Easy Teriyaki Beef and Vegetables
on Nov 29, 2021, Updated Jun 10, 2024
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This traditional Teriyaki Beef and Vegetables recipe made with a delicious homemade sauce, is fast, flavorful, and easy to put together for those busy weeknight meals.
Beef teriyaki is a favorite entree often ordered at restaurants because it tastes so good. I know that take-out seems easier sometimes, but you can throw this dish together in 20 minutes and it tastes better than getting it from a restaurant-plus it’s healthier and cheaper! I love to serve it on a bed of brown rice, quinoa, or wrapped in a tortilla.
My favorite cut of beef to use for this recipe is flank steak but you can use sirloin or something else tender too. The key to having your beef turn out perfectly is thin slices. When the flank steak is cut thinly the meat is able to stay really tender and soak up lots of flavor. Aim for about 1/4 inch in thickness with each slice.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This meal comes together quickly in under 30 minutes, with steps to pre-cut the steak and vegetables and pre-mix the sauce, making it a convenient option for busy weeknights or meal prepping.
- Offers a well-rounded meal rich in vitamins, minerals, and high in protein.
- With the option to swap in different vegetables or meat, this recipe can be tailored to meet individual tastes and dietary needs.
- The homemade sauce adds a delicious, savory-sweet flavor that enhances the overall taste of the dish.
Recipe Ingredients
- Rice – I used white rice but you can use brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice
- Steak – I like to use flanks, but any kind will do
- Vegetables – I used broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, snow peas, and green onions, but feel free to swap with your favorite veggies
- Oil – I used canola oil but you can use any vegetable oil
- Sesame oil
- Soy Sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Brown sugar – For a processed sugar-free option use coconut sugar
- Garlic – I used fresh cloves, but can be subbed with garlic powder
- Ginger – I used fresh, but can be subbed with ginger powder
- Cornstarch
- Sesame Seeds
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Teriyaki Beef and Vegetables
Step 1. Cook the rice as directed on the package.
Step 2. Cut steak and vegetables into even, bite-sized pieces.
Step 3. Cook steak and vegetables in a hot pan until tender.
Step 4. Mix and add sauce, stir until thickened, and serve over rice.
Recipe FAQs
In Japanese, teriyaki means “glossy broil.” It is cooking term used when food, usually meat, is brushed with a sauce and then grilled or broiled.
The most preferred cut of meat for beef teriyaki is a flank steak. Using a flank steak provides you with a tender, long strip of meat that is perfect for teriyaki.
Cook the meat first when making beef teriyaki. Once the meat is cooked, take it out and start cooking the vegetables. Start with onions first. Then add the heartier vegetables like carrots. Finally, add the leaf greens or less hearty veggies next.
Expert Tips
- For tender, juicy meat, slice the steak against the grain into thin strips. This ensures tenderness and makes it easier to cook quickly
- Cut vegetables into similar sizes to ensure even cooking. This also enhances the dish’s presentation and texture.
- When cooking the steak and vegetables, use a hot pan to achieve a nice sear on the meat and quickly cook the vegetables while retaining their crispness.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water. If it’s too thin, simmer it for a bit longer until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Save time by prepping ingredients in advance. Cut the steak and vegetables, and mix the sauce ahead of time. This makes cooking the dish faster on busy days.
- If your kids don’t do well with mixed dishes like this, you can prepare the beef and sauce separately from the sautéed vegetables. That way everything isn’t mixed together.
How to Serve and Store Teriyaki Beef and Vegetables
Serve the beef and vegetable stir-fry hot over cooked white or brown rice, quinoa, fried rice, or wrapped in a tortilla. If you aren’t big on beef try my teriyaki chicken, or shrimp stir fry. You can also serve egg drop soup as a light appetizer!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a pan on the stove or in the microwave until heated through. Note that the vegetables may soften slightly upon reheating.
More Quick Dinner Recipes to Consider
Sandwich Recipes
Hawaiian Roll Sliders
Chicken Recipes
Shredded Chicken Tacos
Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast Quesadillas
Dinner Ideas
Cabbage Rolls
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Easy Teriyaki Beef and Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked rice
- 1.5 pounds skirt or flank steak
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 small zucchini
- 4 ounces button mushrooms
- 1 cup snow peas
- 2 tablespoons light oil, such as canola oil
- 3 green onions chopped and sesame seeds, optional for serving
For the sauce:
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅔ cup water
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Start cooking the rice according to the package directions.
- Prepare the steak by cutting it into very thin strips against the grain.
- Prepare the vegetables by washing and cutting the broccoli into bite-sized pieces, the bell pepper into thin strips, the zucchini into ¼-inch rounds, and the mushrooms in half.
- Make the sauce by adding the soy sauce, water, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, and cornstarch to a small bowl and whisking well with a fork to combine.
- In a large skillet, wok, or high-sided sauté pan, over medium to medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until hot.
- Add the sliced beef and cook, stirring until the beef browns on the outside, about 3 minutes.
- Add the vegetables to the undercooked meat and stir to combine, cooking the meat and the vegetables together. Reduce the heat to medium, and add a lid to the pan. Let the meat and vegetables steam in their own juice for 3-5 minutes (if there isn’t much juice or moisture from the meat, add ¼ cup of water before adding the lid).
- Uncover and stir the vegetables and meat and allow any extra moisture to evaporate.
- When the vegetables are cooked tender crisp, stir the sauce again and add it to the pan.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce bubbles and then thickens, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and garnish with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
- Serve hot over cooked rice.
Notes
- This recipe is super flexible. Feel free to use roughly 4-6 cups of chopped vegetables of your choosing. This is great with carrots, asparagus, or green beans.
- I don’t buy a lot of beef cuts, but flank and skirt steak is one of my favorites. It’s a really tender cut of beef that’s great in dishes like this where you are cutting the beef into thin strips. I use this cut for fajitas and steak tacos, too.
- If your kids don’t do well with mixed dishes like this, you can prepare the beef and sauce separately from the sautéed vegetables. That way everything isn’t mixed together.
- To meal prep this recipe you can cut the steak into strips and store it covered in the fridge up to 3 days before making this dish. You can also wash and chop any vegetables you plan on using and store them covered together in the fridge. You can mix together the sauce and store it covered in the fridge, just stir well before using. Prepping this meal ahead of time will make cooking day much faster.
