This Homemade Yum Yum Sauce Recipe is inspired by Japanese steakhouse sauces. Hibachi sauce is tangy, savory, and perfect for dipping or drizzling on everything!
If you’ve never been to a Japanese steak house or a hibachi restaurant, you can imagine this sauce as a kind of sweet, kind of tangy sauce that complements so many different dishes. It’s great on fried seafood, meats cooked in teriyaki sauce, and somehow also simple fried rice.
I always like to add Korean pickles as well. (Pickles are always a necessary condiment.)
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Pin ItYum Yum Sauce Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for this recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Kewpie Mayonnaise (Japanese Mayo is best as it is a bit sweeter, but you can use regular mayonnaise if that is all you have – just adjust the sugar as needed… you might need more!)
- Ketchup
- Rice Vinegar – If you don’t have rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar, you can use distilled white vinegar or out of desperation, apple cider vinegar. The vinegar is necessary to make sure you have a tangy sauce, but you want to use vinegar with a mild flavor.
- Granulated Sugar
- Smoked Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Optional – Some people also add melted butter to their yum yum sauce, which adds a unique, almost silky texture, but while I liked the texture, we didn’t love the flavor.
How to Make Homemade Hibachi Sauce
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, then whisk them together until they are well combined.
Transfer the sauce to an airtight container or a mason jar and store it in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, but it will be even better if you wait 24 hours to enjoy it. (It’s best to let the flavors meld for a little while.)
Storage
Store the sauce in an airtight container or jar in the fridge, but take it out 30 minutes or so before you want to eat it. We like it best closer to room temperature.
What to Serve with It
I love to serve Yum Yum Sauce with deep fried shrimp, Korean cucumber pickles & bulgogi beef with white rice, fried rice, and honestly anything dipable.
French fries, steak, fried fish, grilled chicken, hibachi chicken, steak bites, roasted vegetables – you name it, I’m sure it tastes good – it is such a yummy sauce.
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Yum Yum Sauce (Hibachi Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, then whisk them together until they are well combined.1 cup Kewpie mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Transfer the sauce to an airtight container or a mason jar and store it in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, but it will be even better if you wait 24 hours to enjoy it. (It's best to let the flavors meld for a little while.)
Notes
Storage
Store the sauce in an airtight container or jar in the fridge, but take it out 30 minutes or so before you want to eat it. We like it best closer to room temperature.Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
What is Yum Yum Sauce?
Yum Yum Sauce is actually a dipping sauce created by a Taiwanese immigrant and restauranteur, Terry Ho, who saw a place in the market for a sauce for restaurant-goers to dip their hibachi steak! He eventually bottled the sauce and Piggly Wiggly grocery stores began selling it in 2012. I like to make this version at home because it is… well, yummy!
If you’re looking for a sweeter sauce, you might like my Boom Boom Sauce Recipe that’s made with sweet chili sauce & sriracha.
More Homemade Sauces
I have a whole category of sauces on my site but here are some of my favorites:
- Raising Cane’s Sauce
- Boom Boom Sauce
- Tartar Sauce (An excellent seafood sauce)
- Creole Remoulade Sauce
- Tzatziki Sauce
