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
Please please take down some of the ads! It is so hard to look at recipes and the website glitches, love this recipe btw, it’s on repeat for our family!
I’m so glad you’re loving this recipe, Yana! Thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback. The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site, so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes. But we will definitely take note of your feedback and use it to improve our website.
I appreciate your feedback, and I hope you love every recipe you try.
This is soooo good! Making it for the second time now. Love it! Looking forward to your cookbook which I have ordered! Thank you!!
Hi Joan! That’s great to hear. Thank you for sharing and I appreciate the love and support. It means so much that you would order my cookbook.
Delicious!! Substituted Beyond Steak for the beef and served over quinoa 🙌 Great recipe and will make again
I’m so glad that worked well, Sam! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made cauliflower rice, substituted the brown sugar with a no sugar option and served it over the cauliflower rice for a great keto meal! Kids loved it! Wish I could drop a picture here!
Hi Mark! That’s great. So glad it was a hit. You can tag me on Instagram or Facebook. #natashaskitchen
I really appreciate the nutrition facts, but what is the serving size?
Hi Samantha! At the top of the recipe card, it shows the estimated number of servings the recipe makes. The serving size in the nutrition facts is per serving. This recipe serves 4. It is computer generated so it’s difficult to have it generate the size of the servings. You’ll have to divide the total recipe into 4. I hope that helps.
Turned out really good. I used deer meat instead of beef and I wanted to add a little heat so I used red chili peppers just one or two dried ones.
Sounds good, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
My boyfriend & I both love to order Beef & Broccoli from Panda Express and when I tell you this recipe is spot on!! It is AMAZING!! Definitely will be making again!
That’s so great to hear, Caroline! I’m glad this recipe was a hit! Thank you for the feedback.
You should add white rice to the recipe on the side with sesame seeds to
Yes, that sounds delicious!
sooo good!! to the sauce i added gochugaru, mirin, and sezchuan peppercorn and i used that sauce (minus the corn starch and water) as a marinade for my beef and added the slurry later, it came out so tender!! bookmarked this recipe to use again!!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Mary!
Mine was lacking flavor and I added green onion,carrots and peppers I will try again, otherwiise it was good. Could it be that I was short on Sesame Oil ? I barely had half a tablespoon?????????
Feel free to add more seasoning to taste but it was just right for us and we’ve tested this recipe a lot of times. I recommend following the recipe as written to achieve excellent results. We’d like to know how it goes on your next try!
This is my family’s favorite dinner that I make at the moment. We like to double the sauce; it is incredibly delicious. I highly recommend the COSTCO Kirkland Signature Beef Loin New York (Shabu Shabu) for the beef. It is already thinly sliced, and it is delicious. Although expensive, we get four dinners out of a $50 package of beef.
Hi Jana! I’m so glad your family loved the recipe! Thank you for sharing.
Made the broccoli and beef recipe last night. Didn’t change a thing recipe-wise but I did add red peppers. One word – DELICIOUS!
So glad to hear that, Yolanda!
I am making this now and I have to say it smells like my favorite restaurant in here. I added a packet mix I found at the grocery store yesterday that’s for “beef and broccoli” but it’s basically the corn starch with some flavorings in it.
Wonderful, Nancy!
It was very good however I didn’t have fresh ginger so I had to use the powdered stuff. I really like ginger so I imagine it will be even better the next time I make it!
Yes it is better but that works well too! Thank you for your review, Max.
This was good. I will omit the sugar next time and reduce the amount of ginger to half, but other than that it was excellent. I will make again.
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad it was enjoyed. 🙂
I’ve made this twice in the last two weeks, and it’s fantastic. My husband is one of those people who doesn’t really “notice” food, but even he complimented it and requested it again. He’s still talking about it now as he does the dishes!
I served it on steamed quinoa the first time and buckwheat noodles the second time, and I added a splash of mirin to the sauce.
I’m so happy that you loved it!
Love love love this recipe! I have made it several times, thank you for sharing Natasha
You’re welcome! So glad you love it.
Tonight wilI be the second time making this dinner. It is in my weekly rotation now. I grated carrots and also sliced up onions and it was delicious. My children range from 15 to 25 and they loved it. I am going to make it with cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. I’m sure it will be delicious.
That’s wonderful, Jill! I’m glad the family loves it. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
My family of 5 loved this recipe. I doubled it. We order Beef and Broccoli from our Chinese Restaurant but now I will be making it myself much better. It was delicious all 5 of us loved it. Thank you for sharing your recipes
That’s wonderful, Jill! Thanks for sharing.
I looked for a recipe that I could use left over cooked steak. It was wonderful–a definite keeper. Liked that I saw to omit or reduce sugar. It tasted great, but trying to reduce sugar from our diet. Instead of putting it over rice, we put it on baked potato. Yum!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Donna!
Hi would dark soya sauce be ok to use ? I just realized i used the wrong one
Hi Nat! Yes, that should be fine. It is thicker and sweeter and less salty than light soy sauce so you may need to make some modifications and add salt if needed.