• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop

Chili Pepper Madness logo

  • Recipe Index
  • RECIPES BY TYPE
    • BBQ/Grilled
    • Burgers
    • Chicken Wings
    • Chili
    • Curry
    • Dehydrator
    • Game Day
    • Hot Sauce Recipes
    • Jalapeno Poppers
    • Marinades
    • Pickling
    • Preserving
    • Quick and Easy
    • Salsas
    • Sauces
    • Seasonings
    • Stuffed Peppers
    • Tacos
  • COOKING TIPS
  • Pepper Info
    • Chili Pepper Types
    • The Scoville Scale
    • Hottest Peppers in the World
    • Growing Chili Peppers
    • Preserving
    • Health Benefits
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Buy Plants & Seeds
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes
  • Pepper Info
  • Chili Pepper Types
  • The Scoville Scale
  • Growing Chili Peppers
  • Preserving
  • Chili Pepper Health Benefits
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Cooking Tips
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop
  • About Us
×

Home » Recipes » Homemade Ponzu Sauce Recipe

Homemade Ponzu Sauce Recipe

by Mike Hultquist · Dec 7, 2022 · 2 Comments

Jump to Recipe Save Saved!

This ponzu sauce recipe is a citrusy, vinegary dipping sauce essential to Japanese cuisine, so much better than store bought and so easy to make!

Homemade Ponzu Sauce Recipe

Ponzu Sauce Recipe

We're making homemade ponzu sauce in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends!

Nothing spicy here today, but big flavor nonetheless! We greatly enjoy sushi and sashimi in our home, and a good ponzu sauce is important for us to keep on hand when the sushi cravings strike.

You can definitely buy it from the store, but when you make it at home, you not only get a vastly superior sauce, you can also control everything that goes into it.

Never heard of ponzu sauce?

Homemade Ponzu Sauce in a bowl

What is Ponzu Sauce?

Ponzu sauce is a Japanese citrus sauce made with vinegar, citrus juices, and sometimes soy sauce. It is a thin sauce flavored with kombu and bonito flakes, which makes it very umami rich.

It is often used as a simple dressing for meats and fish, or as a dip for sushi and sashimi, hot pot dishes like shabu shabu, or dumplings.

Today, most versions you'll find available at stores is made with soy sauce, though you can make it without it, instead focusing on the combination of citrus and vinegar.

We love it with soy sauce, as an alternative to soy sauce for our meals.

We enjoy it with thinly sliced sashimi, or when we pick up sushi from our corner sushi place.

I prefer making my own at home, as it's so easy to do, and tastes way better than anything you get from the store.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Let's talk about how to make ponzu sauce, shall we?

Dipping sushi into a bowl of Ponzu Sauce

Ponzu Sauce Ingredients

  • Soy Sauce.
  • Citrus. Use any combination of lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, and/or grapefruit juice, or you can use yuzu juice (Japanese citrus juice). It is ideal with more lemon.
  • Rice Vinegar.
  • Mirin.
  • Kombu.
  • Bonito Flakes.

How to Make Ponzu Sauce - the Recipe Method

Combine the Ingredients. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl or jar.

Homemade Ponzu Sauce in a jar

Steep the Ponzu. Cover and let steep in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours to let the flavors develop. You can steep for 2 days or more.

Strain Out the Solids. Strain and serve as desired.

Straining the Ponzu Sauce

Boom! Done! Your ponzu sauce is ready to serve. Easy enough to make, isn't it? How are you going to serve yours?

Recipe Tips & Notes

  • You can easily adjust the ingredient ratios to make ponzu sauce your own way. Want more soy sauce? Go for it. More Japanese citrus fruit flavor, it's your choice.
  • Spice it up a bit with a bit of sriracha sauce. This is how Patty likes it. She just swirls a bit into her ponzu sauce bowl when she enjoys her sushi.
Homemade Ponzu Sauce in a bowl, ready to serve

Ponzu Sauce Uses

Serve your ponzu sauce with any of the following for dipping or as a simple dressing:

  • Sushi and sashimi
  • Grilled meats
  • Dumplings
  • Shabu-Shabu (hot pot)
  • Cold noodles - it really livens them up!
  • Stir fry dishes - add a splash for a nice citrus blast.
Dipping tuna sushi into a bowl of Ponzu Sauce

Storage

Ponzu sauce will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this citrus ponzu sauce recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!

Cookbook Recommendation

If you enjoy Japanese cuisine, I recommend the following cookbook, which I used to adapt this recipe. It has a lot of great recipes!

  • Japanese Soul Cooking: Ramen, Tonkatsu, Tempura, and More from the Streets and Kitchens of Tokyo and Beyond, by Tadashi Ono & Harris Salat (affiliate link, my friends!)

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

  • Homemade Chili Crisp
  • Sweet and Sour Sauce
  • Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
  • Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
  • Tonkatsu Sauce
  • Bulgogi Sauce
  • Pad Thai Sauce
  • Yakisoba Sauce
Homemade Ponzu Sauce in a bowl with a spoon

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Homemade Ponzu Sauce Recipe
Print

Homemade Ponzu Sauce Recipe

This ponzu sauce recipe is a citrusy, vinegary dipping sauce essential to Japanese cuisine, so much better than store bought and so easy to make!
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: sauce
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: soy sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
Steeping: 12 hours hours
Calories: 18kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 20 tablespoons
Tap or hover to scale
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup citrus juice use any combination of lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, and/or grapefruit juice – best with part lemon – or use yuzu juice
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 1 6-inch piece kombu
  • ¼ cup bonito flakes

Instructions

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl or jar.
  • Cover and let steep in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours to let the flavors develop. You can steep for 2 days or more.
  • Strain and serve as desired.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 18kcal   Carbohydrates: 1g   Protein: 3g   Fat: 0.02g   Saturated Fat: 0.003g   Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.004g   Monounsaturated Fat: 0.002g   Cholesterol: 2mg   Sodium: 345mg   Potassium: 44mg   Fiber: 0.1g   Sugar: 1g   Vitamin A: 0.4IU   Vitamin C: 2mg   Calcium: 2mg   Iron: 0.1mg
Homemade Ponzu Sauce Recipe
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. spiritwyn says

    March 29, 2025 at 5:58 pm

    made this for my pork dumpings and what a great taste. will try with stir fry main. Nice after taste.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      March 30, 2025 at 2:42 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

ALL. SPICY. RECIPES. Hi, I’m Mike and I LOVE Spicy Food! Say goodbye to bland and boring food with my easy-to-follow recipes. Let’s get cooking!

More about me →

Mexican Cajun Sauces Seasonings
Order The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND / BOOKS A MILLION

Order The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND

Footer

NEVER MISS A RECIPE

Receive my "5 Essentials for Spicy Cooking" email series & new recipes

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

↑ back to top

About | Contact | Travel-Food | Ingredients | Stories | Privacy | Disclaimer | © 2024 Chili Pepper Madness

EXCLUSIVE MEMBER OF MEDIAVINE FOOD