderate serving is HIGH, and a Large serving is HIGH. That means there is no rung on this ladder where the sauce comes in low, and the smallest one tested is already moderate. A brush of glaze is not a safe workaround, which is why the useful part of this page is what to build instead.

What changes your risk

Serving size The climb is quick and it starts high up. A Small serving is already MODERATE and a Moderate serving is HIGH, so there is no amount on this ladder that reads as low.
Stacking with other fructan sources Teriyaki almost never arrives alone. Wheat noodles, onion in the stir fry, garlic in the marinade and a bread roll on the side all carry fructans too, and they add together across one meal even when nothing on the plate looks extreme on its own.
Cooking will not rescue it Heat does not break FODMAPs down, so simmering the sauce, brushing it on and grilling it, or baking it into a glaze leaves the fructans and the fructose exactly where they were.
Garlic-infused oil in a homemade version Fructans are water-soluble and do not dissolve into oil, so an oil infused with garlic carries the flavour without the fructans as long as no solid pieces are left floating in it. That is the single most useful lever for rebuilding this sauce at home.
The sweetener you choose Honey and agave push the fructose side of the problem. Table sugar, maple syrup and rice malt syrup fill the same sweetening role in a homemade glaze without doing that.

Swaps

The good news is that teriyaki is easy to rebuild, because the flavour people actually want is salt, sweet and ginger rather than the aromatics. Start with plain soy sauce, add table sugar or maple syrup or rice malt syrup for the glossy sweetness, fresh ginger for the bite, and garlic-infused oil for the savoury depth that garlic would otherwise provide. The green tops of spring onions and chives finish it with an onion note without the bulb. Steer well clear of anything that replaces the garlic with onion powder, and do not reach for a honey glaze or a hoisin style sauce as the substitute, since those sit on the same two subgroups this sauce already has too much of.

How to lower the load

Bottled teriyaki, teriyaki marinades and teriyaki glazes are all built the same way, so brand hopping does not solve this: the aromatics and the sweetener are what the sauce is. Making it yourself takes about as long as reading the labels would, and a jar of it keeps in the fridge for the week's stir fries. When ordering out, teriyaki chicken and teriyaki salmon arrive already glazed, so the sauce cannot be moved to the side; asking for the protein grilled plain with the sauce on the side, or picking a dish that is seasoned rather than glazed, gives you somewhere to stand. If you are cooking for a table, glaze your own portion separately rather than tossing everything in the pan together.

Common questions

is teriyaki sauce high fodmap

Yes. It is rated high overall, estimated from a recipe built on garlic, onion and a sweetener, which brings both Fructans and Excess Fructose.

how much teriyaki sauce can i have on a low fodmap diet

No serving on the ladder comes in low. A Small serving is MODERATE and a Moderate serving is HIGH, so a smaller helping is not a way around it.

is teriyaki sauce high in fructans

It is. The garlic and onion in the recipe are the fructan source, and the sweetener adds Excess Fructose on top of that.

what can i use instead of teriyaki sauce

Build your own from soy sauce, table sugar or maple syrup, fresh ginger and garlic-infused oil, finished with the green tops of spring onions. That covers the salty, sweet and savoury notes without the garlic and onion bulb.

Learn more

Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.

Teriyaki Sauce is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

References

Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by HPLC. Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.