Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
A Chinese take-out favorite that can be made right in the slow cooker – no sauteing, no stirring, no frying. It doesn’t get easier than that!
Featured Comment
I’m all about making my favorite Chinese take-out dishes right at home. And when you can make it right in the slow cooker that basically cooks itself, well, that’s just an all-around win in my book.
reasons to make slow cooker beef and broccoli
- Dump-and-go slow cooker recipe. There is absolutely no sautéing, no frying, no oil splatter of any kind. It’s the best kind of set-and-forget crockpot recipe, especially for those busy days.
- Cheaper, healthier and tastier than takeout. Beef and broccoli is a classic Chinese takeout dish that can be made at home using better quality beef and fresh vegetables, tailoring the sauce to taste. Not to mention, it is so much more cost-effective with its short ingredient list using pantry staples.
- Melt-in-your-mouth tender beef. The crockpot allows for incredibly tender beef, cooking low and slow.
tips and tricks for success
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Increase the cook time as needed. For more pulled-pork-tender goodness, increase the cook time to 3-4 hours.
- Add the broccoli at the very end. To avoid soft, mushy broccoli, stir in the broccoli during the end of cooking time to maintain its crisp-tender texture.
- Make a cornstarch slurry. Adding cornstarch directly into the slow cooker can cause lumps. Always use a mixture of cornstarch and cold liquid (aka cornstarch slurry) to thicken the sauce, yielding a smoother, gravy-like consistency.
- Serve with your favorite grains. White rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or farro are all great options.
- Freeze as needed. Beef and broccoli is freezer-friendly! Label, date and freeze up to 2 months.
pro tip
Add more veggies.
This slow cooker beef and broccoli recipe is very flexible and forgiving. Add in carrots, bell peppers, snow peas or baby corn along with the broccoli during the last 30 minutes of cook time for a more heartier, well-rounded meal.
what to serve with slow cooker beef and broccoli
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt slow cooker
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli: Frequently Asked Questions
A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of cornstarch and cold liquid (such as water or stock) used as a thickening agent. To avoid over thickening, always add the cornstarch slurry towards the end of cooking time.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Yes! Let cool completely; portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 cup beef broth
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 heads broccoli, cut into florets
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic.
- Place beef into a 6-qt slow cooker. Add sauce mixture and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 90 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup water and cornstarch.
- Stir in cornstarch mixture and broccoli into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This is a great recipe, this tastes like take out but much healthier. I slice my meat slightly frozen and cook on high not low for 90 minutes and cook jasmine rice with it. I also make some egg rolls too. Next time I may add some canned bean sprouts or something. At the 90 minute mark I add my half cooked frozen broccoli. This is such a good recipe. The sesame seed oil is soooo good! I wonder how to cook in my instant pot…. Thanks
I made this dish the other day, I did change 1 thing, I cooked the roast in my pressure cooker on high for 45 minutes versus the slow cooker. The meal was delicious and so tender. I find more good recipes in the Damm Delicious website than any cookbook I have purchased. Thank you so much.
I made this a few months ago for an Asian inspired work potluck. It was a huge hit. I’m making it again for tomorrow’s potluck as a request from the staff leaving us. I’m doubling it this time.
This recipe was a HIT with my husband! He even said he’d rather me cook this than order takeout! It’s super easy and very few ingredients, let the crockpot do the rest! We do like our meat on the tender side so I let it cook almost 4hrs. Last 30mins added cornstarch mix, then put the broccoli in last 5mins which gave it a nice crunch! This recipe has been added to “my recipes”! Thank you & Happy New Year
A member of my family is on a low sodium, low potassium diet. Is there a nutritional facts sheet for this recipe?
Delicious and cooks exactly as stated in the recipe – just make sure your meat is thinly sliced! I did let mine cook a bit longer for more tender broccoli. I have celiac disease and couldn’t find gf oyster sauce. I added an extra splash of gf soy and it was fine. This hits the spot when craving takeout!
Wasn’t sure this would cook in 2 hours, but it did. The broccoli could’ve been a little more tender, but it had a great flavor. Would make again for sure.
This was amazing! Let me start w/I have been fighting a migraine for 2+ days & haven’t been able to stomach any food other than toast. I had started making this when my migraine kicked in so I marinated the meat until I was ready to cook it (36 hours? I know it’s long, but I was down for the count). I seared the meat, and then some onions and carrots. Threw it all in the crockpot and it was perfection. We had it with lemony jasmine rice & some peanuts on top. Perfection!
Absolutely gorgeous but I used chicken and added slices of carrots just to add colour. Absolutely gorgeous and tasted so so nice
Great but needs twice the cook time!!
This sounded so good we had to try it right away and it did not disappoint. So delicious! And so easy and easy clean-up. I might add more cornstarch to get it a bit thicker next time.
Any advice on how to make with out a slow cooker?
Great but needed more corn starch.
When to add broccoli?
step 4
For those of us who don’t have crockpots, is there a similar recipe using traditional cookware?
Thank you.
DEELISH!! Loved this! Cooked the meat for about 4 hours tho.
This is so delicious! Whole family loved it and it’s super easy to make.
I was wondering if there is a suitable substitution for oyster sauce, as I have a shellfish allergy. I love beef & broccoli, and I’m dying to make the slow cooker version in my Ninja 3 in 1 cooker.
Thanks in advance!
Fish sauce
There are also vegetarian substitutes out there that are supposed to be just like oyster sauce. I also have a shellfish allergy, so I looked up substitutes & came across some. I personally have never tried them, but I have heard they are very similar to the original. Here is a link to one that I found on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Wan-Ja-Shan-Vegetarian-Mushroom/dp/B016EDAK0Q
Need some good slow cooker recipes. These look great.
Followed to a T and it was very good. One pretty major change is plan to cool the meat for 3 hours before adding the broccoli if you want it to be tender. Ended up being over 4 hours cooking time for me before the meat was tender.
*Cook the meat