Broccoli & Beef Stir Fry
This Chinese Beef and Broccoli recipe has soft beef paired with a satisfying stir fry sauce. It’s an straightforward one-pot meal that takes less than 30 minutes on the stove. You can feel like you’re eating at your favorite Chinese restaurant right at home.
Why Chinese Beef And Broccoli Recipe stays in the rotation
- One-Pot. It’s a one-pot meal. One-pot meals are our favorite. They are less mess and less dishes after dinner.
- Straightforward. It’s straightforward and quick to throw together. Both the broccoli and beef only take a couple of minutes each, so you have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
- Cheap. Meaning you could have Chinese food takeout-style beef and broccoli at home in less time than it takes to order it and have it delivered.
- Accessible. It has straightforward-to-find ingredients. The only sauce ingredient that may be difficult to find if you’re in a small town is hoisin sauce. We find it is readily available in our local grocery store as well as Walmart. You can also find it on Amazon.
- Dairy-free. This recipe for Chinese Beef and Broccoli is also dairy-free! If you happen to have a milk protein allergy in your family, this recipe can be made completely dairy-free.
Beef and Broccoli Skillet Ingredients
- Beef (thinly sliced flank steak or sirloin) – we get ours from ButcherBox
- Broccoli florets
- Sesame oil
- Sweet onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Soy sauce (we use low sodium)
- Brown sugar
- Hoisin sauce
- Corn starch
- Salt and pepper
How to make One Pan Beef and Broccoli
Detailed instructions and measurements for Chinese Beef & Broccoli are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil to your skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add your broccoli to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook about 3-4 minutes only. You want it to remain soft-crispy and bright green. Remove the broccoli from the skillet.
- Add the remaining sesame oil to the skillet. Add the beef to your skillet and season with salt and pepper.
- Sauté and sear it quickly. Only about 1 minute on each side. It’s cut so thinly, it can overcook quickly and it will turn tough.
- Remove the beef and set it aside with the broccoli.
- Add the onion to the skillet and sauté until softened. Once the onion has softened, add the ginger & garlic to the skillet. Sauté briefly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, and hoisin sauce to the skillet. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Place your corn starch in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Mix until thoroughly combined. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the skillet and stir. Allow it to cook over low heat, stirring frequently until sauce begins to thicken.
- Once the sauce begins to thicken, add your beef and broccoli back to the skillet. Mix to combine and coat the beef and broccoli with the sauce.
- We like to serve ours over rice, topped with sesame seeds.
Broccoli and Beef Tips
- Be sure to slice your beef thin. This makes it quick-cooking and will give you the true Chinese Beef and Broccoli flavor.
- Be careful not to overcook the beef. It will result in tough, chewy beef. You want it cooked quickly and remain soft.
- Don’t overcook your broccoli. If you cook it too far, it will end up falling apart in your final dish.
- You can substitute sesame oil with whatever oil you prefer. We've also made this with avocado oil.
Skillet Beef and Broccoli Substitutions
Broccoli – if you aren’t a big fan of broccoli, you could substitute it with another soft-crisp vegetable like cauliflower or bell peppers
Hoison sauce – for a more authentic Chinese cooking flavor, you can add oyster sauce in place of the hoison sauce. It will add a bit of salty, seafood style flavor.
How to keep Chinese Broccoli Beef
Once cooked, you can store beef and broccoli in the refrigerator. Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Beef and Broccoli Freezer Meal
If you want to freeze this meal, you can do it prior to cooking or after cooking. If you are storing it after cooking, freeze it in a freezer zip-top bag. Push all of the air out before sealing.
Recipe FAQs
Prep 5 minutesCook 15 minutesTotal 20 minutesMakes 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef sirloin or flank steak sliced thin
- 12 ounces fresh broccoli florets cut into bitesize pieces
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup sweet onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- ½ cup soy sauce I use low sodium
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Method
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil to your skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add your broccoli to the skillet . Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook about 3-4 minutes only. You want it to remain soft-crispy and bright green. Remove the broccoli from the skillet .
- Add the remaining sesame oil to the skillet . Add the beef to your skillet and season with salt and pepper. Sauté and sear it quickly. Only about 1 minute on each side. Don’t cook it long. It’s cut so thinly, it can overcook quickly and it will turn tough.
- Remove the beef and set it aside with the broccoli.
- Add the onion to the skillet and sauté until softened. Once onion has softened, add the garlic & ginger to the skillet . Sauté briefly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, and hoisin sauce to the skillet . Stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and allow the sauce to simmer about 5 minutes.
- Place your corn starch in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Mix until thoroughly combined. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the skillet and stir. Allow it to cook over low heat, stirring frequently until sauce begins to thicken.
- Once sauce begins to thicken, add your beef and broccoli back to the skillet . Toss to coat.
- We like to serve ours over rice, topped with sesame seeds.
Notes
- Be sure to slice your beef thin. This will allow it to cook quickly and give you the true Chinese Beef and Broccoli flavor.
- Don’t over cook your beef. It will result in tough, chewy beef. You want it cooked quickly and remain soft.
- Don’t overcook your broccoli. If you cook it too far, it will end up falling apart in your final dish.
- You can substitute sesame oil with whatever oil you prefer. We've also made this with avocado oil.
