- We Learned to Cook
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Perfect for meal prep, this dump-and-go slow cooker Mongolian Beef recipe is an easy dinner option during your busy week. Plus, it's loaded with sweet and salty flavors of brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger that'll have you and your family coming back for seconds!
We are so excited to share our recipe for slow cooker Mongolian Beef as it’s a family FAV in our house. We hope you and your family love it as much as we do!
When we first started meal prepping, we knew we needed to start with easy recipes we could prep on a Sunday and enjoy during the week. We wanted to eat healthy meals every night, even with our busy work schedules. So, we started with a lot of crockpot meals or dump-and-go meals which really worked well for us.
There are similar recipes that have a different take on this dish like the copycat PF Chang Mongolian Beef, but they just seemed to take too much time to prepare. We wanted EASY! So, we tested multiple recipes, took all the best parts from each and came up with this one.
Most Mongolian Beef recipes call use flank steak as the protein, but we really like tri-tip or even chuck roast...just make sure to trim off any large fatty sections. Many times we don't even take the time to dice the meat and coat it in cornstarch. We just dump the entire roast in the Crock-Pot with the other ingredients. The cooking time is a bit longer but the beef shreds like butter after 8 hours cooking on low.
Another thing to love about this particular recipe is it can be customized to fit your taste buds. Feel free to play around with the amount of brown sugar to make it more or less sweet. Adjust the soy sauce/water ratio to calm down the salty flavor. Or, if you like spicy dishes, you can add chili paste or Sriracha to taste.
What we like about this recipe!
Nicole - I like easy! I can throw this dinner in the slow cooker before work and come home to an amazing home cooked meal that tastes like it took hours to prepare.
Mike - I like how customizable this dish is. I like to reduce the brown sugar to 1/4 cup and add a tablespoon of Sriracha to give it a little kick. We've also experimented with red pepper flakes to add spice.
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. flank steak, tri-tip or chuck roast (trimmed)
3 garlic cloves
1 inch fresh ginger
1 scallion
3/4 cup reduced salt soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)
1 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
How to make the Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef.
Thinly slice the flank steak against the grain, and then dice into smaller cubes. Place the steak in a bowl. (You can also cook an entire roast like tri-tip without slicing. Just make sure to increase the cooking time to account for the larger cut of meat.
Season flank steak with salt and pepper to taste, and coat with cornstarch. This dish is somewhat salty by nature, so go easy on the salt. Mix until well combined. (This is optional. If you're in a hurry, you can skip this step and still end up with a great meal.)
Mince your ginger and garlic.
At the bottom of the slow cooker, add the vegetable oil and cubed steak.
Add garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce and water. Mix thoroughly until ingredients are well combined.
Turn the slow cooker on high for 2.5 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Stir when done cooking.
Garnish with scallion and sesame seeds and serve over steamed white rice.
Tips and Tricks
As mentioned above, this recipe can be customized to your and your family's taste buds. Feel free to play around with the amounts of brown sugar, soy sauce and water. Also, don't forget the Sriracha or red pepper flakes for a hint of spice.
In a hurry? Don't worry about dicing the beef and coating it in corn starch. There have been many times we simply dump a whole 1 1/2 lb. roast in the slow cooker with the other ingredients and go. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time to approximately 8 hours. (Which happens to be a typical work day. Just dump in the slow cooker before work and come home to a beautiful meal with very little effort.)
Most traditional Mongolian Beef recipes will call for flank steak. But we really enjoy tri-tip or chuck roast. Beef selection varies in different parts of the country and even from supermarket to supermarket, so it's nice to have a few different options.
Most recipes call for Mongolian Beef to be served over steamed white rice, and we love that option. But that's just the start of what this dish can be paired with. You serve Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef over brown rice, quinoa, green beans or even salad!
Soy sauce is notoriously high in sodium. That's why we opt for Bragg Liquid Aminos instead of traditional soy sauce. It's gluten-free, packed with beneficial amino acids, and has about 1/4 of the sodium. The best part though...it's equally delicious as regular soy sauce!
FAQs
How should I cut the flank steak? Cut your flank steak perpendicular to the grain. When observing the meat, you will notice lines resembling those on a piece of wood. It is important to slice the meat across these lines, rather than parallel to them. This technique guarantees a very tender piece of beef.
What cut of meat should I use for this recipe? Flank steak is the go-to cut for slow cooker Mongolian Beef. But we've used tri-tip and even chuck roast with good results. If you're feeling especially bougie you could opt for filet mignon—no seriously, we've seen it!
Why do I need to coat the beef with corn starch? Coating the flank steak in cornstarch, also known as velveting, helps tenderize the mean while simultaneously thickening the sauces.
How long can I store in the freezer before cooking? This dish is safe to store in the freezer for a full 4 months.
How long can I store leftovers in the refrigerator? When stored in an air-tight container this slow cooker Mongolian beef can be enjoyed for up to 4 days after cooking.
