Beef and Broccoli is an easy, 1-pan, 30-minute meal that’s loaded with fresh broccoli, tender beef, and the best stir-fry sauce. This Beef and Broccoli Recipe definitely satisfies the craving for takeout. Watch the video recipe below and see how easy it is!
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Helpful Reader Review
“Oh my goodness! The hype is real, y’all!! I made this tonight for the first time and my husband raved and raved. It was not difficult at all. I followed the recipe exactly, using flank steak and following the tip of adding water to make the broccoli a little more tender. My only regret is I did not double the recipe is there are no leftovers…” – Hannah ★★★★★
Beef and Broccoli Video
I hope this Beef Broccoli Stir Fry video recipe becomes a favorite for you. It’s such a treat to enjoy home cooking when you’re on the go.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I developed this recipe years ago as a copycat for the Panda Express, P.F. Changs and Cheesecake Factory Beef and Broccoli – the sauce here really makes the dish! It satisfies my family’s frequent cravings, but I think this homemade version has better flavors and textures. It also has better ingredients, so I feel really good about serving it to my family. I make sure to add plenty of broccoli for a balanced meal, and honestly, I’ve never seen my kids eat broccoli so fast!
This is also a versatile dish – you can add your favorite vegetables to this recipe (see ingredient variations below). I love serving this over cooked white rice, but have gotten creative over the years and sometimes add noodles for a Beef Broccoli Ramen Stir Fry that is a meal in one dish (add that to next weeks meal plan).
Ingredients
This recipe follows my mantra – ‘sometimes the simplest recipes are the best.’ A good stir fry should be simple. Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy broccoli beef.
- Beef – Flank Steak is the best cut of beef for stir fry because it’s tender, lean, and easy to chew. More options include: Top Sirloin Steak, Top Round Steak, or Tri-Tip Steak. Ribeye also works for extra flavor and richness.
- Broccoli – Fresh broccoli florets are best. I avoid using frozen broccoli because it gets mushy, releases liquid and dilutes the sauce, making it bland. You can also change out the vegetables – try snap peas, bell peppers, carrots, and even mushrooms.
- Sauce – an easy and perfect blend of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, pepper, sesame oil and corn starch to thicken up the sauce.
Natasha’s Tips for Thin-Sliced Beef
If you freeze your steak for about 30 minutes, it will be much easier to make thin and even slices because it stays in place. Slice against the grain, between 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick – the thinner you shave the beef, the better – it cooks faster, stays tender, and absorbs the sauce better.
The Best Stir Fry Sauce for Beef and Broccoli
Many stir fry recipes have gone wrong with a poorly made sauce. I tested this recipe over and over until I arrived at the perfect balance of sweet and savory. For the best stir fry sauce:
- Use low sodium soy sauce, or add to taste (or try Gluten Free Tamari)
- Use the right amount of fresh ginger – it has strong flavor so don’t overdo it.
- Do not skip the sesame oil as it gives authentic flavor
- Simmer sauce at least 3 minutes to mellow out garlic and ginger
- For a thinner sauce, add 2 Tbsp water at the end
How to Make Beef and Broccoli
This recipe moves fast and comes together in 1 skillet and 5 easy steps, so you want to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you fire up the stove. It is just 6 steps in one skillet!
- Slice beef strips
- Make stir fry sauce
- Cook broccoli and remove from skillet.
- Cook beef
- Add stir fry sauce and return broccoli to the pan
Tips for the Best Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Here are my best tips to achieve a perfectly cooked stir fry with tender beef and perfectly cooked broccoli:
- Start with the right cut of beef (see ingredients section above) and thinly sliced steak for quick and even cooking.
- Add steak to a HOT skillet to sear and seal in the juices
- Use Fresh broccoli (not frozen)
- Don’t overcrowd the pan or it will cool the pan resulting in steam cooked beef.
Make Ahead and Storage
This saucy beef and broccoli recipe reheats really well so it’s perfect for weekly meal prep and to-go lunches for school and work.
- Prep Ahead: slice your beef, prepare the broccoli and make the sauce the day before and store them all separately until ready to cook.
- Storage: Once the beef and broccoli has cooled to room temperature, cover and refrigerate 3-4 days per USDA guidelines for storing cooked beef. For Meal prep, store in individual containers to reheat portions.
- Freezing: You can freeze but the texture will suffer since broccoli can get mushy when thawed.
- To Reheat: set portions in a skillet and stir fry over medium heat until hot. Add a splash of water to loosen up the sauce.
Beef and Broccoli is delicious and protein-packed dinner and you’ll love how quick and easy it is to make. Stir-fry recipes, such as our Ground Beef Stir Fry, Vegetable Stir Fry, and Shrimp Fried Rice, have become go-to’s because they are fast and healthier than going out.
Beef and Broccoli Recipe
Ingredients
Beef and Broccoli Ingredients:
- 1 lb flank steak*, very thinly sliced into bite-sized strips
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, (or vegetable oil), divided
- 1 lb fresh broccoli*, (cut into 6 cups of florets)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds, optional garnish
Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (loosely packed)
- 2 tsp garlic, grated (from 3 cloves)
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 6 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce, (or GF Tamari)
- 3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Prep: Start cooking white rice first so it's ready when the stir fry is done. Cover and freeze steak 30 minutes for easier slicing, then thinly slice against the grain.
- Make the Sauce: Combine all stir fry sauce ingredients in a bowl, stir well to dissolve the sugar, and set aside.
- Cook Broccoli: Place a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Add broccoli florets and sauté 4-5 minutes, partially covered with lid, stirring or tossing several times until broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender then remove from pan. Tip: If you prefer softer broccoli, add 2 Tbsp water before covering with the lid and it will steam cook the broccoli.
- Cook Beef: Increase heat to high heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Add beef in a single layer and sauté 2 minutes per side or just until cooked through. Quickly pull out a piece to test for doneness.
- Add the sauce, reduce heat to medium/low and simmer 3-4 minutes. It will thicken. Add broccoli and stir to combine. Stir in 1-2 Tbsp water to thin the sauce if desired. Serve over white rice.
Notes
- More steak options include: Top Sirloin Steak, Top Round Steak, Tri-Tip Steak, or Ribeye
- Vegetables: for best results, use fresh vegetables, not frozen. You can substitute or add a variety of veggies such as snap peas, bell peppers, carrots, and even mushrooms.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Beef Recipes that Reheat Well
Any recipe that reheats well is a great option for meal prep, school, and work lunch. This is a great list to help you get through a busy season.
- Lasagna – beefy, cheesy, and saucy
- Beef Chili – hearty and satisfying
- Easy Taco Soup – fun for Taco Tuesday
- Spaghetti Meat Sauce – also freezes well
- Beef Stir Fry – with 3 ingredient sauce
- Meatloaf – so many uses for leftovers
- Mongolian Beef – saucy and delicious
Yum! This was very delicious! Just like the restaurants. I used a tenderloin that I had in the freezer. Hardest part was cutting that up. I cut it frozen to get thin slices. I never leave reviews, so you know it impressed me. Yum again!
Thanks for sharing, Cindy! So glad you enjoyed it.
Delicious!! Super quick and easy and taste better than take out! Thanks so much for this recipe. Add some veggies liken corn, carrots,snap peas,peppers and even mushrooms!
You’re so welcome! Happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe a lot.
Loved this sooooo much. As others have said, the sauce is incredible 🙂
I’ve just grated ginger and garlic to freeze for future dinners and was wondering if the sauce alone can be frozen if I pre-made a batch?
Hi Lynsey, I’m so happy to hear you loved this recipe! I haven’t tested freezing this sauce so I can’t say for sure. One of my readers said it does freeze well.
So easy and so delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe – It’s the first time I’ve cooked flank steak – what a pleasant surprise!
It really is so good! Thank you for the review, Linda! 🙂
Really enjoy this recipe. My only twist on it is I use beef broth instead of water. Adds just a hint of additional flavor.
That’s a good idea too, it makes it tastier! Thanks for the review and for sharing that with us!
Wonderful recipe – I have never made this dish before and it was easy and delicious!
Thank you for the awesome feedback, Alicia!
I’ve been making beef & broccoli for years with a recipe I picked up when I lived in Australia. Now that we’re in Panama, we can’t get the meat I normally used which was flank steak. It’s not a cut available here so we use tenderloin which is inexpensive here. Can’t get tri tip either. I want to try your recipe. What do you think about using tenderloin? Our beef here is grass fed and very tender for the most part. I also add un-roasted and unsalted cashews which add a nice bit of crunch. Also mushrooms. I’m going to make your recipe tonight. Love beef & broccoli.
Hi Steve, while I haven’t tried that, I bet that could work! HEre’s what one of my readers wrote: “I had some excess frozen trimmings from a full beef tenderloin I had previously cut into steaks. I sliced thin and followed the same steps. Awesome recipe followed exactly! So good in fact I tried it again with a frozen boneless chicken breast. Same deal- slice the chicken thin before it fully thaws to easily get the thin slices.” I hope this is helpful!
You knocked this one out if the park, it was delicious. Broccoli was perfectly crispy flavour was awesome, we ate some of the rice with seaweed. We love spicy hot so put just a bit of soracha on it oh my gosh so good. Thank you
You’re welcome! Good to know that you loved this recipe a lot.
I never leave reviews, but this meal is honestly delicious, a much healthier version of Chinese takeout, and it’s very hard to mess it up. I’ve made it about 5 times and it always turns out amazing, including the first time. I always add more veggies, and here I usually add onion slices and red pepper and a pinch of cayenne. One time I used thinly sliced chicken breast instead of beef and it was amazing too. It has become one of our weekly dishes! Thank you Natasha 🙂
That’s wonderful to hear, Dee. Thank you for the review.
sauce volume needs at least to be 3X . flavor is very good. love that it is doable. ,no exotic ingredients.
Thanks for your comments and feedback!
Beef and broccoli is my favorite thing to get when ordering Chinese takeout. This recipe tastes just like the takeout version! Its delicious and so easy! I added MSG for extra flavor
Easy to make and great tasting sauce!! I add mushrooms and onions to mine, too.
Isn’t it so good?! I’m happy you loved it!
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was excellent. One thing, I used a tablespoon of cold water (out of the 1/2 cup water) to mix the corn starch into a slurry before making the sauce.
Nice! Thanks for sharing that with us, Heidi. We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
It was so good that my “not hungry” (waiting to go get fast food) 17 year old emerged from her room and asked for some, and my picky.. and doesnt like asian food husband had 2 bowls!
Awesome, happy to know that everyone enjoyed the recipe!
Super tasty and easy. I added broccoli stems for some crunch and quartered mushrooms. A little extra cracked black pepper too! Great recipe
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Emily.
I am about to make this, but I don’t have time to go to the store to buy light soy. How much regular soy sauce would you use in place of it?
Thanks!
Hi Monna, I saw that one of our readers shared this “This is one of the best recipes and my girls love it. We made it as printed the first time but settled on just 1 Tbsp sesame seed oil and 3 Tbsp ea. regular & low sodium soy sauce.” I hope that helps.
It’s the second time I did this recipe. The first time I made the sauce thinner and didn’t like it that much, the second time I doubled the sauce and it was a hit. I found myself liking the pan, so so delicious! It was also the second recipe I did from Natasha’s Kitchen, I feel so happy. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
You’re so welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Best beef and broccoli recipe ever! That sauce is unreal, I was licking it off the spoon before washing dishes. An important question, when these recipes (I can’t wait to try the ramen version) say sesame oil, is it toasted sesame oil or just plain sesame oil? Thank you. This is my third dinner made by you this week and your recipes are changing my life. I feel so capable where I used to feel so intimidated by cooking. And I love how much value you out on FLAVOR and nothing being dry/bland/boring, even the more simple things!
It’s a popular recipe for good reason! I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Ekaterina!
My husband was hesitant when he saw the beef flank but he loved the meal. Even went back for more!
So much better than take out. A lot less sugar too!
Thanks for the great recipe!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Eve!
This is one of the best recipes and my girls love it. We made it as printed the first time but settled on just 1 Tbsp sesame seed oil and 3 Tbsp ea. regular & low sodium soy sauce.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Camille! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.