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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Hi,
Can you recommend a substitute for honey? Perhaps white sugar will work?
Karina, you can certainly try substituting sugar but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Karina, I have been using organic Agave syrup as a sub. for honey in cooking. You might want to try it. It costs less and pours or measures out much easier. Honey, when I buy it, is reserved for final applications where the unique flavor can be enjoyed; that delicate flavor is lost in most cooking applications.
Karina, Wal-Marts sells sugar-free honey. I buy it in bulk for my husband.
This was very good, my family loved the recipe! I substituted Tofu for myself and used flank steak for the guys. A huge hit! Thank you!!!
Do you use fresh ginger?
The recipe calls for ground ginger, but you can easily substitute fresh ginger. But please note the ratio for dry to fresh spices is 1:3.
I was googling beef and broccoli recipes and your site popped up. All I can say is – Wow!! This recipe was super easy (that says a lot coming from a non-cook) and delicious!! This beats restaurant take out any day. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!!
Thank you for the delicious recipe – quick to make and yummy. I love your site!
Oh, this was so good! I couldn’t find my usual recipe and this one came up first on google. Totally pinning this one as my new recipe. The kids liked it and I did too. Great mix of flavors and I had everything I needed on hand already. Definitely will try more of your recipes. Thanks for the winner-dinner!
Awesome dish! My daughter hates broccoli and totally ate this up! Thanks for sharing!
Hi I’m planning on making this recipe tomorrow but I couldn’t find rice wine vinegar only rice vinegar. I was wondering if I can use that instead?
Yes, that should be fine.
I made the recipe with a friend and it turn out delicious. It had our husbands drinking the juice of their plates. I’m definitely making this again. Thanks for sharing.
I cannot even begin to say how much I love this recipe. I make it at least once a week now. My boyfriend and I LOVE it – especially with seaweed salad.
Made this for dinner tonight and although the flavor was awesome, I do have one complaint. The sauce did not thicken at all for me. It was super watery and looking back I actually forgot to even add the 1/4 cup of water to the sauce mixture. This might be a stupid question but would the water have helped to thicken things up? All I can think is that adding that would have only made the sauce that much thinner! But again, loved the flavor!
The cornstarch is actually your thickening agent. Did you use it as directed in the recipe? You can also add in more cornstarch as needed (mixed with water) to thicken it up to your desire preferences.
Recipe sounds tasty; I would also add red and orange peppers for colour and crunch, and baby corn for fun for my grandchildren.
This is a great example of “cook once, serve twice”
Thank you for the recipes, please keep them coming.
JUST made this!! total hit! I live with a 4 boys and they all raved about it. Definite winner. I made it with rice noodles and made it like a stir fry…was great! Thank for you the quick and easy recipe!!!
This looks amazing! Has anyone tried making a large batch of the sauce and storing it? Does it keep?
You did it again! Knocked it out of the park! DDDDDDDDlish! I love you and your site! lol
It made tons of sauce btw (and I am not complaining). I had 1.25 lb. flat iron steak, and a bag of chopped fresh broccoli. The only thing I would add is some peapods, we love them, and some eggrolls on the side. Love it love it love it. Don’t ever stop blogging, Chungah!
I want to make this! So can I freeze it after I cook the steak and broccoli?
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.
I cant wait to try your recipes they seem so simple to make and look amazing!
Will be making your bulgogi tonight I will let you know how it goes!!
Made this tonight! Used Flat Iron Steak. Prepared the sauce, put the meat in the sauce until ready to cook. Then, cooked meat, added broccoli (used frozen baby florets) and the sauce. This is delicious! Made a side salad of baby spinach, chopped green apples and romaine with the magnificent balsamic vinaigrette recipe which was also a hit. But! The desert was awesome…Somoa donuts…OMyMy….A dinner/supper can’t get much better….
should i steam the broccoli before i add it to the pan? i’m afraid it won’t finish cooking without doing so. thx!
There is no need to steam the broccoli beforehand. You can always increase cooking time to ensure that the broccoli is completely cooked through.
I made this tonight and doubled it for more eaters. It was delicious but I would pass on that I only increased the liquid items by 50% and there was plenty off sauce. Better than take absolutely!!!!
what is sriracha? where do I get it?
Sriracha is a type of hot sauce. You can find it in the Asian section of your local grocery store.
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