No takeout menu is needed for this speedy and saucy Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry! Tender sirloin steak and crisp veggies dance in a sweet and savory homemade teriyaki sauce for a dish that’s as scrumptious as it is nutritious.

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Why You’ll Love This Easy Stir Fry
- Healthy. Just like my Healthy Beef and Broccoli, this is a recipe that your entire family will love! If you order takeout Chinese beef stir fry with vegetables frequently, I urge you to give this wholesome version a shot. It’s packed with protein-packed beef, an array of healthy veggies, and a lightened-up version of teriyaki sauce.
- Choose Your Own Adventure. How you serve this delicious dish is totally up to you! This healthy beef stir fry recipe is delighted to be served with noodles, rice, or even wrapped in side lettuce leaves.
- Uses What You Have. Stir fries like Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry make me feel like a kitchen wizard. From the fridge, there is but a hodgepodge of on-the-brink veggies; from the pantry, a bottle of soy sauce. A spell of garlic and a flash of the pan later, and we have magic. Each stir fry is different, but they have core ingredients in common.
- Master of Meal Prep. Healthy stir-fries are our favorite dishes to make ahead. From Pork Stir Fry to this beef stir fry recipe, they’re easy to prepare in advance and enjoy for days to come.

5 Star Review
“Delicious! The sauce was amazing!! My teenage son absolutely loved it. This recipe is definitely a keeper. YUM!”
— Liz —
How to Make this Beef Stir Fry Recipe
The Ingredients
For the Stir Fry
- Sirloin Steak. A sirloin steak cut of meat is teriyaki’s best friend. It’s the best, most tender beef for stir fry. It cooks quickly and will soak up the flavors you cook it in (like our beef stir fry sauce). However, you can also use flank steak or chuck steak to make teriyaki beef.
- Beef Stir Fry Marinade. Soy sauce and black pepper are used to make our easy marinade for stir fry beef. This umami-rich marinade gives the beef deep flavor right from the start.
- Vegetables. Anything you have around! A red bell pepper adds beautiful color to our stir fry. For the mixed vegetables, try teriyaki beef and broccoli, snap peas, or carrots. Only have frozen veggies on hand? No problem. You can make a beef stir fry with frozen vegetables (see tips below).
- Water Chestnuts. The crunchy element you didn’t know you needed. Once you try them in your stir fry, you’ll never want to make one without them.
- Green Onions. A delicious, fresh crunch and subtle bite to finish off your stir fry.
For the Teriyaki Sauce
- Soy Sauce. The umami bomb ingredient that makes this teriyaki sauce so delicious.
- Maple Syrup. To naturally sweeten the sauce. Honey would also work well here.
- Rice Vinegar. Adds acidity to the sauce.
- Garlic + Ginger. Subtle but powerful ingredients in a stir fry recipe.
- Red Pepper Flakes. For a touch of spice.
- Cornstarch. You’ll need a little dash of cornstarch to help thicken up the stir fry sauce recipe.
The Directions
- Marinate the Beef. Prepare the homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Brown the Beef. You want to cook it all the way through.
- Sauté the Vegetables. Use your favorites here!
- Put It All Together. Combine all the stir fry ingredients in the pan with the veggies. ENJOY!

Storage Tips
- To Store. Place leftover stir fry in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Gently rewarm beef and vegetables in a skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. You can also reheat this dish in the microwave.
- To Freeze. Store beef and vegetables in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Meal Prep Tip
Cut your beef up to 24 hours in advance, and store it in the refrigerator. Stir your sauce ingredients together up to 1 day in advance, and chop your vegetables up to 1 day in advance.

Leftover Ideas
For a spin on homemade Beef Lo Mein, toss beef stir fry leftovers with cooked lo mein noodles.
What to Serve with Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry
- Noodles. This healthy beef stir fry with noodles would be scrumptious. For something different, you could do beef teriyaki noodles using Vegetable Lo Mein or Asian Noodle Salad.
- Rice. Rice goes perfectly with a beef stir fry! Use my recipe for How to Cook Brown Rice, or Instant Pot Brown Rice. For a fun twist, use quinoa, my Homemade Fried Rice, or Cauliflower Fried Rice instead.
- Lettuce Cups. Take a note from my Lettuce Wraps, and wrap your beef stir fry in a lettuce cup for a low-carb twist.
- Vegetables. Both Air Fryer Green Beans and Sauteed Brussels Sprouts would be tasty.

Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
- Wok. While a wok isn’t necessary to make the best beef stir-fry, if you plan to make stir fries often (like Tofu Stir Fry), it’s a worthwhile investment. This saute pan would also work well.
- Heatproof Spatula. Perfect for stirring this beef teriyaki recipe.
- Liquid Ingredient Measuring Cups. You can measure and mix your sauce in these cups.

Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use Frozen Veggies. One of the best parts about easy stir fries like this one is the ability to use frozen vegetables. They won’t be as crisp as fresh ones, but they’ll still be delicious if prepared correctly. The secret to good stir-fry vegetables is letting them thaw completely before adding them to the stir fry, and patting away any excess moisture prior to adding them.
- Size Matters. How you cut your veggies makes a big difference. Make sure to cut your vegetables so that they all cook in roughly the same amount of time (harder veggies like carrots should be cut smaller and thinner than softer ones like asparagus, for example).
- Get the Pan HOT. Using a pan that’s nice and hot is the secret to a successful stir fry. Both the teriyaki beef strips and the veggies need a hot, non-crowded pan to sear and caramelize properly. The sear ensures that the stir fry ingredients will have excellent texture and flavor.
Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry
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Ingredients
For the Stir Fry:
- 1 pound sirloin steak cut into thin, bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 red bell pepper cored and cut into thin slices
- 3 cups chopped mixed vegetables of choice such as broccoli, snap peas, or carrots
- 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts drained
- 3 medium green onions finely chopped; divided
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds optional
- Prepared brown rice white rice, quinoa, noodles, or cauliflower rice — for serving
For the Teriyaki Sauce:
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes plus additional to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Place the beef in a bowl and top with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and black pepper. Stir to coat then set aside to marinade while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the sauce: In a medium mixing bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the soy sauce, water, maple syrup, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Continue with the stir fry: In a large, deep sauté pan or wok, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot but not smoking, add the beef. Cook until the beef is browned on all sides and fully cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove the beef and any juices that have collected in the skillet to a plate and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil. Add the bell pepper and other vegetables. Cook for 4 minutes, or until slightly softened and lightly browned.
- When the vegetables are ready, add the water chestnuts and return the beef and juices to the pan. Pour in the sauce and toss to coat. Let simmer 3 to 4 minutes to thicken and warm the beef through. Stir in about half of the green onions. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and remaining green onions over the top. Serve warm, with additional red pepper flakes and/or soy sauce as desired.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Place leftover stir fry in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm beef and vegetables in a wok on the stove over medium-low heat. You can also reheat this dish in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Store beef and vegetables in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
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Sign Me UpFrequently Asked Questions
Here are the 3 rules of stir-frying beef so it’s not tough or chewy:
1. Slice Across (not with) the Grain. When cutting your beef, slice thinly across (perpendicular to) the grain to make it tender. This helps break down the fibers and is how you make stir-fry beef so it’s tender.
2. Don’t Overcook It. Overcooking your beef will make it tough and unpleasantly dry. In this recipe, as soon as the strips of beef are no longer pink, they are ready to serve.
3. Marinate It. For this recipe, our beef teriyaki marinade not only flavors the beef, but it helps it tenderize as well. Even the few minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients can make a big difference.
Overcooking is most likely why your stir-fry beef is chewy. If your beef isn’t overcooked, see the FAQ above for other suggestions.
We love using a red bell pepper and some mixed vegetables. For the mixed vegetables, broccoli, snap peas, snow peas, carrots, mushrooms, eggplant, bok choy, or baby corn would all be tasty.
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Delish!!! I didn’t put in the peppers, green onions (I used vidalia) or water chestnuts (forgot to buy them 😀) and it was just yummy!!! I think I’d add more ginger next time…will add to the dinner rotation! Enjoy.
Hi Joanne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Awesome stir fry! Very easy to put together and cooks up a fast delicious dinner!!! I used New York strip loin steak. Will be making this dish again!!!
Hi Shannon! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This was amazing! Simple and tasty! My mother in law had to have the recipe!!!
Hi Christine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
By far, one of my favorite recipes! my whole family loved it!
Hi Jane! So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind review!
This was delicious! Made with udon noodles and the kids enjoyed slurping up extra sauce with the noodles. Key not to overcook the sirloin. My very picky husband devoured it! Doubled recipe for our family (4 people).
Hi Julie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Omg! This is amazing! I just made it for the second time and my husband and I love this recipe! Has a nice little heat to it. I double the marinade. Thank you for a great recipe!
This made my day, thank you!! And thanks for the review. It is SO HELPFUL!
Incredible!
This recipe is SO delicious and very easy to make.
The only thing I’d say is that the prep time is a little more than 15mins if you are dicing the ginger, garlic, green onions, etc. but totally worth it and 100% recommended.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
So so good! The whole family loved it.
Glad you enjoyed it, Reagan!
Great flavor, and super easy to prepare. Can be done with pork or chicken as well.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Danielle! Thank you!
So good, very flavorful. Family favorite
Thank you Odette!
Easy to make and SIMPLE ingredients for sauce. Taste was great! Thank you!
Great to hear, thank you Sandy!
This was so delicious!! Addee mushrooms and celery
I’ve cooked a bunch of recipes from this site and every one was absolutely amazing! Thank you
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, E! Thank you!