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!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
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.
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Chef Tips
- 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.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Cora Partridge says
Can venison be substituted for the meat?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested this recipe with venison, so I can’t say for certain, but I think it would be okay.
Lynette Griffin says
I have done so and turned out great!
Debi says
I love venison and personally think it would come out beautifully and tasty.
alexander Cavanagh says
what is the calorie count for that delicious looking dish?
The Chunky Chef says
The calorie count per serving is listed right in the recipe card, 330 calories.
Gillian says
Try it, it won’t disappoint
Pamela Hamilton says
Awesome They loved it
Jandi Procko says
Quick question… followed recipe exactly, but my sauce isn’t as dark.. any ideas how to get that beautiful dark brown color? Its delicious though and i love the idea of adding broccoli to it at some point in the cook time… when would you suggest to add to cook it ak the way through?
The Chunky Chef says
Hmm, I’m not sure why your sauce wouldn’t be as dark. Maybe a different brand of soy sauce, or you could try using dark brown sugar? I’m glad you love the taste! I would add the fresh broccoli 30 minutes to one hour before serving, depending on how tender you like it 🙂
Diane Walker says
We have friends coming for dinner soon and one of them doesn’t eat beef, lamb or pork, so I am going to do it with chicken thighs!
Devon says
If I double the ingredients do I need to change the cooking time at all?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t doubled this recipe so I can’t say for certain. I wouldn’t think you’d need to add a whole lot of cooking time though.
Lawrence Thomas says
Forgot the most important part. I used Beef Stir Fry meat instead of Flank because it wasn’t available at my supermarket.
Lawrence Thomas says
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.
Antonetta says
Made this last night! It was excellent! Served it over white rice.
Gayle says
This is always a hit at potlucks I use brisket instead of flank as that is what is available at my market.
Paige says
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!
Adam says
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.
Rinet says
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?
The Chunky Chef says
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.
Alanna says
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 🙂
Maria says
Love your recipes but it would be so helpful if ful nutritional info was included…..not just calories.
The Chunky Chef says
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.
JulesInSTL says
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!
Sarah says
Made this dish tonight! Omg it was amazing and I will definitely make it again 🥰
Lita says
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.
Lucy says
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!