Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli

This Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli recipe is a delicious and fast dinner, amazingly flavorful, featuring tender and tasty beef. This can be on your dinner table in 30 minutes.

Beef and broccoli has got to be my favorite take out dish ever and it’s pretty much the only thing I’ll order when we go to a Chinese restaurant. However, making it at home is so much better! Think about it, no sad or soggy broccoli and no chewy or dry pieces of beef.

Not to mention that this is probably the easiest “faux” take-out you can make at home. A quick sauce, some flank steak and a head of broccoli is all you really need.

Ingredients

For the sauce you will need:

• Beef broth
• Cornstarch
• Chinese cooking wine
• Oyster sauce
• Ginger
• Hot sauce (I used sriracha)
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce (low sodium is best)
• Brown sugar
• Garlic
• Red pepper flakes

For the beef and broccoli you will need:

• Vegetable oil
• Broccoli
• Steak
• Sesame seeds (for garnish)

If you can’t find any Chinese cooking wine, some dry cooking sherry or rice wine will work as well. For non-alcoholic substitutes, you can use chicken broth with a splash of vinegar. It won’t taste quite the same, but it will still be delicious!

What cut of beef is best

For this beef and broccoli recipe, flank steak or skirt steak are your best choices. These are not only really tender cuts, making them perfect for quick, high heat cooking, they pack a lot of flavor and they’re relatively cheap.

When you’re using high pressure cooking like this, pretty much any type of meat is going to come out tender. You can use any cut of beef that you like best as long as you cut it into nice little bite sized pieces.

How to make beef and broccoli in the Instant Pot

Start by making the sauce first. This part is as easy as it can get! I used a jar for this step so that I could just quickly shake everything together. You can also whisk everything together in a small bowl.

Cook the broccoli first, because broccoli is a fussy ingredient and will get all mushy and brown if it cooks in the Instant Pot with the beef. You can either steam it separately or saute it in the Instant Pot as instructed in the recipe for a few minutes.

Once the broccoli is cooked transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Add some of sauce to the beef to flavor it and saute in the Instant Pot until no longer pink. Pour in the remaining sauce and cook it on high pressure for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli back and stir everything together. All that’s left is to garnish with some sesame seeds and serve!

Slow cooker option

This recipe adapts very well in a slow cooker! I would still sear the beef first before adding it to the slow cooker for extra flavor, but that’s totally up to you. Add the beef and the prepared sauce to the slow cooker, give everything a stir, and cook for 3.5 – 4 hours on high or 7 – 8 hours on low.

How to serve

I love to serve my beef and broccoli over cooked rice such as Basmati or Jasmine rice, but sometimes I love it over noodles. Ramen, soba, udon, and rice noodles would all work well for this recipe. You can use riced or mashed cauliflower as well for a low-carb option.

Leftovers

This meal will last 3 – 4 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container, and 3 – 4 months in the freezer. You can reheat it either in the microwave, or covered in a pan over medium heat.

More great recipes to try:

• Mongolian Beef
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• French Dip Sandwiches
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Butter Chicken
• Beef Stroganoff