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Easy Amai Sauce Recipe (Wagamama Style)

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Love Wagamamas? Looking for a quick and easy amai sauce recipe? You’re in the right place! With just 5 ingredients and less than 5 minutes of your time, you could be enjoying Wagamama style amai sauce with your noodles or stir fry tonight! Keep reading to learn how…

Sushi being dunked into sauce with chopsticks

What is amai sauce?

It’s a sweet and slightly salty dipping sauce. Originating from Japan, it’s now widely associated with the restaurant chain Wagamamas. And is often served alongside children’s meals there.

A pot of amai sauce with sushi and seaweed

What does amai sauce taste like?

It initially tastes quite sweet, and then gives a hint of saltiness from the soy sauce. It pairs perfectly with raw vegetables and rice.

Ketchup, tamarind paste and other ingredients in pots

What is amai sauce made of?

Homemade amai sauce is made of sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup and tamarind paste. It can also be thinned out with a little water. There are variations on those ingredients, which we’ll talk more about in the Ingredients and Substitutions section later in this post.

A small plate of sushi, seaweed and sauce.

Can you buy amai sauce?

Looking where to buy amai sauce? As far as I can tell after a fair bit of research, here in the UK, you can’t buy Wagamamas amai sauce. Or any other brand for that matter. But to be honest, it’s SO quick and easy to make – I promise, it really isn’t the end of the world!

A plate of sushi and seaweed with a pot of amai sauce

Is amai sauce gluten free?

It’s not naturally gluten free, no. However, if you swap the soy sauce for tamari, it will then be gluten free and safe for coeliacs to eat.

IMPORTANT. Always check the labels when cooking for those with dietary requirements!! Varying brands of each ingredient can still contain gluten. It’s better safe than sorry.

A saucepan filled with ingredients

Ingredients and substitutions

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s what you need to know…

  • Sugar – Any white sugar will work, but I usually go with caster sugar (superfine in the US), as it dissolves quicker due to its smaller crystals.
  • Soy Sauce – Light soy sauce is best as it has a better, deeper flavour. But if you only have dark soy sauce, you can use that instead.
  • Vinegar – Personally I think rice vinegar gives the most authentic amai sauce flavour. But you could also use white wine vinegar, malt vinegar or cider vinegar if that’s all you have.
  • Water – I’m not sure you can even call this an ingredient really! But Wagamama amai sauce is quite thin, and without the addition of water, this is much thicker. You could leave it out if you prefer a slightly thicker sauce.
  • Tomato Ketchup – This adds a tang to the pallet that would definitely be missed if you left it out. If you don’t have any, tomato paste would be fine in it’s place, but use half the amount due to its concentration.
  • Tamarind Paste – This is the je ne sais quoi of amai sauce. Without it, it just doesn’t taste right. But don’t worry! Tamarind paste is readily available in all major supermarkets. So it’s not difficult or hugely expensive to get hold of.
Someone dipping sushi into sauce

Recipe tips and troubleshooting

Here are tips you’ll find helpful when making this recipe.

  • If you can, make it little ahead of time. That way it will have time to cool before you eat it, which is how Wagamama serves it.
  • Made too much, or have leftover amai sauce? It will keep covered in the fridge for up to 7 days.
  • Use a whisk rather than a wooden spoon when it’s on the heat. This will help everything blend together far quicker and easier.
Salmon maki dipped in amai sauce

Time management

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier.

  • Adding the ingredients to a pan will take you no more than 2 minutes.
  • Dissolving the sugar over the heat should take no more than 3 minutes.
  • Allow a little time for your amai sauce to either come to room temperature, or chill in the fridge before using.
  • Amai sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days. So you can make it a day or 2 ahead of time if you need to.
A pot of amai sauce with a vase of flowers

If you like this recipe…

…you might also like:

Amai Sauce – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to make approximately 120ml.

  • 2 tbsp Caster Sugar
  • 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar *
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
  • 1 tbsp Tamarind Paste
  • 1-2 tbsp Water

*if you don’t have this, white wine vinegar or malt vinegar will work too

Essential equipment

  • Small Saucepan
  • Whisk or Wooden Spoon

Instructions

Add everything except the water to the saucepan (2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 + 1/2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp tamarind paste).

All ingredients in a saucepan

Place over a low heat, and stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved. If it’s a little thicker than you’d like, add 1-2 tbsp of water to thin it out.

amai sauce being whisked in a saucepan

Pour into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature before using. Alternatively, cover and chill in the fridge.

Sauce being stirred in a saucepan

How to store amai sauce

You can store your amai sauce in the fridge for up to 7 days. Just make sure it’s either in an airtight container, or a covered bowl.

Vegetables and sushi with amai sauce

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Salmon maki being dipped in amai sauce with chopsticks. A text overlay says 'Amai Sauce'.
Sushi being dipped into amai sauce

Amai Sauce - Printable Recipe

Yield: 120ml
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes

With just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of your time, you could be enjoying Wagamama style amai sauce with your noodles, stir fry or rice... TONIGHT!

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Caster Sugar
  • 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
  • 1 tbsp Tamarind Paste
  • 1-2 tbsp Water

Essential Equipment

  • Small Saucepan
  • Whisk or Wooden Spoon

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients except for the water into a small saucepan.
  2. Stir continuously over a low heat, until the sugar has dissolved. Then allow to cool to room temperature, or chill in the fridge before using.

Notes

Notes

See the main post for a more detailed, step by step picture recipe.

Be sure to read the sections Ingredients and Substitutions, Recipe Tips and Troubleshooting and Time Management for lots of helpful information before you begin making this recipe. You can find them in the main body of this post.

Storage Instructions

Store any unused amai sauce in the fridge for up to 7 days. Do ensure it's covered, or in an airtight container for the best results.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 53Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 804mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g

Nutritional information on kitchenmason.com should only be used as a general guideline, I am not a certified nutritionist. Please always check labels for allergens where applicable.

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Other tasty Asian recipes

About Emma Mason

Emma is a professional blogger. Utilising over 20 years of cooking experience, she’s passionate about making your life easier, one recipe at a time! Drawing on her 12+ year background in recipe research and development, photography, copy writing and marketing, Emma has turned kitchenmason.com into a successful career. Known as ‘the organisation queen’ among friends, she is passionate about creating easy to follow recipes that anyone can follow and enjoy. She lives in Nottingham (UK) with her husband, daughter and 2 naughty cats. In her spare time she can be found reading a good book, training at the dojo preparing for her black belt grading, or dreaming up the next crazy colour combo for her hair!

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