Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef

This recipe for slow cooker teriyaki beef is one of my family's favorite and reliable recipes to use in my Crock Pot. It can take tougher cuts of beef and make it nice and tender. And if you use a more tender cut, it practically melts in your mouth.

I love cooking a meal that creates its own sauce or gravy. I can serve with a side like cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower for me and white or brown rice or noodles for the rest of the family. I often serve Salisbury Steak with Red Wine Gravy, General Tso Meatballs, Teriyaki Beef and Broccoli, Hot and Spicy Beef, Beef Chop Suey, General Tso Beef and Moo Shu Beef for dinner. They are all made with a tasty sauce or gravy and have low sugar options in the recipe. And any leftovers are even better the next day!

Why this recipe is just so good...

• This meal was so easy, with simple ingredients and minimal prep or chopping. Bonus- easy clean-up too!
• So flavorful! The homemade teriyaki sauce is rich and savory, a bit sweet and a bit spicy. It is so good, it's almost a meal by self when served over some white, brown or cauliflower rice.
• It's a low carb recipe with minimal substitutions. Each serving has about 10 grams of carbohydrates and is low in sugar.

The ingredients include:

• Flank, top round or skirt steak
• Cornstarch or Arrowroot powder for thickener
• Olive or vegetable oil
• Soy sauce
• Brown sugar or brown sugar substitute
• Beef broth or stock
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Thai chili sauce or red pepper flakes
• Oyster sauce
• Chopped onion
• Worcestershire sauce

How to make Slow Cooker teriyaki beef:

Step 1: Combine cornstarch, garlic powder, ginger and salt and pepper.  Put cornstarch mixture in a zipper plastic bag and add beef, shake to lightly coat.

Step 2: In a small bowl, mix all sauce ingredients and pour into slow cooker.

Step 3: Add the beef and stir to combine with the sauce.

Step 4: Cover and on high for approximately 3 - 4 hours, or 5-6 hours on low. The meat should be fully cooked and tender.  Cut into a strip of beef and see if it is tender and done through.  If not, cook another 30 minutes.

Recipe Tips

• Slice the beef as thin as possible to help the beef tenderize in the slow cooker.
• Always taste the sauce before adding to the slow cooker. If it needs more seasonings or sugar, add a little at a time.
• If the sauce is too thick, add some more broth or water. If you have simmered the sauce with the cornstarch or Arrowroot powder and it still too thin, stir together an addition tablespoon mixed with a little water and add to the sauce. Stir and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

HOW I WOULD LOWER THE CARBS/SUGAR

This slow cooker beef teriyaki only needs a few tweaks to lower the carbs
and sugar. For the sauce, I would use brown sugar substitute. (I use Keystone Pantry from Amazon). And I would always start with the least amount and work up from there. (I'm always trying to retrain my taste buds)! In my opinion, Allulose tastes the most like sugar with no aftertaste.

And I would serve the teriyaki beef over cauliflower rice. I buy the frozen packages and cook in microwave per instructions. Most of the time I will then do a quick saute' in a pan with a spray of olive oil and some seasonings. Makes the "rice" taste so much better!!!

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I serve with slow cooker teriyaki beef?

Since this slow cooker recipe is fairly rich tasting, I would suggest a light vegetable such as fresh broccoli florets or string beans. Or you may like to serve it with a simple salad.

Do I have to flour the beef before putting in slow cooker?

Normally, I highly recommend flouring beef before stir frying or cooking at a high temperature to retain moisture. The flour in this recipe just serves as a thickener for the sauce. You can add it later mixed with some broth and simmered in the crockpot during the last 30 minutes or so.

How can I make sure the beef is tender?

Make sure to thinly cut the meat against the grain. When you see faint lines going across the meat, that is called "the grain". Just turn the meat or cutting board and slice thinly opposite the grain.

Also, when you cook the beef on low heat for a longer period of time, the meat will be more tender.

Some other easy beef dinners you may like to try:

Salisbury Steak with Red Wine Gravy

Dutch Oven Beef Stroganoff

Air Fryer Steak Bites

Instant Pot Steak Fajitas