Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe

My coworker Lisa brought Mongolian beef to our potluck last spring. Like the kind you get from Chinese restaurants but somehow better. Everyone went straight for her dish and it was gone in ten minutes while everything else just sat there. I caught up with her by the coffee machine. "I need that recipe. Max won't eat normal food and that looks like something he might actually try." She laughed and said she'd text it to me. Then added "but don't tell anyone how easy it is, okay?" Turns out it's ridiculously easy. The sauce is soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic.

Why You'll Love This Mongolian Beef

Takes 20 minutes total. Not even kidding. Slice the beef, coat it in cornstarch, fry it, make the sauce, toss it together. Done. Less time than it takes to drive somewhere and pick up food. The sauce is five things. Soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, water. Mix them in a bowl. That's it. Max has seen me make it so many times he could probably do it himself now. Tastes exactly like takeout. Maybe better because you're using actual beef instead of whatever restaurants use. The cornstarch makes it crispy outside, then when you add the sauce it gets all sticky and shiny.

Leftovers are fine. I pack it for Max's lunch sometimes and he's never complained. Mongolian beef stays tender if you don't cook it too long the first time. Just don't let it sit in the sauce forever or it turns to mush. You can make it less sweet if you want. Restaurant versions are sometimes way too sugary. I use less brown sugar than Lisa's recipe said because Max doesn't like super sweet stuff. My brother came over while I was making it once. Asked how long I'd been cooking. Like ten minutes, why? He thought I was lying until I made it at his apartment and he watched the whole thing.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Mongolian Beef
• Ingredients for Mongolian Beef
• How To Make Mongolian Beef Step By Step
• Smart Swaps for Mongolian Beef
• Different Ways to Make Mongolian Beef
• Equipment for Mongolian Beef
• Storing Your Mongolian Beef
• What to Serve with Mongolian Beef
• Top Tip
• FAQ
• Time to Try Lisa's Secret
• Related
• Pairing
• Mongolian beef

Ingredients for Mongolian Beef

For the Beef:

• Flank steak
• Cornstarch
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Salt
• Black pepper

For the Sauce:

• Soy sauce
• Brown sugar
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Water

For Serving:

• Green onions
• Sesame seeds
• White rice

See recipe card for quantities.

How To Make Mongolian Beef Step By Step

Prep the Beef:

• Slice flank steak really thin against the grain
• Put beef in a bowl
• Add cornstarch and toss until coated
• Add salt and pepper
• Make sure every piece is covered

Make the Sauce:

• Whisk soy sauce and brown sugar in a bowl
• Add minced garlic
• Grate in fresh ginger
• Add water and mix everything
• Taste it and adjust if needed

Cook the Beef:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat
• Wait until it's really hot
• Add beef in batches, don't crowd the pan
• Cook about 2 minutes per side until crispy
• Take beef out and set aside on a plate

Finish Everything:

• Pour out most of the oil, leave a little
• Pour sauce into the hot pan
• Let it bubble and thicken for a minute
• Add beef back in
• Toss everything until coated
• Add sliced green onions
• Done

Smart Swaps for Mongolian Beef

The Meat:

• Flank steak → Sirloin (costs less, works fine)
• Beef → Chicken thighs (different but still good)
• Regular beef → Pre-sliced beef from Asian market (saves time)
• Fresh meat → Frozen stir-fry beef (thaw it first)

Sauce Stuff:

• Fresh ginger → Ginger paste from a jar (not as good but works)
• Fresh garlic → Jarred minced garlic (same thing)
• Brown sugar → White sugar (tastes slightly different)
• Regular soy sauce → Tamari for gluten-free
• Water → Beef broth (makes it richer)

The Coating:

• Cornstarch → Potato starch (works the same)
• Regular → Arrowroot powder (heard this works but haven't tried it)

For Serving:

• Green onions → Regular onions sliced thin
• White rice → Brown rice or cauliflower rice
• Rice → Noodles (lo mein style)

Different Ways to Make Mongolian Beef

Spicy Version:

• Add red pepper flakes to the sauce
• Throw in sliced jalapeños
• Use chili garlic sauce instead of plain garlic
• Sriracha drizzle at the end

Vegetable Loaded:

• Add bell peppers
• Throw in broccoli florets
• Snap peas work good
• Baby corn if you're into that

Restaurant Style Extra:

• Double the sauce
• Add hoisin sauce for sweetness
• Splash of sesame oil at the end
• Extra garlic (like way extra)

Quick Ground Beef:

• Use ground beef instead of sliced
• Skip the cornstarch
• Brown it like taco meat
• Add sauce and simmer

Slow Cooker:

• Brown beef first
• Throw everything in slow cooker
• Cook on low for 4 hours
• Beef gets super tender but not crispy

Equipment for Mongolian Beef

• Large skillet or wok (12-inch works best)
• Sharp knife for slicing beef
• Cutting board
• Small bowl for mixing sauce
• Whisk or fork
• Tongs or spatula

Storing Your Mongolian Beef

Fridge Storage (3-4 days):

• Let it cool down completely first
• Put in a container with a lid
• Keep the rice separate or it gets mushy
• Reheat in a pan on medium heat, not the microwave

Freezing (not really recommended):

• Beef gets kind of weird when frozen
• If you do freeze it, only keep it a month
• Thaw in the fridge overnight
• Texture won't be the same

Reheating:

• Stovetop works best - medium heat, stir it around
• Microwave makes it rubbery
• Add a tiny splash of water if the sauce dried out
• Don't reheat it more than once

What to Serve with Mongolian Beef

White rice is the obvious choice and what we do most nights. Just plain jasmine rice, nothing fancy. The sauce from the beef soaks into it and Max will actually clean his plate. Sometimes I'll do fried rice if I have leftover rice in the fridge, but that's rare. Brown rice works if you're trying to be healthier but Max complains about it. Noodles are good too - lo mein or rice noodles both work. I've even used regular spaghetti in a desperate moment and nobody said anything.

For vegetables, steamed broccoli is the easiest. Literally just throw it in the microwave while the beef cooks. Stir-fried green beans or bok choy are good if you have an extra few minutes. My sister always makes egg rolls when I bring this over but that seems like too much work for a weeknight. Sometimes I'll grab frozen potstickers from the store and pan-fry those. Max likes edamame with salt but only if he can pop them out of the pods himself. Most nights though it's just rice and whatever frozen vegetable I can microwave in under five minutes.

FAQ

Time to Try Lisa's Secret

So that's the whole Mongolian beef recipe, including the oyster sauce thing Lisa finally admitted to. Takes 20 minutes, tastes like takeout, and Max actually eats it without complaining. That's basically a miracle in this house.

Want more quick dinners that actually work? Try our The Best Sweet Chili Chicken Wrap Recipe for another takeout copycat that's stupidly easy. Need a side dish that looks fancy? Our Easy Root Veggie Gratin Recipe impresses people but isn't hard. And if you're craving dessert after, our Healthy Chocolate Cake Recipe is way better than it sounds - Max requests it for his birthday every year.

Made this? I want to see if yours comes out as good as Lisa's or if she's still holding back secrets.

Rate this recipe and let me know if you added the oyster sauce.

Related

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Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Mongolian Beef