Easy Beef and Broccoli
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This easy beef and broccoli is made in just 15 minutes start to finish. It’s quicker, cheaper, healthier, and so much 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!
Why you’ll love this 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 Easy Beef and Broccoli
- Prep the flank steak. Slice the flank steak thinly against the grain, shortening the fibers for more tender meat.
- Prep the sauce. Combine the soy sauce, chicken stock, honey, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, cornstarch, Sriracha, ginger, red pepper flakes, and water.
- Cook the steak. Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the steak in a single layer and sear for 1-2 minutes per side until browned, working quickly not to overcook the meat.
- Combine. Stir in the broccoli and sauce until the broccoli is tender and the sauce thickens.
- Serve. Serve warm over steamed white rice.
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 with the broccoli during the last few minutes of cook time for a more heartier, well-rounded meal.
Variations and substitutions
- Soy sauce substitute: tamari or coconut aminos for a gluten-free option
- Brown sugar substitute: honey or coconut sugar
- Flank steak substitute: ground beef (budget-friendly swap) or thinly sliced chicken breasts or thighs
- Broccoli substitute: snow peas, sugar snap peas, bok choy, green beans, asparagus, bell peppers, or carrots
What to serve with Easy Beef and Broccoli
tools for this recipe
Easy Beef and Broccoli: frequently asked questions
What cut of meat is best?
Flank steak is a top choice because it is a lean cut that cooks very quickly, yielding tender, juicy meat when thinly sliced against the grain.
What other cuts of meat can I use?
Skirt steak and top sirloin are both great alternatives.
What other vegetables can I add?
Carrots, bell peppers, spinach, cabbage, snow peas, and baby corn are all excellent additions.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Is this freezer-friendly?
Yes! Let cool completely and portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and gently reheat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes! You can try this recipe here.
Easy Beef and Broccoli
This easy beef and broccoli is made in just 15 minutes start to finish. It's quicker, cheaper, healthier, and so much tastier than take-out
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- 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.
- Avoid frozen broccoli. Frozen broccoli will release too much water, resulting in mushy broccoli.
- 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 grains. 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, thawing overnight and gently reheating on the stovetop.
Did you make this recipe?
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I love this literally. I spent under $20 for ingredients that i didnt have. Bastima rice is what i used.
I would love to use the sauce as a marinade for the beef – has anyone tried that? Sounds delicious! Will be trying it tonight.
i absolutely LOVE this recipe!! It’s way better than the Chinese buffets! The first time I cooked it there was no flank steak at the store so we used stew meat! It was amazing! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
To make the slurry, (mixture of cornstarch and water) the key is that the water must be COLD!! I generally double the amounts called for, place them in a small covered container and shake to mix. Gradually add the mixture until you receive the desired consistency.
I made this last night and found out one very important thing. DO NOT use regular soy sauce. I didn’t have low sodium and used regular – it was way to salty. However, the recipe is still excellent. I also had to much liquid and did not add the water. I think next time I will keep everything the same except use 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce. Mine didn’t thicken either but it didn’t bother me. The recipe is a keeper. Thank you
I made this tonight for dinner and I gotta say, I will not be ordering takeout anymore!! This will absolutely delicious and made a good amount of food! Big thumbs up for me, and I will be adding this to my weekly rotation!
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!