We’re so excited to share our Mongolian Beef Recipe with you all! The first time I had the dish was P.F. Changs Mongolian Beef and I immediately fell in love. The tender beef coated in a sweet and savory sauce was absolutely delicious! Our version is very similar in flavor and texture to their version in the best way! This Chinese takeout inspired dish also couldn’t be easier (and a bit healthier) to make at home and is one of our top, family loved recipes on our entire site!
Our Mongolian beef is incredibly quick and easy to make. In fact, it can be made in under 30 minutes making it a perfect weeknight dinner! Serve it with a little steamed rice and broccoli and you have a quick, delicious and flavor packed complete meal! We love making a double batch so we have plenty of leftovers to enjoy the next day.
What is Mongolian Beef?
Mongolian beef is a popular stir-fry beef dish, made in a wok, served in Chinese restaurants. It was created in Taiwan, during the 1950’s, when Chinese BBQ was becoming a trendy cuisine. Its most notable trait is the tenderized slices of beef simmered together in a sweet and savory sauce.
The name of the dish refers to Mongolian barbecue style of cooking, which is quick and over high heat. The dish itself isn’t actually associated with Mongolian cuisine.
How to Make Our Mongolian Beef Recipe
Ingredients
Process
- Slice steak into 1/4″ thick piece, against the grain and season with salt and pepper.
- Toss steak pieces in cornstarch until fully and evenly coated. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add some oil. Sauté the ginger and garlic until fragrant.
- Add soy sauce, water and sugar and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves. Pour sauce into a measuring cup and set aside.
- Place skillet back over heat and add more oil. Add steak and sear until evenly browned on both sides.
- Pour sauce back into skillet and stir together with meat. Allow sauce to thicken. Add green onion and continue to simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Serve Mongolian beef over steamed rice. So easy!
Best Cut of Beef to Use for Mongolian Beef
Flank steak is the most traditional cut used for Mongolian beef and a cut we often used to use. It has great flavor, cooks quickly and can get incredibly tender. It’s still a great option to use today!
The reason we use NY strip steaks for our recipe is because NY strip steaks have similar qualities in flavor and cooking speed, but it’s a naturally tender cut and with flank steak getting increasingly popular and pricey, the price per pound are comparable these days.
Prep, Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Prep Ahead
To make sauce ahead, cool sauce and pour into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To make steak ahead, slice steak and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
When ready to cook, toss beef in salt, pepper and cornstarch. Sear coated steak in skillet as written in recipe. Warm the sauce in a saucepan for a few minutes before adding it to the seared meat. This will help to avoid the temperature dropping in the skillet, not allowing for quick and even cooking.
Fully Make Ahead
Make recipe as written and cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, pour entire mixture into a large skillet and simmer over medium-low heat until warmed through, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Freezing
To freeze, cool Mongolian beef completely before transferring into a freezer friendly container. Store in freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, transfer freezer bag to refrigerator and thaw overnight. Pour thawed mixture into a skillet and simmer over medium-low heat until sauce has thickened up and beef has just heated through.
Variations for Our Mongolian Beef Stir Fry
- Incorporate some veggies into the dish! We love adding some bite sized broccoli florets into the mix. Mongolian beef and broccoli is SO good! We also love throwing in a handful of spinach to the dish for added fiber or sliced red peppers for crunch!
- Add some heat with some dried thai chiles, crushed red pepper flakes or a spoonful of chile sauce ( like sriracha or sambal).
- Use chicken instead of beef! Yes, this recipe is called Mongolian beef, but subbing in chicken is such an easy and equally delicious substitute!
- Make it vegetarian friendly by swapping the beef out for cubes of firm tofu or strips of seitan. Gently press excess liquid from the tofu before cutting it into pieces and continue on with the recipe as written!
Tips and Tricks for Mongolian Beef Success
- Coating beef in cornstarch is important because it helps to tenderize the beef. It also helps to thicken the sauce, allowing it to fully coat the beef.
- Flank steak (sliced against the grain) is most commonly used to make Mongolian beef, although any quick cooking beef works great. New York strip steaks are our cut of beef of choice, as flank steak isn’t always found at all grocery stores and New York strip steak generally is readily available Flank steak has also gotten quite expensive in the last 5 years or so and prices are now similar between cuts. Both flank steak and NY strip steaks work really well for this recipe and we recommending whichever you’re able to find and prefer.
- Sear the sliced beef in batches to avoid overcrowding in the pan. This will allow the beef to sear properly and prevent the slices from steaming.
Can This be Made in an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker?
Yes, you can definitely make Instant Pot Mongolian Beef, but we really don’t think there’s a need to do so unless you don’t have access to a stovetop. Our recipe is so quick and easy that it will actually take longer setting up your instant pot, cooking it and waiting for the steam function to complete, then it will be just making on the stove in a pan!
We do not recommend making this dish in a slow cooker. As we mentioned above, this recipe is too quick and easy to need extra equipment (that’s meant to make things easier). The texture of the beef can easily go from perfectly tender to mush or very dried out using an instant pot and we don’t think it’s worth the effort of using a slow cooker.
What to Serve with Our Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe
This dish is commonly served with a side steamed rice. We usually like to serve ours over a bed of steamed rice so some of the sauce absorbs into the rice. It’s so good! We also love serving this dish with garlic noodles, chow mein and a side of lightly roasted green beans.
In the U.S. Mongolian beef is also commonly served over a bed of fried cellophane noodles, which adds a light, crisp texture to the overall dish. We opted out of the fried noodle version since frying the noodles would add an extra step and more clean-up in the end, but it is a delicious alternative!
Other Delicious Asian Inspired Recipes You Will Love
Mongolian Beef Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Mongolian beef
- 2 thinly sliced New York Strip Steaks about 1 1/2 pounds
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 green onions sliced into 1 inch pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds optional
Serving suggestion
- steamed rice for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Season sliced steak with salt and pepper. Toss steak in cornstarch until fully and evenly coated. Set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add soy sauce, water and sugar and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes.
- Pour sauce into a liquid measuring cup and set aside.
- Place skillet back over heat and add remaining oil. Add steak and sear until evenly browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Pour sauce back into skillet and stir together with beef. Simmer and allow sauce to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Toss in green onion and continue to cook for 1 more minute until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
- Pour Mongolian beef over steamed rice and serve.
NOTES
- Coating the sliced beef in cornstarch is important because it helps to tenderize the beef. It also helps to thicken the sauce, allowing it to fully coat the beef.
- Flank steak (sliced against the grain) is most commonly used to make Mongolian beef, although any quick cooking beef works great. We use New York strip steaks in our version, as flank steak isn’t always found at all grocery stores and New York strip steaks generally are. Both flank steak and NY strip steaks work really well for this recipe and we recommending whichever you’re able to find and prefer.
- Sear the sliced beef in batches to avoid overcrowding in the pan. This will allow the beef to sear properly and prevent the slices from steaming.
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I usually don’t cook many Asian dishes/recipes because of the number of ingredients, lots of which I never have on hand. But this recipe was simple, easy, AND delicious! It was THE perfect week night meal!
My family loves this dish. It is super tasty and easy to make. Thank you for this recipe!