This slow cooker Mongolian beef is flank steak cooked with garlic, ginger, brown sugar and soy sauce. This crock pot recipe tastes just like a meal you would get at a Chinese restaurant!
Make your own take out with this easy Mongolian beef recipe. This dinner is SO simple to put together and always gets rave reviews from family and friends.
Making meals like this slow cooker Mongolian beef, in the crock pot is one of my favorite things to do. Not only does it allow you to have a nice meal when you’re finished with your day but, it feels like you’re getting to skip all the cooking. It kind of feel like cheating because it makes dinner time that much simpler!
HOW DO YOU MAKE SLOW COOKER MONGOLIAN BEEF?
This Mongolian beef has the rich flavors of ginger, garlic, and brown sugar. It’s cooked slowly in the crock pot so every flavor has a chance to really sink in. When it’s almost ready to be served, the green onions get added to the pot and stirred in. The family is sure to love this one.
I highly suggest slightly freezing the flank steak before slicing it. It makes it much easier to slice if you do so. I prefer using the low sodium soy sauce because it keeps the dish a little healthier and you won’t have to worry about the finished dish being overly salty.
This crock pot Mongolian beef pairs well with steamed rice. I always serve it with a green vegetable on the side such as broccoli or asparagus. Of course, there are many other sides that would work as well, but I love the fresh counterpart of a lightly steamed veggie.
ARE THERE SUBSTITUTES FOR FLANK STEAK?
Yes, there are a few other options that will work for this crock pot Mongolian beef. Flank steak is my favorite option but you can also use skirt steak or even hanger steak if you can get your hands on it. You could also use thinly sliced sirloin steak if desired.
WHY IS IT CALLED MONGOLIAN BEEF?
Mongolian beef was created in Taiwan where dishes like this slow cooker Mongolian beef were popular. That area was where the first Mongolian restaurants started opening up. They made the Mongolian style of food popular which is why the name is carried with dishes like this one.
Looking for Mongolian beef but don’t have the time to wait for it to cook in a crock pot? Try my stove top version!
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that it doesn’t take a ton of work to have a delicious meal. I love this crock pot Mongolian beef because it’s easy, but comes out totally delicious and satisfying. Even my kids love this one!
MORE ASIAN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Pepper Steak Stir Fry
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Cream Cheese Wontons
- Firecracker Chicken
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak thinly sliced against the grain
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup green onions cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Instructions
- Place the flank steak in a bowl with the cornstarch and toss to coat evenly.
- Add the flank steak to the slow cooker.
- Place the sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar and water in the slow cooker. Stir to coat the meat in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours.
- Stir in the green onions, then serve.
Barb says
Best Mongolian Beef recipe I have found. I used sirloin which I hand sliced (freeze meat for 30 minutes is a great tip and one I have used for years) and doubled the sauce- fantastic! Served with fresh steamed broccoli and jasmine rice. The extra sauce is perfect to customize servings – each person can add rice, broccoli, and sauce as they prefer. Great meal for guests or a party. Like ideas from others to add bamboo shoots and mushrooms for additional items to customize. Thank you for the recipe.
Tip on jasmine rice – soak in cold water for 30 minutes, rinse until water is clear. Cook on stove until desired tenderness. Jasmine rice is perfect for this recipe as it is long, thin, not “starchy”, and has a mild taste that can be enhanced depending on what you are making. Perfect for this recipe with the sauce and meat on top or mixed in.
David says
Great recipe. Some tweaks depending on style I did were some spicey heat to it. I seared the steak so it had some texture and mushrooms were good add. Have a great day!
Lidya says
Hi, this seems delicious and I’m planning to cook this for dinner tomorrow. If I use regular soy sauce instead, should I reduce the amount? How much should I put? Thank you!
Sara says
I’d use 1/3 cup!
Marlys says
Made this tonight , it was great ! I will definitely make it again . Easy recipe, very , very good !
Maureen says
Going to make this tomorrow night. Can i use ground ginger instead of buying the root and slicing?
Sara says
That should be fine, use 1/3 of the amount as you would for fresh!
Kirstie Cole says
Amazing recipe! Simple but so delicious! I use Wagyu stir fry meat so it’s already cut up which makes it that much easier! When I ask my husband what he wants for dinner for the next week, he always says this Mongolian beef! Thanks for the recipe!
Judi Adams says
If I use a little over 2lbs of flank steak, would I need to increase the amount of cornstarch at all or still just use the 1/4 cup?
Thank you!
Gae says
This is a very easy dish. I used finely sliced brisket (1cm thick) because no other slow cooking steak was available. We thought that it needed more ‘oomph’ so doubled up on the sauce ingredients and added some sweet chilli . To keep carbs down, used shredded stir fried cabbage and broccoli. Will make again. Thank you.
Laurie says
Can cooked ground beef be substituted for the steak meat?
Sara says
I haven’t tested the recipe this way but my guess is that it would be ok!
Anna says
Hi. Would the cooking time be adjusted if I used 3 lbs of flank steak? Thanks!
Sara says
You can add one more hour!
Marcel says
I love this recipe! It tastes just like restaurant mongolian beef and it’s so easy to prepare.
Milly says
Hi,
I’m in the UK, is a crockpot the same as a slow cooker?
Thank you
Sara says
Yes it is!
Tammy says
What if I don’t have sesame oil? Is there a substitute for it?
Sara says
There is not a great substitute, you could omit it but the flavor of the recipe won’t be exactly the same!
Kelly says
Hi. The receipt says it is 5 servings. What is the serving size??
Sara says
About 5 ounces of cooked steak and sauce!
tiff says
Can you substitute the soy sauce with Worcestershire sauce? Or a different substitute?
Sara says
You could use tamari or liquid aminos instead of soy sauce.
Jennifer lawrence says
Can I freeze this recipe.
Sara says
I think that should be fine!
Kathy M says
Excellent and easy to make. I added broccoli, mushrooms, baby bok choy, and baby ears of corn during the last hour. Delicious.
Kaleigh says
Could you use stewing meat?
Sara says
Yes but you’ll want to increase the cooking time and maybe add some more liquid because the stew meat will take longer.
Kyleigh says
I made it last night and it was so good. I had leftovers and went to have them for dinner. It did not reheat well in the microwave. Any suggestions for reheating?
Sara says
You could reheat in the microwave in 30 second increments so that the meat is warm but not overcooked, or put in a pan on the stove on low heat just until warmed through.
Jenn says
Add a couple tablespoons of water to the dish before you reheat, whether you use the micro or stovetop.
Deb says
Can you slice the meat after it is cooked? I have a difficult time slicing raw mea. This sounds delicious!
Sara says
I’m not sure if it would work this way, partially freeze the meat for about 20-30 minutes and it will be a lot easier to slice!
Jae says
Curious if this could be converted to instant pot and how?
Sara says
I think it could probably be converted but I’ve never tried it this way, so unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to give you exact instructions!
Paula says
Hi Jae…I make this in the Instant Pot all the time. So good. You can get a recipe on Pinterest or just googling Instant Pot Mongolian Beef. The recipe I use has pretty much the same ingredients.
Nicole says
We love this recipe! We add in lots of broccoli, bamboo shoots, baby corn and water chestnuts served over brown rice.