This is the BEST beef and broccoli you can make at home in less than 30 minutes! It's super easy to make, tastes just as good, if not better than takeout, and cheaper too. Complete this Chinese takeout classic with some egg fried rice or shrimp fried rice for some surf and turf action!
Beef and broccoli (jiè lán niú - 芥兰牛) has long since been one of the most popular items ordered at Chinese restaurants. Now, you can easily make it at home!
We've adapted our beef and broccoli recipe to be super easily to make in our home kitchen and still tastes just as good as the ones from Chinese takeout restaurants. Also, it takes less than 30 minutes to make, from beginning to finish!
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Side dishes to serve with
Beef and broccoli is one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes, and it's pretty much agreeable with any sides. Our favorite sides to go with beef and broccoli are:
- steamed white rice or Korean purple rice
- egg fried rice or shrimp fried rice
- lomein
- egg rolls
Ingredients
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
To marinate the beef:
- Beef flank - Flank steaks are great for quick stir fry dishes, like beef and broccoli. It's cheap and flavorful. You can easy tenderize it as long you cut it into thin slices.
- Water - For hydrating the beef, making sure the meat stays as juicy as possible.
- Shaoxing cooking wine - A Chinese pantry staple and must have. In the marinate, Shaoxing rice wine helps get rid of any unwanted gamey flavor in the beef.
- Salt - For seasoning the beef.
- Oil - Any neutral oil will do. It's for velveting the beef.
- Cornstarch - This is the other ingredient for velveting the beef.
- Baking soda - For tenderizing the flank steak.
For the beef and broccoli sauce:
- Soy sauce - We recommend low sodium soy sauce so that the sauce is not super salty.
- Water - To dilute the soy sauce.
- Sugar - Regular granulated sugar is fine. It's for sweetening the brown sauce. If you prefer, you could use honey instead, but the flavor will be slightly different.
- Cornstarch - For thickening the beef and broccoli sauce.
- Toasted sesame oil - An Asian pantry must have! Sesame oil adds a toasted flavor to beef and broccoli.
The rest of the ingredients:
- Broccoli - Can't have beef and broccoli without broccoli! Just trim a broccoli crown into broccoli florets.
- Ginger and garlic - Both add a lot of flavor and fragrance to the whole dish.
- Carrot (optional) - Carrot slices are often added to Chinese takeout beef and broccoli for color. So feel free to use or omit.
- Sesame seeds (optional for garnish)
The best cut of beef to use
Beef flank steak is the best cut for quick stir fry dishes like beef and broccoli. It's cheap but still flavorful, and you can easily tenderize it with a little bit of baking soda. You could use eye rounds, chuck roasts, and skirt steak as well, but of the cheaper cuts, flank steak is our favorite choice. It has just enough fat so that the beef won't taste dry. Just make sure to cut the beef into slices no thicker than ¼ inch, against the grain.
You could also go for more expensive cuts like beef tenderloin and ribeye, but it would be a waste to stir fry with.
How to make beef and broccoli at home
Marinate the beef:
1. Cut the flank into thin slices no thicker than ¼ inch, against the grain.
🌟 Pro tip: On a flank steak, the horizontal streaks across the steak is the direction the grain goes. So cut against (perpendicular) to the streak so that the beef is as tender as possible. Also, if you freeze the flank until it's semi frozen, it'll be much easier to cut.
2. Place the thinly sliced beef into a bowl, along with water, oil, Shaoxing cooking wine, salt, cornstarch, and baking soda. Mix well until the beef is well coated. Set aside and let the beef marinate for at least 10 to 15 minute while you prepare the other ingredients. You can also marinate the beef overnight.
Make the beef and broccoli sauce:
3. In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, water, sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Set aside until needed.
Make the beef and broccoli:
4. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the broccoli florets. Boil the broccoli for about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the size of your florets and how tender you like your broccoli. Drain and set aside.
5. In a wok or large sauté pan, add enough oil to generously coat the bottom and heat on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the beef and stir fry until the beef is about 90 percent cooked. Make sure separate the beef slices to cook evenly. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Keep about 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok or pan and remove excess oil if needed. With the heat still on medium high, add the minced garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds.
6. Add the prepared beef and broccoli sauce to the pan and break to a simmer while stirring. Once the sauce thickens and looks glossy, reduce the heat to medium and add the beef and the broccoli.
7. Stir fry the beef and broccoli for another minute or two, until everything is evenly coated. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds if you like. Enjoy while hot!
Recipe tips
- Cut the flank into no thicker than ¼ inch slices. It's important that the flank is between ⅛ inch to ¼ inch thick. Too thin and the meat will disintegrate and break apart. If the beef is too thick, it'll take a long time to cook, make it tough and dry.
- Freeze the flank for easier cutting. If you freeze the flank steak until semi frozen, it'll be much easier to cut into thin, even slices. Just let the beef thaw after slicing to drain excess moisture before marinating.
- Marinate for at least 15 minutes or overnight. Marinating the beef ensures that it's well seasoned. But most importantly, the marinating process tenderizes the beef.
- Cook the broccoli to your preferred tenderness. You can adjust how long to boil the broccoli for, depending on how tender you like it. Also, the boiling time depends on how big you cut the broccoli florets.
Storage
If you have leftover beef and broccoli, let it cool completely before covering and refrigerating. It'll will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
Reheating
You can reheat leftover beef and broccoli in the microwave or on the stovetop.
To reheat in the microwave, place the beef and broccoli in a microwave safe container with a cover. Microwave until hot.
If you are reheating on the stovetop, place the beef and broccoli in a pan over medium heat and sauté until heated through. If the sauce looks thin after heating, you can thicken it by adding a small amount of cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch with cold water).
FAQ
Beef flank steak is our top choice for making beef and broccoli because it's cheap yet still super flavorful.
Our recipe calls for soy sauce, water, sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil to make the beef and broccoli sauce.
Velveting is a Chinese cooking technique used to protect delicate meat and keep meats from becoming dry and tough. Usually, the meats are coated in marinade seasoning, Shaoxing cooking wine, cornstarch, sometimes egg white, and oil. Then, the meat gets quickly cooked in hot oil or hot water.
If you’ve made this recipe or any recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram using #twoplaidaprons! You can also tag us in your Instagram stories using @two_plaid_aprons. We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰
📖 Recipe
Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
For marinating the beef:
- 1 pound beef flank steak thinly sliced (between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon oil any neutral oil will do
- 2 teaspoon Shaoxing cooking wine
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (a little less if using fine salt)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
For the stir fry sauce:
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce regular or light sodium
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For the rest of the dish:
- 1 pound broccoli cut into florets
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced (about 2 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon ginger peeled and minced (about an inch knob)
- oil as needed for stir frying
- Toasted sesame seed (optional for garnish)
Instructions
Marinate the beef:
- Cut the flank steak, against the grain, into bite size ⅛ to ¼ inch thick slices. If you have time, freeze the flank until semi frozen for easier cutting. Do let it thaw and drain any moisture before marinating.
- In a medium bowl, add everything for the marinating the beef (beef, water, cornstarch, oil, Shaoxing, salt, and baking soda). Mix the ingredients until everything is well combined and the beef is well coated with the marinade. Set aside to marinate for at least 10 to 15 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.*Do prepare the beef first so that it can marinade while you prepare the rest of the ingredients! This way you can maximize your time.*
Prepare the sauce:
- In a bowl, add all the ingredients for the sauce (soy sauce, water, sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil). Mix until no more cornstarch clumps are visible. Set aside until needed.*If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can add an extra teaspoon or two of cornstarch. If you prefer a thinner sauce, reduce the cornstarch to 2 to 3 teaspoons.*
Make the beef and broccoli:
- While the beef is marinating, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and boil them for 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on your preferred tenderness. The cook time will also depend on how big the broccoli florets are. Once cooked, drain the broccoli and set aside.*We usually boil our broccoli for about 1 minute because we like it more on the crisp side.*
- In a wok or sauté pan, add enough oil to generously coat the bottom and heat over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated beef and cook until the beef is about 90 percent cooked. Make sure to separate the beef so that it gets evenly cooked. Cook in small batches if necessary. Remove from the wok/pan and set aside.
- Keep about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan and turn the heat to medium. Remove excess oil if needed. Add the minced garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds.
- Give the prepared stir fry sauce a good stir and add it to the garlic and ginger. Heat the sauce until it simmers. Once the sauce has thickened and looks glossy, add the beef and the broccoli. Stir and toss everything together until the beef and the broccoli are well coated in sauce.
- Transfer the beef and broccoli onto a serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds if you wish. Enjoy it while it's hot!
Notes
- Flank steak - Our most preferred choice of beef for beef and broccoli is flank steak. But you could also use other cheap cuts like eye round, chuck roast, and skirt. However, those cuts of beef may taste a little dry.
- Freeze the flank steak for easier cutting. If you have time, freeze the flank steak until semi frozen so that they're easier to cut. Afterwards, do thaw and drain any moisture or blood so the marinade doesn't become too wet and loose.
- Broccoli cook time - Feel free to adjust the broccoli florets' cook time depending on how tender you like the broccoli and how big the the florets are.
Lynn says
Delicious 😋 will be a regular meal for my family!
Mei says
Hi Lynn!
Thank you so much for trying out our beef and broccoli recipe! It's our family favorite as well!
Cook with love!
Mei ❤️
Jennifer says
Delicious and so easy! A favorite in our home and a perfect way to eat your veggies. 🙂
Mei says
Hi Jennifer!
So glad you guys enjoyed the Beef and Broccoli! Definitely a great way to incorporate veggies!
Mei ❤️
Sandra L. Wells says
Thank you for the wonderful recipe and as importantly, techniques! I found the gorgeously glazed sauce entirely too strong with soy sauce, as I didn’t have anything but China Lily in the house, and I was eager to make it right then and there, is it possible that it is too heavy a soy sauce? Could you kindly make a recommendation?
Thank you again!!
Mei says
Hi Sandra!
Thank you for your kind words and so glad you found our recipe and post helpful! Unfortunately, we are not familiar with China Lily's soy sauce. However, if you find the soy sauce to be too salty or too strong in flavor (usually present in regular/traditional soy sauce), you can add some water to dilute the flavor. I would recommend trying 3 parts soy sauce to 1 part water and adjust the flavor from there. For example, one recipe of our beef and broccoli calls for 6 TBSP of soy sauce. So, mix 4.5 TBSP of your soy sauce with 1.5 tablespoons of water. I hope this makes sense 😅
Also, we usually use Kikkoman's low sodium soy sauce if you want to give it a try. The link is in the recipe card and the post.
Mei❤️
Ferdinia Rodriguez says
I don’t have Shaoxing cooking wine? Can I cook it without it?
Mei says
Hi Ferdinia!
If you don't have Shaoxing cooking wine, you can skip it. It's mostly to give it more flavor and gets rid of any unwanted beefy taste. If you have dry sherry, you can mix it half and half with some water as substitute as well =)
Mei❤️
Liz p says
Made this recipe today. So easy and tasty! Will def make this again. I used low sodium soy sauce, and it came out perfect. Thank
Mei says
Hi Liz!
Thank you for trying our recipe! So glad you guys enjoyed it! Low sodium soy sauce is our go-to as well!
Mei ❤️