This Homemade Mongolian Beef recipe is a quick and easy 30-minute recipe that the whole family will love. The caramelized tender beef and saucy vegetables are delicious with the sweet and savory garlic and ginger sauce. Serve this over rice, quinoa, or noodles, and dinner is made!

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Mongolian Beef
We love recreating our favorite takeout recipes, such as Chow Mein and Chicken Fried Rice. This Chinese restaurant-inspired Mongolian Beef is so EASY to make and tastes just as amazing as P.F. Chang’s Mongolian beef bowl. Thinly sliced beef seared until crispy with carrots, bell peppers, and green onions in a sweet and spicy sauce that adds so much flavor to the beef.

Ingredients for Mongolian Beef Stir Fry
- Beef – When sliced into thin strips, flank steak is ideal for a tender stir-fry that won’t become tough and chewy. You can substitute top sirloin, skirt steak, flat iron steak, top round, or even rib-eye steak with great results. Cut the beef against the grain.
- Vegetables – Julienne the carrot and red bell pepper, and slice the green onions or scallions into longer pieces which is nice for a stir fry. Authentic Mongolian Beef is made with just the green onion so if you want to skip the veggies, you can but we love the flavor and texture they add.
- Cornstarch – adds a slightly crisp layer to the outside of the beef, tenderizes the beef, and also helps to thicken up and stabilize the sauce.
- Sauce – the homemade savory-sweet stir fry sauce combines warm aromatic flavors of ginger and garlic with the sweetness of brown sugar and is balanced by savory soy sauce and a hint of spice from sriracha. If you like it spicier, you can also add red pepper flakes.

Natasha’s Tip for Thinly Slicing Beef
If you freeze the beef for 30 minutes, it’s easier to achieve even and thin slices. Also, slicing against the grain helps break down the muscle fibers, preventing the beef from becoming too chewy.
How to Make Mongolian Beef
This recipe comes together quickly and is best when served fresh. Whenever you are making a stir fry over high heat, it cooks fast so make sure all of the ingredients are measured and prepped before starting the recipe.
- Coat the Beef – Add cornstarch to the beef slices and toss to coat completely.
- Make the Sauce – In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
- Sautee Vegetables – Add oil and butter to a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, saute the vegetables to your desired doneness, stirring frequently. Remove from the skillet and cover to keep warm.
- Cook Meat – Add more oil and cook the beef in a single layer until it’s crispy and has a good sear (don’t overcook the meat). TIP: Don’t overcrowd the pan, if needed, cook in batches. Add the vegetables back to the beef.
- Add Sauce – Pour in the sauce and add the green onion, turn the heat down to medium. Cook until the sauce thickens. TIP: If you prefer a spicier sauce, add additional Sriracha to taste. If the sauce is too salty or too thick, add a splash of water. If it’s too thin, simmer a bit longer or add a cornstarch slurry.

Wok vs. Skillet
Traditionally, a wok is used for stir-frying because it’s meant for high-heat cooking, and the shape makes it easy to toss ingredients for even cooking. I have found that a heavy-bottomed skillet can handle the recipe just fine, so use what you have on hand. The key is to use a pan that is suitable for high-heat cooking, retains heat well to give a good sear, and is large enough that you aren’t crowding the pan (overcrowding causes food to steam cook rather than sear).
What to Serve with Mongolian Beef?
Since this dish is so flavorful and saucy, pair it with simple sides:
- Rice – fluffy white rice, brown rice or even fried rice
- Steamed Vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy, snow peas, or mix of vegetables
- Quinoa – a great alternative to rice
- Spring Rolls or Egg Rolls
- Noodles – such as lo mein, udon, or soba noodles
Storing and Reheating Mongolian Beef
- Storing Leftovers – The Mongolian Beef is great for meal prep because it will keep well refrigerated for up to three days. This is also a great recipe to use as meal prep and keep in individual portions to take to work and reheat for lunch.
- Reheating – It’s always best to reheat using the same method a recipe was cooked so reheat on the stovetop or use the microwave if you’re on the go.

Once you give this homemade version of the Classic P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef a try, it will be on repeat for dinner.
Mongolian Beef

Ingredients
Mongolian Beef Ingredients
- 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil, divided*
- 1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain*
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1/3 cup green onions, thickly sliced (from 4 stems)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds, optional garnish
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, (packed)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce, *
- 1 tsp Sriracha, or added to taste
Instructions
- Place beef slices in a bowl, add cornstarch and stir to completely coat.
- In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce and stir until well combined, set aside.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 Tbsp oil with 1 Tbsp butter over medium/high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the carrot and peppers and stir fry until crisp-tender or to your desired tenderness, stirring frequently. Remove the vegetables to a separate plate.
- Increase to high heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Once hot, add the beef and sear for about 2 minutes per side to create a crispy coating. Add more oil if the skillet seems dry. Do not crowd the pan and cook the beef in batches if needed.
- Add the vegetables back into the skillet with the green onion. Add the sauce and stir to combine. Turn heat to medium/low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired and serve.
Notes
Beef – You can also use top sirloin, skirt steak, flat iron steak, top round, or even rib eye steak. Cut the beef into thin slices across the grain. If you freeze the steak for 30 minutes, it will be easier to thinly slice.
Oil – use an oil with a high smoke point such as peanut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or extra light olive oil
Soy Sauce – Use Tamari Sauce for gluten-free Mongolian Beef. If using regular soy sauce, add it to taste since it has more salt.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Easy Asian Recipes
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Ground Beef Stir Fry
- California Roll Bowls
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Hi Natasha
I wanted to ask you if i could use light or dark soya sauce to make it? I don’t have low sodium soy sauce. I also can’t wait to finish making this 🙂
Hi Ade, it works best with low sodium soy sauce or Tamari Sauce for gluten-free Mongolian Beef. I haven’t tested this with light or dark soy sauce to advise on the outcome. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha!
Could I make this with ground beef?
Hi Ashley, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Just made this today. Great hit with the family. My wife got me to check your website as she is a keen devotee. Well impressed.
I will be back!
I’m so happy to hear this was a hit, Terry! That’s so great!
Wow! This recipe was definitely a hit in our household. Being 4.5months pregnant and ongoing nausea not that I could make this recipe, I actually got to enjoy it which rarely happens these days.My three brother-in-law and my husband ate this within seconds😘❤️Thank you!
Hi Lilly! That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
My sister and I made this for dinner yesterday. Our family loved it! So did we. We tore it up! It was all gone. We served it over brown rice. We’ve enjoyed using a lot of stir fry recipes. Thanks for the recipe Natasha!
Yummy! I’m so happy the entire family loved this!
Made this for a very picky 17year old eater and he is on his second helping.
This was delicious.Thank you.
Hi LA, that is awesome and I’m happy with that. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi, where is the video, latley the videos of “popular right now” compete with the video of your recipes. I have been noticing that many recipies do not have a video anymore and there are so helpful.
Hi Camilla, we produce and post only 1 video per week because I prefer quality over quantity. Thanks for suggesting a video for this recipe, hopefully, we can do one in the future.
Made this last night but with venison and my family said this was a definite keeper. Thank you for your easy and delicious recipes.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Made this Mongolian beef tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Even better than a restaurant. I added some snow peas too.
Glad you loved it, Maria! Thank you for sharing your great feedback with us.
I just made this for dinner and I must say the sauce is amazing!!! This is the mongolian beef recipe I’ve ever had!
That’s so awesome, Gina! Thank you for your perfect comment and review, I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Made this tonight – yum! I had sesame seed oil and used that instead of regular oil. I also wanted to mention that as some one with a gluten issue they do make gluten free low sodium soy sauce but I soy appreciate you posting a substitute.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I am not sure the ingredients of the sauce are. Could you clarify please?
Hi Carolina, if you go to the recipe post and click “Jump to Recipe” it will take you to the printable recipe card where you can see the list of ingredients for the sauce under “Sauce Ingredients-“. I hope that helps.
This was so good! My husband and I loved it. I made one substitution. I used Truvia Brown Sugar because my husband is diabetic. It came out great! Served it over cauliflower rice.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely as good as you’ll order out in any restaurant. (it took me way more than 30 minutes from start to finish though.)
Last night I decided to try substituting pork loin for the beef, and adding some zucchini strips – it was every bit as delicious.
Hello Lois, I’m glad you loved it and that your substitution worked great too!
My hubby is a big fan of homemade stir fries and we both agree this is the best yet, plus it’s easy and quick to prepare. I forgot to mix the cornstarch with the meat so I added it at the end, mixing with a small amount of water, so it wouldn’t get lumpy. I also added broccoli florets and topped it with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. This is a keeper!
Very nice! Thank you for your good comments and review, we appreciate it!
Can I serve this over Chow Mein noodles instead of rice? 🤔
That sounds delicious! I bet that would pair well together.
This was just delicious and will certainly make this easy recipe again.
The only problem I had was the breading (cornstarch) did not adhere to the beef when cooked. Any suggestions?
Thank you.
Hi Diane, make sure to use a good non-stick pan which will help with that.
Can you have a low sugar alternative? Is it possible to use stevia to substitute some of the brown sugar?
Hi Provi, I haven’t tried stevia or any other substitute to advise. But you put less sugar in this recipe.
I used Truvia Brown Sugar. It came out really good.
This was easy and delicious! Thanks for the great recipe. My family loved it. Definitely will be making this again.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I love this recipe. I doubled it and still there wasn’t enough. They just couldn’t stop eating it..
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!