Easy Mongolian Beef - easy restaurant takeout copycat dish that takes only 20 minutes to make! Flavorful beef in sauce, served with steamed broccoli, rice bowl style.
Asian dishes are our favorite. This dish is always a hit, just like the Easy Sesame Chicken and 10-Minute Teriyaki Shrimp.
If you are having a busy schedule ( filled with work or fun adventures) and you are tired of chicken dinners, I have just the recipe for you! Quick and easy Mongolian Beef with broccoli served as a rice bowl. Crazy good! Thanks to my tips, you will make the best Mongolian beef at home in just 20 minutes. This Mongolian Beef is sweet with a slight kick (totally optional but recommended) and served with steamed broccoli florets and our perfect fluffy rice.
Ingredients (your shopping list):
- 1 lb beef
- salt and pepper
- cornstarch
- olive oil
- light brown sugar
- low-sodium soy sauce
- garlic cloves
- sweet chili sauce, optional
- ground ginger
How to make it?
- Cook rice and steam veggies.
- Heat up olive oil in a skillet.
- Toss the beef with cornstarch, salt and pepper, mix all sauce ingredients together, cook the beef, add sauce and cook until thick.
- Serve with rice and broccoli and enjoy! So quick and easy! You can even mix the sauce mixture ahead of time. I also always have a bag of broccoli that I can pop into a microwave and steam in just 3 minutes.
Expert tips:
- beef: I highly recommend using very thinly sliced beef. At least ¼" thin but if you can get ⅛" thin - that would be the best. The thinner the beef, the more tender it will be. The last thing you want is chewy meat here.
- sauce: I recommend low-sodium soy sauce since some of them can be very salty.
- rice: follow my Perfect Fluffy Rice recipe to make the best rice without a rice cooker. If you have the Instant Pot, follow my Fluffy Instant Pot Rice recipe.
- veggies: I use steamed broccoli to serve with Mongolian beef but you can use any vegetable or a mix you like.
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What is the sauce made of?
The sauce for this dish is made with brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sweet chili sauce, cornstarch and ground ginger. You can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Add to cooked meat, heat up and serve.
What beef is best for this dish?
I recommend sirloin steak of flank steak. They are tender, especially sliced thin.
More Asian takeout recipes:
For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Asian Category.
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Easy Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef sirloin or flank steak, sliced at least ¼" thin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce optional, adds heat
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Make the sauce mixture, by whisking the following in a measuring cup: soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, sweet chili sauce, ginger and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat up oil in a large pan. Toss beef with salt, pepper and cornstarch. Add half beef to pan and cook 1 minute per side, just until almost done. It will finish cooking with sauce. Remove onto a plate, repeat with second part of beef. Add more oil to pan if needed. When the second batch is done, add the first one and the sauce. Mix well. Stirring often, cook until the sauce thickens.
- Serve with cooked rice and steamed broccoli. Garnish with chopped green onions.
Notes
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on February 27th, 2017 and updated on October 24th, 2019.
Janet says
My husband and I enjoyed this for dinner tonight. I doubled the sauce but it wasn't necessary to do so and I probably won't do that again. The only ingredient change I would make is to cut down on the sugar as I thought it was too sweet with the sweet chili sauce. I highly recommend the fluffy rice recipe. It's PERFECT!
Kodi says
Holy smokes this recipe is delicious!! I made it exactly as instructed except I doubled the recipie because my husband is a HEARTY eater! I'm sitting in front of my empty plate right now super impressed. The sauce to meat ratio was perfect. It was spicy and sweet and hit the spot just right. This is definitely going into my regular dinner rotation. If you're reading this and considering giving it a try, MAKE IT! You won't regret it!
Maret says
Delicious and lives up to its name: QUICK and easy!!! I used sirloin steak which I put in the freezer for a little while to "harden" so it would slice thin easily. I cut a head of broccoli into florets and sliced stems and microwaved until tender. I did not change the recipe. I only used 1 Tbsp of the optional sweet chili sauce since I tend to be sensitive to heat, but I think I'll try 2 Tbsp next time. And there will be a next time! I also plan to add more vegetables like 1 red bell pepper, and some grated carrots. I found the amount of sauce to be just right. Thank you for a great recipe!
Lisa G. says
This looks so good, you take beautiful food photos! I can't wait to try this recipe.
Can you tell me what cut of beef that you recommend for this?
Sandi G says
This is a great dinner idea for a busy weeknight.
Melanie says
Love how quick, easy and delicious these bowls look - and the lighting on your photos is perfect!
katerina says
What an amazing meal! Perfect for weeknights!!
Sabrina says
This is my most frequently ordered fast-food asian dish! Thank you for sharing so I can recreate it at home!
Erin says
Yummmmm! I love that this is a quick recipe and that you made it into a bowl. I'll take one!
Stephanie says
20 minute meals are the best!!! Looks so good!
Erren says
This looks so good, wish I was having this tonight!