Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef Tip Steaks

5 from 3 votes

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In this crockpot recipe, rich steak tips are slow-cooked until they become fall-apart tender and glazed with a beautiful teriyaki glaze with just the right balance of salty and sweet.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef Tip Steaks in green bowl with couscous.

In this crockpot recipe, rich steak tips are slow-cooked until they become fall-apart tender and glazed with beautiful teriyaki flavors that have just the right balance of salty and sweet. Teriyaki sauce and beef are magical partners, and in the slow cooker, they turn into an irresistibly flavorful Asian-inspired dish. This teriyaki beef is perfect when scooped over cooked rice (white, brown, basmati, or jasmine) to catch all of the delicious sauce.

This crock pot teriyaki beef goes beautifully alongside Simple Stir-Fried Vegetables, Slaw with Miso-Ginger Dressing, Sautéed Broccoli, or a Kale Crunch Salad.

Fork and knife grabbing a Teriyaki Beef Tip Steak.

Ingredients

  • Cornstarch – To thicken the sauce.
  • Soy sauce – I like to use low-sodium soy sauce to control the salt level.
  • Light or dark brown sugar – For a carmalized sweetness. You can also sub in honey.
  • Mirin – For acidity and depth of flavor.
  • Vegetable or canola oil – For searing the beef.
  • Beef tip steaks – Check out the note below for more info on choosing beef steak for this recipe.

Beef Steak Tips

You may see beef steak tips called sirloin steak tips, beef tip steaks, or tri-tip steaks (they sure do have lots of names) in the market. They are a part of the sirloin and are noted as a good value for a tender cut of beef.

This teriyaki-ish take was greeted with a vigorous thumbs up. Actually, especially from the dog who doesn’t even have actual opposable thumbs. All in all, this recipe is a keeper and a good reason to keep your slow cooker on a more accessible shelf.

How to Make Crockpot Teriyaki Beef

  1. Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water until the cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk in the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, cornstarch, and mirin (if using). Set aside.
  2. Sear the beef: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the steak for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove and add them to the slow cooker.
  3. Sauté the vegetables: In the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and turn the heat to medium. Sauté the onions and garlic for about 3 minutes, until slightly softened.

Kitchen Smarts

It is best to sear or sauté beef and other proteins before cooking them in a crockpot; otherwise, the texture of a slow cooker meal can be somewhat soft and monotonous. Here, browning the beef tips gives them a nice caramelized exterior (the Maillard Reaction, if you want to dig a little deeper) that makes this dish taste oh that much better.

  1. Slow-cook the beef: Stir the sauce and add it to the pan, and stir to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker, and then set the slow cooker to high for 4 hours.
Teriyaki beef tips in slow cooker.
  1. Serve: Dish the beef teriyaki into bowls over cooked rice, with the scallions sprinkled on top if desired. For a pretty presentation, sprinkle the cooked teriyaki beef with toasted sesame seeds along with sliced scallions (or green onions) before serving.
Spoon grabbing a Teriyaki Beef Tip Steak from a slow cooker.

Instant Pot Variation

If you have an Instant Pot, you hopefully know that you can actually brown the meat in that appliance, then switch it to the slow cooker setting. Just brown the beef tips on the sauté setting, and set the beef aside. Then sauté the onions, add the garlic, and add the teriyaki mixture. Return the beef to the pot, change to the slow cooker setting, and set it to slow cook for 4 hours.

Storage

Store leftover teriyaki beef in an air-tight container in the fridge for about 1 week. Leftovers can be heated in the microwave just until warmed through or over low heat in a pot on the stove.

What to Serve With Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef

Teriyaki beef tips served over brown rice in green bowl.

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5 from 3 votes

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef Tip Steaks

In this crockpot recipe, rich steak tips are slow-cooked until they become fall-apart tender and glazed with a beautiful teriyaki glaze with just the right balance of salty and sweet.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 People
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Equipment

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, cornstarch, and mirin (if using). Set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the steak for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove and add them to the slow cooker. In the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and turn the heat to medium. Sauté the onions and garlic for about 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Stir the sauce and add it to the pan, and stir to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  • Pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker, and then set the slow cooker to high for 4 hours.
  • Serve the beef teriyaki over the rice, with the scallions sprinkled on top if desired.

Notes

Browning Steak Before Slow Cooking
It’s true that unless you sear or sauté some ingredients before slow-cooking them, the texture of a slow cooker meal can be somewhat soft and monotonous. But if you don’t mind washing an extra pan, you can have the browning and caramelization that makes many foods taste so much better. 
And if you have an Instant Pot, then you hopefully know that you can actually brown the meat in the Instant Pot, and then add the rest of the ingredients, change to the slow cooker setting, and have the whole thing happen right there in one pot.

Nutrition

Calories: 297.05kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.51g, Protein: 33.69g, Fat: 9.79g, Saturated Fat: 5.55g, Cholesterol: 83.16mg, Sodium: 864.68mg, Potassium: 589.13mg, Fiber: 0.44g, Sugar: 11.87g, Vitamin C: 1.3mg, Calcium: 46.34mg, Iron: 3.19mg
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About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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2 Comments

  1. Cathlyn Clarke says:

    Haven’t made the recipe but I will….I just wanted to say those plates are absolutely gorgeous . That ivy pattern. The color!!

  2. Dawna says:

    Easy to make, great flavors. I added shiitake mushrooms and made extra sauce. Made on 8/12/20