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. ย This is the Mongolian beef recipe for the busiest of people!
Who here loves Chinese take-out style meals? ย *raises hand frantically* ย I love all the bold flavors, great sauces, and how quickly things cook! ย One thing I don’t like though, is how hectic it can be to cook take-out style meals at home. ย 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. ย No browning the meat, no broiling… just adding all the ingredients, turning on the slow cooker and walking away. ย Simply amazing.
And this meal is certainly not short on flavor! ย 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. ย 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. ย 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. ย As you’re looking at the beef, you’ll see lines, like the grain on a piece of wood. ย You want to slice it across those lines, not alongside them. ย Doing this ensures an incredibly tender piece of beef.
- The carrots are optional, but add a great texture!
- Add the Sriracha to your tastes. ย 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. ย To adapt the sauce to work well in a slow cooker I added some extra soy sauce and water. ย 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
- Slice your flank steak against the grain. ย As youโre looking at the beef, youโll see lines, like the grain on a piece of wood. ย You want to slice it across those lines, not alongside them. ย 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.
Randy Goldberg says
Great flavors! The cornstarch on the beef made a slightly slimy coating, and the sauce did not thicken properly. Next time, I would probably skip the step of putting the cornstarch on the beef and make a cornstarch slurry and add it in the last 15 minutes of cooking. Cornstarch loses its thickening power when it is cooked for too long.
Millie says
Hello Amanda, thank you for your excellent recipes!
Can the brown sugar be swapped out for honey by any chance?
Thank you.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Millie, you’re welcome! However, Iโve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Jodi wingrove says
If I wanted to make this with frozen stir fry vegetables, when would I add them to the crockpot? Double the sauce? Thank you.
The Chunky Chef says
The frozen veggies won’t need very long in the slow cooker, maybe about 20-30 minutes? As for doubling the sauce, that all depends on how saucy you’d like it to be ๐
John says
What’s the calories per portion please for the Mongolian beef recipe.
The Chunky Chef says
The calories listed in the recipe card are for a serving, however this is automatically calculated via the recipe card, not double checked, and could be inaccurate. I highly recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer if nutritional information is important to you.
Terri says
Easy, super delicious…its my kids’ favorite meal!!!
Elizabeth says
Very easy recipe. I used frozen steak and increased the time of cooking. > have adjusted the spice to what I can tolerate and it was delicious. I also served with sprouts which added some good flavor.
Melanie Rowley says
I love this recipe, but can I change the beef to lamb? Many thanks
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe using lamb, so I can’t say for certain whether any changes would need to be made. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out ๐
Mary says
I donโt have flank steak can you substitute for skirt steak?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, that should work well ๐
Anne MacDougall says
Loved this!! So easy and has lots of flavor. My family loved it!!
Renee says
Always a hit! Delicious and easy to put together.
Maralee says
Could you cook this on low for 8 hours?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never cooked it longer than the recipe specifies, so I’m not sure how well it’ll hold up.
Amanda Quill says
Loved it but found it a bit too sweet so will just use a little less brown sugar next time.
Any desert idea to go with this please?
Nothing too heavy!
The Chunky Chef says
Glad you enjoyed! Desserts are a personal thing, so feel free to peruse my dessert recipe index and see what sounds good and light to you ๐ https://www.thechunkychef.com/dessert/
ginger says
This was amazing! I put the ingredients in the crockpot at lunchtime. Set to low, phenomenal fork-tender beef with great flavors for dinner. Thanks for posting!
Jason says
I used this recipe as a base recipe and added frozen stir fry veggies, baby corn, water chestnuts, and doubled up on the sauce. We made a couple crockpots for a school concession stand for my daughters volleyball team and it was gone quick! The second time we made it for concessions we had to hide some for the refs. Really good meal!
Erica says
I love your idea of adding frozen stir fry veggies and water chestnuts to the mix. Did you put the veggies in right away or did you thaw them and put them in for the last hour or so of cooking? Thanks!
Sandra says
I am a bit disappointed that my question was ignored and disappeared (it was a nice simple question )
well succes The Chunky Chef
The Chunky Chef says
My apologies Sandra, I didn’t see any previous comment from you? I get about 75 comments per day, and it’s just me running this website, so it may very well have just fallen through the cracks. I’m happy to answer any question you have, either here, or via email (amanda @ thechunkychef.com)
Samantha E says
If I needed to double this recipe to feed more people can you tell me if I would have to double everything including the ginger and garlic etc or would that be too much?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, when doubling a recipe you have to double every ingredient, otherwise all the proportions and flavor profiles will be off.
Pam says
We would have loved this, but way to sweet for us. I absolutely will make again, but cut brown sugar down.
Sue says
3 fussy men to feed…swapped the beef for quorn steak strips, added red pepper strips and mangetout, cut my carrots into thin strips, only used 1 tsp of Sriracha sauce…turned out amazing, so tasty, 4 clean plates, definitely be doing again thank you
hjdubs says
This is absolutely one of my faves. Easy to make and my family devours. My only suggestion is to double.
Niamh says
Hi, my beef tends to be a little tough . I think Iโm following recipe correctly and cooking it on high for 2 hours . What can I do to solve ?
The Chunky Chef says
You could try cooking on low, and make sure you’re slicing the flank steak against the grain as mentioned in the post ๐
Stacy says
You should mention that tip in the recipe. Many folks don’t realize that. I am making this ASAP. Sounds delicious ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Typically I don’t mention all the extra tips and information in the recipe, since then all that will print when people print the recipe, and I get quite a bit of flack about it. But since it’s just one tip, I’ve gone ahead and added it to the “chef tips” section of the recipe.
Linda says
Looks delicious! Am making a shopping list to make it for friends.
Sarah says
Made it for dinner tonight! Tastes great!!