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!
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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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I’ve been following this recipe for a couple years now and I can say that I’ve made it with and without oyster sauce, delicious either way. I usually use carne asada flap meat and eyeball the ingredients. I think Ive used frozen broccoli (mostly cooked in the microwave and added to crock pot) and it works but fresh is much better. I also usually use almost double the amount of broccoli and serve over white rice. My boyfriend raves about it and requests it all the time. Such a yummy recipe and very hard to mess it up.
Could you use frozen broccoli instead of fresh?
I recommend using fresh but as always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Hello! Has anybody tried this using a pressure cooker. I have an Instant Pot and was thinking of trying it but wasn’t sure how long it would need.
Okay so of course I started putting everything in the crock pot before I realized corn starch and broccoli should go in later…is my meal ruined now?
It’s really hard to say – it may still be salvageable. Let me know how it turns out!
Can the beef be marinated in the liquid mixture before placing in the slow cooker? Wondering if that would make the meat more tender.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Hi.. love you’re blog.. I was wondering can I substitute the oyster sauce with vegetarian oyster sauce?
Thank you
Yes, absolutely.
Could you tell me if I can prepare this as a freezer crockpot meal? I like to prep several meals in advance, pull them out of the freezer and pop them in the crockpot. Would it work for this recipe and if so what changes should I make? Thanks!
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Delicious!! I’m going to make this often!!!!
I just made this and omg it’s so good and flavorful. Didn’t think it was gonna come out this good but it did and I will surely make it again.
Hi Chungah, I recently discovered your website and fell in love in first sight. My only suggestion is could you add metric measurements for the ingredients for us non-US readers?
Oh and one question for this recipe….can I use regular soy sauce instead of low sodium one?
Thanks!!
There are many online resources that can be used to convert recipes to metric measurements like this:
http://www.jsward.com/cooking/conversion.shtml
And yes, you can certainly substitute regular soy sauce but you may need to add less than the required amount listed in the recipe.
My broccoli is still crunchy even after the 30 mins . should I leave it in longer.
Yes.
LOVING YOUR RECIPES!!! I’ve been cooking one recipe, 4 nights a week for the past night…I’m so glad that I ran into you (Internet-ly speaking). Quick question…would you consider adding toasted sesame seeds to this recipe? If so, how much? Thank you for all that you have done to this newbee in the kitchen!
Yes, absolutely. You can add as little or as much as you’d like – it’s up to you! 🙂
This is a great recipe I need to try! Question though… Is there anything else that I can use for cornstarch?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I often use instant mashed potatoes as a thickener. It takes much less than you would think. I often use flavored potato flakes to add an additional flavor component to a dish. Just add the potato flakes about a tablespoon at a time until the desired thickness is achieved.
My family loved this. Thank you!
Hi there!
Two questions: 1) can i sear the meat before putting it in the crock pot? i like that crispy texture on the meat. 2) instead of broccoli, can i put in snap beans instead? do you think that will still work with cooking time and all?
Yes and yes!
So what I found was the sauce was very watery corn starch only thickens at a high temperature. So I removed all the sauce put it in a pot and brought it to a boil thickened right away then added it back to the beef and broccoli. Next time when it is time to add the water and corn starch I will removed the liquid and at it to a pit boil and then once thick will put it over the beef and broccoli to finish in the pot also I would recomend leaving it in the slow cooker an hour longer on low heat
I just have a 4.5 crock pot slow cooker will this work in it?
Yes! 🙂
I have 800 Grams of thinly sliced sizzle steak in my freezer would that be suitable to use?? and how long should i cook it for ? on High or Low Thankyou hope you can help.
Rhonda, you can cook on low heat for 90 minutes.
Thanks!! Doubled up on everything except the sugar as I had a ton of beef to use up and have prepared mushrooms to use instead of broccoli (here in the UK takeaways beef and broccoli/mushrooms taste pretty much the same sauce wise in my experience, but I prefer the mushroom version) and used a beef stock pot instead of broth. Had a taste of the sauce while it was warm and it is heavenly. Can’t wait for it all to finish cooking! There’s a whole ton of your recipes I’m dying to try.
I am making this tonight for the first time. Yay! Your carbonara recipe is a staple in our house. Can’t wait to try another recipe of yours.
Kim