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.
Michael Sanders says
Hello, This was a great tasting and easy to make. Although it took longer than 10 minutes to prepare. Meat was tender. and i used 1.75 of tsp of Sriracha i could have used more. and the carrots were cut into match sticks. because i saw the video. but i needed to search for it a few time. But overall I will definetly make it again.
Pat says
Made this for dinner tonight. My family loved it. Will definitely add this to the favorites rotation. Thank you for sharing
Paul says
This was so good. I just made it. But 3/4 a cup of soy sauce? Even the low sodium is thousands of milligrams of sodium in one serving. That was too much salt for me. I will definitely cut back on the soy sauce next time and try some other flavorings.
Beth D says
Try coconut aminos if you don’t want all the salt!
Julie M says
I was looking for a slow cooker beef recipe that isn’t stew. Glad I found this one! On the suggestion of another reviewer, I used about half the amount of sugar called for and very glad I did. It was definitely sweet enough for us. You can always add sugar if needed but you can’t subtract it if it’s too sweet. I just used inexpensive stewing beef, sliced the chunks a bit smaller and cooked on low all day. Served over brown rice with steamed broccoli. Scrumptious!!
Rachel says
Did you add more water to cook all day?
Julie says
FAMILY HIT! One of the few recipes on earth that all four of us love!
You have to use low-sodium soy sauce or it will be way too salty. Also, I followed the other reviewers’ advice and used less sugar (1/2 cup) and it was still a little too sweet. Next time, I’ll use 1/3 cup of sugar.
THANK YOU for this amazing, easy, pantry-ready recipe that we all love!!!
Dee says
Smells and taste great but my colour is more a light brown. I added dark soy sauce but cannot get your colour. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Gillian Spilchuk says
This is JUST delicious, and SO easy, thank you so much! <3
Adele Strickland says
This was yum and easy to make! Was a bit sweet for our liking but will definitely make it again just with less sugar and more siracha sauce..thanks for the recipe ☺️
Brooke says
Made this today and it was delicious! I’m slowly learning different recipes since we aren’t eating out as much due to COVID. This tasted just like restaurant style beef. I used boneless short ribs since I couldn’t find flank steak. One teaspoon of Sriracha. I also grated the carrots, which made them kind of disappear but still tasted great! I cooked a bag of “steamable” broccoli florets and some minute rice to make a meal. My hubby and super picky kids loved it. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Wendy says
Currently on isolation & adapted this recipe today with store cupboard ingredients,sliced chicken fillet thinly sliced red onion & carrots & Cooked in a casserole dish in the oven as I don’t have a slow cooker. It was delicious. Thank you.
Nancy says
Followed recipe as written. Added broccoli last 30 minutes. Delicious!
Betty Livengood says
My Daughter made your recipe for dinner last night, and I thought it was a absolutely delicious. I wanted to know if your recipe could be made in a Instant Pot? Or does it need the time to thicken? Daughter used Ginger Paste, she did not have Sirachi so she substituted Red Pepper Flakes. She used Steamed Cauliflower rice which I had never tried before and went really well together. But, my husband is a Southern Louisiana Man and that with rice would not go over very well with him. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
The Chunky Chef says
I’m so glad you all enjoyed this recipe! I’ve not tested this recipe in an Instant Pot, so I can’t say for certain, although my guess is that it could be 🙂
James says
You can thicken it at the end by simmering it on high and adding a slurry with like a tbsp of starch and a tbsp of water.
Anne-Marie says
Made this last night for guests. It turned out absolutely perfect. Tender, juicy and the flavours were wonderful. I added more hot sauce cause we like it spicy
I will be adding this into my personal cookbook diary marked as a 10/10. Thx for sharing. Anne Marie
Jay says
Wow. Added broccoli last 20 mins. This caneour great. Thank you for sharing.
Ashley says
Can I use London broil meat instead? That’s all
meijers has available. Would I cook it any differently? Looks delicious!
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested this recipe using london broil, so I can’t say for certain, but I think that would work alright.
Christine Kick says
Super simple, Family loved it, It’s going in the recipe file as a staple! I made it with Bok Choy & Fried Rice.
Amanda Lardizabal says
Loved it! Do you have any variations of it with chicken, ground turkey or beef instead of steak?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t currently (some are in the works), but I’ve had several readers reach out to me and tell me they used thinly sliced chicken in this recipe and it turned out well 🙂
Debi says
Using thin sliced chicken breast also interests me, as my home health aide has gout & has to stay away from too much beef. So have you tried chicken. I’m so hungry now looking at these pictures. I love your site name. I usually prefer not to eat at restaurants that have thin waitresses even worse a skinny chef.
Thank you,
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not made this with chicken, but several other readers have and loved it 🙂
Gerrie says
This recipe was soooo EASY and DELICIOUS! My finiky sister and my 90 year old mom LOVED it! I have shared your site to friends and look forward to trying more recipes! Keep up the good cooking! You’re the best!
DIANN UZELAC says
Great recipe (awesome flavor) which I’m making for the 2nd time. Am going to add some sliced water chestnuts and broccoli about an hour before serving to add a bit more “crunch” to the recipe.
M. Peters says
Made a double batch of this for a work-place pot luck for Lunar New Year and it sold out! Fabulous recipe, great taste. One suggestion, forget the srirachia, went with dried chili peppers (8 for a double batch [and good luck☺]).
Susan Regina says
Did you double every ingredient? Did you add cooking time?
Kate says
Great recipe! Making it for the second time. I used a chuck steak because flank steak is hard to find and expensive in my area. Still turned out fantastic! Thanks for sharing!