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!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
Delicious! Made with venison tenderloin and it was excellent!
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
My picky 10 year old who does not eat many vegetables devoured this. My husband and I enjoyed it as well. I think I will try it with a little less sugar next time.
Yay, that’s fantastic feedback, thanks for sharing! I’m happy to know that your family enjoyed this recipe.
Perfect proportions, so delicious. It’s my go to recipe for a quick flavorful meal. I serve it with white rice. Also tastes very good reheated for lunch the next day.
Hello Nataliya, thanks for sharing your feedback with us. So glad you loved the recipe!
Just made this for dinner and received rave reviews by the family! So delicious! Will put this in the dinner rotation! Thanks again for another wonderful recipe!
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Made this tonight. Delicious! My wife gets excited on Thursday night (my night for cooking) when I tell her it’s one of your recipe’s Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review.
I’m going to make this tonight. I see sesame seeds in the dish, but I don’t see them on the ingredients list. Do you just sprinkle them on top, or mix them in with the sauce? Thanks!
Hi Kevin, they’re an option topping add.
Thanks! I didn’t see your reply to my comment before I submitted my review. We did add them on top. It was great!
So easy and SO DELICIOUS! This was a hit in my house and will absolutely be added to our regular menu. I love simple recipes through the week. Thank you so much!!
Thank you for your awesome review, Christie!
Made this tonight and it was a hit. Easy recipe to follow and comes out great.
Great to hear that you loved the result, Ken. Thank you for sharing!
Sooooo good. My daughter is celiac and this recipe is gluten free which she really enjoys. Just watch out for sesame seeds as I was surprised to see wheat in package. It is as good as any Chinese take out and easy to make. Can’t wait to try other recipes as there are many that look good.
I’m happy to know that your daughter likes this recipe. Thank you for sharing that with us, Susan. We appreciate your review!
Would really love to make a Keto version of this. Any suggestion on substitutions- this recipe has a high card content. Thanks in advance!
P.S. You recipes are amazing!
Hi PJ, I honestly haven’t tested any other substitution to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Love this recipe. Better than any I have ever had in a restaurant. Definitely faster than take out will never order this out again. And veggies will never be over cooked again. I love snow peas in this too.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Shirley! I always homemade is best!
I like the vegetables and beef to stay crispy so I remove the veggies to the bowl with the beef, then add the sauce to the pan. When it thickens I add the veggies and beef back in, toss a few times, and serve.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I really like your kitchen. 😋. Please, what is SCHIRACHA? I need for Mongolian beef. Thank you. Jirina
Hi Jirina, it is a spicy sauce. Here is a link to Sriracha sauce on Amazon, but it is available in most major grocery stores in the Asian food section.
Fantastic Recipe – made it just to my liking with a few changes
I don’t like soy sauce so I substituted ponzu sauce with only 1/4 cup brown sugar and it was amazing 🙂
Thank you Natasha
You’re welcome, Sophia. Great to hear that you loved it!
Wow! We made it once, and since then we’re craving for it from time to time, and make it couple of times, again!
Thanks for sharing recipes that actually “works “! 😌🙏🏻
Hi bahar, glad that you’re enjoying my recipe. Hope you will try my other recipes. Thank you.
What oil do you use for this dish?
Hi Judy, I used extra light olive oil
This was a great recipe but a little too sweet for me. The next time I make it I will reduce the amount of brown sugar and up the sriracha just a bit…nice and saucy!
Hi Tara, I’m glad you gave it a try! I hope you love it even more the second time around!
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! This will definitely be one of my go to recipes!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Linda!
I made this tonight. It was so quick & easy, not to mention absolutely delicious! Thanks for a great recipe that I will definitely make again.
That’s so great, Karen! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
This is amazing, definitely making this again, thank you
You’re welcome, Tina! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!