This super simple poke sauce makes putting together a homemade poke bowl EASY. You only need seven ingredients and a couple of minutes to make this super fresh and flavorful marinade for poke.
Poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish of raw fish marinated in a savory soy based sauce. You can eat poke on its own, much like sashimi or you can serve it over rice with other vegetables or ingredients like edamame or seaweed for a poke bowl. As with any simple dish the quality of ingredients matter so find the best, freshest fish you can when making poke.
Related: Next up learn to make homemade ceviche or the best baked salmon.

Ingredients
- Soy sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Sriracha
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Lime juice

How to make Poke Sauce
Mince the garlic and finely grate the ginger after peeling. I like mincing the garlic with a knife but if you want it even smaller to it dissolves more into the sauce use the smallest holes on a box grater or a zester.
In a small mixing bowl combine all ingredients and stir to combine. Use immediately. You can easily double this recipe if you are planning to marinate more than one pound of fish.

Notes and Substitutions
- You can substitute soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari, espeically if you are avoiding gluten.
- Rice vinegar is best but you could also use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
- Sriracha is great for adding a little heat but a good substitute is 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Fresh garlic and ginger is best but if you find buying it only for this recipe (so a very small amount) a problem you can use 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder and powdered ginger instead.
- If you want to add sweetness include 1/2 teaspoon of honey or brown sugar.

More Homemade Sauces
- Stir Fry Sauce
- Ponzu Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Dumpling Sauce
- Springroll Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Garlic Sauce
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you use poke sauce on?
Poke sauce is most often used on raw fish like tuna, salmon or yellow tail for poke bowls. You could also use this soy based savory sauce on shrimp or tofu.
How long do you marinate fish in poke sauce?
Marinate the raw fish in the poke sauce for 20 minutes to two hours for best flavor and texture. You should marinate in a sealed or covered container in the refrigerator.


Poke Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon sriracha
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
-
Mince the garlic and finely grate the ginger after peeling.
-
I like mincing the garlic with a knife but if you want it even smaller to it dissolves more into the sauce use the smallest holes on a box grater or a zester.
-
In a small mixing bowl combine all ingredients and stir to combine. Use immediately.
-
You can easily double this recipe if you are planning to marinate more than one pound of fish.
Notes
- You can substitute soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari, espeically if you are avoiding gluten.
- Rice vinegar is best but you could also use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
- Sriracha is great for adding a little heat but a good substitute is 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Fresh garlic and ginger is best but if you find buying it only for this recipe (so a very small amount) a problem you can use 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder and powdered ginger instead.
- If you want to add sweetness include 1/2 teaspoon of honey or brown sugar.