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 Mongolian beef!
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.
Hi! I tried this once, and it was excellent. The meat was a bit dry, though. Maybe because I sliced it in small cubes.
Should it be more slices? And if yes, what size exactly?
Thanks!
Francesco
Yes it should be cut into thin slices against the grain!
Oops, I forgot to slice the meat.. rushing around ….I was thinking of another recipe. Will it be ok to slice after it’s done?
I think it might work but I haven’t tested the recipe this way!
Can I use sirloin steak?
That should be fine!
Very easy hands off recipe that my young holiday guests (college students) enjoyed. I doubled the recipe, but only mixed 1/4 cup arrowroot powder with the beef (instead of cornstarch). I did add 1 tsp of dark soy sauce for color and about 2 T of hoisin. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t made those additions because I don’t know if they really had any affect on the color/flavor. 5 hrs on low was perfection.
Can you make this but also put veggies in the crockpot too? Would they need to cook the full time or add towards the end?
You’d want to add veggies towards the end, likely during the last hour depending on what type of vegetables.
I mistakenly bought skirt steak instead of flank steak. Do I adjust the cooking times and temperature?
Skirt steak should work the same way!
Skirt steak is preferred!
Hi, I’d love to try this but I don’t have a slow cooker??
Here is a stove top version: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/mongolian-beef/
Can this recipe be done as a slow cooker freezer meal? I really love your recipes
Are you looking to freeze it before or after it’s cooked?
Could this be made with chicken or turkey breast? I love Mongolian beef but my husband doesn’t eat red meat. Guessing you would cook for less time with poultry.
I think chicken could work but I might use thigh meat so it’s less likely to dry out!
This one is a keeper and deserves its own spot in rotation! I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! like others, I doubled the sauce ingredients with the exception of the cornstarch and served it with rice and broccoli. It was perfect! Raving reviews from the guys at my house! Thank you for an excellent recipe!
Going to give this a 5 star rating just based on the other comments! I’m making it tomorrow and am looking forward to it. Reading the other reviews, I wonder if the person who said their sauce was too thick and had a corn flour taste mistakenly used corn flour instead of the corn starch called for in the recipe? That would likely account for the over thickening. Just an observation. Thanks for this recipe!
I will try this week! Can I use ginger powder? If so what amount?
You would use 1/3 of the amount of powdered ginger compared to fresh!
If I’m using 3 lbs of meat should I double everything? I saw that someone else doubled and said it was to much corn starch? And do I still cook for the Sam amount of time?
You could do the corn starch for a single recipe and double everything else if you’re worried about the sauce being too thick. It will cook for the same amount of time assuming the crock pot isn’t overly full. If the crock pot is more than 2/3 full you may need to add another hour.
Can you use another cut of beef?
Yes you can, you’ll want to choose something that’s naturally tender. If you opt for a tougher cut you’ll need to cook it longer.
I swear I spent more time in line at the self-checkout aisle than it took to make this recipe.
My wife usually isn’t a fan of Asian-style food, so I expected her to hate it. Both she and my daughter loved this and said I could definitely make it again. Personally, it took incredible restraint not to finish everything they didn’t eat.
Excellent recipe. Tastes better than take out. I couldn’t believe how good it was. Can’t wait to make it again!
Made this dish today. I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce and it was on the salty side. However, we enjoyed it. I would make it again with the low sodium soy sauce.
Would I be able to freeze this either before or after cooking?
I’d freeze it after cooking!
Made this last week and it was absolutely delicious, I made it again this evening, but I made double the amount. I would advise to use only half the amount of cornflour that is suggested when you double the amount. The sauce is too thick and you can almost taste the cornflour. I have tried thinning it with water but it is still too thick. I will definitely be making this again, I got so many compliments the first time I made it. Thank you for the recipe 😁
Did you change the cooking time when you doubled your amount? I’m going to double it too but I wasn’t sure if I should cook it longer.
No I cooked for the same length of time and it was lovely and tender just too much cornflour, so I would half the amount of cornflour next time
You may want to use cornstarch as a recipe calls for corn starch and not corn flour, and that could be why you’re sauce was too thick.
Recipe says corn starch, not corn flour. I’ve made it several times and it’s great.
Cornflour is the same as corn starch (I think all ex-British colonies use this term.)
This was outstanding! Made sauce 1/2 times more, it really is delish, and our new favorite way to make flank steak!
Excellent dish! Whole family LOVED it. Thank you!
I make 1.5 times the sauce and served it with rice and broccoli. Unfortunately I must have sliced the meat too thin because it fell apart. But the flavor was fantastic.f