Mirin Sauce is a Japanese cooking wine with a subtle sweet accent. It’s often used in many Japanese dishes such as teriyaki chicken and ramen. This easy 3-ingredient homemade mirin sauce works perfectly as a substitute for any recipes calling for mirin. All you need is sake, sugar and water to make it.

It is similar to sake but has a lower alcohol content and a higher amount of sugar. It is a staple in Japanese cooking.

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What is Mirin Sauce?

The word mirin translates to sweet rice wine. It is a type of rice wine that has a tangy flavor, and is often used to make teriyaki sauce. If you’ve ever had sake, mirin has a similar flavor but is both sweeter and lower in alcohol.

Mirin Sauce is a Japanese cooking wine with a subtle sweet accent. It’s often used in many Japanese dishes such as teriyaki chicken and ramen. This easy 3-ingredient homemade mirin sauce works perfectly as a substitute for any recipes calling for mirin. All you need is sake, sugar and water to make it.

What’s Mirin Sauce Made of?

Authentic mirin is made of fermented glutinous rice, koji rice, and shochu, a distilled rice liquor. Some of the mirin sold in stores is labeled as aji-mirin, which translates to tastes like mirin. This type of mirin is typically sweeter than authentic mirin.

Types of Mirin Sauce

Hon mirin: This type of mirin has an alcohol content of 14% and is known as true mirin. It can be difficult to find in local stores and is more expensive than other types of mirin. Some online retailers carry hon mirin.
Shio mirin: Also known as salt mirin, shio mirin has 1.5% salt added to it. It is not suitable for drinking.
Shin mirin (aji-mirin): This type of mirin has much less alcohol compared to others.

Best Mirin Sauce Substitutes

Sake

Similar in taste to mirin, sake can be used as a substitute. Note that because it is not as sweet as mirin, you may need to add a sweetener to your recipe. If you’re looking for a substitute that doesn’t have alcohol, wine vinegar would be a better choice.

Cooking Sherry

Dry sherry will add a depth of flavor to your dish that’s similar to mirin. It is also light enough to complement the dish instead of overpowering it.

White Wine

White wine is an easy-to-source replacement for mirin. Choose a dry wine instead of one that’s sweet. You may want to add a touch of sweetener to balance the flavors of the dish.

Rice Wine Vinegar

This is a good option if you’re looking for an alcohol-free substitute. Mix the vinegar with the granulated sugar at a ratio of 2 parts vinegar to 1 part sugar.

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Homemade Mirin Sauce Recipe

Servings cup

Ingredients

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup sake wine or use one of the alternatives in the notes section below

Instructions

Heat the water in a saucepan set at medium-high heat. Slowly add the sugar while stirring constantly.
When the sugar is completely dissolved, boil for 3 minutes and remove from the heat.
Slowly add the sake.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature before using. You can place it in the fridge to cool it faster.
Stored in an airtight container, the mirin will last for a few weeks.

Notes

Instead of sake, you can use rice wine vinegar, regular vinegar, or dry white wine. If using dry white wine, use less sugar as there is some sugar in the wine.