You only need one skillet and about 10 minutes to pull together this easy teriyaki ground beef for dinner tonight!
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for even more teriyaki recipes, be sure to try this 5-ingredient baked teriyaki chicken, a teriyaki grilled chicken marinade, and this teriyaki salmon, too!
My whole family lives this. We make this every other week! Great easy meal to teach the teens too.
– Michelle
That’s right — you can have a quick and easy dinner ready for the table in well under 30 minutes! This easy beef teriyaki recipe takes advantage of a handful of simple shortcuts to get supper ready in a flash. Pair the sweet and savory ground beef with veggies in rice bowls, or wrap the meat in flour tortillas or lettuce wraps. It’s always well-received!
The Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki is a sweet-and-salty sauce commonly used in Japanese cooking. The four main ingredients of a simple teriyaki sauce include soy sauce, sake (or mirin), sugar (or brown sugar) and ginger. It might also include cornstarch as a thickening agent.
When paired with chicken, seafood, beef, or vegetables, teriyaki creates a rich, flavorful, umami dish. It’s a great way to yield a complex, satisfying meal in a short amount of time. While you can certainly make your own homemade teriyaki sauce from scratch, this recipe takes advantage of a store-bought sauce for even quicker weeknight dinners!
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you need for an easy teriyaki beef recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Sesame oil lends a rich, nutty, toasty flavor to the dish.
- There are many different cuts of beef used in beef teriyaki recipes. Flank steak is a good option, along with skirt steak, sirloin steak, brisket, hanger steak, or other thinly sliced beef. Here, however, we’re using lean ground beef. It’s an affordable, quick-cooking, family-friendly option that tastes delicious when stir-fried with the teriyaki sauce.
- Fresh gingerroot is best (keep it stashed in your freezer so that it lasts!), but dried ground ginger will also work.
- Look for a thick, rich teriyaki sauce for the best flavor and texture. I prefer Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki or this version by Kikkoman. It’s sweet, savory, and adds great umami flavor to the dish. Just make sure that you’re not using a thin, watery teriyaki sauce with a texture that’s similar to soy sauce.
How to Make Teriyaki Ground Beef
This ground beef teriyaki recipe cooks in about 10 minutes, and you can make it completely prep-free by using frozen diced onion and pre-minced garlic. That eliminates the need to even pull out a cutting board! You’ll find detailed directions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the overview:
- Cook the ground beef, onion, garlic, and ginger in sesame oil.
- Pour the teriyaki sauce into the pan.
- Simmer for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Garnish the finished dish with sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, chopped fresh cilantro, or crushed red pepper flakes for even more flavor. Serve!
Serving Suggestions
This ground beef is delicious in a beef teriyaki bowl made with fluffy white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, or noodles. Add steamed or stir-fried broccoli florets, snow peas, red bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn, or other veggies of choice, and garnish with sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and/or crushed red pepper flakes.
The sweet-and-savory beef stir-fry is also delicious wrapped up in tortillas or lettuce wraps. Pair it with a side of egg rolls, egg roll in a bowl, dumplings, or ramen noodle coleslaw.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Cook the meat according to the recipe instructions above and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, simply reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan. Such a simple meal prep option!
- Storage: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: warm the cooked beef teriyaki in a skillet or saucepan over low heat until it reaches the desired temperature. Add extra teriyaki sauce, as needed. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Made this tonight with ground turkey and it was delicious! One at it over rice and two as a lettuce wrap. Big hit all around!
– Jen
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Teriyaki Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or about ¼ teaspoon dried ground ginger)
- ¾ cup thick teriyaki sauce (such as Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce)
- Optional Garnish: sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, crushed red pepper flakes
- Optional, for serving: cooked rice
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add beef, onion, garlic, and ginger to the skillet. Cook, breaking up the meat as you stir, until the beef is no longer pink and the onion is tender (about 5-7 minutes). Drain off excess grease.
- Stir teriyaki sauce into the beef mixture. Bring to a low simmer and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, just until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Serve over rice, in tortillas, or in lettuce wraps. Garnish with optional toppings.
Notes
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- Pick a brand of teriyaki sauce that has a thick, rich consistency (rather than other varieties that have a thinner consistency that’s similar to soy sauce). I like Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki or this variety made by Kikkoman.
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- For even less prep, use frozen diced onion and pre-minced garlic. You won’t even have to pull out a cutting board or a knife!
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- Add more teriyaki sauce, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- If you don’t have sesame oil, you can substitute with vegetable oil or canola oil. The sesame oil adds great flavor, richness, and toasted, nutty flavor, though.
- Add vegetables to the stir-fry. For instance, saute broccoli, snow peas, asparagus, bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, or cabbage. Remove it to a plate, and then cook the beef mixture as instructed. Return the cooked vegetables to the skillet at the end to warm through, adding extra teriyaki sauce as needed to reach the desired consistency.
- Cut all of the ingredients in half to serve just 2 people, or freeze half of the cooked beef mixture for a later meal. Similarly, you can double all of the ingredients to feed a larger family.
- Swap out the beef and use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork.
- Add fresh or canned pineapple chunks or slices for a touch of Hawaii in your beef teriyaki!
- Add a splash of rice vinegar towards the end for a bright, acidic finishing touch.
More Easy Asian-Inspired Dinners
Egg Roll in a Bowl
20 minutes mins
Shortcut Sesame Chicken
25 minutes mins
Honey Garlic Shrimp
15 minutes mins
Originally published in October, 2016, this post was updated in May, 2025.
On the stove right now and it smells yummy!!!
Made this tonight with ground turkey and it was delicious! One at it over rice and two as a lettuce wrap. Big hit all around!
Sounds perfect, Jen! Thanks for taking the time to leave a note!
Just made it! YUM. This was so savory and satisfying! Easy made it even better. I had no bottled teriyaki sauce so I made my own and I still call it easy!!
Thanks so much.
Thanks, Paula! I’m so impressed that you even made your own sauce! Thanks for taking the time to come back here and let me know that you enjoyed it. 🙂
Do you think this would be good on top of plain rotini noodles?
Yes! The rice is a more traditional Asian side, but there’s no reason you can’t enjoy it over pasta if that’s your preference. 🙂
If I add a whole bunch of veggies can I double the sauce recipe and it will still work out?
Yes — that should work perfectly!
I’ve made something similar to this. Mine takes 20 minutes too. (20 minutes on the rice). I brown the beef in the sesame oil, add the seasons and then use a frozen stir fry mix that has the onions, Green and red peppers, broccoli and sugar snap peas. Add the teriyaki sauce (bottled because I’m slightly lazy) And simmer until rice is finished. I let both stand to palatable warm and serve. Next day tastes even better!! 🙂
Hi, does this recipe work with ground chicken?
Hi, Ka! Yes, the ground chicken should be a good substitute for the beef. Hope you enjoy!
My whole family lives this. We make this every other week! Great easy meal to teach the teens too.
Thank you, Michelle! We’re so glad you enjoy it!