Soy-Garlic Marinade

By
Derrick Riches
Derrick Riches
Derrick Riches
Derrick Riches is a grilling and barbecue expert. He has written two cookbooks.
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Updated on 08/30/23
Soy-Garlic Marinade

David Murray and Jules Selmes / Getty Images

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1/2 cup

Soy sauce and garlic create a perfect marinade for a variety of meats and vegetables. The soy sauce in this recipe gives the marinade an Asian flair that perfectly complements fresh garlic. It's easy to prepare and needs just a few minutes to rest before it's ready to be used to flavor your main barbecue, oven-roasted, or pan-fried dish.

The marinade requires a few basic kitchen staples, including salt, black pepper, and dried oregano, along with soy sauce and garlic. The amount of garlic can be adjusted to suit your needs, and you'll want to adapt the salt to taste because some soy sauce is saltier than others. The honey adds sweetness, while white wine vinegar gives the marinade a nice tang that also helps tenderize meat and veggies.

This soy sauce-based marinade works really well on all kinds of meat and poultry, but it's particularly well-suited with beef. Try this mixture on vegetables and tofu as well. It's a flavorful option for anything that will be added to a kebab skewer.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon ketchup

  • 2 teaspoons honey

  • 5 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 2 to 3 green onions, finely chopped

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Combine vegetable oil with soy sauce, ketchup, and honey using a wire whisk.

  3. Add the garlic, white wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, oregano, and chopped green onions, and mix thoroughly.

  4. Let marinade stand for 10 minutes to give the flavors in the mixture some time to bloom.

  5. Store marinade in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

  6. To use: Marinate red meats for 4 to 12 hours, poultry for 2 to 6 hours, seafood and vegetables for up to 1 hour. 

Tips

  • Food safety basics say that any marinade that comes in contact with raw meat should not be used to baste the meat. Double the recipe, using half for a marinade and the other half to baste the meat as it cooks.
  • This mixture can also be used as a sauce: Double the recipe, using half to marinate the meat or veggies, and simmer half of the mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add chopped green onions toward the end and stir through. Serve on top of cooked meats and vegetables.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
62 Calories
4g Fat
7g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 62
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1225mg 53%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 3mg 17%
Calcium 24mg 2%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 117mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)