The BEST Honey Soy Marinade

This Honey Soy Sauce Marinade is simply delicious! With just a few ingredients, this sweet and tangy marinade brings a ton of flavour to either beef, chicken or pork.

Can we just all gather 'round and agree on how uh-maaaazing an easy to make marinade makes you a gluten-free, suppertime HERO🦸‍♀

This easy marinade for beef with honey and soy sauce is no exception.

With only a few ingredients, you'll be setting your beef (or chicken or salmon) up for major flavour SUCCESS at supper.

Jump to:

• 😍Love marinades? Check these out too:
• 📝Ingredients for this honey and soy sauce marinade recipe
• 🔄 Substitutions
• 🔪How to make this honey soy marinade
• 💃Variations
• 🥡Storage and Leftovers
• ✅How to use this marinade with chicken
• 😋How to use this marinade with beef
• 🍽️What to serve with honey soy marinaded chicken
• 🏅Top tips
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

😍Love marinades? Check these out too:

📝Ingredients for this honey and soy sauce marinade recipe

• Soy sauce - look for one labeled gluten-free
• Honey - the liquid or creamed kind (see below for tip on using creamed honey)
• Rice vinegar
• Sesame oil
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Fresh ground black pepper

See recipe card for quantities.

🔄 Substitutions

For the best (and tastiest) results, I've tested this recipe many times so if you're able, follow the ingredients to a tee.

But if you're into subs, check out these swaps you could try:

• 🍯You can use either creamed honey or liquid honey for this recipe. Liquid honey may be slightly easier to mix with the other ingredients since it's already in a semi-solid state, but creamed honey will work just as well. If you're using creamed honey, you may need to warm it slightly to make it easier to mix. Simply place the jar of creamed honey in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes until it softens up. Then, it should be easier to mix with the other ingredients.
• ✅Instead of rice vinegar, you can use different type of vinegar in the honey soy marinade if you prefer or if you don't have rice vinegar on hand. Rice vinegar has a mild and slightly sweet flavour, but you can substitute it with white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even balsamic vinegar depending on your preference. Keep in mind that using a different type of vinegar will affect the overall taste of the marinade (obvi).
• 👌If you don't have sesame oil on hand or prefer not to use it, you can use a different oil. Sesame oil has a distinct nutty flavour, but you can substitute it with another neutral-flavoured oil such as canola oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil. Just keep in mind that using a different type of oil will slightly alter the overall flavour of the marinade.
• 🙋‍♀️All out of fresh garlic and fresh ginger? No problem. You can sub-in garlic powder and ground ginger instead.

🔪How to make this honey soy marinade

Doesn't get much easier than this:

Use it right away to marinade your meat of choice OR keep it in the fridge in a small mason jar in the fridge for up to 3 days before using.

💃Variations

Lookin' for something different? This honey soy marinade recipe is a great base on it's own OR you can change things up!

Here's some ideas:

• 🔥Spicy Honey Soy Marinade: Add some red pepper flakes or sriracha sauce to the marinade for a spicy kick
• 🍋Citrus Honey Soy Marinade: Add some orange or lime zest and juice to the marinade for a bright, citrusy flavour
• 😋Mustard Honey Soy Marinade: Add a tablespoon of Dijon or whole-grain mustard to the marinade for a tangy twist
• 🍃Herb Honey Soy Marinade: Add some chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or cilantro to the marinade for added flavour
• 🍍Pineapple Honey Soy Marinade: Add some crushed pineapple or pineapple juice to the marinade for a tropical flavour

🥡Storage and Leftovers

You can make this marinade up to 3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge till you need it. Whisk to re-combine if necessary before using.

✅How to use this marinade with chicken

Once you've whisked all the ingredients together, you're ready to use!

Pour the marinade over the chicken in a bowl or resealable bag. Turn the chicken in the marinade so it gets evenly coated. Place the marinating chicken in the fridge.

Marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 8 hours maximum.

When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the marinade and grill, bake or BBQ the chicken until cooked through.

Have a cast iron pan? Sear the chicken on the cast iron skillet first and then finish in the oven, just like this recipe for Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast.

See below for more tips on cooking.

😋How to use this marinade with beef

My favourite way to use this marinade is with beef strips, a fast-fry steak or other thinly sliced cut of beef.

I find when the marinade can cover ALL the sides of the beef, the result is so delicious as the honey in the marinade caramelizes and the soy sauce in the marinade brings a nice balance with the salty flavour.

To use this honey soy marinade with beef, whisk all the marinade ingredients together and pour the marinade over the beef in a bowl or resealable bag.

Turn the beef in the marinade so it gets evenly coated. Place the marinating beef in the fridge.

Marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 8 hours maximum.

When ready to cook, remove beef from the marinade. My favourite way to cook the beef after marinating is in a cast iron pan over medium heat on the stovetop.

🍽️What to serve with honey soy marinaded chicken

Here are some healthy, gluten-free side dishes to serve with honey soy marinaded chicken (or beef):

1. 🫑Grilled Vegetables: Grilled vegetables like asparagus, bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant make a perfect side dish for honey soy marinaded chicken or beef. You can sprinkle some sesame seeds on top to bring out the sesame oil in the marinade!
2. 🍚Brown Rice: Brown rice is a healthy and filling grain that pairs well with the sweet and salty flavours of honey soy marinaded chicken or beef. Throw on some chopped scallions or cilantro for an extra pop of flavour.
3. 🍴Rice Noodles: Rice noodles cook in minutes and make a great side dish for honey soy marinaded chicken or beef. Add some vegetables like bok choy, mushrooms, and carrots to the noodles for a complete meal.
4. 🥗Quinoa Salad: Quinoa is a great source of protein and fiber, and it pairs well with the flavours of honey soy marinaded chicken or beef. Check out this recipe for Easy Quinoa Salad with Feta.
5. 🍠Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Roasted sweet potatoes are a healthy and delicious side dish that goes well with the sweet and savory flavors of honey soy marinaded chicken or beef. Check out this recipe for Oven Roasted Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes (Cubed).
6. 🥦Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes: Let's do double duty! Roast broccoli potatoes at the same time for a 2-for-1 healthy and gluten-free side dish. Check out this recipe for Simple Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes (one pan).

Hope you love this marinade like we do!

Please rate and comment below❣️

~April

📖 Recipe