Quick & Easy Chinese Beef and Broccoli

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Tender juicy beef stir fried with crisp broccoli in a delicious brown sauce! This quick and easy beef and broccoli recipe is great as a main dish with white rice. A healthy meal to work into your weekly rotation!

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Ingredients & Substitutions
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Ideas
FAQ
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This easy beef and broccoli features tender beef, crisp broccoli in a savory brown sauce. Chinese restaurants will serve this popular American-Chinese food and it's a favorite for many! Interesting fact: this dish doesn't originate from China because the key ingredient (Western broccoli) is not commonly found.

Despite this fact, many Asian households love this dish because it's easily made in one pan and has veggies and protein all in one! I love it because it's also made with simple ingredients but it's packed with flavor!

up close shot of chinese beef and broccoli

I've made numerous stir fry dishes on the blog and this is the one I enjoy the most because of that ultra tender beef and that luscious sauce!

If you're crunched for time, this is a great weeknight dinner for the whole family to enjoy and you can even marinate the beef the night before.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements.

Flank Steak: Or substitute with sirloin tip steak, tri-tip steak, hanger steak, top round steak.
Broccoli crown: separate into florets. Or feel free to substitute with chopped Chinese broccoli (gai lan), snap peas, snow peas, bok choy, yu choy, or choy sum.
Ginger
Garlic
Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or coconut oil as it carries a heavy scent and taste.
Water

Stir Fry Sauce

Oyster sauce: or sub with vegetarian stir fry sauce
Cornstarch
Chicken stock or beef stock, vegetable stock or water.

Beef Marinade

Sesame oil: substitute with a neutral oil.
Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
Shaoxing wine: this is a Chinese rice wine. If you can't find this, substitute with Dry sherry wine. For a non alcoholic substitute, replace with any broth of your choice or omit completely.
White granulated sugar or brown sugar
Cornstarch
Baking soda: do not skip this! This velvets the beef making it super tender.
White pepper

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check Amazon.

Expert Tips

To easily thinly slice beef, freeze the flank steak or beef for 45-60 minutes fully exposed to the cold freezer air and then cut on a bias with a sharp knife.
Allow the beef to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Don't skip the baking soda! This velvets and tenderizes the beef by raising the acidity on the surface of the beef preventing protein bonding.
Prepare your ingredients in advance as the cooking process is fast!
Don't overcook the broccoli. Once it turns vibrant green, follow through with the next step.
Fry beef until 95% cooked as it'll be tossed back into the pan later.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make beef and broccoli:

Slice and marinate beef

Slice beef on a bias. Tip: freeze your meat for 45-60 minutes exposed to the cold air and slice on a bias with a sharp knife for thin slices.

Marinate thinly sliced beef with Marinade ingredients (as listed above) for 15 minutes.

Make sauce and fry beef

In a bowl, mix Stir-Fry Sauce ingredients as listed until well combined and set aside.

In a hot wok or large pan on medium heat, add neutral oil. Once oil is hot, fry beef in a single layer until 95% cooked. Remove beef from pan.

Add remaining ingredients

Into the pan, add ginger, garlic, and broccoli. Pour water into pan and mix with broccoli. Cook until broccoli becomes vibrant green, about 1 minute.

Once broccoli is vibrant green, pour in stir fry sauce and mix together. Let sauce thicken. If it's not thickening, raise to medium-high heat. Once sauce is thick, add back in cooked beef and toss everything together. Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy.

Storage

Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
Freezer-friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 2 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.

Pairing Ideas

This beef and broccoli serves well with white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, noodles like chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, or more cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans, zucchini, mushrooms, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or bell peppers.

FAQ

Can I swap out the beef for another protein?

Yes, feel free to swap it out for shrimp, chicken or tofu. I actually share recipes for Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry and Chicken and Broccoli.

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