Beef and broccoli is a quick 30-minute meal. Thin slices of marinated meat stir-fry with fresh broccoli florets and red bell peppers. The ingredients simmer in a delicious savory sauce for an easy one-pot meal.
Preparing a classic beef and broccoli stir-fry is a sure-fire way to enjoy eating your vegetables. At least that was my parent’s tactic! Using a blazing hot wok or large pan, you can have a tasty meal loaded with protein and greens in just half an hour. I recommend serving with a big bowl of steamed rice to soak up all of the flavors.
The trickiest part of this dish is making sure those bite-sized pieces of beef are tender and tasty. Slicing the meat properly and marinating is key, while a quick sear in a hot pan adds another layer of flavor. The broccoli florets steam in the same pan then simmer with the other ingredients in a sweet and savory sauce.
How to make broccoli beef
- Marinate the meat in soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, honey, and sesame oil.
- Boil water in the wok, add the broccoli and cook until tender, set aside.
- Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Heat vegetable oil, saute ginger and garlic until fragrant.
- Add beef in a single layer and sear each side.
- Add the stir-fry sauce, cook until thickened then add the vegetables to warm.
- Serve with rice, cauliflower rice, or broccoli rice.
Beef selection
Flank steak, flat iron steak, or boneless beef short rib meat is recommended for this dish. They’re all quick-cooking types of beef with lots of flavors and varying amounts of marbling. Flank is the leanest cut and the short rib is very tender due to the extra marbling and minimal amount of connective tissue.
Avoid pre-cut beef
Avoid using pre-cut pieces sold at the grocery store marketed for “Stir-Frying.” Counterintuitive to what you think, these pieces tend to be a mix-match of cuts and have a tougher texture. Instead, thinly slice raw beef into no wider than ¼-inch thick pieces while cutting across the grain. This will ensure that it’s easy for the teeth to cut through and chew.
Make a flavorful stir-fry
The steak marinade and stir-fry sauce contain a mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and a hint of sweetness from honey or brown sugar. Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) and beef stock are also used to flavor the base. The umami flavors are intensified by marinating the thinly sliced beef for at least 15 minutes before cooking.
The salty flavor compounds tenderize and infuse into the surface of the meat while adding other wonderful aromatics. During the stir fry process, the ingredients work harmoniously together to provide a rich flavor to the beef and broccoli. The sauce is thickened just enough by cooking the cornstarch to help adhere more flavor to each bite and create a beautiful sheen.
More Chinese recipes
What is a cornstarch slurry?
Cornstarch combined with a liquid is often used in Chinese cooking to quickly thicken sauces. Using cool liquids to hydrate the starch allows it to separate easier and be soluble for thickening. If you add the cornstarch directly to hot liquid, it will clump and result in a lumpy sauce. After adding the slurry, heat the liquid until it reaches just below its boiling point then cook until thickened.
Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
Beef and Broccoli
- 1 pound flank steak, flat iron steak or boneless beef short rib
- ⅓ cup water
- 5 cups broccoli florets, 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 slice whole ginger, peeled, ¼” thick slice
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 1 cup sliced red bell pepper, 1/4-inch thick slices
- black pepper
Marinade
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dry sherry, Shaoxing rice wine, sake or brandy
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon honey, or brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
Sauce
- ½ cup beef stock
- 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry, Shaoxing rice wine, sake or brandy
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Make a marinade in a medium bowl by whisking together soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, honey, and sesame oil.
- Add sliced beef (cut against the grain in ¼” thick slices) and coat. Set aside for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate if marinating longer.
- Make the sauce in a medium bowl by whisking together beef stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sherry, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no white lumps remain. Set aside.
- Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add ⅓ cup water and bring to a boil.
- Add broccoli to the wok and saute until just tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Transfer broccoli to a bowl and set aside.
- Dry the wok with a paper towel then set heat to medium-high until very hot.
- Add vegetable oil to the wok. Once the oil is hot, add the ginger and garlic clove, sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add the marinated beef in a single layer, cook without moving for 1 minute. Stir fry until no longer pink, about 1 minute.
- Add the sauce to the wok and bring to a rapid simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the cooked broccoli and red bell peppers to the wok, stir-fry for an additional 1 to 2 minutes to warm.
- Season with pepper to taste. Serve immediately with rice if desired.
Recipe Video
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Cyndi says
Am I using beef or chicken stock? You use chicken in the video but the recipe says beef.
Jessica Gavin says
Beef stock is my first choice, but you can use chicken stock if that is what you have on hand.
Marie-Madeleine says
Tried it. Easy to follow and really good. Served it with Yam glass noodles and made it with pork tenderloin…finally got crisp broccoli but still cooked!
Debra Hunts says
I would like to try this with chicken- any recommendations or suggestions?
Jessica Gavin says
You can definitely use chicken! Follow the same directions for slicing the meat. When cooking, just make sure the chicken is no longer pink or raw, you make need a few extra minutes when searing. Let me know how it goes!
Debra Hunts says
I made it with chicken and it was delicious!
Jessica Gavin says
Thrilled to hear that the recipe worked well with chicken, too!
Stan Schellhammer says
This recipe was really good but tasted extremely salty. Could not even eat it. Next time I’ll decrease the soy sauce.
Jessica Gavin says
I appreciate your feedback, Stan! You could definitely modify the amount of soy or oyster salt to reduce the salt level to your taste.
Maria Terry says
Last night’s dinner. We loved it. Husband called it really delicious. I’d call it restaurant quality. I didn’t have beef stock so I used chicken stock, yet the flavor was still very beefy. I couldn’t find any of the recommended beef at the store so I used sirloin steak. Was very careful to thinly slice across the grain. Not the least bit tough. I’m always happy when I get to use my carbon steel wok. Glad I made the purchase so I can turn out recipes like these. Husband is too.
Jessica Gavin says
You are becoming quite the chef, Maria! Great job!
Debbie Perriccioli says
I absolutely love this recipe. I always double the sauce (but I don’t double the Oyster sauce). This recipe is on rotation probably every other week at my house. I also add more broccoli to get our veggies in.
Jessica Gavin says
I love your modifications to the recipe, extra sauce is always good and veggies too!
Carol Simon says
Really great flavor – loved it. However, it was impossible to get that much meat in a single layer in my large wok. Do you do it in batches? I just did the best I could with it, using the sides of the wok. It was still delicious!
Jessica Gavin says
You can definitely fry the beef in smaller batches to ensure you get them in a single layer next time. Great job!
Dave says
The flavor of your beef and broccoli and fried rice is amazing. Somewhere you might note when to cook the red bell peppers (if at all) – are they added in at the end and kind of warmed through (step 10)? I sauteed mine with the broccoli.
When I saw how thin my sauce was (from a lot of water injected in today’s beef) i just fished the veggies and beef out and simmered the sauce until thickened rather than add more cornstarch and risk lumps.
Love and trust your recipes.
John says
Hi Jessica,
I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe, although I will swap out the red bell pepper with carrots julienne (picky daughter).
I noticed in the video you used chicken stock, but in the written recipe beef stock?
Also thankfully you convert your recipes to metric for us metric people which makes it so much more easier. Is there a particular app or converter that you use?
Cheers,
John
Peter Jordan says
I made this last night, and it was delicious! With stir fry, I’ve always put the veggies in after cooking the meat, but steaming them beforehand gives me more control over exactly how tender-crisp they turn out. It was perfect!
While I’m at it, let me mention how often, after receiving an emailed recipe from you in the morning, it inspires what I make for dinner that night. And last Christmas, I used your recipes for Beef Wellington, potatoes au gratin, green beans and apple crisp. My family is still talking about it! Thanks for being an inspiration.
Jessica Gavin says
Peter, you are a rockstar! It makes my heart so happy to hear that you get inspired to cook and have made some recipes to share with your family!
Beverly says
Could you also make this with shrimp? I am not a beef fan, and I love shrimp and broccoli. Wondering if the marinade that you use for the beef would be too over powering for shrimp? Your fried rice sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try that.
Silvia says
Can I use round steak instead? Your recipe looks wonderful
Shan says
Was amazing AND my 3 kids looovvveeedddd it! Will be our go-to stir fry for a very long time!!
Jennifer Johnson says
Looks yummy Jessica… thank you
Will be doing this for supper with my friend on Sunday
Hugs Jennie
Linda says
Hi Jessica,
Should I change any ingredients if I use boneless chicken breast instead of beef? Love, love, love your recipes! They are the best!
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Linda- You can keep everything the same, just keep an eye on the cook time for the chicken so that it doesn’t get dry, it will cook quickly.
Marty says
Fantastic recipe. Was the favorite of the night. Went with this recipe as it added the red pepper which others didn’t have. The sauce was so easy to make, glad I didn’t go with the store bought. Added a new ingredient to my arsenal, Oyster sauce… really don’t know why I never used it before but it will be forever be my friend. Also made your Easy Fried Rice and should have made your Green Beans with Crunchy Almonds (making that tonight) verses the other ones I made. Loving your recipes!!!
Edward wong says
Hi Jessica
I made this last night and it was delicious, healthy and easy as served over brown rice. I come from a traditional Yellow-trailer Park Trash family and ironically none of my friends or family ever make broccoli, or use this standard sauce. One cousin did make pepper steak using this sauce but she is very Americanized, not that there’s anything wrong with that ????. It is delicious and authentic, just that I don’t encounter it at home and I’m grateful to your recipe!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your feedback Edward! So thrilled to hear that you found the recipe authentic and tried something you don’t always get to eat. Cheers!
Michael Redbourn says
Thanks for the recipe which worked out well.
I ‘shocked’ the marinaded beef in boiling water for 30 seconds before cooking it in the wok.
Sometimes done in oil.
And I steamed my broccoli for a few minutes before adding it to the wok.
It’s only wok-and-roll 😉
Michael
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for sharing your tips Michael!
Paula says
Made this a few weeks ago and will make it again this week… Delicious! Served over wonton egg noodles and made extra sauce and extra veges … we’re not big meat eaters and like to pump it up w/veges. 🙂 The flank was just enough & delicious w/the marinade.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you Paula! I love that you served it with egg noodles and even more veggies, yum!
Ro says
WOW!!! This is an amazing dish. I didn’t have any broth, so I had to use water and chicken base. Usually I have to tweak a recipe that I find on the internet. Not this one!! This is going to be my go-to site to find great recipes. Great instructions.
Jessica Gavin says
Yay! I’m so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the recipe Ro 🙂
Christine says
This was a yummy and colorful recipe for broccoli beef. The meat and gravy were very tasty but I do wish there was a little more gravy. Should I just add more broth and cornstarch?
Jessica Gavin says
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the beef with broccoli Christine! I would either make 1.5 or 2x the sauce recipe so that all of the flavors stay the same, but you get more yummy sauce.
Silvia says
Hi Jessica!
Made this dish for my kids and ita was a hit!
Great flavors!
Jessica Gavin says
Yay! So happy to hear that your kids enjoyed the recipe Silvia 🙂
Faiza says
Hi Jessica, can sherry or wine be replaced with something non-alcoholic?
Thanks!
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Faiza! I think in this case you can omit it completely. Great question 🙂
Tom says
Really, Really Good!!! Marinade reminds me of a London Broil Marinade.
Turned out great and was enjoyed very much..
Thanks
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you so much Tom! I so happy that you tried the recipe and enjoyed that taste 🙂
Karly says
Wow. Suddenly craving Chinese. Specifically this. Looks SO much better than takeout, and so much better for everyone, too! Totally putting this one on my to-do list!
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks Karly! Yes, way healthier and so easy to make. Get some friend!
Judy Caywood says
Hi Jessica,
I immediately sent this to my oldest son and then went out and got all the ingredients I was missing to make this. Lunch/dinner on Friday. Yummy. What a great way to start the weekend off.
Take care,
Judy
Jessica Gavin says
I’m so excited that you’ll be making this with your family Judy!