Beef and broccoli is a popular Chinese takeout dish and it’s one of the EASIEST takeout recipes to make at home! With only a few pantry ingredients, you’ll be enjoying this beef and broccoli recipe quicker than ordering in.
🥩 Key Ingredients & Tips for the BEST Beef & Broccoli
As mentioned, beef and broccoli come together pretty quickly with just a few ingredients. The secret to a great beef and broccoli comes in the prep!
- What Cut of Beef to Use: The best type of cuts to use for this stir-fry is lean pieces of beef. This could be beef flank, top round, flank steak, or top sirloin. They’re perfect when they’re cut thinly and tenderized because they cook up quickly!
- The Way You Cut Matters: We want to give ourselves as much opportunity to make this meat tender, and that includes how we cut it too. We want the muscle fibers to be as short as possible, so you need to cut against the grain at about 45° angle. You can pop the meat in the freezer for 15 minutes to get it slightly frozen – it’s much easier to cut thinly when it’s partially frozen.
- The Two Tenderizers: For this recipe, we’re using two types of tenderizers that leave the beef velvety smooth. If you’ve ever wondered how Chinese restaurants get that SUPER tender texture, it’s from cornstarch and / or baking soda… and we’re using a bit of both!
🥦 What is the Beef & Broccoli Sauce Made of?
This beef and broccoli sauce recipe has layers of sweet, salty, and nutty flavors perfectly balanced.
I love using beef stock as a quick boost of flavor (you can also sub. for chicken stock). Soy sauce adds umami and saltiness, while dark soy sauce adds that striking dark color that makes you drool!
The last umami bomb comes from the oyster sauce that’s sweet and savory at the same time. To thicken up the sauce, simply pour in a cornstarch slurry before tossing in the star ingredients: beef and broccoli. Then, voila! Get ready to feast!
🥡 Complete Your Meal With Other Takeout Favorites!
This Beef & Broccoli is what to serve with fried rice! Here are a few more takeout faves:
- Crispy Beijing Beef (crispy for HOURS!)
- 5-Minute Qucik Egg Fried Rice (Easiest Fried Rice EVER!)
- Stir-Fry Eggplant Tofu (Better Than Takeout!)
- Drunken Noodles (Quick & Easy!)
- Vegetarian Udon Stir-Fry (20 Minutes or Less!)
Let’s get cooking!
Get into my secret stash of Goody-Packed Newsletters with meals planned for you & time-saving tips! Want step-by-step videos of how to make my recipes too? I gotchu over at my youtube channel. Aight, enough chatting, more eating!
BEST Beef & Broccoli Recipe
Ingredients
MARINADE:
- 1 pound beef flank steak, skirt steak, or sirloin thinly sliced against grain
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
SAUCE:
- 1 ⅓ cups water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 ¼ teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups broccoli florets cut into bite-size pieces
- 7 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon ginger grated
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 3 1/2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a large bowl or airtight container, combine beef, water, cornstarch, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and baking soda. Massage until marinade is absorbed into beef, then cover and marinate in the fridge while prepping the rest of the ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, make the sauce by combining water, oyster sauce, brown sugar, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, beef bouillon, sesame oil, & white pepper until sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a rolling boil, then add the broccoli florets. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until they’re vibrantly green and slightly tender but still crunchy. Remove, drain, and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
- Heat a wok or large pan on medium-high heat with a couple tablespoons of oil. Add beef, spread into an even layer, then cook untouched for about 30 seconds or until beef is browned. Toss then brown the other side of the beef for another 30 seconds, or until beef has cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium-low so aromatics don’t burn. Toss in onions and saute for a couple of seconds, or until they start to sweat. Then, add garlic and ginger and cook for a few more seconds. Pour in sauce, increase heat to medium-high to bring to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry. Once sauce is boiling, pour in slurry and stir immediately. Cook for about another minute or until it’s thickened to your desired consistency. If it thickens too much or turns too salty, add a splash of water. Add beef and broccoli back in & toss together until well coated in the sauce. Remove & enjoy!
Notes
- Beef: If beef flank isn’t available, you could use top round instead. Just make sure to cut against the grain for extra tender meat and thinly so it cooks quickly. Cut your beef while it’s still a little frozen and you’ll get super thin cuts of beef easily!
- Regular / Low-Sodium vs Dark Soy Sauce: Regular and light soy sauces are the most common and used for the salty flavor it adds to food. Dark soy sauce, on the other hand, is used for the deep rich color it gives food. You can typically find it at local Asian markets. I highly recommend using it, however, if you omit it, keep in mind that your dish will come out significantly lighter in color
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I forgot about adding the stock and added water at the end cause the sauce was so thick. It was a mistake I made Haha!… but it still tasted delicious!