Description
This Instant Pot Mongolian Beef recipe delivers tender, flavorful beef in just 30 minutes, perfect for a quick homemade meal that’s better than takeout. Paired with your choice of rice or quinoa and fresh broccoli, it boasts a savory garlic-ginger sauce thickened to perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked quinoa, white rice, jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, or brown rice for serving
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil or sesame oil
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce, Tamari or coconut aminos
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
- 1/2 cup water or beef broth
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped small
- 4 stalks green onions
- Sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, or sriracha sauce (optional toppings)
Instructions
- Cook the rice or quinoa: Prepare the brown rice, quinoa, or your chosen grain according to package instructions, then set aside.
- Prepare the steak: Slice the flank steak thinly against the grain to ensure tenderness, then set aside.
- Sear the steak: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat the olive or sesame oil until shimmering. In 2-3 batches, sear the steak pieces for 1-2 minutes on each side to develop caramelized browned bits, avoiding overcrowding to prevent steaming.
- Mix the sauce: While searing, whisk together soy sauce (or Tamari/coconut aminos), minced garlic, grated ginger, and water or beef broth in a bowl.
- Pressure cook the beef: Cancel sauté mode, pour the sauce over the browned steak in the Instant Pot, lock the lid, seal the pressure valve, and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Allow 5-7 minutes for the pot to come to pressure before the countdown.
- Prepare the slurry: Whisk 2 tablespoons of cold water with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or tapioca starch in a small bowl.
- Release pressure and thicken sauce: Quick-release the pressure carefully by moving the valve to venting, using a towel to protect from steam. Remove lid, add honey, broccoli florets, and the slurry mixture, then turn on sauté mode again. Stir frequently to thicken the sauce and steam the broccoli for 4-6 minutes until crisp-tender and sauce has thickened.
- Adjust thickness if needed: For a thicker sauce, mix another tablespoon of starch with water and add to the pot, sauteing for an additional minute.
- Serve: Plate the Mongolian Beef over your cooked rice or quinoa, and garnish with chopped green onions, sesame seeds, and optional red pepper flakes or sriracha for heat.
Notes
- Sear the steak first to develop deep, caramelized flavor.
- Slice the beef thinly against the grain to keep it tender and avoid chewiness.
- Use fresh garlic and ginger to make the sauce vibrant and aromatic.
- Don’t skip the cornstarch slurry; it thickens the sauce perfectly with a smooth texture.
- Steam the broccoli just until bright green to keep a crisp-tender texture.
- Overcrowding the pot when searing the steak causes steaming instead of browning.
