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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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Better then take out. I made exactly as written and it came out fabulous
Loved this recipe !!! Cooked green onions b4 adding steak
It was delicious!
Love the sauce! Also added some green peppers into the broccoli. I will be trying this sauce to make a chicken broccoli as well.
Can’t wait to try! Has anyone marinated the steak prior to cooking? Just a thought! I usually marinate my meat, but I don’t want this too be a salt bomb. Thanks!
This was amazing! I tend to ad lib any recipe so, based on the reviews, I coated the beef with a bit of cornstarch before I cooked it and sauteed onions before adding the beef. I also used fresh ginger just because I love it! My mom and husband loved it! Next time will add other veggies along with the broccoli. Damn delicious!
This was very good!! I think all of the Damn Delicious recipes are EXCELLENT but my only complaint with this one is the sodium. I used less than the recommended 2/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce but the salt taste was overpowering. I even used low sodium chicken broth. ♀️ I won’t complain too much. This site is my go-to place for all things delicious but thought other recipe seekers might want to start slow with the soy sauce.
There’s something about a good beef and broccoli that really hits the spot. I’ve probably spent hundreds of dollars over the years getting this to-go from local Chinese restaurants. But it really is easy and even better (and better for you) to make it at home. This recipe looks Amazing, looking forward to making it this week.
Saved My Marriage not really but it’s eye catching to start a review like that. Also I’m a little high and i think it’s funny. Seriously you guys I’m a fat old man dad husband who has been sick for 3 days unable to eat a meal and this was what I made for my first meal off the john since it’s what I had shopped for anyways. So fast, So easy, So wow. This was super delicious and I’ve spent years living in China, I met my wife there and she told me how authentic it felt for her. Although you need to add the KING OF FLACOR: MSG!!!!!!! Other than that little recommendation this was amazing, thanks so much for sharing it with me! Now I’m looking up a recipe for Nachos……
*Edit. Can’t forgive my misspelling of FLAVOR, the one with the V, ugh…
Nachos…..
New family fav!! And it IS better than take-out, quicker and cheaper too!
Beef has gotten pricey….used pork (and another time, chicken) and again.. DEElicious!
Thank you for a keeper and a winner!
Awesome recipe !! Used a bit more corn starch and more broccoli.. based on reviews .. loved it
This was pretty good. Made it tonight. I couldn’t find the beef at my local store so I made it with thin chuck steak. Was a bit on the tough side but still not too bad. The flavors were good but I would have added more honey or brown sugar. Broccoli (fresh) came out really nice. Husband was happy, so it passed the test! 🙂
Every recipe I’ve made from your blog has been awesome – thank you!
I always find helpful tips in the comments. We doubled the recipe for lunch prep… browned the meat in batches in a cast iron skillet, omitted brown sugar, reduced the honey a bit, and added extra sesame oil to mine after plating. We had sirloin tip roast on hand and it worked perfectly. We will make this again!
The flavor was good, but the amount of sauce is a LOT. I had half the sauce leftover for next time.
Made this last night. It was delicious. But glad I read many of the reviews here.
I cut the honey and sugar in half and it was still plenty sweet. And I used sirloin instead of flank steak. Plus I added red bell, zucchini and onions. Those were my only changes. My husband LOVED it.
My only comment is the meat won’t be great for leftovers. The tiny strips don’t take but seconds to cook and reheating will make it too tough for our liking. So I’ll remember to make extra sauce next time. But don’t double the meat. Save the sauce for an even quicker meal the following week.
Oh, and even though my husband loves heat, he said this was a “very nice” heat. Not too over powering. And perfect for this heat wimp. (wink wink)
Thanks so much for a delicious quick meal.
Oh, also used all low sodium ingredients. That’s VERY important.
If you want thicker sauce I’d recommend leaving out the 1/4 cup of water and draining any juices from the meat. I’ve made it 100 times and just now realizing it calls for that extra 1/4 cup of water lol
This recipe is absolutely DELISH!! I agree with another reviewer that the sauce could have been thicker. I used 1 heaping TBSP of cornstarch and next time I will add a little more. The dish is amazingly flavorful and better than any beef and broccoli I have ever eaten in a restaurant or on take out. Don’t hesitate to try this! It is amazing!
This was soooo good! And so easy for someone who is not a very good cook. Family loved it!
This is delicious but I’ve made it twice now and there is SO much sauce and it’s very thin and more like a soup. I added extra cornstarch but it never thickened up. I even doubled the broccoli this time and it was still soupy.
Could you make this with a different kind of vinegar and a different kind of oil?
Sesame and peanut oils give the authentic and traditional taste to the dish – its something in the background as far as flavor goes. You can definitely make it with normal vinegar and olive or canola oil – but be careful that you dont go past the temperature that is safe for the oil you’re using.