Beef Teriyaki – It’s tasty, sticky, sweet and straightforward on the points. This satisfying beef teriyaki is ready in 15 minutes with pantry staples!

beef teriyaki on white rice topped with green onions on a white plate

What is Beef Teriyaki?

Beef teriyaki is soft 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.

A house favorite Beef Teriyaki Recipe

There are so many different versions of Beef Teriyaki out in the world and we 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 satisfying. We love to serve ours with basmati rice and roasted broccoli.

The method is an straightforward way to get dinner on the table in 20 minutes and the whole family will love it!

beef teriyaki on rice topped with green onion

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. Plain, straightforward 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. Our preferred brand for the substitute is Swerve.
Honey – any good honey will do!
Minced Garlic – we buy the kind in the jar because honestly, we hate mincing garlic.
Minced Ginger – we use the squeeze kind that you can find in the produce section of your grocery store. We hate peeling ginger and we find we use it more frequently if we 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 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 happens to be our favorite.
Oil – we opt for avocado oil, but you need a little bit to cook the meat. You can even use cooking spray instead.

How to cook 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, ginger, honey, and garlic. 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, 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.

beef teriyaki on a plate of white rice topped with sliced green onions

Can this Beef Teriyaki recipe be made ahead of time?

You can, but if you’re looking for a house favorite result, we 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.

We 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

How to Serve Teriyaki Beef

Stir Fried Vegetables
Seaweed Salad
Cucumber Salad
Roasted broccoli

Makes 0

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

Method

In a small sauce pan, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, honey, and garlic. 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, 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.