This yum yum sauce recipe is our attempt to create the Japanese white sauce at our favorite hibachi steakhouse. A perfect mayo-based sweet and tangy sauce to serve with fried rice, chicken teriyaki, or your favorite Asian dinners.
If you’ve ever eaten at a Japanese hibachi steakhouse, you already know about yum yum sauce. It’s that creamy, pinkish-white sauce that shows up in a little bowl next to your fried rice and hibachi chicken, and it’s the first thing you reach for. It goes on everything — and once you’ve had it, you can’t imagine your hibachi meal without it.
After dialing in my Blackstone hibachi chicken, my griddle fried rice, and my steak hibachi, something was still missing. The sauce. I spent a good amount of time testing batches until I landed on a recipe that gets you seriously close to what they serve at the restaurant — and honestly, I think mine might be better.
The best part? You don’t need anything exotic. Yum yum sauce comes together in about five minutes with pantry staples, requires zero cooking, and lasts a week in the fridge. Make it the night before you cook your favorite Japanese dishes and you’ll be glad you did.
What Is Yum Yum Sauce?
Yum yum sauce – also called Japanese white sauce, sakura sauce, or shrimp sauce – is a mayonnaise-based condiment that became popular at Japanese teppanyaki restaurants in the United States. Despite the “Japanese” label, it’s largely an American creation that evolved out of hibachi restaurants to please American palates. And it worked – people went absolutely crazy for it.
The base is mayo, which gives it that creamy, rich body. From there, a little sweetness, a touch of umami, some warmth from paprika and garlic, and a splash of water to thin it to a drizzlable consistency. It’s simple, balanced, and dangerously addictive.
Ingredient Notes
Mayonnaise: Use full-fat mayo – this is not the time for light or reduced-fat versions. Duke’s or Hellmann’s are great choices. The quality of your mayo matters here since it’s the backbone of the sauce.
Mirin: This is a Japanese sweet rice wine you’ll find in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores. It adds a subtle depth and sweetness that sugar alone can’t replicate. Don’t skip it.
Paprika: Regular sweet paprika is what you want. Don’t use smoked paprika – it’ll change the flavor profile too dramatically.
Soy sauce: Just a teaspoon, but it brings essential umami and a bit of saltiness. Low sodium soy sauce works fine if that’s what you have on hand.
Water: This is the thinning agent that gets the sauce to the right drizzlable consistency. Add it gradually – you can always add more, but you can’t take it out.
How to Make Yum Yum Sauce
This is one of the easiest recipes on the site. No heat, no special equipment – just a bowl, a whisk, and about five minutes of your time.
- Add all ingredients to a bowl. Start with the mayo, and add in soy sauce, mirin, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Whisk it all together. Whisk everything until the sauce is completely smooth, uniform in color, and no streaks of spice remain. This takes about 60 seconds of good whisking.
- Thin it out. Add the tablespoon of water and whisk again. You want the sauce to be creamy but pourable, like something you can drizzle over fried rice or dip your hibachi chicken into easily.
- Chill before serving. Transfer the sauce to a jar or airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors meld and deepen as it sits cold. An hour is even better. Overnight is best.
Recipe Tips
Make it ahead. Yum yum sauce genuinely gets better overnight. Make it the night before your griddle session for maximum flavor. It keeps in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Adjust the consistency. Want it thicker for dipping? Use a little less water. Want it thinner for drizzling over fried rice? Add water a teaspoon at a time until you hit your preferred consistency.
Taste and tweak. Once it’s mixed, dip a spoon and taste. Want more sweetness? Add a tiny pinch more sugar. Want more depth? A few drops more soy sauce. Make it your own.
Recipes that Go Great with Yum Yum Sauce
This recipe makes about 1 cup of the infamous sauce, so you may be wondering what to do with the leftovers. Other than the most obvious hibachi-style dishes, you can serve this delicious yum yum sauce with these recipes:
- Spam fried rice – The salty, slightly sweet flavor of crisped-up Spam is a natural match for yum yum sauce, making this nostalgic fried rice recipe taste like a Hawaiian-Japanese mashup in the best possible way.
- Steak and shrimp stir fry – With its Asian-inspired flavors and mixed proteins, this stir fry is a natural fit for yum yum sauce used as a dipping sauce on the side or drizzled right over the top before serving.
- Steak hibachi recipe – Savory, soy-marinated ribeye bites cooked on a ripping hot griddle are practically begging for a cold, creamy yum yum sauce drizzle on top.
- Cajun shrimp fried rice – The heat and spice of this Cajun-style fried rice is tamed and rounded out beautifully by the cool, creamy sweetness of yum yum sauce — a combination that works way better than it sounds.
- Cowboy butter shrimp – The bright, herby cowboy butter and the creamy, tangy yum yum sauce create a bold contrast that makes each bite of griddle shrimp even more interesting.
Yum Yum Sauce (Japanese Steakhouse White Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ tablespoon mirin
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon paprika sweet, not smoked
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Add mayonnaise, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper to a medium bowl.
- Whisk all ingredients together until fully combined, smooth, and uniform in color — about 60 seconds.
- Add the tablespoon of water and whisk again until incorporated and the sauce is at a drizzlable consistency.
- Taste and adjust — add a pinch more sugar for sweetness, a touch more soy sauce for depth, or a splash more water to thin it.
- Transfer to an airtight container or jar and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Overnight is best.
Notes
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