Easy Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef Recipe
The easiest way you can make a Mongolian beef recipe! The beef gets meltingly tender in the slow cooker and the sauce becomes incredibly silky, with great spicy/sweet flavors!
All of the amazing spicy/sweet flavors of Mongolian beef, but in an incredibly easy slow cooker meal with just 10 minutes of prep. This is the Mongolian beef recipe for the busiest of people!
Who here loves Chinese take-out style meals? *raises hand frantically* I love all the bold flavors, great sauces, and how quickly things cook! One thing I don’t like though, is how hectic it can be to cook take-out style meals at home. The nature of a stir fry is that things cook really quickly, which means you have to have every component in the recipe ready to go… and things can STILL get stressful right?
The main thing I love so much about this Mongolian beef recipe is that unlike some slow cooker meals, it’s made entirely in the slow cooker, with no extra steps to take. No browning the meat, no broiling… just adding all the ingredients, turning on the slow cooker and walking away. Simply amazing.
And this meal is certainly not short on flavor! The garlic and ginger bring plenty of classic Mongolian beef flavor, and combined with sweet/heat combination of brown sugar and Sriracha sauce… it’s a powerhouse of amazing flavors!
WHAT SPICES ARE USED IN MONGOLIAN BEEF
Typically Mongolian beef is made with soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. I like mine to be a little sweet and spicy, so I add some Sriracha to it as well.
WHAT KIND OF BEEF DO YOU USE IN MONGOLIAN BEEF?
Most recipes, including both this slow cooker version and my classic recipe, use flank steak. I’ve also heard of people using sirloin steak as well.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MAKING THIS SLOW COOKER MONGOLIAN BEEF RECIPE:
- Slice your flank steak against the grain. As you’re looking at the beef, you’ll see lines, like the grain on a piece of wood. You want to slice it across those lines, not alongside them. Doing this ensures an incredibly tender piece of beef.
- The carrots are optional, but add a great texture!
- Add the Sriracha to your tastes. I like this recipe to have a little heat to balance out the sweetness.
- To make this a complete meal, add some steamed broccoli and rice!
My original classic Mongolian beef recipe has done so well, with so many of you emailing with rave reviews, so I knew I didn’t want to deviate from those flavors. To adapt the sauce to work well in a slow cooker I added some extra soy sauce and water. Also, since there’s no marinating with this recipe, I added some extra ginger and Sriracha to boost the flavors.
HELPFUL TOOLS:
- 4 quart slow cooker – My absolute favorite slow cooker!
Easy Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced flank steak (1/4 inch thick)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 - 2 tsp Sriracha sauce (can substitute with red pepper flakes or cayenne instead - in whatever amount you prefer)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Add sliced flank steak and cornstarch to a large resealable plastic bag. Close and shake to coat well. This can be done in a large mixing bowl as well, but I find it's less messy to do in a bag.
- To the bottom of slow cooker, add vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, water, soy sauce, brown sugar and Sriracha sauce. Stir to combine.
- Add in coated flank steak and carrots and stir again until everything is coated in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or on LOW for about 4 hours, until steak is cooked and tender.
- Serve over white rice and garnished with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Video
Notes
Forgot the most important part. I used Beef Stir Fry meat instead of Flank because it wasn’t available at my supermarket.
This recipe is perfect! Thank you so much. The only change I made to the recipe was omitted the Sricha sauce. I replaced it with a little cumin and basil and voila it was sweet and tangy with just enough kick to it. The beef was nice and tender as well as flavorful after I cooked it for 3 hours on high in my crock pot. Perfection.
Made this last night! It was excellent! Served it over white rice.
This is always a hit at potlucks I use brisket instead of flank as that is what is available at my market.
Ridiculously easy! I’m a vegetarian and my meat-eating husband went NUTS for this. He said this would even be good over BROWN rice! Will definitely be making this again – SOON!
This is so good. We make get it going before church and ready when we get home. Serve with fried rice and dumplings usually. A favorite for entertaining since many folks in the south never cook Asian cuisine at home.
Hello i dont have some ingredients avaialble but can i use flour instead of cornstarch? And ginger powder instead of the fresh ones? If yes are they just going yo be the same measurements?
I haven’t tested it using flour, so I can’t say for certain that it would work the same. Flour can clump instead of thickening. If you’re going to use dried ginger, you’d need about 1/3 of the amount, since dried spices are much more potent than fresh.
Delicious and simple, my boyfriend said this is the best slow cooker meal he’s ever had! I think next time I’ll add less sugar and chilli weather than srichaha, but this will definitely be a keeper in our recipe book 🙂
Love your recipes but it would be so helpful if ful nutritional info was included…..not just calories.
As I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provide full nutritional information for my recipes (don’t want to inadvertently pass along incorrect information). Your best bet would be to copy the ingredients into your favorite online nutritional calculator.
Adding to the multitudes of comments praising this recipe–so easy and delicious! Also wanted to share my revisions. I used 2 lbs of shaved beef, available at my grocery store and a bit cheaper/easier than flank steak. I added 1.5 onions, cut in half then sliced. Added a full (small) bag of “matchstick” carrots, and a small bag of shredded white cabbage. This seems like a lot at first, but it really cooked down. Given the extra bulk, I increased both the water and soy sauce to a full cup. I only used about 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and I still thought it came out plenty sweet.
The end result was super tasty, and had a great mix of meat and veggies–almost like moo shu–and I served it over rice. My crew loved it, and I have plenty of leftovers for another meal!
Made this dish tonight! Omg it was amazing and I will definitely make it again 🥰
The results was delicious. I only used 1/2 cup of brown sugar. My son doesn’t like really sweet Mongolian beef. Other than that I would share this recipe with my family and friends. Thank you very much for sharing.
Absolutely delish! Followed the recipe but added a couple of small onions chopped big and didn’t have any fresh ginger so substituted some stem ginger in a jar and ground ginger. Added a sprinkle of cayenne and Cajun spice for extra spice. And less sugar because of the stem ginger syrup. Served with rice…total winner!
I found this months ago and have made it least every other week since. It’s almost fool-proof as written and everyone loves it.
Outstanding! Pairs nice with Jasmine rice. Will save this recipe.
Thank you, great recipe. Easy and simple to make!!!
Everyone enjoyed and said it was delicious.
I added yellow onion & mushrooms.
Definitely a keeper and will make it again.
Thank you for this recipe! It is so delicious and easy to make. Definitely a keeper for my recipe collection
great recipe! thank you! simple and tasty, and something different <3
Sounds and looks amazing. My family does not consume any added refined sugars. Wondering if making it without the sugar would still produce amazingness! Has anyone tried it without the sugar? 😁
I wanted my very first slow cooker recipe to be something fantastic…..and this Mongolian Beef recipe was EXACTLY that! Wow! Deeeeelish beyond belief….my husband loved it! The combination of ingredients..perfection. Even tastier the next day.
How could this be converted to Instant Pot?
I haven’t tested that, so I can’t say for certain.
Taste great.
Could I add green beans in the crock pot next time?
Should I add them in the begging or towards the end?
Yes you can, and I would add them towards the end so they don’t turn to mush 🙂
This turned out PERFECT! I can’t say enough good things about this recipe, it tasted just like Panda Express or Leanne Chin! My whole family devoured it I’ll definitely need to make a double batch next time! Best part, it was so east to make I almost felt bad for taking all the praise I got from making this! DINNER WIN!!!
WE ENJOYED THIS! EASY AND TASTY!
Excellent recipe. I ran short of 1/4 cup of soy sauce so I substituted with 1/4 cup of Heinz 57 Sauce to complete. It came out fantastic. The kids all went for a second serving.
Cheers,
Daniel
Super easy to make and incredibly tasty!!!
I have made this 3 times, once for my in laws. They loved it. The only thing extra I had to do was add a little beef broth towards the end because it cooked down too much. One of my favorite dishes!
I love it! I was delicious and easy. My only criticism though is you should add more ginger. I also added a small yellow onion and subbed Taco Bell Diablo sauce for the sriracha. 🙂
If I am going to put it in the slow cooker early in the morning and leave it all day, would it be better to not preslice it?
I haven’t tested it that way, but I think if you’re going to cook it longer than the 4 hours on low, I’d leave the meat whole. It probably won’t slice after cooking though, it’ll be easier to shred it.
I cooked it for my family today and my husband loved it. It was very delicious the only thing I would do the next time is using more beef it was not enough. I was thinking to add more meat and cook again with the sauce I’m not sure if that would work.
I think that would work just fine.
Just the most tasty slow cooker meal ever! Have made this loads when friends are coming over & its been a hit with everyone. You do literally just throw all the ingredients in & let the slow cooker do its magic.
This sounds delicious. Can I halve the recipe?
Absolutely!
This is delicious. A big hit with the WHOLE family. Second time making it tonight, first time put it over saffron rice, gonna try it over buttery cauliflower rice tonight. I also add extra carrots and add snow peas. But the recipe is just fine as is. Highly recommended.
Could this be a freezer meal? Would you cook it all ahead of time or just have ingredients prepped? I would brown the beef before freezing
I haven’t tested the recipe, except as written, so I can’t say for certain, but I would have the ingredients prepped.
I’ve made it and frozen remaining portions…..was the same taste as if it just came out of crock pot. As a side added steamed broccoli
Unfortunately for me, when I froze it for freezer meals the sauce separated and was extremely watery when I defrosted. So I wouldn’t recommend freezing, however, I could have done something wrong for this to happen! This recipe tastes amazing with this said!
Hi! I only have beef for stew on hand; would that work?
I’m not sure, as it may need longer to cook to become tender.
I used stewing beef, sliced. It was wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful. Everyone loved it. Easy to make.
I made it the first time for a dinner with friends, absolutely delicious. Everyone had seconds, because it is so sweet/spicy in perfect proportions. Tomorrow, doubling the recipe for big family potluck and with basmati rice and a green side dish, i know it will be a hit.
If I let it cook for 4 hours on low, can i leave it on keep warm setting overnight?
I think it might dry out if left on warm that long.
Anyone ever marinated the meat overnight? Thinking of prepping it and refrigerating it for a day or two. First time making the recipe
This recipe is fabulous! I normally hate using the slow cooker because everything comes out so bland but you nailed it with this one! 4 hours on low is perfect and the meat was so good! I’m putting this into my regular recipe rotation for busy nights!
Can I use a chuck roast?
I think the meat would be a little tough, since chuck roast normally takes longer to cook.
My husband and 4 kids loved this tonight! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a recipe that my entire family enjoys?! It was magical… thank you so much for a whine free evening. 😀 This will absolutely be in my rotation from now on.
Thx for sharing this – so easy 😀😀 I got tired of waiting around 1 hour into slow cook. Thank goodness for instant pot!! Switched over to pressure cook setting high for 30 min and it came out perfectly. Prob would lessen sugar next time and add more heat. Also not sure if the cornstarch is necessary for the instant pot version so will try without it next time.
AWESOME!!
I added leeks and red pepper slices and reduced sugar to 1/2 cup!!! Used simple stir fry steak already sliced!!!
This will be made over and over!!! Yeah!!! Thanks!
Thanks Amanda, I used a lower grade of supermarket “chopped steak”, substituted cut green beans instead of carrots, and used dried red pepper flakes as you suggested. Otherwise the same preparation process and other ingredients. Green beans were added at the 3-hour point on your Slow Cooker (low heat) 4-hour cook time. Served with steamed Broccoli over properly prepared (twice rinsed Nishiki brand) white rice. Excellent rendition!
Loved it. Made for large family so doubled it up. Came out great just doubling everything. I did add one thinly sliced onion and some broccoli as well in the end for about an hour. Probably reduce sugar a bit next time for me, but everyone else loved the sweetness level.
Hi! Can this be put together the day before ?
Hi Marlene 🙂 I wouldn’t recommend putting the whole thing together, since the cornstarch will start “working” as soon as it’s combined. But you could absolutely slice the beef and make the sauce ahead of time and just keep them separately refrigerated. It would cut down on prep time considerably!
Can this be slow cooked in the oven as my slow cooker is not working?
I haven’t tested the recipe that way, but if your slow cooker isn’t working, I’d try this stovetop mongolian beef recipe I have: https://www.thechunkychef.com/mongolian-beef-with-sticky-coconut-rice-and-caramelized-smoky-cauliflower/
I just want to say how incredible this is!! In all my life I’ve never been able to replicate a dish from the Chinese down the road… until now! Amazing! Thanks
Very cool that you added tips and tricks to the recipe instructions! Very helpful to low skill cooks like me!
OMG SOOOOOOOO good thank you for sharing.
Is there any reason not to just mix the cornstarch with the sauce ingredients, rather than coating the meat with it, since it all gets stirred together?
Hi Ruth 🙂 I’ve tried it both ways, and I like the texture of the meat better when it’s been coated. It allows the sauce to “cling” to the meat a little better.
Followed receipe…too sweet! Next time I will cut the sugar😁 I will try it again but will tweek the receipe. Is this suppose to be sweet?
Hi Mary, yes the Americanized version of Mongolian beef is sweet.
Hi,
If I double, or even triple this recipe, will the cooking time be more or less the same? And it would just be yummier re-heated wouldn’t it….. 🙂
Hi Hege 🙂 I’ve never doubled or tripled the recipe, but I would assume the cooking time would be about the same, maybe a little bit longer. And yes, reheated leftovers taste great!
Can you add broccoli to the Mongolian beef made in slow cooker
Absolutely! I would only add it during the last 30 minutes or so, so it doesn’t overcook 🙂
Thanks for specifics on how to slice the beef, its’ like youre right there in my kitchen!
Delicious and so easy to prepare!
Have you tried to add frozen broccoli or tried this with chicken?
I haven’t, but I think either would be great!!
How many calories are in this recipe? And or calories per cup?
Hi there 🙂 I don’t provide full nutritional information for my recipes, as I’m not a nutritionist and don’t want to inadvertently pass out incorrect information. My advice would be to plus the ingredients into whichever online nutrition calculator tool you typically use. myfitnesspal.com is a popular one.
Can you use skirt steak instead of flank steak?
Absolutely 🙂
Can you use dark brown sugar instead of light?
Yes 🙂 You might want to use a little less though, as dark brown sugar has a higher molasses content, which can be a bit strong for some people.
Can you please tell me what the small black things are in the picture. I cannot see anything of the ingredients that would have that in it
They’re black and white sesame seeds 🙂
Made this for the family tonight and it was voted a KEEPER! I served it in a large pasta bowl – layer of rice, layer of steamed broccoli and the Mongolian Beef. OMG! We will be making this again soon.
We had this tonight and it was delicious! We added some steamed broccoli in about 10 minutes before we ate it. Perfect amount of spicy and sweet and so easy to make!
REALLY GOOD and really easy! (I used powdered ginger- just as delicious!)
This looks really good! Looks like a new family favorite!
I’m totally trying this. Thanks for another amazing recipe!!
I love a slow cooker beef recipe that doesn’t have to be seared before hand! This looks amazing – I know my boys will love it!
This slow cooker dish is the best! I have got to make it soon!
I love this! looks so good! Must make it!
This is making me hungry! Looks perfect for dinner any night!
Slow cooker recipes that literally require nothing else than putting things in a slow cooker are my favorite! Saving this one!
I love the no-stress approach to this recipe and it sounds so delicious! and so much better than take-out, It just doesn´t get any easier than this…superb
mmm…I am loving this! Such an amazing dish!!