Easy Instant Pot hibachi steak with mushrooms and zucchini cooked in a delicious soy sauce, and served over rice. This easy IP dinner is ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish!
If you’re a fan of hibachi restaurants and food, then you’re going to love this! We love eating out at Japanese hibachi restaurants but recently learned how to make an easy Instant Pot version and we’re hooked! I mean, it’s much cheaper to make this at home.
This is the closest version of hibachi-style cooking that you can get at home using the Instant Pot. We have tested this recipe so many times, and below we are sharing it with you. Please remember that this is a pressure cooker version that we find so easy and convenient, and if you don’t think that pressure cooking something like this is a good idea then please stick to cooking this in a wok, or even better, go to the restaurant and enjoy the show too!
What Is Hibachi Steak?
The word hibachi is Japanese and translates to “Firepit”, it refers to both the grill that is used and to the dish
Instant Pot Hibachi Steak Recipe
This dish is probably one of the easiest IP dishes ever! It takes under 30 minutes to make from start to finish.
Tools and Ingredients Needed
- An Instant Pot. I have this Instant Pot, it’s my favorite!
- I love these stainless steel measuring cups and use them every time I cook, as well as those measuring spoons.
- A sharp knife to cube the steak, this is the one that I use and LOVE SO MUCH!
- Soy sauce, use low sodium soy sauce as otherwise, your sauce might end up being too salty. For gluten-free, use tamari sauce instead.
- White vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Corn starch.
- Sesame seeds.
- Meat – choose an inexpensive cut of meat, but definitely not stew meat. We usually use flank steak.
All of the ingredients that are needed are listed in the recipe card below (Scroll down to find it).
How to Make Instant Pot Hibachi Steak
Step 1.
Press on SAUTE on your Instant Pot, when a HOT message appears, add the vegetable oil, along with sesame oil. Sear the meat in the Instant Pot until it’s brown (but not necessarily cooked through as it will be pressure cooked later), and season it with salt and pepper.
Please don’t skip this step, as browning the meat gives it a better flavor, color, and the meat will give liquids that will be evaporated as it browns (so you don’t end up with too much liquid after pressure cooking). Also, adding the sesame oil at this stage is important as it infuses the meat, and will give you that restaurant-style flavor that you’re after.
Step 2.
Add minced ginger and garlic to the pot, stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Press on CANCEL then add the onions and mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, give everything a quick mix.
Step 3.
Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure.
4 minutes should be enough as the meat was half-cooked when it was seared. However, if you’re using a tougher meat cut (we used flank), then you can increase the cooking time to 6 minutes or longer. But please note that the onion might disappear in that case as it will be overcooked.
The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam and carefully open the pot.
I’m aware that many think that a natural release is a must when cooking meat, but I find that completely unnecessary when cooking recipes like this one. I have tested and retested this recipe so many times, and a quick release is what has always worked for me.
Step 4.
Now you will thicken the sauce by adding 1 tbsp of cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp of water. Press on SAUTE and add the corn starch slurry to the sauce once the sauce is boiling. Mix with a wooden spoon until the sauce has thickened.
Step 5.
Press on CANCEL, and add in the sliced zucchini. I have added raw zucchini, but feel free to steam or cook it in a wok beforehand.
Cover with the lid and let the zucchini “steam” for 5 minutes”. If your zucchini is precooked, then skip this step and just add it straight in.
Serve over Instant Pot white rice, or Instant Pot brown rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
Video Tutorial
What Kind of Meat to Use for the Instant Pot Hibachi Steak?
I recommend getting an inexpensive piece of meat that does not take long to cook. I personally like to use flank and it worked very well for this recipe.
Buy a couple of pieces, and cube them at home using a sharp knife. You could save time and buy pre-sliced steak, but it’s going to be more expensive.
How to Thicken the Sauce Further? (If Needed)
If after thickening the sauce as instructed above you still feel like your sauce is a bit too thin, just mix 1-2 teaspoons of corn starch with 1-2 teaspoons of water for the slurry. Add it on SAUTE for a minute or 2 to thicken it.
If you have no corn starch available, then just add flour slurry or roux to thicken the sauce.
Serve With Homemade Yum Yum Sauce!
Now comes my favorite part, the Yum yum sauce! It’s the pale orange sauce that you see in Hibachi restaurants, and it’s so easy to make at home. Here’s my recipe. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this one!
Also, make sure to check out my ginger sauce, it’s the one that you get at hibachi places like Benihana 😁
NOTE: This recipe first appeared on Little Sunny Kitchen in June 2019, as a dump and start recipe. We decided to improve our recipe to make it as close as possible to restaurant-style hibachi cooking, to get better flavors and improve the texture. Here’s what we have changed:
- We decided that the “dump and start” method isn’t the best for this recipe, so we seared the meat first and then pressure cooked it.
- We left out the zucchini as many reported that it turned into mush. And we just added it after pressure cooking.
- We added sesame oil as it adds a lot to the flavor, and decided that the sugar was not necessary.
- Initially, we thought that slicing the onion into half-moons was a good idea, but we tested this with onion quarters and got better results.
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More Great Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot sesame chicken
- Instant Pot hibachi chicken
- Instant Pot hibachi shrimp
- Instant Pot shrimp and broccoli
- Instant Pot beef and broccoli
- Instant Pot Tuscan chicken
Or check out my Instant Pot recipe collection!
I don’t feel like I say this often enough, or that I could ever thank you enough. But THANK YOU for all of your support, for visiting my blog, commenting, and sharing my recipes with your friends and family. I am SO thankful for you!
If you make this recipe or any of my recipes, then don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below. I would LOVE to hear about your experience and your comments just make my day!
I hope that you love every recipe that you make! – Diana x
Instant Pot Hibachi Steak
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 pound (450 grams) beef steak
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 onion quartered
- 4 chestnut mushrooms sliced
- 1 zucchini sliced in rounds then halved
To Garnish:
- green onion chopped
- sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Press on SAUTE on your Instant Pot, when a HOT message appears add the vegetable oil, along with sesame oil. Sear the meat in the Instant Pot until it's brown (but not necessarily cooked through as it will be pressure cooked later), and season it with salt and pepper.
- Add minced ginger and garlic to the pot, and cook for a couple of minutes. Press on CANCEL on the Instant Pot. Then add the onions and mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, give everything a quick mix.
- Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure.
- The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam and carefully open the pot.
- Now you will thicken the sauce by adding 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water. Press on SAUTE and add the corn starch slurry to the sauce once it's boiling. Mix with a wooden spoon until the sauce has thickened. Press on CANCEL, and add in the sliced zucchini. Cover with the lid and let the zucchini "steam" for 5 minutes".
- Serve over Instant Pot white rice, or Instant Pot brown rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion.
Video
Notes
- Cut the meat into bite size cubes.
- If you’re using a tougher cut of meat, you can increase the cooking time by 2 minutes, but note that the onions might disappear in this case.
- Deglaze the pot with a little bit of water if needed after browning the meat (which I didn’t need to do when I tested this recipe).
- If you feel like your sauce is a bit too thin, just add 1-2 teaspoons of corn starch with 1-2 teaspoons of water for the slurry and cook on SAUTE for a minute or 2 to thicken it.
- You can steam the zucchini, or cook it in a wok seperately. Or do what I did, just add it in the pot at the end, cover with the lid and let it sit there to “steam”.
- Feel free to add other vegetables at the end such as steamed broccoli.
- Serve with yum yum sauce, and white rice or brown rice.
- This recipe was tested in a 6 quart Instant Pot. If you’re using an 8 quart, then it might be a good idea to double the recipe.
- The amounts of the ingredients above make 2 portions, so if you’re cooking for more than 2 people then you might want to double or triple the recipe.
Amy
Could I make this with chicken and beef? I saw your hibachi chicken recipe cooks for 3 minutes and the beef 4 minutes. Do you think the chicken will be overcooked if I cook if for 4 minutes?
Diana
I haven’t tried that, Amy, but I suggest slicing the chicken into bigger pieces? It should work.
Amy
This was delicious and my whole family loved it. Thank you!
Diana
Amy, it sounds like you have a new family favorite! 🙂
Tom
Making this tonight for the first time and looking forward to it. I can’t imagine it will be anything less than delicious! One complaint/suggestion: I took the ingredient list with me to the grocery store and bought the few things I didn’t already have. Now that I’m cooking, I notice the cornstarch in the directions that is never mentioned in the ingredient list. Please include all the ingredients in the list! I hope I have some corn starch . Going to check now.
Patrick
Tom – I came to post this myself. All ingredients should be in the list. Glad I did a review for myself before I went to the store. Looks like a outstanding recipe though.
Lisa
If you only have regular soy sauce is there anything you can do to make sure it’s not too salty?
Diana
Hi Lisa, I’ve tested this recipe with regular soy sauce but it was too salty, so perhaps use less soy sauce? Let me know how it turns out.
Chuck
Great recipe. It was requested by my wife. I doubled it so we had left overs. It called for beef steak. That’s leaves it open for interpretation so I used bottom sirloin. Also, we are not fans of zucchini so I used broccoli. I thought the broccoli was a tad under done, wife though it was perfect.
Thanks
Diana
I’m so glad that you and your wife loved this recipe, Chuck! The broccoli is also a great idea. Thank you for the awesome review!
Sara
Super Easy to follow! We used a cheap cut of meat and it was still amazing! Super yummy! I will be keeping this recipe on hand. My husband and littles loves it. Even my picky mom loved it! She usually just likes Latin food! You get her stamp of approval!
Diana
That’s so great! It sounds like your family has a new favorite, Sara!
Emily
I made this meal this past weekend and it was a hit with the family. The family loved the beef and the sauces as well. I ended up adding shrimp and it was delicious with the ginger sauce. This is definitely a dish to try.
Diana
I’m so glad that it was a hit with your family, Emily! The sauces are amazing and a must! Thanks for the lovely review.
Dee
Made this for dinner tonight. Used chicken and added broccoli with the zucchini. Definitely a keeper!!
Diana
HOORAY! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Dee, and I appreciate your leaving a review too!
Cecelia Zandbergen
This is an amazing recipe !! I made it for 18 people I used 2 8 quarts. I more than doubled the veggies and added carrots. The sauce was amazing. I didn’t try the yum yum sauce yet but I definitely will 🤗
Diana
YAY, so happy to hear that Cecelia. Thanks for reporting back and leaving this awesome review!
Katie
I actually doubled the sauce and veggies ingredients because I always love extra sauce and extra veggies. Would also be awesome with broccoli! We loved it and it will now be on our rotation list! Served over brown rice cooked in beef broth and the flavor was fantastic.
Diana
Katie, thank you for sharing this lovely review! It’s always a great idea to double the sauce. I’m glad that the recipe was a winner for you.
Michael Carter
This recipe works as is in the IP Mini. It was delicious, but the rib steak I used was a bit chewy. I think I’ll pre-cook it for a couple of minutes before I add the vegetables next time. I was skeptical about the sparse amount of liquid, but it came up to pressure in the expected amount of time. I served it over jasmine rice to which I added a few drops of sesame oil. I’ll do that again, too.
Nikitha Krishnan
Looks easy and amazing I am going to try it tonight. Please know that using the right soy sauce changes everything. I used to buy kikkoman and regular grocery brand soy sauce, and once i decided to try a premium soy sauce from an Asian grocery store and it changed everything! I did not realize soy sauce has so much flavour and even the regular dishes I made had a nice taste to it .
Megan
Should I add extra liquid if I have an 8 quart IP?
Diana
I would double the recipe. The amounts in my recipe card are quite small (2 servings) so you might want to double anyway 🙂
Jennifer D
I’m fairly new to instant pot and this is definitely going to be one of my go-to’s. It was so so good! I followed the recipe pretty closely. I used a good quality rib eye and sliced the zucchini thick so it wouldn’t get mushy. I also substituted plain white mushrooms. Served it over brown boil in the bag rice.
Tonya
I do prefer it fried but this was very tasty and super easy to make. Thanks for the idea and recipe
Carrie
I added 1 can of beef broth. That was too much. I purchased the griller skewers so I would not have to cut everything up. This saved time, but the majority turned to much. I felt like this recipe was missing some sort of flavor and I can’t quite figure it out.
I will try it again, but attempt some other variations.
Diana
Hi Carrie, the recipe does not call for beef broth so it looks like the flavors were a bit washed out as you added extra liquid. When you try it again, just stick to the soy sauce, and remember that the veggies and the meat will produce more liquid as well which is enough for the IP to come to pressure.
dani
Super good, easy to make, and quick! I added cabbage to the IP because I had some, and it was a good addition. This dish would do well with a lot of other veggies!
julian Rasler
Super good and so easy to make
Jan Brewington
Love it. Didn’t put zucchini in it. And used more soy sauce. Ya need 1 cup of liquid to pressure. When I do it again will try beef broth.
Meredith
If I want to cook two pounds of meat how many minutes would I do
Diana
Keep the cooking time the same (4 minutes).
Natalie
If I double the recipe do I double the cook time?
Diana
Keep the time the same, just double the amounts of the ingredients.
Melanie
New to the IP world but have made several recipes thanks to Pinterest. Slowly building a “favorites” list to make over and over again and this is one of them. Simple recipe list that I’ve already memorized and grab things to make it every time I go grocery shopping. I’ve made it following the recipe as well as adding other veggies and things like water chestnuts and it’s always so good. I always double the recipe and it’s enough for dinner for my husband and I as well as some leftovers for the next day.
Bridget
When do you add the water chestnuts in the process? At the same time as the zucchini?
Diana
Hi Bridget, I added chestnut mushrooms with the onion. Please see step #2 in the recipe card. Enjoy!
Barbara
I was under impression there needs to be a minimum of half cup of liquid in IP and this recipe did not use much liquid. Can you please help me understand why this works. I am a newby to IP.
Diana
The liquids that are used in the recipe are a bit more than half a cup which is enough to get the IP to come to pressure. If you would like to double the recipe, then double the ingredients but keep the cooking time the same. I hope this helps.
Dixie Terrones-Granafo
It was yummy!
Mandie
I tasted the sauce before adding it the instant pot and it was outstanding! However, on 4 mins it took a while to come to pressure and all the liquid from the veggies and meat mixed with the sauce and left it all maybe a little bland to my liking. I WILL make this again! only it will be stovetop as a quick stir-fry. I find some recipes are amazing in the IP and some just don’t make the cut. So if anyone had the same outcome as me, I suggest making it again on the stove to enjoy this amazing recipe 🙂
Tonya
When cooking the steak and veggies do you ever add the rice or do you cook the rice separate?
Diana
Hi Tonya, I cook the rice separately. That’s why I have 3 I|Ps 😁
Lynn
What size instant pot is this recipe based on?
Diana
6 quart!
Brittney Thomas
Do you think I can make this recipe in the crock pot instead?
Diana
I’m sure that you can, but it’s probably better to leave out the zucchini and cook it at the end.
Alaina
Love Love Loved it! I didn’t have the correct cut of beef, so I used a nicely marbled Chuck roast and doubled the recipe. The fresh ginger took it over the top. I cut the zucchini into bigger chunks and cooked for 5 minutes. Perfection!!!
Jan
Could this be frozen after it’s cooked? My mom always told me you couldn’t freeze things with cornstarch.
Thanks
Maridith
I needed to cut the zucchini thicker because there was nothing that resembled at zucchini at the end but the flavor was AMAZING!!! This recipe is a keeper!!!! Thank you!
Carmen
I made this tonight and when I did the quick release liquid started spraying all over. Has this ever happened to anyone before?
Brittany
Yes, lol! My first ever IP experience. I thought I ruined it! Everything turned put to e. Now before I QR, I throw a thin dish towel over the steam release.
Liz
Delicious! Whole family loved it. 😁
Brenda
Do you think this would work with salmon or perhaps chicken? How would the timing change? Thanks.
Diana
We have a hibachi chicken recipe that you can try https://littlesunnykitchen.com/instant-pot-hibachi-chicken/ enjoy!
Leslie Beitel
Tried this!! Flavour fantastic….didn’t look as reduced so I won’t skimp on Veg next time and had to add good extra 2 or 3 tsp of starch. I used sirloin and meat was Very nice. Will make again for sure. Easy meal
Barbara
I would like to use Broccoli, would I need to cook longer?
Diana
I recommend that you steam the broccoli first, and then add it to the steak after thickening the sauce at the end. Here’s how to steam broccoli in the Instant Pot https://littlesunnykitchen.com/instant-pot-broccoli/
Cammi
Can you use flank steak for this or is sirloin better? Thanks!
Diana
I think that it could work but I haven’t tested this recipe using a flank cut. I recommend using more of a tender cut of beef as we’re not cooking this steak for too long. I usually use a top sirloin cut.
Michelle
My daughter loved this, and my husband deemed it the best thing to come out of the IP this year!’
It was so easy, fed three of us well with leftovers, and will be permanently added to the meal rotation!
Do you think it would double ok? Would the cook time have to be adjusted if doubled?
Thank you for a great IP recipe, we all loved it
Diana
Thank you Michelle for your feedback! I’m glad that you and your family enjoyed this hibachi steak!
Do not increase the time when doubling the recipe, the general rule of thumb in pressure cooking is not to adjust the time of cooking when doubling a recipe. As you double the amount of the ingredients though, the pressure cooker will take longer to come to pressure and that means that your veggies might cook for a bit longer, so I would suggest slicing the zucchinis a bit thicker this time. Let me know how that goes! 🙂
Wendy McBride
Diana, what meat did you use in yours? Also wondering if you used white vinegar or Apple Cider vinegar when you made it? Thanks
Wendy McBride
Michelle, Which meat did you use? And also, did you use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar? I want it to come out great since I don’t have a lot of money to be experimenting with. Thanks!
Kelly
How many servings?
Diana
This recipe uses 1 pound of meat, and the recommended portion of meat per person (when it’s a main) is 1/2 pound (8 ounces). So this serves 2!
Anna
I made it today and it was perfect! Delicious and so easy to make!
Christine
I made this for dinner tonight. So easy to make in the IP. Delicious! Flavors were so good together.