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With the perfect balance of sweet and savory, this easy Easy Mongolian Beef recipe is sure to become a household favorite! It's richly flavorful, but so simple to make, coming together in just 20 minutes all in one pot. Amazing served over a bed of fluffy white rice, or as a Mongolian stir fry with noodles!
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Mongolian Beef Recipe
When my kids were growing up, and our days were filled with work, school, and after-school activities, there were so many nights where I would have preferred to just order dinner to-go instead of cooking it myself. I love cooking for my family, but everyone knows how difficult it can be to keep up with day-to-day!
Meals like this easy Mongolian Beef recipe were a total lifesaver for me then, and still come through for me now during busy weeks when I know I'm going to be too exhausted to cook. It takes only 20 minutes to make, it's ready all in one pan, and the ingredients are simple.
Best of all, it tastes fantastic. Set the rice to cook just before you prepare the beef, then serve it together for an easy, satisfying meal. Or, whip up a quick batch of noodles and sauteed bell peppers using the same sauce for a Mongolian beef stir fry.
If you're like me and want to add more quick and easy beef dinners to your roster, you're going to want to try my recipe for Mongolian Beef. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Mongolian Beef Ingredients
- Flank steak or beef bottom round steak, cut against the grain into ¼-inch thick slices about 3-4 inches in length
- Cornstarch
- Green onions cut into 2-inch pieces
- Avocado oil
- Beef stock
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Light brown sugar
- Ginger, minced
- Garlic, minced
- Water
- White rice, cooked
- Sesame seeds
How to Make Mongolian Beef
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the steak and cornstarch, reserving 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch for later. With clean hands, mix until the steak is coated. Alternatively, place the steak and cornstarch in a sealed bag and shake to coat. Set aside.
- Chop the green onions into 2-inch pieces, using the green parts only. Set aside. You can store the white parts to use in another recipe or place them in shallow water in a cup to regrow the green stalks.
- In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the steak and cook for 2-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on all sides. Remove the steak from the pan and set it aside.
- In the same pan, add beef stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Mix until well combined.
- In a small bowl, prepare a slurry by mixing water and the reserved 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. Add the slurry to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
- Return the steak to the pan and stir to fully coat it with the sauce.
- Add the green onions and mix. Serve Mongolian Beef over cooked white rice and top with sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you want to save yourself even more time by prepping dinner ahead, you can easily get your Mongolian Beef started, and then finish cooking it later. Here's how:
- Follow the recipe up to step 3. Set the beef aside, allow it to cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Follow steps 4-5 to create the Mongolian beef sauce. Store the sauce in a separate container in the refrigerator.
- When ready to enjoy, reheat the sauce in a pan, add the beef, and stir to heat everything through. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds as desired.*
*Alternatively, you can save making the sauce for when you're ready to prep dinner, then lower the heat and add the beef to reheat it in the sauce.
Mongolian Beef Recipe Tips
- Slice the beef thinly against the grain before cooking. Slicing against the grain is crucial for tender cuts of steak.
- When cooking a larger batch, a large wok works best, but if you don't have one, a large skillet works just as well.
- Regardless of which type of pan you use, don't overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary so the steak browns properly.
- Be sure to coat the beef in cornstarch so it develops that nice, crispy exterior as it cooks. If you don't do this, it won't have the same texture you'd want in a Mongolian beef recipe.
- Be careful not to overcook the steak. A nice medium-rare is perfect for the flavor of this dish. See my beef temperature chart for tips, and use a meat thermometer to check.
- You can adjust the sweetness of the sauce by altering the amount of brown sugar used, or add a little kick of spice by sprinkling in red pepper flakes or a dash of sriracha sauce.
- Customize your recipe for Mongolian beef by adding vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms, or broccoli.
- Don't throw away the white part of the scallions! If you have nothing else to use them for, feel free to slice them thinly and add them to this dish. Otherwise, you can place them in a shallow cup of water to regrow the green stalks.
Mongolian Beef Recipes FAQs
Flank steak and bottom round steak work best for this dish, and are very budget-friendly, but you can experiment with other cuts if you prefer. Make sure to slice the steak thinly, no matter what cut you use.
You can use potato starch or tapioca starch. Alternatively, if you're not cooking gluten-free, you can dust the steak with flour instead.
Add red pepper flakes or a dash of your favorite hot sauce for a spicy kick. I prefer sriracha, in this case. You just can't go wrong with it!
Reheat it in a pan on the stove over low heat,or in the microwave for a minute or two. If you microwave it, I recommend stirring it every 30 seconds so you can check on it and make sure it doesn't heat too much and overcook.
Serve Mongolian beef over whatever you prefer- whether that's white rice, brown rice, or even stir-fried noodles or a simple bed of sauteed peppers. Personally, I go with whatever I have on hand.
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📋 Recipe
Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- measuring spoons and cups
- Cutting board
- saute pan large skillet or wok work best for larger batches
Ingredients
- ½ pound flank steak or beef bottom round steak, thinly sliced into ¼-inch thick pieces sliced against the grain and cut 3-4 inches in length
- ¼ cup cornstarch 1 Tablespoon reserved
- 2 stalks green onions cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- ½ cup beef stock
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ginger minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup water
- 3 cups white rice cooked
- 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the steak and cornstarch, reserving 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch for later. With clean hands, mix until the steak is coated. Alternatively, place the steak and cornstarch in a sealed bag and shake to coat. Set aside.½ pound flank steak, ¼ cup cornstarch
- Chop the green onions into 2-inch pieces, using the green parts only. Set aside. You can store the white parts to use in another recipe or place them in shallow water in a cup to regrow the green stalks.2 stalks green onions
- In a large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the steak and cook for 2-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on all sides. Remove the steak from the pan and set it aside.2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- In the same pan, add beef stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Mix until well combined.½ cup beef stock, ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ginger, 4 cloves garlic
- In a small bowl, prepare a slurry by mixing water and the reserved 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. Add the slurry to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.¼ cup water, ¼ cup cornstarch
- Return the steak to the pan and stir to fully coat it with the sauce.
- Add the green onions and mix. Serve Mongolian Beef over cooked white rice and top with sesame seeds. Enjoy!3 cups white rice, 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
Notes
- Slice beef thinly against the grain for tenderness.
- Use a large wok or skillet for larger batches. Double the ingredients to cook for 4.
- Avoid overcrowding the pan; cook in batches if needed.
- Coat beef in cornstarch for a crispy texture.
- Aim for a perfect medium-rare by using a meat thermometer.
- Adjust sauce sweetness by varying the amount of brown sugar used.
- Customize with veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms, or broccoli.
- Don't waste white scallion parts; regrow the stalks by placing them in shallow water.
Nutrition
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