This Broccoli Beef Recipe is a dead ringer for the beef and broccoli stir fry at your favorite Asian takeout joint, and clocking in at 30 minutes from start to finish, it might just be faster than ordering out!
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Beef and Broccoli Recipe
- Takeout at Home. I love reinventing takeout classics for the home cook, whether it’s Kung Pao Chicken, Bang Bang Shrimp, or this broccoli beef recipe. When you DIY it instead of ordering out, you can customize everything to your tastes and it’s probably going to come out healthier too. Win!
- 30-Minute Dinner. This is a recipe full of pantry and fridge staples and, like most stir fry recipes, it comes together quickly (like my Ground Beef Stir Fry). Once you prep all the ingredients, you’re looking at just 10 minutes of cooking. (For more easy takes on this recipe, try my Crockpot Beef and Broccoli and Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli.)
- Delicious and Satisfying. This broccoli beef recipe is full of rich, savory flavors, keeps me full for hours, and the leftovers are something you’ll look forward to eating the next day.
How to Make Broccoli Beef
The Ingredients
For the Sauce
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce. Or use tamari for a gluten-free alternative.
- Brown Sugar. You can use light or dark for this recipe. Dark brown sugar has a little more sassy molasses flavor.
- Garlic and Ginger. The classic duo for building flavor in a stir fry recipe.
For the Beef and Broccoli
- Beef Sirloin. This recipe uses sirloin, which is a lean and tender cut of beef.
- Sesame Oil. Toasted sesame oil has a nutty flavor that’s scrumptious in this broccoli beef recipe.
- Broccoli. The co-star of this dinner! I usually buy crowns when that’s all I need for a recipe, but if your broccoli has stems too, you can rice them for another meal or use them for making Broccoli Cauliflower Soup.
- Green Onions. For mild onion flavor.
- Red Pepper Flakes. Adjust the amount to your family’s preferences, or just let everyone add their own if no one can agree.
- Sesame Seeds and Cilantro. For garnish.
The Directions
- Start the Sauce. Whisk together the ingredients until the sugar dissolves.
- Cook the Aromatics. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the garlic and ginger until fragrant.
- Finish the Sauce. Pour in the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Prep the Beef. Slice the sirloin, then toss it with the sesame oil and cornstarch. Marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Cook the Beef. Stir fry the beef in a tablespoon of canola oil until it’s cooked through. Stir a teaspoon of cornstarch into the sauce while the beef cooks, then transfer the beef to a plate.
- Stir Fry the Broccoli. Add the rest of the canola oil to the skillet. Stir in the broccoli, then pour in the water. Cook until tender-crisp.
- Finish. Add the beef and juices to the skillet, then pour in the sauce. Reduce heat to low; stir for a minute, then add the salt, green onions, and red pepper flakes. Remove from heat and season to taste. Serve this broccoli beef recipe over rice with sesame seeds and cilantro, if desired, and ENJOY!
What to Serve with Broccoli Beef
- Rice. I love serving this beef and broccoli recipe over Instant Pot Brown Rice, but white rice is equally delish.
- Fried Rice. Cauliflower Fried Rice or Easy Egg Fried Rice give you takeout vibes at home.
- Quinoa. Quinoa is a great way to add a little extra protein to your meal.
- Salad. Pair this recipe with an Asian-inspired salad like Asian Cucumber Salad or Asian Cabbage Salad.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Cut the Sirloin Across the Grain. This will help make the beef more tender. If you’re not sure what this means, you should see lines running through the beef; you want to cut perpendicular to those lines.
- Yes, You Can Use Frozen Broccoli. If you don’t have fresh broccoli on hand, frozen will work—it will be a little softer, though. I recommend using bigger florets and not chopped broccoli.
- Have Your Ingredients Ready to Go. Stir fries move fast, so it’s important to have all your ingredients prepped and close by before starting.
- Whisk the Sauce Again Before Adding It. This will help reincorporate the cornstarch in case it settles to the bottom of the pan.
Broccoli Beef Recipe
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
This broccoli beef recipe is a takeout-style meal at home! Beef and broccoli are combined with a savory-sweet sauce. Done in just 30 minutes!
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Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or grapeseed oil or another neutral cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
For the Beef and Broccoli:
- 1 pound beef sirloin
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch divided
- 1 medium head broccoli
- 3 green onions
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil or another neutral cooking oil, divided
- 3 tablespoons water
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Sesame seeds optional, for serving
- Fresh cilantro optional, for serving
Instructions
- Start with the sauce: In a bowl or a measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar.
- Continue with the sauce: In a small saucepan, warm the canola oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully pour in the soy sauce mixture, then increase the heat to bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool while you prep the remaining ingredients.
- Move on to the beef and broccoli: Thinly slice the sirloin across the grain into super thin strips (1/4-inch thick or thinner) that are about 1 1/2 inches in length and place in a medium bowl. Toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch. Let marinade for 10 minutes or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.
- Chop the broccoli into small florets and thinly sliced the green onions.
- Once the beef is marinated, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, with tongs, carefully lower the beef into the hot oil, shaking off any excess marinade (hang onto the bowl). Stir fry the beef until it is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Watch out for splatters and use a splatter screen if you have one.
- While the beef cooks, stir the remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch into the bowl with the sauce you used to marinade the beef. Keep near the stove.
- Remove the cooked beef to a clean plate or bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the skillet, then add the broccoli. Stir to coat the broccoli with the oil, then carefully pour in the water. Stir fry until crisp tender, about 4 minutes.
- Return the beef strips and any juices that have collected on the plate to the pan. Pour the reserved sauce over the top. Reduce the heat to low, and then cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the salt, green onions, and red pepper flakes. Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning, adding more salt as desired.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm over rice with additional red pepper flakes to taste.
Notes
- For an extra-spicy stir fry, add 1 sliced red Thai pepper to your sauce or to the beef when frying.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm beef and broccoli in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 333kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 28gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 62mgPotassium: 707mgFiber: 2gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 589IUVitamin C: 63mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 3mg
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More Healthy Asian Beef Recipes
Oh how did I not know that you lived in Ben’s old house. so fun! And I’m glad you all enjoyed this. It LOOKS AMAZING!! THank you thank you!
Thank YOU For an amazing recipe and for letting me share it. Love your book! xoxo
So excited to make that broccoli rice and soak up that yummy sauce!! :)
I hope you love it!
Who needs takeout when you can make this stunning dish?!
Thanks, Gaby!
Since I live alone and only cook for one I would like to know which recipes can be made and then frozen? For instance can the broccoli rice be frozen and used in other recipes?
Hi Marian! I have freezing directions at the bottom of many of my recipes. Soups, casseroles, and stir fries all usually freeze well. For this, you can freeze the rice before it is cooked. It will become a little soggy when reheated, so I’d suggest lightly sauting it to warm it through. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I made this tonight and served it over brown rice. Very delicious!
My husband said, “This dinner is so good, I just want to hug it”
Best compliment ever! I am so happy to hear how much you both enjoyed it. Thank you!
Made this tonight, yowza yummy! Doubled the sauce, did not rice broccoli (left as florets) and served with rice. Really fast, which is so nice. I used meat that was in the freezer so I pounded it thinner just in case it was tough. Scared the kitties, but that’s what they get for being on my counter!
Jenny, I am so happy this recipe was a hit. Thanks so much for letting me know!
I made this last night. The beef was absolutely DELICIOUS. Definitely going to be a repeat for me!
The broccoli rice, although it looked pretty, was really bland and dry, but that was probably my fault. Next time I’ll probably just make it with regular rice or regular broccoli, or both! Haha.
I’m so happy you loved the beef!! And I think the regular rice/broccoli rice sounds like a great combo. I hope you love the recipe even more next time around.
This. Was. AMAZING. I served this with brown rice for my husband and steamed broccoli florets for me – my husband has been begging to have this again so we’re having it this evening. Toward the end of the cook time for the beef, I . hit the pan with a splash of red wine vinegar which really kicked the flavour element up a knotch here. Love your recipes and this is certainly not a disappointment!
J’enay, I am SO please to hear this, thank you!
Loved making this recipe but I was wondering what is the serving size
Ciara, I didn’t measure the exact amount, but you can estimate it to about 1/4 of the recipe. Divide the total amount in half twice, and you’ll have it!
Hi Erin, I love your recipes. I was looking to make a beef and broccoli dinner so I thought I’d search your site before resorting to google or Pinterest! I just have a question. In step 6, the Mongolian sauce mentioned, is it the same sauce that the beef marinated in? So it goes from.the Ziploc/container back into the pan? I’m very excited to try this!
Sarah, so nice to e-meet you!!! Yes, it is the same sauce as the marinade (you are getting twice the bang with it!). I hope you love the recipe!
Do you reserve some of the sauce for cooking? I’m assuming you arent reusing the marinating sauce. Is that correct? Looks wonderful!
Yes that is correct Shannon. I hope you love it!
I actually reused the marinading sauce and just made sure to raise the temperature to a boil when adding everything back together, by the way. I think it helped the sauce thicken more too, since I didn’t do a great job waiting for it to thicken the first go round. :)
Thanks for the tip!
I had a bit of a tough time with the frying and oil splatter, because I’m not used to it, but after eating this tonight, I guess I’ll have to learn how to deal! It was really tasty! Dinner was just me and my boyfriend, and I used a bigger cut of beef than the recipe called for. Didn’t matter, there was nothing left. I think next time I’ll probably experiment a little more with the broccoli rice, like adding garlic or sautéing instead of microwaving like I’ve seen with cauliflower rice, but the beef was absolutely phenomenal.
Jessi, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this! And yes, practice definitely makes perfect. I hope you love it next time even more next time!
Are you supposed to marinade the beef while the mongolian sauce is still hot? Wouldn’t that start the cooking process?
Hi Jazmine, I’d recommend letting the sauce cool slightly!
Made this last night. Flavor of the beef was wonderful. My picky 6 year old even ate this! Here are a few thoughts about the recipe:
Next time I’m going to double or triple the sauce and use less cornstarch because it became too thick and globby and there was no extra sauce to coat the broccoli.
I had to put the sauce in the freezer for 15 minutes to cool down before marinading which added time I wish I had known about before doing the recipe.
If you mean that we should hold some marinade to add to the mixture later you should mention that in the recipe instructions. Doubling or Tripling the sauce is even more necessary if we are supposed to not reuse the juice that the meat had been sitting in. I just used the marinade from the bowl and boiled it on a low simmer for a bit and it came out fine.
I laugh whenever I see 1 teaspoon garlic or one clove garlic in a recipe. One is never enough. I used four large and healthy cloves of garlic. Also I agree with other posters, riced broccoli is a huge letdown and doesn’t add much flavor. Next time I’ll make additional sauce, use broccoli florets and put it over rice. Will definitely be making this again.
Hi Greg, thanks for chiming in! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Took a little bit of time but soooooooo worth it
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Kay! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit!
I have that book!!!
Hi Amy! It’s such a wonderful book!
Does the 11 fat grams include the 4 saturated fat grams or is there a total of 15 fat grams?Also, does the 21 grams of carbs include the 15 grams of sugar or is there a total of 36 grams of carbs? Would love to try this recipe but need answers to the above. This matters to people with heart conditions and diabetes.
Hi Carly! The saturated fat and sugar amounts are separate from the other two. I hope this helps!
I was planning to make this . . . then I saw your instant pot beef and broccoli . . . which one to make??? I don’t need fast, I need delicious! Which sauce is better in your opinion?
I used half my beef to make your teriyaki beef earlier this week, so I’m wondering if I cut the recipe in half due to not having as much beef on hand would it alter the instant pot cooking time or process at all (sometimes the thing turns to “burn” if I reduce recipes)
Thanks for any answers you can give and thanks for posting recipes!
Hi Erin! Just to be clear, are you wondering if the cook time would change on this recipe or a different one if using half the beef? And I equally like both sauces. Thanks!
Delish! I didn’t know beef and broccoli could be “light”, but this hit the mark! Thank you Erin.
Hi Jamie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review.
Absolutely delicious. The flavours Are better than a takeaway. I added some mushrooms but kept everything else to the recipe…Will be sharing this on my food blog page. Thank you Delicious
Hi Annie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
My family loved this recipe and it will become a regular weeknight wonder. It’s so easy and full of flavor!
Hi Karen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
The flavor was on point! Absolutely amazing dinner. The sauce is absolutely amazing! I added a little bit of red pepper flakes to give it a little heat and it was perfect. Will definitely be making this again.
Thank you so much, Vanessa!
Really enjoyed this recipe, my husband doesn’t normally like stir fry’s and absolutely loved it. Had some leftovers for the next day which were yummy. I just added noodles instead of rice and it was perfect.
Yay! Love to hear that! Thank you Kathryn!
Oh my gosh this was SO delicious! Along with the broccoli I also stir-fried some red bell pepper and mushrooms. The sauce was out of this world!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Camille! Thank you!
None of the recipe mention the sodium content, something I need to see
Hi Terri, I stopped including sodium info because it can vary so much depending upon what products you used, and I found a lot of conflicting info online, so ultimately I didn’t feel comfortable publishing it because sometimes it wasn’t even in the ballpark. If you’d like to calculate it yourself, there are lots of free tools online (myfitnesspal.com is popular). I hope that helps!
Thanks, makes perfect sense. Had a heeart attack and am now having to avoid high sodium dishes. I am sure I could leave it out of most things. Appreciate the answer.
Thank you Terri!
I’m glad I tried it! I’m not a social media fan. Keep up this site😋😊🧑🏾🍳
Great to hear! You are in luck, we publish 4-5 recipes a week plus a weekly meal plan! Enjoy!
I’m glad I tried it! It was fairly simple, and my husband and son loved it. I left out the ginger. I found the recipe to be slightly confusing, as one step of setting aside cornstarch mixture a second time didn’t seem to get used. I just ignored that, and followed the other directions. All went well! I did have to cook the broccoli twice as long and with more water too. I recommend this dish!
Hi Jennifer, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! You’ll use it in Step 8. Step 8 you’ll “Return the beef strips and any juices that have collected on the plate to the pan. Pour the reserved (the sauce that was set aside) sauce over the top.” Hope this helps!
What Jennifer is saying is that you use a clean plate to put the beef on after it’s cooked but the bowl we used to marinade the beef is sitting there with another teaspoon of cornstarch. It sounds like we should return the beef to the marinade bowl.
Hi Kerrie! Definitely understood what was asked. In Step 8 you’ll first “Return the beef strips and any juices that have collected on the plate to the pan” secondly you’ll “Pour the reserved sauce over the top.” The reserved sauce is from the bowl that you have sitting there on the side (we set it aside or reserved it in Step 6.) Hope this helps!
Great!
Thank you Sharon!
hi!! this was absolutely delicious and easier than expected!! does the nutritional content you listed include rice or is it just the beef, broccoli, and the sauce?
Hi Caroline! The nutritional information only includes the ingredients listed in the recipe card with quantities. Rice is optional, so it isn’t included. Hope this helps!