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–+ servings
Chopsticks hold a pan-fried dumpling dipped in a small bowl of ponzu sauce, with more dumplings arranged on a white plate.

Homemade Ponzu Sauce (A Japanese Citrus Dipping Sauce)

Yield: 28 tablespoons
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Steeping Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
This extremely versatile Japanese citrus condiment is vibrant in flavor and delicious on many dishes. This ponzu sauce uses lemon and lime juice and grapefruit zest to achieve a bright citrus flavor—it might just be your new favorite dipping sauce for dumplings or sushi!

Ingredients

  • ½ cup light soy sauce
  • ½ cup mirin
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice, see notes
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
  • ¼ cup dried bonito flakes, katsuobushi
  • 1 piece dried kelp, kombu

Instructions 

  • In a 2-cup mason jar, add the soy sauce, mirin, lime juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and grapefruit zest.
    ½ cup light soy sauce, ½ cup mirin, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
    image for recipe instruction
  • Add the bonito flakes and kelp to the jar, close the lid, and shake the jar to mix well. Put the jar into your fridge to steep overnight (minimum) or preferably for 2-3 days.
    ¼ cup dried bonito flakes, 1 piece dried kelp
    A glass jar with a black lid, partially filled with dark, chunky Ponzu Sauce, rests on a light-colored surface.
  • Strain the ponzu sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean jar or bowl. You can use it right away or store it in your fridge for up to a month.
    A fine mesh strainer rests over a bowl, filtering a dark ponzu sauce with pieces of herbs or spices on a white marble surface.

Notes

Yuzu juice: This juice is traditionally used to make ponzu sauce, but it is very expensive and hard to find outside of Japan. I combine lemon and lime juice with grapefruit zest to achieve the unique citrus flavor of yuzu. But if your budget allows for it, go ahead and use yuzu juice instead.
Can I make ponzu sauce vegetarian? To make this a vegetarian-friendly ponzu sauce, you'll need to remove the bonito (fish) flakes. You can also omit the dried bonito flakes from this recipe or replace them with more dried kelp or 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms to replicate the umami flavor from the fish flakes. 
Can I make ponzu sauce without mirin (alcohol)? You can omit the mirin and add more rice vinegar. If you choose to go this direction, you will need to add ½ teaspoon of sugar for every tablespoon of rice vinegar (since mirin has a high sugar content that needs to be replaced). 
Serving: 1 tablespoon, Calories: 17kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 0.01g, Saturated Fat: 0.001g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.003g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 270mg, Potassium: 32mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 0.1mg