Soy Sauce Marinades

DISCOVER Why This Pantry Essential is Marinade Magic

Soy sauce is one of the world’s most versatile marinade ingredients. And whether you’re preparing meat, seafood, or vegetables, traditionally brewed Kikkoman® Soy Sauce can be your secret marinating superpower. Here’s how to make the most of this all-purpose seasoning in any marinade.

Marinade Essentials

Marinades work by infusing flavor into foods. They typically consist of three components: acids, which add brightness and tenderize; fats, which carry flavors and add moisture; and flavorings, which enhance taste.

Kikkoman® Soy Sauce works in perfect harmony with these components, adding flavor, depth, umami, and a hint of saltiness. And that’s not all. It’s also a brining agent that helps foods stay juicy as they cook, it tenderizes, and it improves browning, giving foods an attractive caramelized appearance.

Acids

Acidic ingredients include lemon juice, vinegar (such as rice, white, red wine, cider, and balsamic), citrus juices, wine, tomato juice, buttermilk, and yogurt.

FATS & OILS

Fats, such as sesame oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, and avocado oil, as well as creamy fats like yogurt, buttermilk, and coconut milk, help carry flavor.

FLAVORINGS

Aromatic ingredients, such as fresh or dried herbs, spices, garlic, ginger, chilies, hot sauces, and honey, add both flavor and visual appeal.

MARINADES YOU CAN MAKE WITH SOY SAUCE

Here are six of the most popular soy sauce–based marinades, with suggestions on how to use them.

HONEY SOY

MARINADE

HONEY SOY

Best Protein to Pair

Salmon, Chicken, Pork

Ingredients

1/4 cup Kikkoman® Soy Sauce

3 tablespoons bourbon

3 tablespoons maple syrup

Make This!

Tips & Tricks for Soy Sauce Marinades

The ultimate marinating hack

Kikkoman® Soy Sauce is perfect as the star ingredient in marinades like the ones listed above. But here’s a game-changing marinating hack: you can add a splash of traditionally brewed Kikkoman® soy sauce to any marinade. Depending on how much you use, you may not actually detect an obvious soy sauce flavor. But because Kikkoman® is rich in umami, you’ll taste the difference in the foods you cook. Meat tastes meatier, seafood has more flavor, chicken goes from bland to mouthwatering, and vegetables taste fresher, moister, and more flavorful. That’s the marinating magic of Kikkoman® soy sauce.

Seal in flavor

A zipper-top bag works great for most marinating. Put the ingredients in the bag, pour in the marinade, and gently squeeze the bag to coat the ingredients evenly. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air, lay it on a plate or baking dish, place it in the refrigerator, and flip it once or twice during the marinating time to redistribute the marinade. You can also use a nonreactive bowl or container (made of stainless steel or glass) for marinating. Just combine the ingredients with the marinade and lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the food. Stir once or twice during marinating, replacing the plastic wrap directly on the surface each time.

How long to marinate

For best results, follow these timing guidelines.

Red meat: 2 to 12 hours
Poultry: 1 to 6 hours
Seafood: 15 minutes to 1 hour
Tofu: 30 minutes to 2 hours
Vegetables: 10 to 30 minutes
Stir-frying: because stir-fry ingredients are cut into small pieces you can marinate them for as little as 15 minutes or up to 2 hours (or up to 8 hours for red meat)

How much marinade?

A good rule of thumb is about 1/2 cup of marinade for every pound of meat, poultry, seafood, tofu, or vegetables.

Discard the marinade after use

Once your ingredients have been marinated, remove them from the bag or bowl, shaking off any excess marinade, and discard the marinade. To avoid contamination, never recycle a marinade. If you want to use some of the marinade mixture for basting or as a sauce, make extra marinade, set aside some of it in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you want to thicken this unused, reserved marinade, dissolve cornstarch in water, heat the unused marinade, stir in the cornstarch mixture, and simmer, stirring, until thickened.

Scoring or poking meat

For thick cuts of meat, score the surface with a sharp knife or poke it all over with a fork or a carving fork before marinating to help the marinade penetrate into the meat. If your recipe calls for pounding meat to tenderize it, do this step before you marinate.

Use soy sauce as a salt substitute

Swap out the salt in any marinade recipe with the same amount of Kikkoman® Soy Sauce. You’ll add salty flavor plus delicious umami with less sodium overall. To reduce sodium even more, use Kikkoman® Less Sodium Soy Sauce.

Meatless and plant-based foods

Whether you’re marinating tofu, mushrooms, or plant-based meat, chicken, or seafood substitutes, Kikkoman® Soy Sauce adds savory, meaty umami to meatless cooking.

HONEY SOY MARINADE

DESCRIPTION

Soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, ginger, and garlic combine to make a light, bright marinade that’s ideal for milder foods like salmon, tuna steaks, chicken and pork. Use it for grilling, broiling, stir-frying or sauteing.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup Kikkoman® Soy Sauce

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon Kikkoman® Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

STEPS

Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. May be prepared up to 1 week ahead. Recipe makes enough for 1 pound of chicken, pork, or fish.

Recipe tip: Before adding protein, set aside a few tablespoons of marinade. Drizzle over cooked food for an extra hit of flavor.

Optional garnishes: Toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onions and snipped cilantro

BROWN SUGAR SOY MARINADE

DESCRIPTION

The caramel flavors and umami of brown sugar are a perfect match for soy sauce, creating a sweet-savory umami-bomb that goes with everything. In this easy marinade, a splash of Kikkoman® Rice Vinegar adds brightness to balance the sweetness. The robust flavor of this marinade makes it ideal for steak, pork, chicken, and salmon.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup Kikkoman® Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Kikkoman® Rice Vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon Kikkoman® Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, or to taste

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

STEPS

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. May be prepared up to 1 week ahead. Recipe makes enough for 1 pound of chicken, beef, pork, or fish.

RECIPE TIPS:

Before adding protein, set aside a few tablespoons of marinade. Drizzle over cooked food for an extra hit of flavor.

Just a little Kikkoman® Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce adds a nice flavor without the heat. Want a spicy kick? Add more to taste.

ROSEMARY ORANGE MARINADE

DESCRIPTION

If you love chicken with orange sauce, this marinade makes it easy. Savory Kikkoman® Soy Sauce and fresh orange add flavor that pair perfectly with fresh rosemary, garlic and ginger.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons Kikkoman® Soy Sauce

3 tablespoons Kikkoman® Rice Vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

Finely grated zest from one orange (about 1 tablespoon)

Juice from one orange (about 1/3 cup)

STEPS

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. May be prepared up to 1 week ahead. Recipe makes enough for 1 pound of chicken.

RECIPE TIPS:

Before adding protein, set aside a few tablespoons of marinade. Drizzle over cooked food for an extra hit of flavor.

When a recipe calls for both orange juice and zest, finely zest the orange before you cut it in half and juice it. Make sure to juice it well, including some of the pulp for extra flavor.

The red pepper adds a nice hint of spice. If you prefer no heat, you can leave it out. If you like the heat, add 1 teaspoon more.

PINEAPPLE GINGER MARINADE

DESCRIPTION

Here’s a 5-ingredient marinade with the mouthwatering flavors of soy sauce, ginger, garlic and pineapple that’s perfect for salmon, chicken, or pork. Pineapple also has the added benefit of tenderizing.

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup crushed pineapple

3 tablespoons Kikkoman® Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 large green onion, sliced

STEPS

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. May be prepared up to 1 week ahead. Recipe makes enough for 1 pound of chicken, pork, or fish.

RECIPE TIPS:

Before adding protein, set aside a few tablespoons of marinade. Drizzle over cooked food for an extra hit of flavor.

For a sweet-savory side, reserve some of the marinade and brush it over pineapple slices on the grill.

SESAME SOY MARINADE

DESCRIPTION

This quick marinade gets its rich, nutty flavor from Kikkoman® Sesame Oil and tahini. Kikkoman® Soy Sauce adds savory umami. A touch of ginger, garlic and honey round out the flavors. It’s great with chicken, tofu and salmon, as well as grilled eggplant and zucchini.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Kikkoman® Soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons Kikkoman® Sesame Oil

2 tablespoons Kikkoman® Rice Vinegar

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon grated or minced ginger

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

2 teaspoons minced garlic

STEPS

Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. May be prepared up to 1 week ahead. Recipe makes enough for 1 pound of chicken, tofu, pork, fish, or vegetables.

RECIPE TIPS:

Before adding protein, set aside a few tablespoons of marinade. Drizzle over cooked food for an extra hit of flavor.

This marinade is also a perfect dressing for a cold noodle salad with cucumber, carrots and cilantro. Add shredded chicken or cubed tofu to make your salad a main dish.

BOURBON SOY MARINADE

DESCRIPTION

Kikkoman® Soy Sauce and bourbon are a marinade match made in heaven, especially when you balance those flavors with Worcestershire, maple syrup, molasses and whole-grain mustard. Use this marinade on flank steak, pork tenderloin, chicken, and salmon.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Kikkoman® Soy Sauce

3 tablespoons bourbon

3 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons molasses

1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

STEPS

Before adding protein, set aside a few tablespoons of marinade. Drizzle over cooked food for an extra hit of flavor.

While this marinade is great for the usual meat, poultry and seafood options, try drizzling it over grilled or roasted carrots or sweet potato slices.

For a savory burger, add 2 tablespoons of the marinade to 1 lb. of ground beef, mixing in well with your hands. Add a bit more of the marinade to a small saucepan and simmer to slightly reduce and make it thicker. Drizzle over cooked burgers.

For a sweet and salty flavor, place cooked bacon strips in a skillet and add a bit of marinade. Cook over low heat until the excess liquid has cooked off and bacon is nicely glazed.

Explore Our Soy Sauce Products

We offer a full line of traditionally brewed soy sauces for a variety of needs, including Less Sodium Soy Sauce, Gluten-Free Soy Sauce, Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce, Less Sodium Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce, and Organic Soy Sauce, as well Umami Joy Sauce a soy sauce alternative made without soy or wheat.

You can use these products interchangeably as one-to-one replacement for our original soy sauce in any marinade or recipe, and you’ll get the same delicious flavor and umami.