Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
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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.
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Anyone make this in an instant pot? How many minutes? Thanks!
I’ve been making this recipe for a while now, always at least doubling the sauce as my family prefers extra sauce. I use my Ninja’s stove top setting as I never seem to start dinner until late.
I have made time & time again, and even my picky boyfriend loves! Such a crowd pleaser & feeds a ton. don’t skimp out on the sesame oil, it’s the best part. 🙂
My first time cooking with a crockpot, and I loved it! I know it was good because my Grandma even complimented me 🙂
I am making this now, but I only have cubed beed round which I sliced thin as the recipe suggests. How should I adjust the cooking time/temp? (Love your recipes!)
Tried the original recipe unchanged, and with ribeye steak. The additional fat, and tender meat was successful. Still, it’s a great recipe as is!
This is just an excellent recipe. Definitely a secomd go .
I honestly found this a little sweet, and the sauce didn’t thicken up enough even with the corn starch! I think I’ll try your non-slow cooker version of this next time!
Thanks for your feedback Erica!
Can you use flank steak in this recipe?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
If I were to substitute cubed skinless/boneless chicken, would the cooking time be different?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Can I use ginger root in this recipe?
Sure!
I was wondering if I could use chuck steak instead of chuck roast? Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Jennifer! Unfortunately, without having tried this myself, it’s hard to answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I have to say that your recipes are the very best, and I go through a lot. I’m always impressed with yours! I made your onion dip for company and they took the rest home because they loved it so much! Thank you for each recipe, I have loved them all!
Made it in the Instant Pot instead of the slow cooker and it was damn delicious! Thanks for the recipe! Loved it & will be making it again!
Oh sweet! Way to adjust the recipe for the Instant Pot. Glad to hear it turned out great!
how many hours did you leave it in the Instant Pot? Also, is it possible to leave it in the Instant Pot in the morning and have it cook all day while you are at work and then it would be ready when you get home?
I want to use this recipe since I have oyster sauce but I won’t be using the slow cooker, should I skip the beef broth? Also plan to use ribeye steak because that what I have on hand… Any tips?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Flavor was fabulous but meet came out very chewy after 2 hours. Followed instructions and ingredients exactly but made in a 4 qt. cooker. Why did the meat come out chewy do you think? Bought the meat fresh at Whole Foods.
Oh no – it sounds like the meat was overcooked! The recipe calls for 90 min of cooking time so unfortunately, it looks like it may have been overcooked by 30 min.
I’m planning on making this tonight. As I understand the direction correctly, it says to cook for 90 min, ass broccoli and cook for an additional 30 min. That’s 2 hours as OP stated. Should I cook for 60 min then add broccoli and cook for TOTAL of 90min?
That’s correct, a total of 2 hours. 90 minutes and then the extra 30 minutes. Good luck!
This is a confusing thread. If the beef is only supposed to cook for 90 minutes, wouldn’t the recipe call for removing the meat while the broccoli cooks for 30 minutes, then add the beef back to the crock pot?
Made this tonight, the sauce didn’t thicken and the broccoli needed more than 30 minutes. Will make again! Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made this no less than 30 times (lol!) and it’s a hit every time. I highly recommend using all ingredients/not omitting anything, the sesame oil and oyster sauce are the key “wow” ingredients. I’m not overly knowledgeable in cuts of beef, I just thinly slic stew beef (but cook for a few hours vs 90mins) and it’s fab every time. I do agree, sauce needs to be HOT for it to thicken. I turned the crock pot off once because meat was done and we weren’t ready to eat yet, then turned it back on, but it didn’t get back to being hot enough to really thicken.
I tried this tonight and have to say I was disappointed. Supermarket was out of boneless chuck roast so a I chose a London Broil. Left out the oyster sauce (store did not carry it) and substituted dark brown sugar for light brown.
Cooked for 90 minutes, had to leave so cooled slightly then refrigerated till I returned. Fired the crockpot back for about 1/2 hr to 45 minutes. Then added corn starch and broccoli and cooked for another 30 minutes. Meat was done but a little chewy, broccoli was not done and sauce did not thicken. Served over Jasmine rice. Sauce had a good taste but not a Wow factor. Probably will try again with a chuck roast since it had some many good reviews.
You didn’t follow the recipe, and you weren’t happy with it? Quite shocking that you were told how to do it, didn’t follow directions and were not happy with it!
Can you omit the sesame oil? Will that effect the flavor?
Yes, you can omit.
if I double the recipe do I also need to double the cornstarch/water mixture? Or will that over power the cornstarch flavor?
Yes, I recommend doubling everything.