This Yard House steak bowl recipe is my take on the restaurant-style bowl with juicy grilled steak, sesame brown rice, red quinoa, and lightly cooked vegetables.
The part I like most is the contrast. You get savory steak, nutty grains, tender vegetables, and a little heat from red pepper flakes in the same bite.
This is a copycat-style home recipe, not Yard House’s proprietary recipe. The ingredient combination is based on the steak bowl described in Yard House menu materials, then adapted into a practical recipe for a home kitchen.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Why You’ll Like This Yard House Steak Bowl
The bowl looks like a lot of work when it arrives at a restaurant, but the individual parts are actually simple.
You are basically making three things:
- A well-seasoned steak
- Sesame brown rice with red quinoa
- Quick-cooked vegetables
Once those are ready, everything goes into the bowl.
The biggest difference between an okay bowl and a really good one is the steak. Get a good sear, let it rest, and slice it against the grain.
What Is in a Yard House Steak Bowl?
Yard House menu materials describe the steak bowl with grilled sirloin, stir-fried sesame brown rice and red quinoa, shiitake mushrooms, snap peas, bok choy, carrots, red onion, asparagus or baby broccoli, and red pepper flakes, depending on the menu version.
For this homemade version, I keep that basic combination while making the ingredient list easier to shop for.
For the steak
- 1 to 1½ pounds sirloin steak
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
For the rice and quinoa
- 1½ cups cooked brown rice
- ¾ cup cooked red quinoa
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
For the vegetables
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup snap peas
- 1 cup baby bok choy, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
- ½ small red onion, sliced
- 1 cup baby broccoli or asparagus
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For finishing
- Sliced green onions
- Sesame seeds
- Lime wedges, optional
- Extra soy sauce, if needed
What Kind of Steak Is Best?
Sirloin is the easiest choice for a homemade yard house steak bowl.
It has enough beefy flavor for the bowl without being excessively fatty, and it cooks quickly when cut into strips.
Flank steak also works.
If using flank steak, slice it against the grain after cooking. You can use a more expensive cut, but I do not think you need one for this recipe.
One thing that matters more than the cut
Do not slice the steak into paper-thin pieces before cooking.
You want enough surface area to brown while keeping the inside tender.
For a skillet version, I prefer cooking the steak as larger pieces first, letting it rest, and then slicing it.
That gives you a much better crust.
How to Make Yard House Steak Bowl
1. Prepare the rice and quinoa
Cook the brown rice and red quinoa according to their package directions.
Once cooked, combine them and gently fluff with a fork.
Stir in the sesame oil and soy sauce.
Do not add too much soy sauce here. The steak and vegetables will bring additional seasoning.
Keep the mixture warm.
2. Season the steak
Pat the steak dry with paper towels.
Mix the soy sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes.
Rub the mixture over the steak.
Let it sit for about 15 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.
You do not need an overnight marinade for this bowl.
3. Get the pan hot
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add a little cooking oil.
The pan should be hot before the steak goes in.
Place the steak in the pan and leave it alone for a few minutes. Constantly moving it around makes it harder to build a good brown crust.
Cook until browned on both sides and cooked to your preferred doneness.
For food safety, use a thermometer and follow USDA guidance for the appropriate safe internal temperature for your steak.
4. Let the steak rest
This small step is easy to skip when you are hungry.
Do not.
Move the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
Then slice it against the grain.
If you cut immediately, more of the juices can end up on the cutting board instead of in the steak.
5. Stir-Fry the Vegetables
Use the same skillet if it is not too dirty.
Add a little oil.
Start with the onion, carrot, and mushrooms because they need a little more time.
After a couple of minutes, add the snap peas, bok choy, and baby broccoli or asparagus.
Cook until the vegetables are tender but still have some bite.
Add the red pepper flakes near the end.
I would not cook the vegetables until they are completely soft. The slight crunch is one of the things that makes this bowl more enjoyable.
6. Put the Bowl Together
Now comes the easy part.
Add the warm sesame brown rice and quinoa to each bowl.
Top with the vegetables.
Add slices of steak.
Finish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Add a small squeeze of lime if you like a brighter flavor.
Taste before adding more soy sauce.
You already have seasoning in the rice, steak, and vegetables.
The Best Ratio for a Steak Bowl
If your bowl ends up being all steak and barely any vegetables, it can feel heavy.
A simple starting point is:
| Component | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Cooked rice + quinoa | About ¾–1 cup |
| Cooked steak | About 4 oz |
| Vegetables | 1–1½ cups |
| Sauce/seasoning | Add gradually |
You can adjust these amounts depending on your appetite.
How to Get Better Flavor From the Steak
There are three things I would focus on.
Dry the steak first
Wet steak tends to steam before it browns.
Pat it dry before seasoning.
Use a hot pan
A properly heated pan helps develop the browned exterior that gives the steak more flavor.
Do not crowd the pan
If you are cooking several steaks or a large amount of sliced beef, work in batches.
A crowded pan loses heat quickly.
Why Brown Rice and Red Quinoa Work So Well
The rice and quinoa are not just there to fill the bowl.
Brown rice gives you a slightly chewy, nutty base.
Red quinoa adds another texture and makes the bowl more interesting than plain white rice.
The combination also holds up well underneath the steak and vegetables.
If you do not have red quinoa, regular quinoa works.
If you only have brown rice, you can make the bowl with brown rice alone.
Yard House Steak Bowl Recipe With Rice
For a yard house steak bowl recipe with rice, brown rice is the closest starting point to the menu description used in Yard House materials.
You can also use:
- White rice
- Jasmine rice
- Brown rice
- Brown rice + quinoa
- Cauliflower rice
Jasmine rice gives you a softer and lighter bowl.
Brown rice gives more chew.
The rice choice is really about texture and what you already have in your kitchen.
What Sauce Goes With a Yard House Steak Bowl?
The menu description identifies the main bowl components but does not provide a public proprietary sauce recipe.
For a home version, I prefer keeping the sauce simple instead of trying to invent an “official” sauce.
Quick savory sauce
Mix:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon grated garlic
Taste it before adding it to the bowl.
If it is too salty, add a little more water or lime.
If you want sweetness, add a tiny bit more honey.
If you want heat, add chili garlic sauce.
Yard House Steak Bowl: My Best Shortcut
If you are making this on a busy weeknight, cook the rice and quinoa earlier.
You can also slice the vegetables ahead of time.
Then dinner becomes:
Heat grains → cook steak → stir-fry vegetables → assemble.
That cuts out most of the waiting.
Can I Make the Steak Bowl With Chicken?
Yes.
A yard house chicken bowl recipe can use almost the same vegetables and grain base.
Swap the steak for boneless chicken breast or chicken thighs.
I prefer thighs when I want a little more room for error because they tend to stay juicy.
For chicken breast, cut the pieces evenly and cook until they reach a safe internal temperature.
The same sesame rice, vegetables, and sauce work well with chicken.
Can I Make a Shrimp Bowl?
Yes.
A shrimp variation is even quicker because shrimp cooks in just a few minutes.
For a shrimp bowl:
- Season peeled shrimp with garlic, pepper, and a little soy sauce.
- Heat a skillet with a small amount of oil.
- Cook until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through.
- Serve over the same rice and vegetable mixture.
Yard House menu materials have also listed a shrimp bowl alongside the steak and chicken bowls, although menu offerings can change over time and by location.
Yard House Poke Nachos Recipe
If you came here looking for a yard house poke nachos recipe, that is a different dish from the steak bowl.
Yard House menu material has described Poke Nachos with marinated raw ahi, crispy wontons, avocado, serranos, white truffle sauce, sweet soy ginger sauce, sriracha aioli, cilantro, green onions, nori, and sesame seeds.
I would not mix those ingredients into the steak bowl.
Instead, treat poke nachos as a separate copycat recipe built around crispy wontons, ahi, creamy sauce, and fresh toppings.
Can I Meal Prep This Bowl?
Yes, and this recipe works particularly well for meal prep.
Store the components separately when possible.
Keep:
- Steak
- Rice and quinoa
- Cooked vegetables
- Sauce
- Fresh toppings
in separate containers.
Add the fresh toppings after reheating.
If you prepare several portions, I would slightly undercook the vegetables so they do not become too soft after reheating.
How Long Does Steak Bowl Last in the Refrigerator?
For food safety, refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly in shallow containers and keep your refrigerator at 40°F / 4°C or below.
Use refrigerated leftovers within the timeframe recommended by USDA food-safety guidance, rather than keeping them for an extended period.
For the best texture, store the steak, grains, and vegetables separately.
Yard House Steak Bowl Nutrition
Do not automatically use the calorie number from an old Yard House menu as the nutrition value for this homemade recipe.
Yard House’s official nutrition page provides current nutrition and allergen information, and the restaurant notes that menu information can vary.
Your homemade bowl will also change depending on:
- Steak quantity
- Rice quantity
- Cooking oil
- Sauce
- Vegetable portion
- Toppings
If you want an accurate number for your version, calculate the ingredients you actually use.
Easy Ingredient Swaps
You do not need to make a special grocery trip for every ingredient.
| Original | Easy substitute |
|---|---|
| Sirloin | Flank steak |
| Red quinoa | Regular quinoa |
| Shiitake | Cremini mushrooms |
| Snap peas | Snow peas |
| Bok choy | Baby spinach |
| Baby broccoli | Broccoli florets |
| Asparagus | Green beans |
| Brown rice | Jasmine or white rice |
The texture will change slightly, but the bowl will still work.
5 Mistakes That Can Ruin the Bowl
1. Wet steak
Pat it dry before cooking.
2. Cold pan
Give the skillet time to heat.
3. Too many vegetables at once
Overcrowding makes them release water and steam.
4. Too much sauce
Start small.
You can always add more.
5. Cutting steak immediately
Give it a few minutes to rest first.
How I Would Serve It
I like this bowl warm rather than piping hot.
The rice should be warm, the vegetables should still have some bite, and the steak should have a browned outside with a juicy center.
Then I add green onions and sesame seeds right before eating.
A little lime at the end is optional, but it helps cut through the savory flavors.
Yard House Steak Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cook the rice and quinoa: Prepare the brown rice and red quinoa separately according to their package directions. Keep both warm.
- Season the steak: Pat the sirloin dry, then coat it with soy sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Cook the steak: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak and cook until browned and done to your preferred level. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice it thinly against the grain.
- Stir-fry the vegetables: Add oil to the same skillet. Cook the mushrooms, snap peas, bok choy, carrot, red onion, and baby broccoli or asparagus for 5–7 minutes. Keep the vegetables slightly crisp.
- Make the sauce: Whisk together soy sauce, water, sesame oil, lime juice, honey, and grated garlic until smooth.
- Build the bowl: Add warm brown rice and red quinoa to each bowl. Top with the cooked vegetables and sliced steak.
- Finish and serve: Drizzle over the sauce and add green onions, sesame seeds, and a squeeze of fresh lime. Serve warm.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in the steak bowl at Yard House?
Yard House menu materials have described the steak bowl with grilled sirloin, stir-fried sesame brown rice and red quinoa, mushrooms, snap peas, bok choy, carrots, red onion, and additional vegetables such as asparagus or baby broccoli, finished with red pepper flakes. Menu versions can change, so check the current menu for your location.
What are the ingredients in a steak bowl?
A basic steak bowl needs four things: steak, a grain base, vegetables, and seasoning or sauce.
For this steak bowl Yard House copycat, that means sirloin, brown rice, red quinoa, mushrooms, snap peas, bok choy, carrots, onion, and a savory seasoning mixture.
What kind of steak sauce does Yard House use?
The exact proprietary sauce recipe is not provided in the menu information I found.
For this copycat version, a simple soy, sesame, garlic, lime, and honey sauce gives the bowl a savory and slightly tangy finish without claiming to reproduce a proprietary restaurant sauce.
How to make Yard House steak sauce?
For a quick homemade version, mix:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon grated garlic
Add chili sauce if you want heat.
Can I make a Yard House steak bowl without quinoa?
Yes.
Use brown rice alone.
The quinoa adds texture, but it is not essential to making a good homemade bowl.
Can I use white rice?
Yes.
Brown rice and red quinoa give a nuttier texture, but white or jasmine rice works if that is what you have.
Is this the official Yard House steak bowl recipe?
No.
This is a copycat-style homemade recipe based on the ingredient combination described in Yard House menu materials. It is adapted for normal home cooking rather than presented as the restaurant’s proprietary recipe.
What is the difference between the Yard House chicken bowl and steak bowl?
The main difference is the protein.
The same general grain-and-vegetable approach can be used for both, but chicken requires different cooking time and handling than steak.
Can I make this recipe spicy?
Yes.
Add red pepper flakes while cooking the vegetables, or finish the bowl with chili garlic sauce or sliced jalapeño.
Start with a small amount because the other ingredients are fairly savory already.
Final Thoughts
This yard house steak bowl recipe works because you do not need to overcomplicate it.
Get a good sear on the steak.
Keep some bite in the vegetables.
Use a nutty rice-and-quinoa base.
Then add just enough sauce to bring everything together.
That gives you the main character of a yardhouse steak bowl without needing restaurant equipment or a long ingredient list.
And once you have the basic bowl down, it is easy to switch things up. Make a yard house chicken bowl recipe, try shrimp, use white rice instead of brown rice, or add more vegetables.
The recipe is flexible.
The technique is what makes it work.