How To Make Easy Amai Sauce (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

Why you’ll love this recipe

I’ve been to Wagamama’s more times than I can count. My daughter LOVES their fish cubes and rice, and orders it every time we go! This dish always comes with their sweet and delicious amai dipping sauce.

She asked if we could have it at home, so I set out to make my own version. And this easy peasy recipe was born! I hope you love it as much as we do.

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.

Ingredients

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.

Emma’s top tips

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.

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

Timings

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:

How to cook rice perfectly EVERY time!
Slow cooker chicken teriyaki recipe

Amai Sauce – Step by Step Picture Recipe

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

Please note, this recipe includes both UK metric and US Cup measurements.

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).

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.

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

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.

FAQs

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.

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!

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.

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Salmon maki being dipped in amai sauce with chopsticks. A text overlay says 'Amai Sauce, Wagamama style recipe'.