This Tempura Dipping Sauce is perfect for any tempura appetizer. Sweet, salty, and savory, it sets off the delicate flavors of your shrimp tempura or tempura vegetables.
Try this dipping sauce with our Shrimp Tempura or Chicken Tempura.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love this Tempura Dipping Sauce because it goes great with vegetable or shrimp tempura, enhancing their flavors and complementing the crispy tempura outsides. This sauce is the finishing touch to a delicious dinner or light appetizer.
- TASTE: This sauce tastes a little sweet, a little salty, and a little umami – which roughly translates to savory.
- TEXTURE: While it’s smooth and relatively thin, the sauce is also very rich in flavor.
- TIME: This recipe take just 4 minutes.
- EASE: With just a handful of ingredients and simple directions, you can make this easy sauce recipe in minutes.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Dashi powder– It enhances the flavor, especially the savory notes.
- Warm water- This is to be mixed with the dashi powder.
- Soy Sauce (low-sodium)- This ingredient balances the salty and savory flavors.
- Granulated sugar- Adds some sweetness.
- Mirin– This sweet rice wine complements the saltiness of the soy sauce.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Add daikon radish- This radish adds a little peppery flavor and some crunchy texture to your Tempura Dipping Sauce.
- Substitute dashi soup stock- If you have it, you can make this sauce with dashi soup stock in place of the dashi powder and water.
- Add fish sauce- This sounds like what it is and it adds a strong umami, savory flavor to the sauce. Use just a little so you don’t overpower the other flavors.
- Add bonito flakes- For some added smoked fish flavor, adding a little of these bonito flakes will up the flavor in your dipping sauce.
How to Make Tempura Dipping Sauce
- Boil the dashi and sugar. In a small saucepan, mix together the dashi powder, warm water, and sugar. Then bring it to a boil and let it cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce and Mirin. Take the sauce off the heat. Add in the Mirin and the soy sauce.
- Mix. Thoroughly mix it until all the ingredients are well-incorporated. Then serve it alongside shrimp tempura or the tempura of your choice.
Pro Tip: Use warm water for the dashi powder as it will help it dissolve better without any clumps.
Recipe Tips
- Pick the best dashi- The type of dashi you choose to use affects flavor. Kombu dashi, for example, has a subtle flavor, but iriko dashi has a more gentle fish flavor. If you’re using dashi soup stock, keep this in mind.
- Allow it to cool before storing- Let your Tempura Dipping Sauce come to room temperature before you place it in an airtight container to store.
- Make a double batch- This sauce stores really well and can easily be frozen. So make a double batch and keep some extra on hand for whenever you want to have some.
FAQs
Tempura dipping sauces are not all made the same. Some are made with sake, mirin, soy sauce, kombu, and dried bonito flakes, while this one uses dashi powder, warm water, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin.
Yes, you should refrigerate your Tempura Dipping Sauce for the best flavor. Keep it in an airtight container or bottle.
Serving Suggestions
Pretty much anything that you have fried with tempura batter will taste amazing with this dipping sauce. But here are a few suggestions.
- Vegetables: Use this sauce with tempura fried sweet potatoes, carrots, Air Fryer Green Beans, and cauliflower. Or enjoy it with this Air fryer Asparagus and Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli.
- Proteins: Enjoy this Tempura Dipping Sauce with Air Fryer Shrimp, Crispy Shrimp Tempura, squid, salmon, white fish, or Chicken Tempura.
- Flower: Enjoy it with fried flowers, like delicious zucchini blossoms.
- Sushi rolls: This sauce goes great with this California shrimp roll, Salmon Skin Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll, and Dynamite Roll.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: Prepare this sauce a day or more ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.
Storing: This tempura dipping sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week in an airtight container.
Freeze: You can freeze this sauce in an ice cube tray, then transfer the frozen sauce cubes to a freezer ziplock bag. This way, you only have to defrost what you plan to use. It will last for up to 6 months.
More Delicious Japanese Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions
Tempura Sauce
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 tsp Hondashi powder
- 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Mirin
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a small saucepan add 1 teaspoon of Hon Dashi powder, 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar, and 3/4 cups water. Bring it to a boil for about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat then pour in 3 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of Mirin. Give it a good thorough mix and serve with shrimp tempura or make your own tempura batter for fried vegetables.
Notes
- Pick the best dashi- The type of dashi you choose to use affects flavor. Kombu dashi, for example, has a subtle flavor, but iriko dashi has a more gentle fish flavor. If you’re using dashi soup stock, keep this in mind.
- Allow it to cool before storing- Let your Tempura Dipping Sauce come to room temperature before you place it in an airtight container to store.
- Make a double batch- This sauce stores really well and can easily be frozen. So make a double batch and keep some extra on hand for whenever you want to have some.
- Dashi soup stock substitute- Typically, tempura dipping sauce is made with dashi soup stock. However, this can be hard to find. The quickest and easiest way to replace it is by dissolving hon dashi powder with water. Hon dashi powder is easier to find in grocery stores and can be purchased on amazon.com
Nutrition
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Elle says
Quick and easy recipe! Thankfully I had all the ingredients, albeit some were passed the “best by” date by a couple of years haha. Still tasted great with the tempura. Thank you very much!
Dina says
I am so glad you loved this shrimp tempura dip recipe. Thank you for the kind recipe review!
Gee says
Can the sauce be canned in jars to be saved on hand, or do you need to make it fresh each time
Dina says
Hi Gee, I am not too sure how it would store in canned jars. I recommend using it fresh.
Sandi says
The gang loved the sauce on my store-bought frozen Tempura Shrimp. Good as the restaurant sauce, but by my own hand.
Dina says
Yay! That is so awesome to hear Sandi! Always makes me happy when people love my recipes! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback! I hope you find more delicious recipes to enjoy from my blog! 🙂
Nana says
Last minute I was looking for a tempura sauce recipe. I’m glad I came upon your site. Dipping sauce tasted amazing with fried tempura !!! Thank you.
Dina says
You are very welcome! Very happy to hear you loved my tempura dipping sauce! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback and support! I hope you find more delicious recipes on my food blog! 🙂
Valerie Paz says
I love exploring different food cultures. Since the pandemic I have really upped my cooking skills. I am older in years and I think life is too short to be boring. I tried your recioie and it was fantastic. My mom is my taste tester along with a couple of friends at least twice a month. Everyone always enjoys out dinner time together. Thank you for helping me with our dinner experience.
Dina says
You are very welcome Valerie! So happy that my recipes could be a part of your gatherings! So awesome that you enjoying every moment you have! Thank you for your kind feedback and for your support! I hope my food blog becomes a regular source of your home recipes! 🙂
Melanie Agento says
Perfect dipping sauce! I use it for fish tempura as well! So easy to make too! 🙂
Dina says
Thank you Melanie 🙂 Happy to hear you enjoyed this tempura sauce! Thank you so much for your feedback and I hope you find many more recipes on my blog to enjoy 🙂
Denise Cole says
Absolutely perfect. I make it all the time. Great recipe. And, it works just as well with substitution suggestions.
Dina says
Hi Denise 🙂 So happy to hear you love this tempura sauce! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback 🙂
Steve says
Excellent, very authentic.
simplyhomecooked says
Happy to hear you loved this shrimp tempura sauce, Steve! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback 🙂 I hope you find many more recipes to enjoy from my blog 🙂
Silvia Welton says
My family and I loved this recipe with shrimp tempura. It makes the perfect combination!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Silvia 🙂 That is so awesome to hear! Glad to hear your whole family loved this tempura dipping sauce! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your kind feedback! I really appreciate it 🙂
Pqm says
This is the best dipping sauce we’ve tasted. We cut the recipe in half for two people and add a touch more mirin. Wonderful balance of flavors!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much! Very happy to hear you loved this tempura dipping sauce 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to leave your awesome feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Jennifer A Manson says
Restaurant quality! Delicious! This is a perfect accompaniment to Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura. I highly recommend it.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much Jennifer! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such an awesome review! So happy that you loved this tempura dipping sauce 🙂 I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog!
Gia says
Super easy and delicious!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Gia! Glad to hear that this shrimp tempura sauce was a hit! I hope you find many more recipes from my blog that you will enjoy 🙂
Johnny Hot Sauce says
What happens if you accidentally drink a bowl of this stuff? Asking for a friend.