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!
If you love dunking dumplings and sushi into sauce, you’re my kind of person. I’m completely shameless about it, which is why I make this homemade ponzu every single time dumplings are on the menu. It’s bright, salty, citrusy, and deeply savory—the kind of dipping sauce that makes everything it touches instantly more exciting.
Ponzu is one of those quietly powerful sauces that works in all sorts of ways. It’s perfect with gyoza or tempura, but I also love using it as a marinade for ribs , spooning it over noodles or stir-fries, or drizzling it over simple vegetables. The flavor comes from a thoughtful mix of ingredients: mirin for gentle sweetness, rice vinegar for balance, grapefruit zest to mimic yuzu’s citrusy punch, and dried bonito flakes and kombu for that unmistakable umami depth.
This is very much a “good things take time” recipe. The sauce needs to steep overnight—ideally a couple of days—so everything has time to meld. The payoff is huge, though, and once it’s ready, it keeps beautifully in the fridge for weeks or in the freezer for months. I promise, once you’ve tasted it, you’ll find yourself reaching for ponzu far more often than you ever expected.
What is ponzu sauce?
Steeped in Japanese cuisine, ponzu is a citrus-forward condiment traditionally made by combining vinegar and citrus juice. The vinegar helps preserve the citrus, creating a bright, tangy, and lightly sweet sauce. Over time, soy sauce was added for saltiness and depth, and that version is now the most common form of ponzu.
Because of its acidity, ponzu pairs especially well with rich or fried foods and works beautifully as a marinade, tenderizing meat while adding flavor. It’s often compared to sauces like teriyaki or hoisin, but ponzu is thinner, brighter, and far more punchy, with a clean, citrusy finish.
For a simple dinner, pick up some store-bought gyoza and take this ponzu sauce out of your fridge. You’ll be happy you did!
While pan-fried gyoza are my go-to for serving this sauce, it also works well as a marinade.
How to make ponzu sauce
All you need to make ponzu sauce is a jar with a lid and a strainer. Here’s what you’ll do to bring it together:
Add the ingredients:To your jar, add the soy sauce, mirin, lime juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and grapefruit zest. Then add the bonito flakes and kelp.
Shake well:Pop the lid on and give it a good shake
Steep:Let the ponzu sauce sit in the fridge overnight, or even better, for 2-3 days to let the flavors mingle.
Strain:Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the sauce into a clean vessel. Store it in the fridge or use it to make the dish you had in mind.
Make yuzu ponzu sauce
Yuzu is a fruit commonly found in Japan. It’s somewhere between a lemon and an orange, and the flavor is excellent for ponzu sauce.
That said, it isn’t a widely available fruit in North America. You can use bottled yuzu juice; however, it’s also hard to come by.
If you can find yuzu at a local Asian supermarket, it’s worth making ponzu sauce with it or its juice. It has a special flavor. You will need approximately 24 yuzu fruits to replace the juice of the lemons and limes.
Store and freeze
Store: It will keep for one month in the fridge in a sealed container.
Freeze: You can freeze it and use it within a year. It’s a good idea to freeze it in a silicone ice cube tray to thaw and use portions as needed.
Homemade Ponzu Sauce (A Japanese Citrus Dipping Sauce)
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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
- 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
- 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here .
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For a simple dinner, pick up some store-bought gyoza and take this ponzu sauce out of your fridge. You’ll be happy you did!
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Homemade Ponzu Sauce (A Japanese Citrus Dipping Sauce)
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
- 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
- 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.
