This easy tempura dipping sauce recipe is made without Dashi and ready in about 5 minutes.
Tempura Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup of Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Sweet Rice Wine
- Squeeze of Lemon Juice
- Pinch of Sugar
- ⅔ cup water
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stirring frequently bring the mixture to a boil.
- Remove from stove and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients
Soy Sauce - Low sodium is the way to go. Any good soy sauce will do.
Sweet Rice Cooking wine - Also known as Mirin this is a sweet rice wine used in Japanese cooking. You can find sweet rice wine in the supermarket, in the International section. Kikkoman is pretty easy to find and it's inexpensive.
A squeeze of Lemon Juice and a pinch of Sugar
Fun Food Fact: The Kikkoman iconic bottle was designed in 1961 by Kenji Ekuan
Homemade Tempura Sauce Recipe Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stirring frequently bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from stove and serve warm. My small butter warmer from "Made in" is perfect for cooking up these small-batch sauces.
That's all there is to it!
How to Store Tempura sauce?
Store in a covered container in the fridge for 4-5 days. I have a ton of jelly jars with lids that I use to store sauces and dips.
How else to use tempura sauce?
This dipping sauce isn’t just for Tempura; here are a few ideas:
- Drizzle over pan-fried salmon
- Use as a glaze for roasted vegetables
- California Roll or Sushi if you like.
- Sprinkle over steamed rice and vegetables

Another tasty dipping sauce that tastes great with tempura is my homemade buttermilk dressing.
Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think or share a tip.