Make one of your favorite takeout dishes at home with this simple Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef recipe. The beef is so tender it practically melts in your mouth, and the sauce if sweet and savory. It's the perfect dinner to spice up your typical meal plan.
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Recipes for takeout at home can be so stressful. Multiple pans are going at once, you dirty a ton of dishes, and you leave a huge mess when you're done. However, this crock pot Mongolian beef eliminates all of the stress and leaves you with a delicious dinner. It's made with tender flank steak, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. You may even end up liking it more than takeout!
If you like takeout-inspired Asian crock pot recipes, you will love this Thai Peanut Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Crock Pot Korean Beef!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Better Than Takeout: Skip the weeknight takeout and try this recipe for crock pot Mongolian beef instead! It's just as delicious as your favorite takeout, plus you can sneak in a few more vegetables when you make it at home.
- Budget Friendly: You probably have most of the ingredients for this dish in your pantry, so all you need are some carrots and a cut of flank steak. That makes this an affordable meal for a family.
- Quick and Easy Prep: This slow cooker Asian beef recipe only needs a few minutes of prep work before it's ready to go in the crock pot and cook for a few hours on its own. That makes it perfect for dinner on a busy day.
- Rich and Flavorful: Everyone will love how flavorful and delicious this dish is. It blends sweet, savory, and umami flavors with tender beef for the perfect Asian-inspired dinner.
Ingredients
- Flank Steak: This flavorful and chewy cut of beef is ideal for recipes that call for thinly sliced steak. When slow cooked, it becomes so tender it practically melts in your mouth, so flank steak crock pot recipes are always a winner.
- Cornstarch: Coating your meat in cornstarch serves several purposes. First, it creates a protective barrier around the meat to seal in moisture and prevent it from drying out. Second, it gives the meat a velvety texture after it's cooked. It also helps the sauce stick to the meat, making each bite more flavorful.
- Sesame Oil: This oil is derived from sesame seeds and gives the dish a rich, nutty flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic gives the dish a little zing of flavor. You can cut the garlic yourself or use jarred minced garlic.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a sweet and almost spicy kick to many Asian dishes. Mince fresh ginger or use jarred ginger for this recipe.
- Brown Sugar: Balance the salty and savory elements of this dish with a little sweet brown sugar. Brown sugar has a richer, more molasses flavor, which is ideal for a soy sauce dish.
- Soy Sauce: This sauce adds a salty, umami flavor to the dish. You can use regular soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Give this crock pot Mongolian beef a little spicy kick with a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Shredded Carrots: Finely shredded carrots add a bit of sweetness and texture to this Mongolian beef recipe.
- Green Onions: Sliced green onions add a bit of color and a zing of onion flavor to this dish.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Different Cuts of Beef: This recipe works well with other flavorful and chewy cuts of beef, like skirt steak, hanger steak, or round steak. Be sure to cut any beef you use against the grain to ensure a tender bite of beef.
- Use Coconut Aminos: If you want to avoid soy sauce to reduce sodium, avoid gluten, or due to allergies, substitute it for coconut liquid aminos. The flavor will be similar, but there's no soy involved.
- Add Vegetables: It's always a great idea to add more veggies to this slow cooker Mongolian beef recipe! Mushrooms, broccoli, peppers, and green beans are all great options. You could even add a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies!
- Make It Spicy: If you like spicier Asian dishes, add in more red pepper or include dried red chilis. You could also add a spicy chili sauce, like sriracha.
How to Make Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
This crock pot stir fry beef is packed with flavor but simple to put together. Your family will love the tender bits of beef, the rich sauce, and the sweet and savory taste.
- Step 1: Make the Sauce. Combine the sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and a splash of water in a medium bowl. Stir the mixture and add it to a 6-quart crock pot.
- Step 2: Coat the Meat in Cornstarch. Slice the flank steak into thin ¼ inch strips against the grain. Add the sliced steak to a large resealable bag with the cornstarch. Seal the bag and shake it to coat every piece of beef with cornstarch.
- Step 3: Set the Slow Cooker. Add the coated steak pieces and shredded carrots to the sauce in the slow cooker. Stir to coat the meat and carrots with sauce. Then, replace the cover and set your slow cooker to high for 2 ½ - 3 hours or low for 4 - 5 hours.
- Step 4: Add Green Onions. After the meat is fully cooked and tender, stir in green onions.
- Step 5: Serve and Enjoy. Serve this slow cooker Asian beef over rice and garnish it with sesame seeds.
Expert Tips
- Powdered Garlic or Ginger: If you don't have fresh garlic or ginger, you can use the powdered seasonings. Just use ⅓ of the amount of seasonings in the recipe because the powdered versions have a more concentrated flavor.
- Slice Against the Grain: Ensure that the flank steak becomes tender by slicing the meat against the "grain". The grain refers to the direction the muscle fibers run in the meat. You want to cut across the muscle fibers to ensure a tender bite of beef.
- Cornstarch in a Bag: Shaking the steak pieces with cornstarch in a bag is the best way to ensure every bit of beef is fully covered. You could use a bowl, but a bag helps ensure an even coating.
Storage Directions
- Storage: Store any leftovers you have in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 6 weeks.
- Reheating: Reheat the dish in the microwave on high in 60 second intervals. Stir after every minute to make sure the meat doesn't dry out. You can also reheat leftovers in a pan on the stove over medium-high heat. It should take about 8-10 minutes for the meat to heat through. Always thaw frozen leftovers in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Make Ahead: Mix the sauce, shred the carrots, and slice the meat ahead of time to cut down on prep time the day of cooking.
Serving Suggestions
Skip takeout, but don't spend all evening standing at the stove either with this fantastic Mongolian beef in the crock pot! This delectable dinner is sure to be everyone's new favorite recipe. You may even like it better than your favorite Chinese takeout dish!
- Serve this crock pot stir fry beef over slow cooker white rice or brown rice, and garnish with sesame seeds for a simple, filling meal.
- Make all of your favorite takeout dishes at home and serve this dish with lettuce wraps, sweet and sour chicken, and slow cooker orange chicken for a feast with friends and family.
- Don't forget dessert! Make brownies, cherry cobbler, or crock pot bread pudding to go with this incredible meal.
Recipe FAQs
If you don't have time to prep the slow cooker, you can make this stir-fry beef on the stove. Heat a bit of oil in a wok or iron skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the flank steak pieces in cornstarch and sear the beef in the skillet. Then, add the sauce and carrots and cook until the meat is cooked through and the sauce reduces to a thicker consistency. This should take less than 30 minutes to prepare.
Your steak may turn mushy if it cooks too long or if your pieces are too thin. Be sure to keep an eye on your steak as it cooks. You may need to reduce the cook time in the future.
More Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
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Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs flank steak (thinly sliced against the grain into ¼" pieces
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tsp fresh garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger (minced)
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 5 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Add sesame oil, garlic, ginger, water, brown sugar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- In a large resealable bag add sliced flank steak and corn starch. Seal the bag and shake until well coated.
- Add coated flank steak and carrots to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 2½-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours.
- When cook time is through add in green onions and stir to combine.
- Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds.
Notes
- Use powdered garlic and ginger instead of fresh if it's easier. Just cut the recipe amount by ⅓ because the powdered versions have a more concentrated flavor.
- Ensure that the flank steak becomes tender by slicing the meat across the muscle fibers. Otherwise, it will be too chewy to enjoy.
- Shaking the steak pieces with cornstarch in a bag is the best way to ensure every bit of beef is covered evenly and completely.
Nutrition
*Nutrition information is an estimate. It may vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact ingredient numbers, I recommend calculating them with your preferred nutrition calculator.
Tina says
I used golden swerve instead of brown sugar since I’m on keto and used broccoli instead of carrots. Fantastic recipe!! Tasted amazing!
Ryan Allen says
Thank you so much and I am so glad you liked it. I like the changes you made as well.
Sam says
Could you make this recipe with lamb instead?
Ryan Allen says
You could definitely make this with lamb
Shannon Mitchell says
I was dead set on making this today and then realized that I had to sub a few things due to me being lazy and not wanting to go to the store. So here's what I did. In lieu of brown sugar, I used a 1/2 cup of Korean Bulgogi sauce, as this is a bit sweet and has a ton of spices already built in and is a little bit spicy as well. Next, the only thing close to flank steak that I had was a Chimichurri pre-marinated flap steak. Turns out, this was PERFECT! The parsley and oregano made SUCH an incredible addition to the overall flavor of the dish. Mix mix mix, throw it in the Instant Pot on High slow cook for 3.5 hours and WHAMMO! My house smells like savory sin and the sharks started circling.
So basically, I had to Roshambo the hubs for the last bowl. I won. I now have to make this at least once a week, since Mongolian Beef is his favorite thing in the world.
Thank you so much for the recipe! It is really easy to make and tastes BETTER than the takeout place that he is obsessed with. Much Love from Colorado! Namaste!
Ashley says
Would i be able to do frozen broccoli instead of carrots? If so how would you go about putting in the crockpot?
Ryan Allen says
You can definitely add broccoli. I would recommend adding it the last 30-45 minutes of cook time.