Beef Teriyaki – It’s yummy, sticky, sweet and easy on the points. This delicious beef teriyaki comes together in 15 minutes with pantry staples!
What is Beef Teriyaki?
Beef teriyaki is tender beef seared in a skillet with a teriyaki sauce made up of soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, ginger, and a cornstarch slurry.
Is Beef Teriyaki Japanese or Chinese?
Beef teriyaki is of Japanese origin.
The Best Beef Teriyaki Recipe
There are so many different versions of Beef Teriyaki out in the world and I feel like we’ve tried hundreds in our house. Through all the trial and error, the easiest one ended up being not only point friendly, but the easiest to make! It’s sweet, sticky, and delicious. We love to serve ours with basmati rice and roasted broccoli.
This recipe is an easy way to get dinner on the table in 20 minutes and the whole family will love it!
Teriyaki Beef Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are pantry staples in our house. As long as we have beef, we can almost guarantee we can make this up on the fly. Simple, easy to find ingredients make this a breeze!
- Soy Sauce – we opt for the low sodium version in our house. While the full sodium version would work fine, we prefer the taste and nutrition info of the lower sodium kind.
- Brown Sugar/Brown Sugar Substitute – You can use either. The small amount used doesn’t break the bank on calories or WW points if you use the real deal. My preferred brand for the substitute is Swerve.
- Honey – any good honey will do!
- Minced Garlic – we buy the kind in the jar because honestly, I hate mincing garlic.
- Minced Ginger – I use the squeeze kind that you can find in the produce section of your grocery store. I hate peeling ginger and I find I use it more frequently if I use the squeeze kind.
- Corn Starch – you don’t have to use this, but when made into a slurry with the water, it’s what will thicken your sauce.
- Beef Sirloin – you can really use any cut of beef here if sliced thin. You could even make this Beef Teriyaki with ground beef if you wanted. It would totally work! Sirloin just happens to be our favorite.
- Oil – I opt for avocado oil, but you just need a little bit to cook the meat. You can even use cooking spray instead.
How to Make Beef Teriyaki
(full recipe instructions with measurements and printable card are at the end of this post)
- In a small sauce pan, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, and ginger. Whisk together and simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- While the sauce is simmering, heat oil (or cooking spray of choice) in a large flat bottomed skillet. Add the thin sliced meat and cook briefly, just until browned. Do not overcook. It will be done in 1-3 minutes depending on preference. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make a slurry by whisking together corn starch and cold water. Whisk into the sauce and simmer until thickened, stirring frequently.
- Once sauce has thickened, pour over meat and stir until all the meat is coated.
- Serve over rice.
Can this Beef Teriyaki recipe be made ahead of time?
You can, but if you’re looking for the best result, I recommend making it when you’re ready to eat it. That is unless you’re looking to make it into a freezer meal! In that case, you could make the sauce in advance (minus the corn starch), cut your beef up and put them in separate bags in the freezer. When ready to cook, thaw them and cook them up!
How to store this Teriyaki Beef Recipe
To store teriyaki beef, allow it to cool completely and place it in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
To freeze, allow it to cool completely before placing in an airtight container or ziptop bag. It will remain fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months.
I recommend reheating beef teriyaki on the stove in a skillet over medium heat until it’s heated through. If you prefer, you can reheat it in the microwave. Be careful not to overcook the beef or it will become tough and rubbery.
Beef Teriyaki FAQ
Beef teriyaki is tender beef coated in a sweet teriyaki sauce. The sauce is similar to a sweet soy sauce seasoned with ginger and garlic.
I find the best cut of beef for teriyaki to be sirloin. It has a good amount of marbling and holds up well when pan searing.
Teriyaki sauce is sweet, but it is not spicy. It has a tangy, sweet flavor. It has a tangy, salty flavor from the soy sauce and sweetness from the sugar.
The best way to thicken teriyaki sauce is by using a cornstarch slurry. Combine cornstarch with a little bit of cold water and then add it to the simmering sauce.
How to Serve Teriyaki Beef
- Stir Fried Vegetables
- Seaweed Salad
- Cucumber Salad
- Roasted broccoli
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Teriyaki Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or brown sugar substitute Swerve is my preferred brand
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 1 lb beef sirlion or any cut of beef, sliced thin
- 1 tbsp oil or cooking spray
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, and ginger. Whisk together and simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- While the sauce is simmering, heat oil (or cooking spray of choice) in a large flat bottomed skillet. Add the thin sliced meat and cook briefly, just until browned. Do not overcook. It will be done in 1-3 minutes depending on preference. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make a slurry by whisking together corn starch and cold water. Whisk into the sauce and simmer until thickened, stirring frequently.
- Once sauce has thickened, pour over meat and stir until all the meat is coated.
- Serve over rice.
This was delicious! I don’t love teriyaki usually but that’s stuff I’ve tried in a bottle. Putting it together ourselves was so delicious and easy. The meal came together fast which is what we needed. Everyone enjoyed it! I’d add mushrooms next time and I forgot the green onions, they’d be good too.
Excellent!! I used flank steak and cooked it for 4 minutes. The sauce was yummy!
My 10 year old grandson couldn’t get enough.
I love hearing that, Patricia! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and comment. I truly appreciate it!