Beef Teriyaki Bowl

We’re obsessed with this flavor-packed beef teriyaki bowl recipe—it’s seriously so tasty, you’ll want to make it on repeat! Ground beef tossed in a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce is served over soft steamed rice, with fresh, crunchy vegetables adding the perfect balance to every bite. This dish is simple, delicious, and comes together in just 28 minutes!

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If you’re a fan of rice dishes and bowls, don’t miss out on our other favorite weeknight go-to’s, like our southwest chicken bowl, creamy chicken and rice skillet, and coconut curry.

Why We Love this Recipe

Fast! This dish has minimal steps and comes together in 28 minutes or less.
Flavor-packed. The sweet and savory sauce, mixed with tender meat and fresh veggies, comes together with an awesome burst of flavor.
Hidden veggies. This beef teriyaki bowl is packed with veggies (and nutrients!), but they mix so perfectly into the sauce that even picky eaters won’t mind them.
Super customizable. Switch up the meat, swap out the veggies, or throw in extra veggies to make this dish your own!

Why We Love this Recipe

Fast! This dish has minimal steps and comes together in 28 minutes or less.
Flavor-packed. The sweet and savory sauce, mixed with tender meat and fresh veggies, comes together with an awesome burst of flavor.
Hidden veggies. This beef teriyaki bowl is packed with veggies (and nutrients!), but they mix so perfectly into the sauce that even picky eaters won’t mind them.
Super customizable. Switch up the meat, swap out the veggies, or throw in extra veggies to make this dish your own!

What is Teriyaki Sauce?

Teriyaki sauce is a marinade typically made from soy sauce, sugar and other flavors, like ginger, garlic and mirin. The sauce is often used with grilled meats and vegetables. And did I mention it’s amazing and the best when soaked up by rice??

We made our own teriyaki sauce at home, using mostly pantry staples. In fact, we had almost all the ingredients on hand already, like soy sauce, vinegar, and the sugars. You can absolutely use store-bought teriyaki sauce (especially if you’re short on time), but we really recommend our homemade sauce. You can taste the difference in freshness and flavor! See recipe below for details.

My whole family loved this recipe, it was the perfect blend of savory and sweet!

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🛒 Ingredients

Notes on key ingredients are provided below. Please see the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

Ground beef– We opted for lean ground beef to reduce the amount of grease in our dish. If using a higher fat content, just be sure to drain excess grease after browning.
Veggies– Chop the veggies into small pieces for quicker cooking and the ideal texture (like we did for our chicken lettuce wraps!). But we kept our broccoli florets in bigger chunks for added texture.
Rice– Minute rice or pre-cooked rice pouches are our go-to’s when trying to keep cooking time down. You can also make basmati or jasmine rice if you have extra time.
Teriyaki sauce– We made our own but you can also use your favorite jarred version. Note: We recommend using lower-sodium soy sauce, as the sauce is on the salty side.
Corn starch– Adjust the amount to achieve your preferred thickness for the teriyaki sauce.

How to Make Beef Teriyaki Bowls

Onions, garlic and bell pepper cooking in pan in oil.

Step 1. Sauté onion, garlic and bell pepper in oil for a few minutes.

Ground beef and vegetables cooking in pan for beef teriyaki bowl recipe.

Step 2. Add beef, carrots and broccoli and continue to cook together until beef is no longer pink and broccoli is soft.

Whisking teriyaki sauce together in sauce pan.

Step 3. Whisk together soy sauce, water, white wine vinegar, sesame oil, sugars, garlic and ginger in a small sauce pan over medium heat.

Adding cornstarch with water to the sauce pan.

Step 4. Add cornstarch/water mixture slowly to teriyaki sauce and simmer on low until sauce reaches desired thickness.

Beef and vegetables cooking in Teriyaki sauce for rice bowl.

Step 5. Pour sauce over beef and vegetables and stir together.

Beef teriyaki with broccoli served over rice in a bowl.

Serve beef teriyaki over rice, pasta or your favorite grain. Optional: Top with finely chopped green onion.

Kids Cooking Steps

Chop the veggies! We’re big fans of these Curious Chef kid-safe knives for young kids and this great beginner’s chef knife for school-aged children.
Break up meat using a potato masher or spatula. Just make sure not to use a metal masher on a non-stick pan.
Whisk sauce ingredients. Kids will love seeing it all come together.

Expert Tips and Tricks

Don’t overcrowd the pan- Overcrowding can prevent heat from distributing evenly, causing some ingredients to be undercooked while others overcook. Use a large enough pan or skillet for this recipe, and if you want to double it, make it in two batches.

Taste test– Taste the teriyaki sauce as you make it and before adding it to your meat mixture. You can adjust the sweetness or saltiness by adding more soy sauce or sugar, as you like.

Variations & Substitutions

Meat– While we love the rich flavor of beef for this dish, you can easily lighten things up and swap for ground turkey or chicken. Finely sliced chicken breast or steak will also work.
Veggies– Add or swap in some of your favorites, like mushrooms, snow peas, edamame, or zucchini. While we used green bell peppers, any color is fine.
Vinegar– If you don’t have white wine vinegar, you can also use rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar.
Rice– White rice, brown rice or even cauliflower rice all work well with our ground beef teriyaki.
Spice – You can heat things up by topping your dish with sriracha or red-pepper flakes.
Gluten-free [GF]– This recipe is GF with the exception of the soy sauce. To make it GF, you can replace the soy sauce with San-J’s Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce or almost any tamari sauce – a Japanese soy sauce that is naturally GF.

Storing and Reheating

Store beef teriyaki in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The beef mixture can be frozen for up to 2 months, but we don’t recommend freezing the rice. Simply prepare fresh rice when you plan to serve your dish.

Tips for Picky Eaters

Kids pick the veggies– If kids are adverse to any particular vegetable, like broccoli, let them swap it for one of their favorites, like mushrooms, green beans, or edamame.
Rice on the side– If your kids aren’t into the teriyaki beef being on top of rice, simply serve the meat mixture on the side.
Offer toppings- Kids can choose their own toppings: green onion, cilantro, sesame seeds, or crunchy onion crisps.

FAQ

Is this dish dairy-free?

Yes, our beef teriyaki rice bowls are dairy-free!

How can I thicken the sauce?

To thicken the sauce, add more cornstarch/water. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl. Pour into the sauce in increments until you reach the thickness you want.

What meat goes well with teriyaki sauce?

Teriyaki sauce goes well with a variety of meats, including beef, chicken, pork, turkey as well as some fish, like salmon.

What can I serve beef over other than rice?

In addition to rice, beef teriyaki can be served over quinoa, cauliflower rice, rice noodles, egg noodles, or butterhead lettuce to form a lettuce wrap.

Craft For This Recipe

Cow-Themed Tissue Paper Vase

Celebrate this recipe’s main ingredient–beef–with one of our adorable cow-themed crafts! Transform an empty bottle into this adorable cow-print vase, or convert a tissue box into a sweet cow piggy bank. We love crafting with recyclables and these crafts are super engaging and fun!

Get The Craft