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 am anxious to try some of your Asian-inspired dishes, but I can’t seem to find rice wine vinegar anywhere! I have tried every large supermarket in our area… Does it have another name? Thanks!!
Are you able to locate rice vinegar? If all else fails, you can definitely find it on Amazon.
Oh thank you!! Yes! I got that hoping it was close! So happy to know that will work! 🙂 Thanks again!!
I found it at Walmart in the section with olive oil and vegetable oil is
Hooray for quick and simple recipes! This sounds and looks delicious =)
I often have a hard time trying to thinly slice flank steak since the steaks are usually pretty large. Do you have any tips or suggestions?
You can pop the steak into the freeze for a bit – that should help with slicing thinly across the grain.
I had the butcher slice mine.
how thick/thin do you cut the flank steak ? thks
You want them cut into bite-sized pieces.
Thanks for this recipe. I already know it’s going to be GOOD. All of your recipes are!
I love easy and flavourful meal like this! You are the queen of the easy meals 😉
This looks awesome! I love broccoli beef. The nearest takeout is wayyy overpriced so I’d much rather make this!
I love 30 minute meals like this! This is making me hungry!
how do i print these recipes ????
thanks
There is a PRINT button in the blue recipe box for you to print at your convenience. This function is compatible with browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Safari. It is not compatible with Internet Explorer.
just keeps giving me a blank page when trying to print ??
Rene, you cannot use Internet Explorer. Please use a different browser to print.
Rene – I use Internet Explorer, here is what I do to print a recipe: Select/highlight recipe text that you want to print. Select print (either via “File” then “Print”, or right click your mouse and select “Print”). When the Print box comes up, under “Page Range” select “Selection”, then “Print”. The recipe text you have selected/highlighted will then print.
I have the same problem. I copy and paste the recipe to Word. Cut the picture, or it will take forever to print! This way I always have a copy, in case I spill ingredients on the paper. Which, of course, never happens . . .
Or, similarly, you can do a “cut and paste” into a word document and then print the word document.
If you haven’t made yet…make it! It is delicious!
So quick and easy! It’s so good! My kids loved it!