Easy Beef and Broccoli
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The BEST beef and broccoli made in 15 min start to finish. Quicker, cheaper, healthier and tastier than take-out!!!
Featured Comment
I made this dish for dinner last night and my husband commented that the flavors are spot on! This makes plenty of sauce and so after we had eaten, he prepared more meat & broccoli and added it to the leftover sauce to take for lunch today. Thanks for a new favorite go-to recipe. It really was quick and easy!
reasons to make easy beef and broccoli
- Takeout favorite. Say goodbye to long delivery wait times and cold takeout. Everyone’s favorited homemade beef and broccoli tastes so much better than takeout, using fresh and better quality ingredients all around.
- Weeknight superhero. This is truly the easiest beef and broccoli recipe of all time. The slow cooker version is great too, perfect for when you work an 8 hr day, but this is on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes start to finish. But don’t be fooled by the easiness of the recipe – it’s packed with so much flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tender beef.
- Freezer-friendly. Who doesn’t love a good freezer meal? Beef and broccoli will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months! Save the leftovers for a rainy day, perfect for those super hectic weeknights (or lazy weekends) between soccer practice and helping with geometry homework.
how to make the easiest beef and broccoli
- Make the sauce, whisking everything together
- Sear and cook the steak, working quickly not to overcook the meat
- Stir in the broccoli + sauce at the very end until the broccoli is cooked through with saucy goodness
- Serve over rice and serve
tips and tricks for success
- Use a cast iron skillet. Cast iron skillets retain heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking and a better sear of the steak.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your dish. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Slice against the grain. This will shorten muscle fibers, leaving you with more tender (less chewy) pieces of meat.
- 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. Bigger-sized broccoli florets will take longer to cook through.
- Serve with your favorite grain. White rice, brown rice, quinoa or farro are all great options. Want cauliflower fried rice? We have a recipe for that here.
- Freeze as needed. Beef and broccoli is freezer-friendly! Label, date and freeze up to 2 months.
pro tip
Add more veggies.
This easy beef and broccoli recipe is very flexible and forgiving. Add in carrots, bell peppers, spinach, cabbage, snow peas or baby corn along with the broccoli during the last few minutes of cook time for a more heartier, well-rounded meal.
what to serve with easy beef and broccoli
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Easy Beef and Broccoli: Frequently Asked Questions
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Is beef and broccoli freezer-friendly?
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.
Can I make beef and broccoli in the slow cooker?
Yes! We have a recipe for that here.
Easy Beef and Broccoli
The BEST beef and broccoli made in 15 min start to finish. Quicker, cheaper, healthier and tastier than take-out!!!
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, chicken stock, honey, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, cornstarch, Sriracha, ginger, red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup water; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add steak and cook, flipping once, until browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in broccoli and soy sauce mixture until tender and slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
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are you talking about seasoned rice vinegar or just regular rice vinegar? Sounds yummy
I recommend using standard rice vinegar, not seasoned.
Why am I having trouble getting the sauce to thicken?
Anna, this is very difficult for me to answer as I am not in the kitchen with you. Did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions?
Yes, I did it exactly as it’s written. Could I have had the heat too high?
I’m not entirely sure – using 1 TBS cornstarch should have been more than sufficient to have the sauce thicken, but you can always add more cornstarch as needed (1 tsp at a time) until the desired consistency is reached.
Me and my husband just made this using your recipe and I have to say it is better than any beef and broccoli takeout I’ve ever had! Thank you for sharing this!
Oh my, this is SO good! When we eat Chinese out, it’s hubby’s favorite dish, so we were excited to try this at home – and without anything prepackaged. We all loved it and wished we would have doubled the recipe! I didn’t have sesame oil and store was out, so I used grapeseed oil and luckily it didn’t seem to make a difference. I also can’t do the hot stuff at night, so left out the red peppers and Sriracha. A really quick and easy dinner to pull together and tastes fabulous!
This looks delicious. So pleased to find I can make my favorite take out meal in a crock pot. Haven’t been able to find the Rice Wine Vinegar at the grocery store, so I will buy it online. Does the listed calorie count include the rice or is that for the Beef and Broccoli only? Thank you!
The nutritional information is only for the beef and broccoli. It does not include the rice.
This was really good, although I’ll need to use more cornstarch next time. Does anyone have any ideas of reheating this so I can add more broccoli? My one head of broccoli only gave me a few pitiful florets. 🙂
Rachel, if you have enough sauce, you can steam some fresh broccoli and throw it right into your leftovers.
I tried this out this evening and–wow–delicious. My kids, who are very picky eaters, loved it too. This recipe is going in our dinner rotation. I definitely recommend it. Yum!
Hi! Seeing that there is sriracha and red pepper flakes, is this dish spicy at all or does it just contribute to the flavor? I have very young kids who don’t like spicy food so I don’t wanna ruin the whole batch! Thanks 🙂
It may be best to omit both the Sriracha and red pepper flakes for your little ones.
Wow. Just made for dinner with my husband. It…was…AMAZING. I Doubled the recipe and still had no leftovers.
I am TERRIBLE at cooking, and I made this recipe successfully! It was easy, cheap, and delicious, thank you so much!
Just made this and it is delish ! The sauce turned out pretty dark, much darker than the picture though, I am thinking of adding less next time.
Loving your blog so much and you are so sweet that you respond to your comments with helpful advise and tips. I cannot wait to try more recipes !
Hi, Could you tell me what kind of honey should I use? does it have to be an specific kind or just the regular I find at any supermarket? thanks!
Edith, you can use any kind of standard honey.
Does your list of nutrition facts for this recipe include the white rice you serve it over in the photos?
The nutritional information does not include the rice.
I made this for my family for dinner tonight and it was easy and delicious! Thank you so much!
Hi,
Do you have any recommendations if i don’t have chicken stock on hand?
The recipe looks amazing, thanks!
You can certainly try substituting something else for the chicken stock but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome.
Any recommendations on how to lower the fat/cal count for this? looks so yum!
You can use less sauce or have smaller portions as you see fit.
Does the steak come out super tender like take-out?
It’s actually even better than take-out! 🙂
I have a hard time finding flank steak. Any other suggestions?
You can try using beef chuck but I can’t speak for how much this will change the overall texture of the dish.
Made this recipe with just a few small tweaks + it turned out perfect! My husband, who looooves beef + broccoli, thought it was amazing + so did I. Thanks for the awesome recipe, Chung-Ah. =)
Chungah,
I absolutely loved this recipe and I just realized that it is the 3rd recipe from you that I have made in the last couple of months! We love your Garlic Parm Knots and your Honey Brown Sugar Chicken too! I will be sharing your recipe on my blog this week so others can enjoy it too! Thank you so much for sharing!
Love,
Jenn