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.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
Video
Judy says
Very good! I was bartering with my neighbor that she would mow my grass and I would cook dinner. Well, to say the least, this was a huge hit. I made sticky rice to go with it. Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe!!
Patricias says
I only have ginger in powder cab this be used instead of the fresh ginger?
Amanda says
Yes, you can use dried ginger. I would use about 1/2 – 3/4 of a tsp, since dried herbs and spices are more potent than the fresh versions.
Shelley Gibson says
One of my favourite meals and everyone in the family likes it too
ET Correale says
This came out quite soupy. I used siracha hot chili sauce and added broccolini to the crockpot. It was very tasty. I scooped the mixture over rice and it absorbed quite a bit of the liquid. I will make this again and use less liquid.
Lori T Muir says
I would not add the broccoli or any other veggie (except the ginger and garlic) and I’d also wait to add the listed carrots until the end.
I steam, or even boil in a small amount of water, in a covered pot, just until the broccoli turns bright green and the carrots are still firm, with a little crunch, and not too soft. then add them in, that way if you need to crock it longer, it will still be perfect, ready to serve when your rice is done, and not be a gummy or runny mush.
Just start your water to boil for the rice and veggies at the same time for the last step. Immediately transfer veggies to crockpot, and turn it off to keep it full of flavor and texture as you wait for your rice to finish. You can also let them cool in a strainer, just don’t let them sit in the hot pot, even turned off.
I even make my crockpot beef stew this way, adding in the celery, potatoes, and carrots after steaming them….so much better, you actually taste the individual veggies, otherwise, they absorb the broth and all taste the same.
You can thicken your sauce at the end if needed with a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed in 1/8cup water, dissolve it, and then mix it in.
Lynn Schuver says
This is one of our favorite dishes. Great flavor and easy to make.
Carol Atkins says
Do you know what the calorie count is on this recipe ?
Amanda says
The estimated calories per serving are listed in the navy blue part of the recipe card 🙂
MaryKay says
It was pretty good. It had more gravy than I expected….which was great! I had vegetables on the side that I could put the extra gravy on. It was a little spicier than my husband prefers (even though I omitted the sriracha).
Jennifer says
Can this recipe be cooked a day ahead 🤗
Jennifer
Amanda says
I think it would just fine that way 🙂
Marci says
One of our favorite meals! Thank you!