Beef teriyaki is a classic Japanese American dish, and I’m sharing my family’s go-to recipe. Thinly sliced flank steak gets marinated overnight in homemade teriyaki sauce, then grilled and topped with additional teriyaki glaze. It’s easy and just as delicious as take-out. You will never go back to another beef teriyaki recipe!
What is Teriyaki? Is Teriyaki Japanese?
The term teriyaki comes from Japan and refers to food that is grilled with a soy sauce based glaze. However, the teriyaki dishes we know in America are Japanese American in origin. In fact, Seattle, where I live, claims to be the birthplace of teriyaki! On the other hand, I have also heard that Hawaii claims to be the birthplace of teriyaki. Knowing the history of Japanese immigration to Hawaii, that would not be an unreasonable claim. Either way, it’s delicious.
Teriyaki vs. Yakiniku
So what’s the difference between teriyaki and Japanese grilled meat dishes like yakiniku?
Teriyaki meat is typically marinated prior to grilling. Most Japanese yakiniku meats are not. You grill the meat, and THEN you add a sauce. Both are delicious! If you’re interested in trying yakiniku, I have an easy yakitori recipe.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
The best part about my teriyaki sauce recipe is that it’s so easy, you can MEMORIZE it. Ready for it? It’s one part sugar to two parts each Japanese soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Scale up or down as needed!
You can use either regular cane sugar or brown sugar in your teriyaki sauce. I tend to like using brown sugar for a more molasses-y flavor.
Before you use your marinade, make sure to simmer it on the stove for a few minutes to burn off some of the alcohol. Let it cool down, and then it’s ready to use as a marinade or a thin glaze.
Want a thicker sauce? Simply keep reducing it over the stove until it gets thick and shiny. I like to use a shallow pan rather than a pot because it cooks faster.Pro tip: If you don’t want to wait for your sauce to boil down, you can add a cornstarch slurry to make it thicken up faster. Just be careful not to add too much or you’ll get a goopy, starchy sauce instead of a shiny one. Check out my Instagram Reel to see what it looks like:
For my teriyaki beef recipe, I make a big batch of this sauce. Half of it I leave thin to use as a marinade, and the other half I reduce down to use as a sauce at the end. This teriyaki sauce is also the base for my teriyaki chicken recipe AND my nikumaki recipe, so it’s super valuable to have memorized! It’s also great with salmon.
What Cut of Meat to Use for Beef Teriyaki
We always use flank steak, but I’m sure you could use other cuts as well. Here’s a pro tip for you: please make sure you SLICE the steak BEFORE your marinate! My husband was feeling lazy one day and decided to try to marinate the beef before slicing it, but the marinade doesn’t soak up all the way into the middle of the steak! You’ll end up eating just… steak… not teriyaki.
Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry?
So I’ve seen a lot of recipes out there for making a “tender beef teriyaki stir fry” where they velvet the beef in cornstarch and stir fry with veggies and/or noodles. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’m sorry, you won’t find that here. Those kinds of teriyaki stir fries with vegetables like carrots, snow peas, bok choy, noodles like lo mein, and lots of aromatics like garlic and ginger are not really Japanese dishes. No judgment; I’m sure they taste delicious, but that’s not something my family makes or eats. You can even kind of tell from the ingredients that the dish leans more towards Chinese cuisine, although teriyaki is not popular in Chinese cooking. Those stir fries like you’ll find at Panda Express are definitely American. Again, no hate, we love Panda Express. It’s just not the kind of food we make at home.
If you REALLY want to make a teriyaki stir fry, however, you definitely can still use my teriyaki sauce recipe. It’s quite good.
Making Beef Teriyaki on a Stick
This recipe also easily translates into teriyaki beef skewers. After marinating the thinly sliced beef, simply thread the beef strips onto some skewers and throw them on the grill. If using bamboo skewers, don’t forget to soak them beforehand!
Serve your teriyaki beef, however you’ve prepared it, with rice.
More Japanese Family Recipes
If you enjoyed this dish, definitely check out my other Japanese family recipes:
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Nikumaki (Japanese teriyaki beef rolls)
- Deep Fried Wontons
- Lotus Root Chips
- Broiled Sushi Bake
- Easy Sukiyaki
- Easy Yakitori
Beef Teriyaki (Japanese Family Recipe)
Ingredients
For Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sake
- 1 cup mirin
- 1 cup Japanese soy sauce
For Teriyaki Beef
- 1 lb flank steak
Instructions
- The night before you grill, combine all the marinade ingredients in a large, deep sided skillet.
- Bring the marinade to a boil and simmer for about 5-10 minutes to boil off the alcohol.
- Meanwhile, slice the flank steak into thin strips, about 1/4 inch thick.
- Let the marinade cool to room temperature. Pour half of the mixture into a container with your sliced beef to marinate overnight in the fridge.
- The remaining half of the marinade is for teriyaki sauce. Whenever you are ready to make the sauce, bring the liquid to a simmer again in a skillet over stovetop.
- Keep simmering for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to a shiny glaze, almost the consistency of maple syrup. Remember that this glaze will thicken slightly as it cools.
- If making ahead of time, store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.
- After the beef has marinated overnight, it's ready to grill. Preheat your grill and remove the beef from the marinade.
- Grill on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes per side. Remember cook times will vary depending on how thinly you were able to slice your steak.
- Plate your beef with rice, spooning the teriyaki sauce on top, and serve! Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheated in the microwave.