Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
by Chungah
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Beef and broccoli made in the crockpot with only 10 minutes prep. No fuss, hands-free cooking with the most flavor + tender, fall-apart beef!
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Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli recipe
- Dump-and-go slow cooker dinner. There is absolutely no sautéing, no frying, no oil splatter of any kind. It’s the best kind of set-and-forget slow cooker recipe that basically cooks itself, perfect for those busy weeknights!
- 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 slow cooker allows for incredibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef, cooking low and slow, and tasting just like (if not better) than your local Chinese restaurant down the street.
- Freezer-friendly. Beef and broccoli freezes like a dream! It makes for great meal prep, repurposing leftovers, and saving time during the busy hectic week ahead.
How to make slow cooker beef and broccoli
- Prep the sauce. Whisk together all the sauce ingredients. This is my favorite shortcut hack to use for garlic (and one that I always keep in my freezer)!
- Cook on low heat. Stir everything into the slow cooker (minus the broccoli), cooking on low heat for 90 minutes.
- Make the cornstarch slurry. While the beef and broccoli is cooking, whisk together cornstarch and water for a cornstarch slurry. Never add cornstarch directly into the slow cooker as it will cause chalky lumps.
- Thicken. Stir in the cornstarch slurry with the broccoli (and other desired veggies) and let the sauce thicken for 90 minutes on high heat.
- Serve. Serve beef and broccoli warm over rice, fried rice, or your favorite grains to sop up all the sauce!
Freezing and storing leftovers
Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezing
Portion the beef and broccoli into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Label, date and freeze up to 2 months.
Reheating
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat on the stovetop, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Serve warm over rice or your favorite grains.
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
tools for this recipe
6-qt slow cooker
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli FAQ – Common Questions Answered
Chuck roast is the ideal cut for a slow cooker recipe like this one. It is heavily marbled (with fat) that breaks down perfectly when cooked low and slow, resulting in tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef. Flank steak can be used but can also be dry and tough if cooked for too long (ideal for shorter cooks).
Always add the broccoli last, during the last 30 minutes of cook time. This will keep the broccoli crisp-tender!
A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of cornstarch and cold liquid (such as water or stock) used as a thickening agent for that thick, takeout-style sauce. 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 3-4 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
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- Use chuck roast. Chuck roast is most preferred for a slow cooker recipe like this one as the meat breaks down perfectly during the longer cook time, yielding tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef. Flank steak can also be used but can be tough and dry if cooked for too long.
- Always slice across the grain. Slicing across the grain (slicing perpendicular to the long parallel muscle fibers) shortens the muscle fibers, yielding a more tender bite.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Increase the cook time as needed. For more of a “pulled-pork” texture, 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 last 30 minutes to maintain its crisp-tender texture. If you prefer more crisp broccoli, add it during the last 15 minutes of cook time.
- 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, ideal for picky eaters!
- 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 leftovers. Beef and broccoli is incredibly freezer-friendly, keeping in the freezer for at least 2 months. Portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, thawing overnight in the fridge and reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Did you make this recipe?
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I came across this recipe on Pinterest and it looked so simple I thought it would be a good meal to try on a work night. My boyfriend made it last night and it turned out perfect. This is definitely going to be a staple in the house, especially since our vegetable intake has been pretty poor as of late.
Thank you! Amazing as always! I have yet to try a recipe off of your site that me and my family didn’t love! I’m going to have to add this one to the rotation 🙂
I made this recipe for my boyfriend and it came out pretty well. My only problem was that the liquid didn’t thicken when I added the cornstarch. Cornstarch has to get pretty hot, like boiling hot to thicken. The low setting of a crock pot doesn’t get hot enough to thicken the cornstarch. I ended up ladling out the liquid and bringing it to a boil in a sauce pan, then I added it back into the crock pot. If I make this again I will do the same thing and probably discard some of the liquid or add more cornstarch, as the sauce didn’t really thicken up enough.
Elizabeth, you are completely right – you need a rolling boil to get that heavy thickness from cornstarch, which is not something you can get from the low setting of a slow cooker. That is why I stated on “high heat” for those additional 30 minutes. But nonetheless, that heavy thickness is not really necessary in a dish like this. You can certainly ladle out the sauce to a saucepan and go from there but that really defeats the purpose of such an easy slow cooker recipe like this one!
Has anyone tried freezing this? I loved this recipe and want to make some for my sister in law who is pregnant and craving Chinese food so she can have this in her freezer! Do you think this would freeze well?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! I recommend using your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Made it tonight! It’s wonderful!
Made this last night. SO good!
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I cant do any forms of sugar. Do you have something else to recommend instead of the sugar??
You can try an artificial sweetener but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish.
Cabin you use green peppers instead of broccoli? Like pepper steak?
Yes, absolutely! Although cooking time may have to be adjusted as needed.
This looks delicious!! I’ve made quite a few of your recipes for my family and we all have loved every single one of them (even the picky teenagers). I will be trying this one out this week.
This was just an awesome recipe – easy and fun to make, and the result is so good….
Hoping there is cookbook coming out!
Thanks
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Thanks for this wonderful recipe !! I have been injured recently and spending a lot of time at home…cooking (and cleaning the kitchen) has become very theraputic for me. I spent my youth living in Hawaii. Local kine grinds, much of which are a mixture of Japanese, Chinese, Philipino, Polonesian etc. were a way of life and greatly missed. Your recipes and others like you have given me the opportunity to finally cook what I have always loved. Thanks . … By the way..it turned out AWESOME !! or “ono” if you like. Aloha
I tried this recipe about a month ago and it was outstanding! I have shared recipe with all my friends that like oriental food. First I got crock pot b& b no way, then they tried it and 100% say better and healthier than any restaurant! Thank you!
If I were to double the entire recipe and I wanted pulled pork texture, would I set my crock pot for 8 hours?
This was so good. I used round steak stir fry. So simply. Served with brown rice I made in the rice cooker. Great for hot days. I’ll make this again.
Has anyone had any trouble with the cornstarch not cooking through and leaving the sauce slightly pasty and prone to separation when refrigerated? I’m thinking about omitting it next time, or replacing it with flour/water instead. Thoughts?
Kate, feel free to omit the cornstarch.
One way to prevent this is to mix the cornstarch with hot water, and stir it until you see that it is completely dissolved before adding it to the slow cooker. Use a glass measuring cup to stir the mixture so you can see that there are no lumps. Hope that helps!
Sorry, just to update what I previously said… the water can be warm but be sure to add the cornstarch to the water, don’t put the cornstarch in first and then add water. If you do the latter then you will have lumps.
I’m cooking a large family dinner and would like to double the recipe. Any idea if I need to up the cooking time?
Yes, you may have to adjust cooking time as needed. Just be sure to add the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet for best results.
I just made this and omg, it is so delicious. The sauce is so full of flavor and it was so easy to make. You’re right, 2 hours was just enough time to make the meat perfectly tender.
How did u get it to thicken up? I followed everything n it’s runny:/
Feel free to add more cornstarch as needed until the desired consistency is reached.