Classic Beef and Broccoli is a take-out favorite, but it’s also easy to create from the comfort of your own home! This recipe comes together quickly and is a flavorful, balanced meal! My biggest tip for this recipe is to give the meat sufficient time to marinate so that it is nice and tender when you cook it up!
Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!
There’s a reason beef with broccoli is a takeout favorite– it’s quick, satisfying, and packed with flavor. But, it also takes a little skill. The beef has to be cooked perfectly to keep it from getting overdone, and the broccoli needs to be crisp, not soggy. The sauce needs to be thick, not watery. Luckily, this recipe hits all those marks.
With bold flavor and quick prep, this Beef and Broccoli will make you feel like you’re enjoying restaurant quality! Pair it with some Instant Pot White Rice, Chinese Steamed Pork Buns, Chinese Egg Rolls and Crab Ragoons and you’ll never need takeout again!
Recipe Origins
An American takeout Beef and Broccoli isn’t exactly authentically Chinese. You probably won’t find it on any menus in China, but it is definitely inspired by Chinese flavors and was likely created by Chinese immigrants in California.
They fused broccoli with beef and tied it all together with familiar Chinese ingredients like ginger, oyster sauce and cornstarch. While we don’t know exactly who to credit with the first version of the takeout Beef and Broccoli, it began appearing on menus in the 1920s and since then has become a Chinese-American favorite.
Unlike most Beef and Broccoli recipes you’ll see online, this one is very close to an authentic recipe that is made in China, called Gai Lan Chao Niu Rou!
This recipe uses the same ingredients for the marinade and sauce as the traditional Cantonese dish. The only difference between this version and an authentic Chinese version is that it does use American broccoli instead of Chinese broccoli just to make it easier for you to source the ingredients to make it at home 🙂
Why Make This Recipe
- Balanced Meal: While this dish is delicious over rice or with any other sides, the broccoli and beef alone make a perfectly delicious and balanced meal! I love a meal where you can make just one item and feed the whole family with vegetables and protein!
- Better Than Takeout: It’s always nice to know exactly what is going into your food. When you make this dish at home, it’s even more fresh and delicious than takeout!
- Versatile and Crowd-Pleasing: This dish can be enjoyed all on its own or paired with any number of sides, making it an easy meal to adapt to different tastes!
Key Ingredients to Make Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Light Soy sauce: Light soy sauce provides just the right balance of flavor and seasons without overpowering! You can also use regular soy sauce if you prefer.
- Chinese Cooking wine: Chinese cooking wine has a unique flavor profile that is more salty and savory, but if you really need a substitute you can use white wine vinegar, though it may add some fruitiness to a dish. You could also use Mirin if you have it on hand, though this is far sweeter than Chinese cooking wine.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps thicken the sauce which helps it stick to every bite! Don’t skip this ingredient or your sauce will be too watery!
- White pepper: White pepper has a more subtle and earthy flavor than black pepper but you can substitute black pepper in a pinch!
- Flank steak: Be sure to cut against the grain and into bite-sized thin slices! Cutting with the grain will make your flank steak tough.
- Oyster sauce: Oyster sauce provides great flavor and is necessary for this recipe! It creates the thick and glossy sauce texture that will perfectly coat the beef!
- Granulated sugar: This helps balance the saltiness of the dish! Some recipes call for brown sugar which will give more of a molasses flavor. Use whatever you have! Adding sugar helps to caramelize the beef, giving nice crispy edges.
- Broccoli: You should use fresh broccoli for this dish if you are blanching it. Frozen broccoli is already blanched before packaging, so if you blanch it again it will become overcooked. If using frozen broccoli, simply thaw it and then add it into the wok with the beef when the recipe calls for it.
- Sesame oil: A drizzle of sesame oil on top makes the dish feel far more authentic. Many recipes call for using sesame oil to cook the beef instead of canola oil, but sesame oil has a very high smoke point, and is therefore bad for sauteeing ingredients. It’s distinct taste means it’s meant to be used as a finishing drizzle.
Tools
- Large pan or wok: Using a wok means that your dish will cook faster and more evenly. A wok heats on all sides, so using a wok means that you can spread the beef over the sides and allow it to cook!
How to Make this Recipe
Step One: Whisk the baking soda, soy sauce, chinese cooking wine, water, cornstarch and white pepper from the Beef Ingredients section.
Step Two: Put the flank steak in a bowl and pour the marinade over the top of it. It will be a very thin coating of marinade and that is okay. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Step Three: Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
Step Four: Place the broccoli in some boiling water for about 2 minutes, until the broccoli turns a vibrant green color. Then remove the broccoli from the boiling water and place it in the ice water to stop the cooking process.
Step Five: Stir fry your minced garlic and ginger in canola oil for 20-30 seconds until it becomes fragrant. Then add the beef into the wok and cook until the outside of the beef is brown and starts to char slightly on the outside.
Step Six: Add the broccoli into the wok and toss with the beef.
Step Seven: Pour the sauce into the wok and continue to toss the beef and broccoli over the heat until the sauce starts to boil and thicken. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- After stir frying your meat, if you decide you still want a thicker sauce, add ½ tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water, mix into a slurry and stir into wok. After a few minutes, this should thicken the sauce even more.
- The broccoli in beef and broccoli stir fry is typically kept crisp. If you prefer it a little softer, just cook for an additional minute. Don’t let it get too soft!
- Cook the meat until it caramelizes on the outside, and the pinkness has disappeared. Don’t cook much longer after achieving this or the meat will become tough.
Recipe FAQs
To make this recipe, I used Flank Steak. If you have Beef Stew Meat, that will work as well! You can choose any kind of beef but just be aware that different cuts may not be as tender.
You, of course, can eat this dish by itself. That’s what I’ve been doing, and it’s delicious! However, if you do want to add sides to this meal, I would recommend rice! I’ve posted instructions for how to cook White Rice in the Instant Pot, which would be a great base for this dish.
If you don’t want rice, you can also make ramen noodles to go with your dish. Ramen noodles are a great base and something I always look forward to!
Absolutely! If you’d like to make your dish ahead of time, you can do so. You can store the recipe for up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
If you want to heat up the dish, simply put it in a microwave-safe dish and microwave! You can also add it into a pan on the stove and achieve the same result.
If making this dish and freezing, I would recommend avoiding the step of adding the steamed broccoli until the moment you are going to eat it. You can make the beef and sauce ahead of time and freeze, then add in the broccoli once the meat has thawed.
If your only option is to add the broccoli, you can do that, too!
If you liked this recipe, you’ll also love the other recipes below! I picked them out just for you!
If you tried this Beef and Broccoli Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Beef and Broccoli
Equipment
- Large pan or wok
Ingredients
Beef Ingredients
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp Light Soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Chinese Cooking wine
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
- ½ tsp White pepper
- 1 lb flank steak, cut against the grain into bite-sized slices
Sauce Ingredients
- ¼ cup water or beef stock
- 2 Tbsp light Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
Stir Fry Ingredients
- 1 lb broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Sesame seeds, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, make the beef marinade by combining the 1 tsp baking soda, 1 Tbsp Light Soy sauce, 1 Tbsp Chinese Cooking wine, 2 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp Cornstarch and ½ tsp White pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Put the 1 lb flank steak in a bowl and pour the marinade over the top of it. Stir, then cover. Allow the beef to rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Next, whisk all of the sauce ingredients (¼ cup water or beef stock, 2 Tbsp light Soy sauce, 2 tbsp Oyster sauce, 2 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine, 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 Tbsp Cornstarch, 1 ½ tsp granulated sugar) together in a bowl until combined.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Off to the side, have a large bowl filled with cold water and ice.
- Place 1 lb broccoli in the boiling water for about 2 minutes, until the broccoli turns a vibrant green color. Then use a slotted spoon to remove the broccoli from the boiling water and place it in the ice water to stop the cooking process. Allow the broccoli to cool, then place it in a colander to drain all the way.
- Once your meat is done marinating, you can begin your stir fry! Add 2 tbsp canola oil to a wok or other large pan and allow it to heat up.
- Add 3 cloves minced garlic and 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger and stir fry for 20-30 seconds until it becomes fragrant but before it begins to burn.
- Add the beef into the wok and continue stirring until the outside of the beef is brown and starts to char slightly on the outside.
- Add the broccoli into the wok and toss with the beef for about a minute.
- Pour the sauce into the wok and continue to toss the beef and broccoli over the heat until the sauce starts to boil and thicken. At this point, drizzle the 1 tsp sesame oil over the beef and broccoli and mix to combine one more time.
- Serve the beef and broccoli over white rice and sprinkle with Sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Light Soy sauce: You can also use regular soy sauce if you prefer.
- Chinese Cooking wine: If you need a substitute you can use white wine vinegar, though it may add some fruitiness to a dish. You could also use Mirin if you have it on hand, though this is far sweeter than Chinese cooking wine.
- White pepper: White pepper has a more subtle and earthy flavor than black pepper but you can substitute black pepper in a pinch!
- Granulated sugar: Or brown sugar… use whatever you have! Adding sugar helps to caramelize the beef, giving nice crispy edges.
- Broccoli: If using frozen broccoli, simply thaw it and then add it into the wok with the beef when the recipe calls for it.
- After stir frying your meat, if you decide you still want a thicker sauce, add ½ tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water, mix into a slurry and stir into wok. After a few minutes, this should thicken the sauce even more.
- The broccoli in beef and broccoli stir fry is typically kept crisp. If you prefer it a little softer, just cook for an additional minute. Don’t let it get too soft!
- Cook the meat until it caramelizes on the outside, and the pinkness has disappeared. Don’t cook much longer after achieving this or the meat will become tough.
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