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This Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is a quick and easy way to get dinner on the table thanks to the pressure cooker. Sear the beef for a crispy outside then pressure cook it with a sweet sauce that coats the steamed broccoli. Have a healthy dinner on the table in under 30 minutes!
Love making Asian-inspired recipes at home? Then you’ll love thisAir fryer Orange ChickenandHealthy Chicken Pad Thai.
Table of Contents
- Reasons to Love this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
- Grab These Ingredients
- How to cook the beef from frozen
- Health benefits of beef
- What cut of beef is Mongolian beef made from?
- How is this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef recipe healthier?
- How to Make Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
- More Instant Pot Beef Recipes
- Healthy Instant Pot Mongolian Beef Recipe
With back to school here, this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef recipe will be a lifesaver! I know schedules get crazy and kids come home hungry so having an easy recipe they will love is key. This recipe features tender beef that will remind you of your favorite Chinese takeout —just healthier!
Reasons to Love this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
- It’s a great recipe for the whole family – kids love the sweet sauce!
- Pressure cooking the meat and sauce develops a lot of flavor in a short amount of time—similar to Instant Pot Pulled Pork.
- It’s a pf chang copycat, but cheaper and healthier.
- This meal is just as good the next day, making it one of our favorite recipes for meal prep.
- The thin slices of beef are so tender and juicy.
- It’s easy to customize with other fresh vegetables like baby corn, green beans, or red or green bell pepper.
Looking for more ways to use your Instant Pot weekly? All of our Instant Pot recipes are delicious, but we especially love this Instant Pot Greek Chicken and Rice and this Instant Pot Pot Roast.
Grab These Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for this apple kale salad. Most are pantry staples and easy (and affordable) to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Flank Steak: my favorite beef to use in stir-fry recipes with steak and veggies. View more cuts of beef or flank steak substitutes to thinly slice for this recipe like flat iron steak or top round beef.
- Soy sauce: use low sodium soy sauce, tamari (gluten-free), or coconut aminos (soy and gluten-free)
- Aromatics: fresh garlic and fresh ginger.
- Honey or dark brown sugar: to sweeten the sauce.
- Corn starch: or tapioca starch to thicken the sauce.
- Broccoli: purchase pre-chopped and washed to save time.
- Beef broth: to create the sauce and to help the Instant Pot come to pressure.
Pro tip: You need at least 1/2 a cup of liquid in the Instant Pot to prevent getting the burn notice.
How to cook the beef from frozen
You can even make this recipe directly from frozen beef. It will take a few extra minutes to come to pressure. I love that about an instant pot! You can safely cook frozen beef in an Instant Pot without thawing which makes weeknight dinners so easy. Anyone else forget to defrost meat in the morning!?
The other recipe I love about this is it’s so healthy. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like as much brown sugar in my dinner as in an entire cookie recipe, so I stuck to a healthy ingredients for this Mongolian beef.
And everything in this recipe is healthy too!
Health benefits of beef
Beef is definitely a healthy part of a balanced diet and I love eating it a couple of times a week. It’s such a good source of protein too!
A 3-ounce serving of beef (about the size of an iPhone) provides more than 10 essential nutrients and 25 grams of protein for less than 150 calories. Not to mention, eating protein helps your kiddos stay focused during the school day and the B vitamins in beef provide them with energy too.
I was a student athlete all through middle school and high school and I know that if your kids are active, eating beef is a great source of protein and energy! My husband (who’s a health coach!) always says we need to be eating more protein to help build muscle and strong bodies.
What cut of beef is Mongolian beef made from?
Mongolian beef is most commonly made with flank steak. This cut of beef is lean and has tough muscle fibers running through it. Cut it against the grain and cook it quickly for best results.
How is this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef recipe healthier?
- No refined sugar: I used a little honey to sweeten it instead of brown sugar.
- Gluten free: I also opted to use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Coconut aminos tastes just like soy sauce but doesn’t have any soy in it! If you don’t mind having soy in your diet you can definitely use soy sauce, but I love the coconut aminos! You can get it at any grocery store
- Greens: The broccoli in this recipe also makes it healthy and balanced. Broccoli is a really good source of vitamins K and C and it’s a great source of folate and provides potassium and fiber. Add that to the protein from the beef and you’ve got yourself a balanced meal!
How to Make Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Slice the steak: Start by slicing the flank steak against the grain. You’ll notice there are small fibers going across the beef. You’ll want to cut the steak in small thin pieces across those. This makes the beef really tender and not chewy!
Sear the steak: Work in batches to sear both sides of the flank steak for 1-2 minutes.
Pressure cook: add the liquids, garlic and ginger and pressure cook for 8 minutes then quick release.
Thicken the sauce: add the cornstarch and water mixture, honey and broccoli to the Instant Pot and turn the saute function back on. Mix everything together until the sauce gets thick!
Serve: with brown rice, white, cauliflower rice or quinoa! Learn how to cut green onions on the bias for a finishing touch.
More Instant Pot Beef Recipes
Looking for pasta? Try Instant Pot spaghetti or Instant Pot lasagna soup for an Italian night.
If you’re in the mood for Mexican, make this Mexican shredded beef to put into shredded beef enchiladas.
Instant Pot pot roast or Instant Pot taco soup are both perfect for a cozy night.
Thank you to The Ohio Beef Council for sponsoring this recipe. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I’m so thankful to brands like them who support my mission of providing easy, healthy meals so I can continue to provide you with free recipes!
If you love this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with @what_mollymade or #WhatMollyMade so I can see it and feature you!
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3.91 from 496 votes
Healthy Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Total: 25 minutes mins
This healthy instant pot mongolian beef and brocolli recipe is such an easy, healthy weeknight meal idea! This recipe can be made in under 30 minutes and it’s tasty, healthy and kids will love it.
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Molly Thompson
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Molly Thompson
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked quinoa, white rice, jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, or brown rice for serving
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil or sesame oil
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak (Note 1)
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce, Tamari or coconut aminos
- 4 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root grated
- 1/2 cup water or beef broth
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 2 cups broccoli florerts chopped small
- 4 stalks green onions
- Sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, or sriracha sauce optional to top
Instructions
Cook the brown rice or quinoa according to the package instructions and set aside.
Cut the flank steak into thin pieces against the grain and set it aside. Turn the Instant Pot onto the saute setting, drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the pot, and let it heat up. When it's hot and shimmering, work in 2-3 batches to sear the steak on each side, for 1-2 minutes. Overcrowding the Instant Pot will result in the steak steaming rather than searing.
While the steak is searing, whisk together the coconut aminos or soy saucewith the minced garlic, minced ginger, and water.
When the steak is browned, cancel the sauté setting and pour the liquid mixture over the browned steak.Lock on the lid and make sure the pressure valve is in a sealed position. Pressure cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. It will take 5-7 minutes for it to come to pressure before it starts to count down.
While the beef is cooking, whisk together the cornstarch or tapioca starch and 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small dish.
When the time is up, carefully quick-release the vent by turning the seal to venting position. You can put a dish towel over the steam to limit noise and protect your cabinets.
Remove the lid then add the cornstarch mixture, honey, and broccoli. Push the saute button again and stir frequently until the sauce thickens. You can close the lid of the instant pot for a few minutes to allow the broccoli to steam, 4-6 minutes total. It will be done when the broccoli is cooked and the sauce is thickened. If you want the sauce thicker, add mix another tablespoon of cornstarch or tapioca starch together then add it to the Instant Pot and saute for a minute for a thicker sauce.
Serve over brown rice, white rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa and top it with green onions, sesame seeds and optional red pepper flakes.
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!
Notes
Note 1. Flank Steak. Flank steak is a lean cut of beef so you can try skirt steak if you have that on hand or check out another flank steak substitute if you don’t have it available. View our tutorial on how to cut flank steak for tips.
Slow Cooker:For slow cooker Mongolian beef, add everything to the crock pot and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken it before
Storage: Store leftover Mongolian Beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Mongolian beef freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat over the stove until heated through or warm individual portions in the microwave.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.4g | Protein: 25.7g | Fat: 8.5g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12.5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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