Beef with Broccoli Quick Dinner (Instant Pot & Slow Cooker)

Beef with Broccoli is one of my favorite quick weeknight dinners! Tender beef in an irresistible sauce packed with garlic and ginger. A sweet and savory dinner the whole family will love.

Beef with Broccoli Recipe

With this simple recipe you can forget take out! This is so much better than any take out and you get to control exactly what goes into the dish you are eating. Tender strips of beef are served with broccoli in a sweet and savory sauce. 

I’m a huge fan of Asian cuisine! I love the combination of sweet and salty falvours, tender meat, and variety of vegetables. I also love all the different sauces! Thankfully there are lots of recipes to satisfy my taste buds, but one of my favorites is this classic beef & broccoli.

This is actually my mom’s most favorite dish. The salty sweet sauce and the bright green broccoli steaming with rice on a plate is SO good. I’ve made an EASY version of beef and broccoli that you can make at home in your Instant Pot in a flash, or in a slow cooker for a dump and go dinner!

The Best Instant Pot Beef with Broccoli Recipe

If you want a quick and easy meal for busy weeknights – this is the recipe for you. It’s even better and quicker than takeout. It will be on your table in less time it takes to order and get take out… 30 minutes and dinner is served!

I love that it can also be made in the slow cooker. The meat becomes so tender and requires very little effort to make. My favorite part about using a slow cooker is the fact that I can just put all of the ingredients in it in the morning, and continue with my day. Come home add in the broccoli and cornstarch slurry and dinner is ready!

The soy sauce gives this dish a distinctive taste, and so does the fresh ginger and garlic. The sauce is homemade, and the tender beef slowly simmers in it to create an incredibly flavorful meal!

What is in Beef with Broccoli?

• Thinly Sliced Steak - I have used many types of meat when I’ve made this. The most important thing is to cut against the grain to ensure tender meat. You can use chuck roast as well and cut them into bite size pieces. I like cutting the meat when it is partially frozen. It’s easier to manipulate and cut when it’s just a little frozen.
• Broccoli - you can use fresh or frozen broccoli in this recipe. The cooking directions will be a little different with each (it is outlined in the recipe below). It’s a perfect way to add more vegetables into you meal.

Sauce Ingredients

• Ginger, Garlic and Chili Flakes - a key ingredient and flavors in nearly all Asian recipes. I prefer using fresh as it adds a more vibrant pop of flavor to the dish. Chili flakes add a bit of spice to this dish.
• Soy Sauce - I prefer to use a low sodium soy sauce when I make this recipe. Regular soy sauce can be too salty. If using regular soy sauce add 1 tablespoon of water.
• Sesame Oil - one of my favorite Asian sauces. Sesame oil has a strong flavor and should be used sparingly. This is not an oil you can use as a replacement for cooking oils. This oil is meant to add a deep sesame flavor to dishes, it is not meant for cooking or frying.

• Oyster Sauce - a thick dark brown Asian sauce/condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt and water thickened with corn starch. This is an incredibly unique and flavorful sauce. It adds umami to the sauce. If you have a seafood allergy there are vegetarian oyster sauces available that can be used in place of regular oyster sauce.
• Brown Sugar - for a hint of sweetness in the sauce and a deep rich flavor, brown sugar is added in. It adds another layer of flavor and depth to the sauce.
• Beef Broth - the base of the sauce is beef broth. You can use homemade or store bought. For a quick dinner I love keeping Better than Bouillon on hand. It is a broth concentrate that is dissolved in water. I love the flavor!

Optional Ingredients

• Optional Cornstarch Slurry - Cornstarch is a better thickening agent then flour and doesn’t influence the taste of the food (unlike flour). Also, it doesn’t get lumpy because you dissolve it in a liquid (water) before adding it into the sauce. You can make this Instant Pot beef and broccoli recipe without cornstarch. But adding it will result in a thicker rich sauce.

How to Make Beef with Broccoli

Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of Page

Brown the Beef

1 Add the cooking oil to the Instant Pot and turn on "Sauté” mode by clicking the sauté button. When the oil is heated, brown the meat in batches.

2 Add the beef broth and deglaze the bottom to pick up any brown bits. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pot.

3 Add in oyster sauce (optional), chili flakes, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Pressure Cook the Beef

1 Add the lid onto the pot and lock the lid. Ensure the pressure valve is set to SEALING. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.

2 When the cooking time ends, do a quick pressure release. Carefully turn the pressure valve to the VENTING position. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.

Thicken the Sauce

1 In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and water until evenly combined and no lumps remain. Add the mixture to the pot and stir until evenly combined.

Steam the Broccoli

1 Add the broccoli on top of the meat. Close the Instant Pot and let the broccoli steam for 3 minutes (fresh) or 5 minutes (frozen). You do not need to turn on the pressure cook mode as there is enough heat in the pot to steam the broccoli.

Note: Frozen broccoli may release some additional water while it steams. To thicken the sauce, add more slurry (cornstarch mixed with water in equal amounts). You might need a little bit more slurry than the amount indicated in the recipe. Start with an additional 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water then decide if you need to add more or not until your desired consistency is reached. The sauce will become thick and glossy as it continues to cook.

2 Remove the lid from the instant pot and stir the broccoli into the meat.

3 Serve with rice, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Tips for the Best Beef with Broccoli

• For this recipe you can use chuck roast, flank steak, skirt steak or sirloin steak. They all work great. Make sure to cut against the grain. This cuts the muscle fibers and makes the meat less chewy. If you feel your slices won’t be even or that the cut won’t be as clean as you want it to be, place the meat in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. Cold meat cuts better than meat at room temperature.
• Cornstarch is a key ingredient here, do not try to replace it with flour, the results will not be the same.
• Using fresh ginger and garlic will add amazing flavor to the sauce, so don’t skip these two.
• Do I need to clean the instant pot after browning the beef? No. Always keep the brown bits that stick to the pot while you’re browning the meat. These will release when you deglaze the pot with the broth and add incredible flavor to the entire dish.
• Can I add mushrooms? Yes you can! Sometimes I like to diversify and add 1 pack of mushrooms (around 1 cup) to the recipe. Cooking time and all the other ingredients and instructions stay the same. Add in with the broccoli.
• Can I replace the brown sugar? Yes, you can replace it with honey or white sugar.

What to Serve with Beef with Broccoli

• I love beef with broccoli served with fresh cooked rice! The rice soaks up all the amazing sauce and it pairs together so well. You can also serve your beef with broccoli over noodles.
• Pairing this beef with broccoli with my easy Wonton Soup Recipe makes for an an amazing takeout dinner at home!
  • An amazing appetizer to serve at your dinner is Crab Rangoons. These taste just like your favorite takeout restaurant.
• Got leftovers? Turn them into a beef and broccoli noodle stir fry!

Looking for More Easy Copycat Takeout Recipes?

• Sweet and Sour Pork - made healthier and even tastier then takeout! Crispy and tender pork stir fried with peppers, onions and pineapple in an irresistible tangy sauce.
• Sesame Chicken - the ultimate combination of crispy chicken in a sweet and tangy sesame sauce! Serve with fried rice for an easy home made takeout style dinner!
• Crispy Honey Garlic Beef - crispy fried strips of beef fried and tossed in a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce. This is a must try.

Enjoy!

- Sab

Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, may earn me a small commission.