Beef and Broccoli
Posted Jan 07, 2026
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This beef and broccoli recipe is better than takeout and easy to make at home! Marinated beef is cooked with broccoli in a homemade sauce for a healthy dinner that’s better than your favorite restaurant!
Beef and broccoli is one of our favorite Chinese dishes, so I decided to create a delicious, homemade version to make when the craving strikes but I don’t want to order takeout.
In this recipe, marinated flank steak is cooked with onions, garlic and broccoli in a delicious homemade sauce. Serve it over rice, or with fried rice or veggie lo mein, for a quick and easy weeknight dinner your whole family will love.
Beef and Broccoli Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sesame oil. Peanut oil, avocado oil or canola oil are good substitutes. Although sesame oil adds an authentic flavor to the dish and I don’t recommend leaving it out.
- Minced ginger. ½ teaspoon powdered ginger can be use in place of minced.
- Minced garlic. 1 teaspoon garlic powder is a good substitute for minced garlic.
- Broccoli. I suggest using fresh broccoli, but if using frozen note that cook time will be shorter.
- Soy sauce. Use regular or low sodium.
- Honey. Brown sugar works well in place of honey.
- Hoisin sauce. I truly don’t recommend a substitute here.
- Flank steak. skirt steak and top sirloin are the best substitutes.
- Cornstarch. Tapioca starch or arrowroot powder both work well.
How to Make Beef and Broccoli
As always, we’ll walk through how to make this recipe for beef and broccoli together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Then, transfer 1/2 cup of the marinade to a glass jar and stir in 1 Tablespoon cornstarch. This will be used to cook the meat after it has marinated, so set it aside.
Then, pour the remaining marinade over the flank steak – preferably in a glass container with a lid so it can easily be stored while it’s marinating.
Make sure to stir the beef so it’s evenly coated with the marinade.
You can marinade the meat for 1 hour at room temperature, or for at least 2 hours (and up to overnight) in the refrigerator.
After it has marinated, drain the meat in the colander to remove excess liquid. This helps it brown nicely while it’s cooking.
Then, cook the beef, onion, garlic and ginger in a large fry pan or wok.
Add the broccoli and cook until it starts turning bright green but is not fully cooked (it will cook mor when we add the sauce).
Once the broccoli is partially cooked, add the sauce and stir. Cook, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened and the broccoli is cooked.
The meat should be slightly browned and the sauce should be thick. Then, serve immediately for the best taste and texture.
Serve
We love serving this beef and broccoli stir fry over rice or noodles. I love fried rice (so good) and veggie lo mein. You can also have a full-on take out night at home and serve it with chicken stir fry or your other favorite Asian recipes.
Store
Store leftover beef and broccoli in an airtight container I the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe FAQS
Flank steak is the best because it’s flavorful and tender when sliced thin against the grain and marinated. Sirloin, skirt steak, and flat iron steak are also great options.
First, make sure you marinate it. I like to marinate overnight for the best flavor. Second, slice it thin against the grain.
You can marinate the meet up to 24 hours in advance. And you can chop the broccoli and onions ahead of time so everything is prepped and ready to go when it’s time to cook. I do recommend serving it immediately after cooking for the best taste an textures.
Technically you can freeze this recipe, but it changes the texture of the broccoli so just be aware of that.
Yes absolutely you can, just note it takes shorter to cook frozen broccoli than fresh.
The sauce should thicken nicely because of the cornstarch added in the beginning. If it doesn’t, add more cornstarch and be sure to cook with the mixture uncovered sot he water can evaporate out of the dish.
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Beef and Broccoli Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ onion (sliced thin)
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pound broccoli crowns (cut into small pieces)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Sauce/Marinade
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- 3 Tablespoons honey (or brown sugar)
- 1 Tablespoon Hoisin sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound flank steak (sliced into thin, 1” strips)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Make the Marinade/Sauce
- Combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ground ginger and garlic powder in a 2-cup glass measuring cup (or bowl) and whisk to combine.
- Transfer ½ cup of the marinade to a glass jar, whisk in 1 Tablespoon cornstarch. Set aside.
Marinate the Steak
- Transfer the sliced flank steak to a glass container with a lid.
- Pour the remaining marinade over the steak and stir.
- Put the lid on the container and marinate the steak at room temperature for 1 hour, or in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours – and up to overnight.
Cook
- Drain the meat in a colander to remove excess marinade.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons sesame oil in a large fry pan or wok.
- Add the steak, onion, ginger and garlic and cook on high heat, stirring often until the meat is no longer pink.
- Then add the broccoli and cook, stirring often, until broccoli is bright green (but not fully cooked) and the meat is browned. (You might need to cover at this point to cook the broccoli)
- Add the sauce and cook, uncovered until thickened and coating the meat and broccoli
- Serve immediately over rice or noodles.
Notes
- Sesame oil. Peanut oil, avocado oil or canola oil are good substitutes. Although sesame oil adds an authentic flavor to the dish and I don’t recommend leaving it out.
- Minced ginger. ½ teaspoon powdered ginger can be use in place of minced.
- Minced garlic. 1 teaspoon garlic powder is a good substitute for minced garlic.
- Broccoli. I suggest using fresh broccoli, but if using frozen note that cook time will be shorter.
- Soy sauce. Use regular or low sodium.
- Honey. Brown sugar works well in place of honey.
- Hoisin sauce. I truly don’t recommend a substitute here.
- Flank steak. skirt steak and top sirloin are the best substitutes.
- Cornstarch. Tapioca starch or arrowroot powder both work well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
