Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
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This Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli recipe is a delicious and fast dinner, amazingly flavorful, featuring tender and tasty beef. This beef and broccoli dish can be on your dinner table in just 30 minutes.
Beef and broccoli has got to be my favorite take out dish ever and it’s pretty much the only thing I’ll order when we go to a Chinese restaurant. However, making it at home is so much better! Think about it, no sad or soggy broccoli and no chewy or dry pieces of beef.
Not to mention that this is probably the easiest “faux” take-out you can make at home. A quick sauce, some flank steak and a head of broccoli is all you really need.
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli
- Quick and Easy! This simple 30-minute recipe requires very little prep and no fancy ingredients. Nowadays, you can find all these ingredients including the Chinese cooking wine at your local grocery store.
- Authentic Flavor! This Instant Pot beef and broccoli recipe is just as tasty as takeout! You can produce restaurant quality flavors at home by using a few easy to find traditional ingredients.
- Family Favorite! Perfect for busy weeknights, the whole family will love this easy recipe! And it keeps fantastically well in the refrigerator for days and in the freezer for months, so leftovers are a huge plus!
- Beef Broth – To control the amount of added salt I always use low-sodium beef broth.
- Cornstarch – Just a bit is needed to thicken the sauce. You can also use arrowroot flour if you prefer in place of corn starch.
- Chinese cooking wine – Also called Shaoxing Wine, this is a key ingredient in Chinese food. It’s very similar to dry sherry, which can be used as a substitution if needed.
- Oyster Sauce – There is oyster in the sauce! So you need to omit this ingredient if you have any shellfish allergies. A good alternative is dark soy sauce.
- Ginger – Use a fresh knob of ginger for the most flavor. Store-bought jarred or ground ginger just can’t produce the same taste.
- Hot Sauce – A hot sauce like sriracha is perfect!
- Sesame Oil – This type of oil is commonly used in many Asian dishes and can now be found in any grocery store.
- Soy Sauce (Low Sodium) – Regular soy sauce will work too. However, keep in mind that low sodium soy sauce will help you control the saltiness of the dish. You can also use gluten-free tamari.
- Brown Sugar – A bit of brown sugar is added to round out all the salty and spicy layers of flavors.
- Garlic – Always use fresh minced garlic cloves. Store-bought garlic that you find in jars can sometimes be bitter.
- Red Pepper Flakes – Adds another pinch of heat to the dish. Feel free to add more if you like.
- Vegetable Oil – Used to sauté the meat and broccoli. Peanut oil is another option.
- Broccoli – You will need some fresh-cut broccoli florets. I don’t recommend using frozen broccoli for this recipe.
- Flank Steak – I like to use flank steak that is sliced thin against the grain. Other good choices are skirt steak and hanger steak.
- Sesame Seeds – Used to garnish the dish and add another layer of yummy flavor.
No longer do you need a wok to stir fry tasty beef with broccoli! You can now do it in your Instant Pot in less than 30 minutes and it’s amazing!
To begin, you need to make the yummy sauce and coat the meat! Just put all the sauce ingredients into a jar and then shake until everything is well combined. You can also whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Then pour about ¼ cup of the sauce over the sliced beef and toss it well until the meat is fully coated.
Now, let’s get cooking! But first, turn your Instant Pot on to the sauté setting according to your manufacturer’s directions. Next, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to your IP. Then once the oil is hot, add the broccoli florets and sauté them for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the broccoli is vibrant green. Yet, don’t forget to stir the broccoli occasionally as it cooks, which is how you properly sauté. Then transfer the cooked broccoli to a plate and move on to the next step.
Next, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the Instant Pot. Then once the oil is hot, add the beef and sauté it for about 3 to 5 minutes or until it starts to brown. Again, don’t forget to move the meat around the pot as it cooks. Then pour the rest of the sauce into the Instant Pot.
After the meat has been browned, close the lid on your Instant Pot and set the valve to the sealing position. Next, set the IP to the Manual/High-Pressure setting and set the timer to 10 minutes.
When the cook time is up, use a quick pressure release to depressurize. Yet, when doing this step be very careful because the steam is hot and can burn. Then once the pin has dropped, you can safely remove the lid.
Dinner is almost ready! Just add the broccoli back into the IP and stir it together with the cooked beef. Then garnish it with the sesame seeds and serve the beef with broccoli over steamed white rice or with Sesame Noodles!
What Cut Of Beef Is Best?
For this beef and broccoli recipe, flank steak or skirt steak are your best choices. These are not only really tender cuts, making them perfect for quick, high heat cooking, they pack a lot of flavor and they’re relatively cheap.
When you’re using high pressure cooking like this, pretty much any type of meat is going to come out tender. You can use any cut of beef that you like best as long as you cut it into nice little bite sized pieces.
Slow Cooker Option
This recipe adapts very well in a slow cooker! I would still sear the beef first before adding it to the slow cooker for extra flavor, but that’s totally up to you. Add the beef and the prepared sauce to the slow cooker, give everything a stir, and cook for 3.5 – 4 hours on high or 7 – 8 hours on low.
How to serve
I love to serve my beef and broccoli over cooked rice such as Basmati or Jasmine rice, but sometimes I love it over noodles. Ramen, soba, udon, and rice noodles would all work well for this recipe. You can use riced or mashed cauliflower as well for a low-carb option.
Expert Tips
- Check your manual. For the best results, always check your manufacturer’s guide for recommendations on how to use your particular model of Instant Pot before starting any IP recipe.
- Don’t overcook the broccoli. Remove the broccoli from the IP once it’s sauteed. Do not cook the broccoli together with the beef. You will end up with super mushy broccoli.
- No extra salt needed. The beef broth and soy sauce have plenty of salt in them to season this dish. You do not need to add any additional salt.
Leftovers
This meal will last 3 – 4 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container, and 3 – 4 months in the freezer. You can reheat it either in the microwave, or covered in a pan over medium heat.
Other Delicious Recipes To Try
- Mongolian Beef
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- French Dip Sandwiches
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Butter Chicken
- Beef Stroganoff
- Chinese Sizzling Beef
- Beijing Beef
- Chop Suey
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Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
Video
Ingredients
Sauce
- ½ cup beef broth (low sodium, or water)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon ginger (fresh, minced)
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Sriracha)
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce (low sodium)
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Beef and Broccoli
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 head broccoli (cut into small florets)
- 1 pound flank steak (trimmed of fat and sliced thin against the grain)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- In a jar add all the sauce ingredients. Close the lid and shake until everything is combined. Alternatively, you could whisk everything together in a bowl.
- Pour about ¼ cup of the sauce over the cut beef and toss well.
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. (See your manufacturer’s guide for detailed instructions on how to use your instant pot.)
- Add 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil to the Instant Pot and when the oil is hot add the broccoli florets. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the broccoli is a vibrant green color. Transfer the broccoli to a plate.
- Add the remaining vegetable oil to the Instant pot and when it’s hot add the beef to it. Saute the beef for about 3 to 5 minutes until it starts to brown, then add the remaining sauce to the Instant Pot.
- Close the lid (follow the manufacturer’s guide for instructions on how to close the instant pot lid). Set the Instant Pot to the Manual (high pressure) setting and set the timer to 10 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a quick release to depressurize.
- Add the broccoli back to the Instant Pot and stir. Garnish with sesame seeds.
- Serve over rice or noodles.
Equipment
Notes
- TIP: To slice the steak easier, place it in the freezer for 20 minutes before slicing.
- MEAT: Best cut of beef for this recipe is flank steak or skirt steak.
- I don’t have an Instant Pot, can I still make this: Yes! Check out my Beef and Broccoli recipe here.
- Don’t overcook the broccoli. Remove the broccoli from the IP once it’s sauteed. Do not cook the broccoli together with the beef. You will end up with super mushy broccoli.
- No extra salt needed. The beef broth and soy sauce have plenty of salt in them to season this dish. You do not need to add any additional salt.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
