This 5-ingredient honey garlic salmon recipe has succulent salmon marinated, basted and drizzled in an addictive sweet and savory sauce. The delicious salmon comes together in 20 minutes and pairs well with a side of veggies for a quick healthy weeknight dinner.
Today we’re making some honey garlic salmon with a 4 ingredient sauce that can be built on and customized to your tastes for more flavor. The sauce is divided in half with half used as a marinade and basted on while baking the salmon for maximum flavor. The other half of the sauce is used as a finishing drizzle to smother the salmon.
Pair the salmon with some veggies on the side like hibachi vegetables, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, or brussels sprouts and something starchy like rice, mashed potatoes, or crispy garlic Parmesan smashed potatoes for a balanced quick weeknight meal. If you own an air fryer, head on over and grab the 8-minute version of air fryer honey garlic salmon.
For more salmon recipes try this light lemon garlic pasta with salmon, an indulgent creamy garlic butter salmon or creamy salmon pasta, the flavor-packed air fryer honey mustard salmon, or the restaurant-quality balsamic-glazed salmon.
How To Make Honey Garlic Salmon (1 Min Video)
Ingredients in Honey Garlic Salmon
HONEY GARLIC SALMON RECIPE TIPS
- Salmon – I used about two 8 oz. fillets which is about 1 lb. of salmon. You can tell the salmon is done cooking when it is no longer translucent (red or raw) but opaque (pink). If the salmon flakes easily when pressed down gently with a fork (aka it separates easily along the white lines that run across the fillet), it is cooked! Alternatively, you can use a meat thermometer and check for doneness at the internal temperature of 145° F.
- Sauce – Divide the sauce into two parts. One part is for marinating and basting while baking and the other is for drizzling over the salmon once it’s ready to serve.
Recipe Notes:
If the drizzling part of the sauce is too runny for you, use a cornstarch slurry and heat it over the stovetop until reduced to your desired thickness.
- Baking – You can use a baking sheet or an oven-proof skillet like a cast iron pan. The pan method also works beautifully if you decide to sear your salmon before baking.
- Searing – I seared the marinated salmon in a skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes to brown it a little before baking. You can also get the same crispy tops by broiling the salmon for 1-2 minutes in the oven once it’s done cooking. This step is optional, depending on how you like your salmon and how much work you want to put in. I like crispy tops for the added texture so it was worth the extra step for me.
- Honey – If you don’t have regular honey sitting in your pantry, you can substitute it with maple syrup.
- Soy sauce – Regular or low sodium soy sauce both work. You can also substitute soy sauce with tamari.
- Garlic – It’s always best to go with fresh minced garlic but you can substitute it in a pinch with garlic powder.
- Ginger – Ginger adds a little warmth to the honey garlic sauce and is a staple in Asian cuisine. It is optional though so if you’re not a fan, you can skip this and it will not break the recipe. Otherwise, use fresh minced ginger or a few dashes of powdered ginger.
- Stovetop method – Marinate the salmon then sear the salmon on both sides until cooked. Pour in the remaining sauce, toss to coat the salmon fully in the sauce and simmer until the sauce has thickened.
- Leftovers – The salmon will keep in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Customize It!
- Add more flavor – Add a few shakes of smoked paprika for more flavor.
- Balance the sweetness – Add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to cut the sweetness of honey and balance it out.
- Add some heat – Spice it up with a dash of red pepper flakes.
- Add some zest – Brighten up the flavor with a drizzle of lime or lemon juice or add some lemon juice slices while baking.
- Add some smokiness – Add a few drops of sesame oil for a slightly smoky sauce.
- Garnish– Add some parsley, green onions, or sesame seeds as toppings before serving.
What to Serve with Honey Garlic Salmon
Honey garlic salmon pairs well with a side of veggies like some hibachi vegetables, this oven-roasted garlic Parmesan broccoli, simple sauteed green beans, some lemon pepper asparagus, or some brussels sprouts. Add something starchy on the side like rice, mashed potatoes, or these crispy garlic Parmesan smashed potatoes for a balanced meal.
And that’s about it. Enjoy your salmon dinner and let me know how you liked it, what substitutions you made, or what you paired it with in the comments below!
MORE SALMON RECIPES TO TRY
- Air Fryer Honey Garlic Salmon
- Air Fryer Honey Mustard Salmon
- Balsamic-Glazed Salmon
- Lemon and Parmesan-Crusted Salmon
- Salmon Piccata
- Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon
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Honey Garlic Salmon
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
This 5-ingredient honey garlic salmon recipe has succulent salmon marinated, basted and drizzled in an addictive sweet and savory sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. salmon fillet
SAUCE
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced/ 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced (optional)
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients and divide the sauce in half.
- Marinate the salmon in half of the sauce for 15-30 minutes.
- Arrange salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet or oven-proof skillet and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.
- Baste the salmon with the leftover marinade halfway through.
- Dish and serve the salmon hot drizzled with the remaining sauce.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- For crisp and caramelized salmon, sear the salmon over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes before baking or broil at the end for 1-2 minutes until browned.
- If the drizzling part of the sauce is too runny for you, use a cornstarch slurry and heat it over the stovetop until reduced to your desired thickness.
- Add more flavor – Add a few shakes of smoked paprika for more flavor.
- Balance the sweetness – Add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to cut the sweetness of honey and balance it out.
- Add some heat – Spice it up with a dash of red pepper flakes.
- Add some zest – Brighten up the flavor with a drizzle of lime or lemon juice or add some lemon juice slices while baking.
- Add some smokiness – Add a few drops of sesame oil for a slightly smoky sauce.
- Garnish – Add some parsley, green onions, or sesame seeds as toppings before serving.
- If you own an air fryer version, try out the air fryer version of honey garlic salmon.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
Comments & Reviews
This is the first time I have posted a comment on a recipe but this was absolutely delicious. The best salmon I’ve ever had. I roasted veggies along with the salmon. So easy !
Wow, I’m not sure how I missed this comment but THANK YOU for letting me be the first to receive a comment from you! The best salmon compliment too!!!! 🙂
Excellent, the whole family loved it. It was perfect. This is a keeper. What I love most is how simple the recipe is.
Glad to have helped you find a family favorite, Anna!
My 11 yo daughter’s favorite meal! It’s delicious!!
Wow, it’s unusual for kids to like fish much less salmon. I know I hated it growing up. She has a unique palate!
Fabulous recipe!! I have made it many many times and the whole family has been loving it!! Thank you :). Which vegetables are the best with it? Many thanks
You’re welcome! About veggies, it depends what you like. I usually pair my salmon with either stir-fried green beans or asparagus. Zucchini will work too but I’m partial to it cause its my favorite veggie.
This was excellent. I was actually thinking of cooking my salmon a different way until I found this recipe. I already had everything except for the ginger and I used braggs amino a soy sauce alternative (much less sodium) and it was delicious!
Really love this recipe! I found the sauce a bit too sweet so tonight I will put a bit less honey. Otherwise, mouth watering (+easy!)
How did take two work out for you? I hope you liked it better, Alex!
yes, thank you!
Is it okay to substitute the soy sauce with teriyaki?
It should be okay. Just do a taste check since the soy sauce is the salt ingredient in the mix and you don’t want too much sweetness without the salt to balance it out.
Is there a particular type of honey to use? There seems to be many different kinds.
Just regular honey will work fine. I use the one in the bear shaped bottle if that helps.
I’ve found that I can substitute about 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder for fresh, and a good pinch of ginger powder in place of fresh.
I also reduce the honey to 3Tbsp is I don’t want the salmon so sweet.
If you crisp up the skin side in a skillet before you bake, it’s even better!
Thanks for chiming in with your substitutions! Hopefully it’ll help others 🙂
This recipe looks delicious! I’m thinking of making it for mother’s day and wanted to know if I could marinate it overnight.
How sweet! I don’t think you should marinate overnight though as it’ll get mushy and change the texture too much. Seafood shouldn’t be marinated overnight!
Amazing!!! Delicious!! Super easy!
I love your enthusiasm, Nicki! Thank you!!! 🙂
One word, Amazing!!!! Easy recipe and it was delicious!! My picky eater now loves salmon thanks to this recipe.
Wonderful! Salmon is so good for you, so I’m glad you managed to get your picky eater into it!
Just made this. Super delish!
Great to hear it, Anitra!
I made this last week….I am not a fan of salmon…. BUT…. this marinade made me LOVE it and want more!…
tonight I am trying it with chicken thighs (and added some green onions to it)! nom nom!
Thank You!
I know, right?! Salmon took a looooong time to grow on me. It’s such a strong flavor to get used to. So I’m glad I managed to help you with your salmon woes! It works just as great with chicken too. In fact, I have a recipe just for chicken:
http://thecookingjar.com/honey-garlic-chicken-skillet/