Chinese restaurant-style beef and broccoli made at home. Tender beef coated in a savory stir fry sauce with broccoli is an easy dish that’s ready in about 30 minutes. It’s easy, delicious and better than takeout.
Beef and broccoli is one of my favorite dishes and is probably the dish I have cooked the most in my life. It is a dish that is both authentically Chinese and also a popular American Chinese dish.
When I make it at home, I usually make a healthier version with less oil and sauces. So when I go out to a Chinese restaurant, I still look forward to eating beef and broccoli because I can enjoy the restaurant version. Super crisp broccoli, tender beef, all coated in a thick savory sauce.
Restaurant-style isn’t that hard to make so you can easily make it at home when you’re craving the flavor of Chinese restaurant food. I’ve also made Black Pepper Beef and Chinese Pepper Steak, which is another favorite restaurant favorite I’ve made at home. Sometimes I make some Chinese Fried Rice to serve on the side, too.
Ingredients
- Flank steak
- Broccoli florets
- Canola oil
- Water
- Grated ginger
- Minced ginger
- Sliced scallions or green onions
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Shaoxing wine (rice cooking wine)
- Cornstarch
- Low sodium chicken broth
- Oyster sauce
- Toasted sesame oil
- Sugar
- Sriracha
Beef Cooking Tips
Choose a cut of beef that works well for stir fry like flank steak, strip steak, or sirloin.
Slice the beef thinly, about 1/4 inch thick, against the grain.
The beef is first marinated in a blend of soy sauce, rice cooking wine, and cornstarch. Do not skip this step. The soy sauce and wine help break down the beef to tenderize it. The cornstarch creates a protective coating over the beef so that it doesn’t overcook, which also helps to keep it tender.
How to Keep the Broccoli Crispy and Green
The broccoli is cooked first. After adding it to the hot wok, water is added to help steam cook the broccoli so that it cooks faster while still maintaining its bright green color.
The broccoli is then removed and added back only at the very end, so that it doesn’t lose its color or crispness.
Sauce Ingredients
The sauce is a blend of soy sauce, rice cooking wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil, low sodium chicken broth, sugar, sriracha, and cornstarch.
I use shaoxing wine which is a chinese rice cooking wine. It is easily available at Chinese markets. You can also substitute with sherry. Do not substitute with rice wine vinegar as it will make your sauce too acidic.
I recommend adding 1/2 to 2/3 of the sauce to start and then tasting and adding more as needed. Different brands of soy sauce and oyster sauce have different amounts of sodium, which can greatly vary the sauce sodium level. I try not to eat too salty so I usually use about 1/2 to 2/3 of the sauce.
Can you cook beef and broccoli in a skillet?
Yes, if you don’t have a wok, you can cook this beef and broccoli in a large skillet. It works best in a pan that has taller sides so it’s easy to stir the ingredients without them going over the side.
Side Dishes
Beef and broccoli is usually served with rice. We like cooked brown or white rice, but a lot of the time I make cauliflower rice for a low-carb option. Fried rice or cauliflower fried rice are also good.
Instead of rice, you can serve it with pan fried noodles or lo mein.
How to Store It
Beef and broccoli recipe is great for meal prep because the leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for three to four days. Store them in an airtight container.
More Takeout-Style Recipes
Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak thinly sliced against the grain, about 1/4 inch thick
- 1 lb broccoli cut into bite-sized florets
- 3 tbsp canola oil divided
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 green scallions thinly sliced
Beef Marinade
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine (rice cooking wine)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Stir Fry Sauce
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp shaoxing wine (rice cooking wine)
- 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp sriracha optional
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Add marinade ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Toss beef in marinade. Let beef sit in marinade for 30 minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a large wok and bring to high heat. When oil is hot, add in the broccoli. Stir for about 1 minute so all the broccoli hits the pan and is coated in oil. Then add in 1/3 cup water. Cover wok with lid to help steam cook the broccoli. This should only take about 1 minute. Remove lid and stir a few times to make sure broccoli is just cooked but still very crispy. Removed broccoli from heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add stir fry sauce ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Add remaining 2 tbsp of oil into pan and bring to high heat. Add in beef, placing it as a single layer at bottom of wok. If your wok is not big enough to fit all the beef at once, do this in 2 batches (using only 1 tbsp of oil for each batch instead of adding 2 tbsp at once). Let beef cook about 1 minute without moving it so that it develops a nice sear. Flip beef and do the same to other side. Your beef should be almost fully cooked but still pink in the center.
- Once all the beef is seared on both sides, add in the ginger and garlic. Cook briefly, about 20 seconds. Pour in about 1/2 to 2/3 of sauce. Cook until sauce is thickened and then add in broccoli and cook and coat broccoli in sauce briefly. Taste and determine if more sauce is needed. If so, pour in more sauce and cook until thickened (about 1 minute). I only used 2/3 of the sauce. Depending on your taste preference and brand of ingredients, you may want to use the whole amount.
- Turn off heat and sprinkle with scallions.
- Immediately dish out beef and broccoli. Serve over rice.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Used a very cheap thin sirloin steak for this recipe. I had my doubts, but it turned out tender, and delicious. Added mushrooms at the wife’s request. Good overall recipe.
We’re glad you both enjoyed it!