Lucy M. Craving the bold, sweet-savory flavors of your favorite Japanese restaurant but want to skip the takeout? This teriyaki beef recipe delivers authentic taste with a homemade marinade of dark soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar. Tender flank steak is stir-fried with colorful vegetables until beautifully caramelized, creating a glossy dish that’s ready in under an hour and tastes better than delivery.
Why You’ll Love this Teriyaki Beef
This teriyaki beef recipe checks all the boxes for a winning weeknight dinner. It’s incredibly quick, coming together in under an hour with minimal hands-on time, yet delivers restaurant-quality flavors that will impress anyone at your table.
The homemade marinade is worlds better than store-bought teriyaki sauce, offering the perfect balance of sweet and savory with deep umami richness. The stir-fry method means you get tender, caramelized beef with crisp vegetables, all coated in that irresistible glossy glaze.
Plus, it’s budget-friendly, customizable with your favorite vegetables, and makes fantastic leftovers for easy lunch prep.
Craving more internationally-inspired meat dishes with bold marinades? Try our jerk chicken recipe for authentic Caribbean flavors with a spicy kick.
What Cut of Meat is Used for Teriyaki Beef?
Flank steak is the ideal cut for teriyaki beef due to its lean texture and prominent grain structure that absorbs marinade beautifully. When sliced thinly against the grain, flank steak becomes incredibly tender and cooks quickly over high heat. Alternative cuts include sirloin, skirt steak, or ribeye if you prefer more marbling. The key is choosing a cut that can be sliced thin and benefits from quick, high-heat cooking for optimal caramelization.
What Ingredients are in Teriyaki Beef?
This teriyaki beef recipe brings together a carefully balanced combination of ingredients that create the signature sweet and savory flavor profile. The marinade is the star of the show, combining dark soy sauce, Japanese rice wine, and sugar to develop deep umami notes and caramelization. The beef itself is complemented by vibrant vegetables that not only add nutritional value but also provide textural contrast and visual appeal to the finished dish.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup dark soy sauce
- ⅓ cup Japanese rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 lb (500g) flank steak, trimmed and cut into thin strips
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and cut into strips
- 2 sliced scallions (for garnish)
How to Make this Teriyaki Beef
- Prepare the marinade by whisking together the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, and sugar in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the steak strips to the marinade, turning to coat them completely. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight to allow the meat to absorb maximum flavor.
- Lift the steak strips from the marinade, reserving all the liquid for later. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok over high heat. Toss in the onion and red bell pepper and stir-fry for about 2 minutes until slightly softened but still crisp. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
- Add the remaining oil to the hot wok and immediately add the marinated steak strips. Stir-fry for 5 minutes, tossing constantly, until the meat is just cooked through and lightly caramelized at the edges.
- Return the cooked onion and red bell pepper to the wok along with the reserved marinade. Toss everything together and cook for 2 minutes until heated through and the sauce coats the beef and vegetables beautifully. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with freshly sliced scallions before serving hot.
Teriyaki Beef Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the marinade by whisking together the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, and sugar in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the steak strips to the marinade, turning to coat them completely. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight to allow the meat to absorb maximum flavor.
- Lift the steak strips from the marinade, reserving all the liquid for later. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok over high heat. Toss in the onion and red bell pepper and stir-fry for about 2 minutes until slightly softened but still crisp. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
- Add the remaining oil to the hot wok and immediately add the marinated steak strips. Stir-fry for 5 minutes, tossing constantly, until the meat is just cooked through and lightly caramelized at the edges.
- Return the cooked onion and red bell pepper to the wok along with the reserved marinade. Toss everything together and cook for 2 minutes until heated through and the sauce coats the beef and vegetables beautifully. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with freshly sliced scallions before serving hot.
Notes
What Cut of Meat is Used for Teriyaki Beef?
Flank steak is the ideal cut for teriyaki beef due to its lean texture and prominent grain structure that absorbs marinade beautifully. When sliced thinly against the grain, flank steak becomes incredibly tender and cooks quickly over high heat. Alternative cuts include sirloin, skirt steak, or ribeye if you prefer more marbling. The key is choosing a cut that can be sliced thin and benefits from quick, high-heat cooking for optimal caramelization.Teriyaki Beef Substitutions and Variations
Now that you’ve got the basic recipe down, you can absolutely tweak it to match what’s in your pantry or what your taste buds are craving.
Don’t have flank steak? Sirloin or chicken breast work just fine. I’d swap the rice wine for mirin if I’m being honest, since it adds a silkier sweetness that really elevates things.
Prefer vegetables? Broccoli, snap peas, and mushrooms are my go-to additions without overthinking it. Brown sugar can substitute for granulated if that’s what you’ve got hanging around.
Want heat? A teaspoon of sriracha or fresh ginger kicks it up nicely. The beauty here is flexibility. You’re building flavors you enjoy, not following some rigid rulebook.
What to Serve with Teriyaki Beef
When you’ve got a gorgeous pan of glossy, caramelized teriyaki beef ready to go, what you put it on or alongside matters just as much as the main event itself. I’d serve it over steamed white or brown rice—the neutral base lets that savory sauce shine.
Noodles work beautifully too; think ramen or udon for something heartier. Want vegetables? Steamed broccoli or bok choy soak up the sauce like little flavor sponges.
I’d add a crisp cucumber salad on the side for contrast, cutting through richness with its cool invigorating properties. Maybe some pickled ginger if I’m feeling adventurous. The key is balancing that deep umami with something light and refreshing, so you’re not overwhelmed by sweetness.
Final Thoughts
Teriyaki beef’s one of those dishes that’ll impress just about anyone at your table, and honestly, it’s way easier to pull off than people think. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity—a handful of ingredients transform into something restaurant-quality in under thirty minutes. You’re not dealing with complicated techniques or hard-to-find components, just straightforward cooking that delivers serious flavor. Once you nail the marinade balance, you’ve got a weeknight go-to that feels fancy without the stress. The caramelized edges, the tender beef, those crispy peppers and onions, they all come together like they were meant for each other. This is comfort food that happens to taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. That’s the sweet spot right here.
