Easy Instant Pot hibachi steak with mushrooms and zucchini cooked in a delicious soy sauce, and served over rice. This easy Instant Pot 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!
This hibachi steak is AMAZING when it’s served with Instant Pot fried rice, and of course, my favorite Japanese steakhouse sauces that I make at home – the super creamy yum yum sauce and my homemade ginger sauce! And if you love sweet and sour sauce, which you won’t typically find at a hibachi restaurant, but I love it. Here’s my homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe. Enjoy!
You can also make chicken and shrimp versions, find my Instant Pot chicken hibachi recipe here, and my Instant Pot hibachi shrimp recipe here.
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 trim the fat, and cut the steak into bite-sized pieces, 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.
- Cornstarch.
- Sesame seeds.
- Meat – choose an inexpensive cut of meat, but definitely not stew meat. We usually use flank steak.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
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, water, 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.
Recipe Video
While this recipe is easy to make, it always helps to watch a quick video. Give it a watch below!
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 cut 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!
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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!
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I hope that you love every recipe that you make! – Diana x
Instant Pot Hibachi Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 pound (450 grams) beef steak fat trimmed then cut into bite-sized pieces, against the grain – I used flank
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 yellow onion quartered
- 4 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, water, 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
- 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 separately. 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, ginger 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.
Laura Robinson
If doubling the recipe is time doubled as well?
Diana
Keep the cooking time the same. Enjoy!
Crystal
When do you add the meat back to the pot?
Diana
You don’t have to remove it to thicken the sauce, but if you do, just put it back in after thickening the sauce.
Alyssa
Quick and easy recipe to follow! The meat was tender and it made for great leftovers!
Terry
You say can use chicken, would the cooking time change?
Diana
Hi Terry, here’s the link to the chicken version https://littlesunnykitchen.com/instant-pot-hibachi-chicken/
Terri Hatch
Made this today for lunch, so quick and easy and so much tastier than takeout! Subbed pineapple for the zucchini and it was a big hit with my husband. Thanks for the recipe Diana!
Lauren
You say to have a knife to cube the meat but you never say when to cube the meat….
Diana
Hi Lauren, cut the beef into cubes/bite-sized pieces as you do the prep before cooking. Enjoy!
Stephanie
I don’t have any zucchini but I have peppers. Do you know if I should steam them or cook them with the steak and mushrooms?
Diana
I would just add them to the pot at the end after pressure cooking, cover with the lid and let them sit there for a few minutes. They will soften a little but won’t lose their crunch. Enjoy!