Mongolian Beef
Mongolian beef is better than take out, quick, easy, and the perfect flavor. This Mongolian beef is going to be a regular in your dinner rotation!
Mongolian beef is one of my family’s absolute favorite meals.
They go crazy for it!
It is easy, delicious, and what I refer to as a take-out fake-out because it tastes as good as mongolian beef take out from my favorite local asian restaurant, but it is made at home!
I also love this Mongolian Beef recipe because I can add all the veggies!
Any veggie that sounds good I just toss in and coat in this sticky, yummy, delicious sauce.
If you love Mongolian Beef, make this a complete meal with these awesome recipes that serve well with egg rolls, fried rice, and a nice fruit salad.
Mongolian Beef really does taste like what you would get at an Asian restaurant, at least the ones where I live. It is really easy.
You can make it fresh, or make it into a freezer meal, and you can add whatever fresh veggies you want.
I like to have some prepped and ready meals in the freezer for nights when I am too swamped to make something, and this one is one of our regulars.
I mix up the sauce, cut up the meat and toss it in the freezer to use later. And my family never complains.
When I make Mongolian Beef for dinner, I usually add in whatever veggies I have.
My favorite are french green beans.
But I have also added broccoli, or just stuck with the green onions.
When I add the green beans, I usually leave the onions out, my kids like it better that way.
Get creative, have fun and try a few variations of your own.
Tools Used to Make Mongolian Beef:
- A wok: Cooking in a wok versus a frying pan will allow the meat to hit the ideal temperature and get those nice crispy edges without overcooking. Something about the shape.
- A sharp knife: Cutting the meat into nice and thin slices is key to get getting those crispy edges, and a fully cooked through meat, which is what makes this soooo yummy. So invest in a quality knife.
What you need to go in Mongolian Beef
- Flank steak: Yes, there are a few other options that will work for this crock pot Mongolian beef. Flank steak is my favorite option but you can also use skirt steak or even hanger steak if you can get your hands on it. You could also use thinly sliced sirloin steak if desired.
- Cornstarch: acts as a binder and helps our soy sauce bind to the meat for more flavorful beef.
- Oil:
- Ginger:
- Garlic:
- Soy sauce: brings the asian flavor in. Low sodium is best.
- Water:
- Dark brown sugar:
- Large green onions:
- Green beans:
How to make Mongolian Beef
There are different variations to making Mongolian Beef and we are loving all the ways.
This way is an Eazy Peazy way that I love and is fastest for me since I have it memorized.
- Cut the meat into thin strips: Use a sharp knife to thinly cut the flank steak or tenderloin into thin strips, bite sized.
- Preparing the meat: Put meat in a large bowl, and coat meat in corn starch, let sit 5 mins.
- Turn stove on to medium-high-heat: Heat 1 Tbs oil in skillet or wok, over medium-high heat, and then add coated meat. Spread the meat out so it cooks evenly, and you get those crispy edges. Cook 3-5 minutes, flipping part way through, or until done to your likeness. Remove meat from pan
- Use an additional 1 TBS oil, add ginger and garlic, stir fry 30 secs
- Marinate beef: Add soy sauce, water, dark brown sugar. Heat until sugar melts, bring to boil.
- Make Sauce: When sauce starts to thicken, add meat back in, let simmer until sauce is thick. (You may need to add a little cornstarch for desired consistency.)
- If adding in extra veggies, like french green beans or broccoli, this is when you add them, and continue cooking until vegetables are tender.
- Combine: Top with green onions.
- Serve hot.
What kind of meat do you use for Mongolian Beef?
- For this Mongolian Beef recipe, my favorite meat cut to use is a flank steak. But I know they can be hard to find, or are often a little expensive. So when I am in a pinch, or my local grocer doesn’t have flank, I will also use sirloin. It works great.
- The key to this recipe is using the saute function to both brown the meat when you first put it in, and to thicken up the sauce at the end. I prefer my Mongolian beef a bit crispy, so if I am not in a hurry, I will saute it in batches. But honestly, it is very good even if you cook it all at the same time.
- Cutting the steak thin is also going to help make it super tender, and absolutely flavorful. You are going to need a good knife to get the nice, thin, amazing, tender beef.
What vegetables do you serve with Mongolian Beef?
One of my favorite parts of Mongolian beef is that it is delicious with all kinds of different vegetables.
I particularly love serving it with broccoli, or green beans.
But it is also good with asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and really any other green vegetable, or any colored vegetable.
The only veggie I don’t like it with is eggplant. Not a good combo.
Variations of Mongolian Beef:
There are a few different ways to make Mongolian Beef. The good thing about all of them is they are all Eazy Peazy to make!
We love crockpot meals and this Mongolian Beef meatballs (crockpot and instant pot) is a favorite. Throw it all in and let the crockpot or instant do all the work.
This Mongolian Beef Meatball recipe is a great meal or appetizer for when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare, which to be honest can feel like most nights.
Instant pot Mongolian Beef is quick and easy and prepares itself for you. You will never guess so much flavor could be packed into just 20 minutes of cooking time.
This is a super easy to make recipe that beats take-out!
Tips for making Mongolian Beef:
- Toss the beef with cornstarch before cooking. This is known as velveting and creates the most tender meat.
- Choose a type of beef that is intended for quick cooking such as flank steak or sirloin. More expensive cuts (such as filet) can also be used and can be made to feed more with extra veggies (Avoid tougher beef like stewing meat).
- Always cut beef across the grain and slice thinly.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan, cook in small batches as needed. Overcrowding the pan can cause the beef to steam rather than sear.
- Remember to batch-cook the meat in small enough proportions to become crisp and tender, instead of soggy and chewy.
- When combining cooked-meat sweetness and sauce-to-meat ratio, adjust sweetness and sauciness to personal preference.
- Adjust quantities and ratios of chives and green onions to personal preference. I like em loaded on, but that is my preference.
- Optional: Add thinly sliced or match-sticked veggies to extend a meat dish in a healthful way. Add directly to the sauce portion of the recipe that follows, before reducing it to a thick sauce. Do everything else according to the recipe instructions, adjusting sauce cooking time to preferred veggie tenderness.
- To enhance your P.F. Chang’s DIY dinner occasions, check out these super fun and affordable chop sticks.
- To make your slicing of beef so easy, try this world-class Wusthof Pro Cook’s Knifefor under $30.
WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH MONGOLIAN BEEF?
Mongolian Beef is wonderfully flavorful so it pairs nicely with plain white or brown rice, quinoa and even cauliflower or zucchini rice. It is also good with different Asian Noodles such as rice noodles.
If you’re looking for a more elaborate Chinese feast, this Mongolian Beef pairs nicely with with Wontons, Asian Salad, Potstickers, Wonton Soup and Chinese Chicken Egg Rolls.
CAN YOU FREEZE MONGOLIAN BEEF?
Yes, Mongolian Beef freezes very well, except for the bell peppers. If using bell peppers, you may want to pick them out or they will get mushy. Also, take care not to overcook the beef or it won’t be as tender when reheated.
To freeze, let Mongolian Beef cool completely in the refrigerator. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let Mongolian Beef defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
If you love these quick cook type meals, or want an Asian flare try these fun options:
- Beef and Broccoli
- Asian Lemon Chicken
- Orange Chicken
- Sticky Chicken Bites
- Shrimp and Veggie Egg Rolls
- Green Fried Rice with Prawns
Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak or thin sliced tenderloin
- 1/4 c cornstarch
- 2 Tbs oil divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic chopped
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large green onions chopped
- *Green Beans fresh
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to thinly cut the flank steak or tenderloin into thin strips, bite sized.
- Put meat in a large bowl, and coat meat in corn starch, let sit 5 mins.
- Heat 1 Tbs oil in skillet or wok, over medium-high heat, and then add coated meat.
- Spread the meat out so it cooks evenly, and you get those crispy edges
- Cook 3-5 minutes, flipping part way through, or until done to your likeness.
- Remove meat from pan
- Use an additional 1 TBS oil, add ginger and garlic, stir fry 30 secs
- Add soy sauce, water, dark brown sugar. Heat until sugar melts, bring to boil.
- When sauce starts to thicken, add meat back in, let simmer until sauce is thick. (You may need to add a little cornstarch for desired consistency.)
- If adding in extra veggies, like french green beans or broccoli, this is when you add them, and continue cooking until vegetables are tender.
- Top with green onions.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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