One-Pan Beef & Broccoli is a healthier rendition of your favorite Chinese takeout dish. Fill up your bowl, curl up on the couch and spend a fraction of what you would at a restaurant…
One-Pan Beef & Broccoli only takes 30 minutes from prep to serve. Simple steps make it a no-brainer during a hectic weeknight. This dish is basically a beef stir fry, which means it’s easy to make and even easier to clean-up.
How To Make Beef & Broccoli Recipe
My family loves ordering takeout, but we like making our favorite dishes at home even more! From Lo Mein to Japchae, there is something so much more rewarding about trying to cook a new cuisine.
It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but broccoli beef isn’t a traditional Chinese dish. While it was initially inspired by a dish of fried beef and Chinese broccoli, this American rendition uses broccoli florets and a different set of spices.
Tips for the Best One-Pan Beef and Broccoli
- To promote even cooking, cut your beef and broccoli into equal-sized pieces.
- Make sure to preheat your pan with vegetable oil before you add the beef. Adding the beef into the pan before it heats up will prevent it from forming a nice crust.
- When cooking your beef, make sure to not overcrowd your pan. If you have to, cook the beef in batches. You want to let each piece develop that signature browning that takes the texture of the dish to the next level!
- If you are using a tougher cut of beef, try popping it in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting it.
- Serve your beef and broccoli with quinoa, white rice or brown rice.
- Did your sauce come out thick and dry? Add a bit of water to bring it back to life!
- Make sure to not oversalt your beef before seasoning the dish with soy sauce.
- Mix your sauce in a separate bowl before adding it to the pan. This will create more even seasoning, as well as prevent any stubborn cornstarch lumps.
Note: The sauce is so easy in this recipe. Just whisk it all together and you are set to go!
Best Cut of Beef for the Beef and Broccoli
You don’t have to buy the most expensive cut of beef to get the best tasting beef and broccoli. In fact, you shouldn’t! The key here is to cut the beef into thin, equal pieces that will cook fast enough to not get tough. Save yourself some money and purchase any of the following budget cuts (ranked from cheapest to most expensive):
- Flank: This cut is taken from the abdomen. It’s lean, easy to cut and perfect for grilling or sauteing.
- Top Round Steak: Lean and flavorful, this thick come from the rump and hind legs. It’s also great for slow cooking and takes well to be tenderized.
- Tri-Tip Steak: This hunk of meat is a favorite at West Coast BBQs. It’s lean and perfect for roasting and grilling.
- New York Strip: Honestly, this steak might be too high-quality for this dish. But, if you want to be fancy, go for it! This cut tends to be well-marbled, pricier and is typically eaten in steak form.
Make Beef and Broccoli Ahead of Time
The most amazing part is that this dish can stay fresh for up to 3-5 days. Which makes it a great fit for meal planning. You can purchase these containers that stack so nicely in the fridge and you have fresh lunches for days.
More Make Your Own Takeout
- Korean Air Fryer Pork Ribs: The perfect balance of sweet and salty, these pork ribs are decadent without the guilt.
- Mongolian Beef: Make it in just 30 minutes. So much flavor in one pan!
- East Sweet and Sour Chicken: Perhaps the most beloved Chinese takeout meat dish on the planet.
- One-Pot Veggie Yakisoba: Another one-pot meal — that means less dishes and more relaxing!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb beef sliced very thin
- 4 cup broccoli cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Beef And Broccoli Sauce
- 3 garlic cloves (pressed)
- 1 cup hot water
- 5 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tsp corn starch
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- In a bowl combine together pressed garlic, hot water, soy sauce, brown sugar, corn starch and sesame oil. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- On a medium heat, preheat a skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add sliced broccoli, cook until it softens. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Slice beef into long, thin strips. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the same skillet where you cooked broccoli. Add beef and until it gets golden brown.
- Pour sauce over the beef, bring the sauce to a light simmer.
- Add broccoli back to the skillet. Stir to combine everything together, cook it for about 3 minutes.
- Serve beef & broccoli while it's still hot. It pairs well with rice.
What is considered 1 serving doesn't day in the nutrition facts
Hi Leona, One serving is about a cup of beef and broccoli. I hope this helps.
Have made this with beef and chicken and both are on regular rotation at our house!!!! I double and sometimes triple the sauce for the rice lovers in our family. Delicious recipe and super easy to make...definitely a fav!
Hi Courtney- love hearing this! I love when readers find a new family favorite recipe. 😀
I tried this recipe and my husband said there wasn't enough sauce, so when I make it again I will double the sauce. It was an easy recipe to make and was very tasty!
Hi Denise, thank you for sharing this feedback. I know it will be useful to others. I can see how it could need more sauce, especially when you serve it with rice and you want the rice to soak up the flavors. Yum!
Can you use London Broil to make this beef and broccoli
Hi Francis, I have not tried that, but I am interested in the result! If you give it a try, would you let me know how it goes?
The London broil was tender and excellent choice.Great recipe!🤓
Yes
This was out of my comfort zone, as I'm typically a chicken kinda gal. But this is absolutely delicious. It will definitely be going into the dinner rotation.
Hi Kelly, I am thrilled to hear this! Thank you for sharing your feedback with me. Enjoy it, dear!
Thank you for such an easy recipe! It turned out great!! Will definitely make again!
Hi Tedra, I am so glad that you love this recipe! Thank you for sharing your feedback. Enjoy!
Delicious and easy to prepare. It’s a winner!
Hi Kit, Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback, enjoy!
Made it tonight for dinner it was amazing better than I’ve had in a restaurant….. I did make a little more sauce and added 2 Tbs spoons of honey I like mine wet. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi shelley, I am thrilled to hear that you loved this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback. Enjoy!
can you freeze just the sauce?
Hi Jennifer, yes, I think you can. Personally, I have not tried freezing it. Hope this helps.
Can I substitute garlic oil for sesame. My husband does not like sesame
Hi Monica, you absolutely can. Thank you for reaching out. Have a wonderful day!
Could I substitute the cornstarch for anything if I dont have any?
Hi Julia, You can substitute it for some flour. Thank you for reaching out! Enjoy!
Can you make this in a electric skillet pan.
Hi Terri, I dont see why not. Thank you for reaching out. Enjoy!
Hello,
I am wondering if you have ever tried Mirin in with this recipe?
Hi Marco, I have not tried it with this recipe. If you give it a try. I would love to know the result! Good luck and enjoy!
Awesome thank you! I have bookmarked lots of your recipes for the next few weeks !
Marco, I love that! Thank you for giving the recipes a try! I would love to know which ones were your favorites! Happy cooking!
How can I make the sauce thicker ?
Hi Courtney- I'm assuming you already added cornstarch to the initial sauce mixture. If it still seems too thin, I'd recommend taking a few spoonfuls of the sauce into a smaller bowl, whisking in another teaspoon of cornstarch and then mixing it back into the big pan. I hope this helps!
Trying this tonight! Smells amazing!
Hi Laura, you are going to love it! Let me know how it goes! Good luck and enjoy!
My family loved it! I’m diabetic so I used cauliflower rice and it was really tasty! Thank you!
Hi Staci, I am so glad to hear that! Enjoy!
Hi! I can't find corn starch anywhere! Is there a good substitute? Thank you!
Hey Taylor, potato starch or a bit of flour can work as well. But I have never tried using anything but corn starch so I am not sure how much you would need. Please let me know how it goes for you. Enjoy!
This dish looks amazing but I’m not a fan of soy sauce. What would you recommend as an alternative?
Hi Inna, I think coconut aminos would work well in this recipe. Let me know how you like the outcome. Thank you
Hi, can I use frozen broccoli? Thank u,
Hey Deb, I personally prefer not to use frozen but others in comments say that they have used frozen broccoli. I think fresh broccoli has more of a crunch, which I love so much. Hope this helps.
Yummy!
Thanks for giving it a try, Bill!
I’m collecting recipes that I could turn into ‘TV dinners’ to leave for my 92 yr old mother when I travel. This dish looks easy and delicious, can it be frozen and reheated?
Hi Linn- great question. I haven't tried freezing this particular meal, I know it refrigerates well for a few days but I'm not sure how the broccoli would do after being frozen/reheated.
Made this for dinner tonight, excellent.
Hey Sheryl, thanks for giving this recipe a try and taking the time to leave feedback. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious! Couldn’t get enough of the sauce. Our entire family devoured this dish!
I just made this. absolutely delicious. Turned out really good.
Thank you for the feedback, Debra! I’m so glad you enjoyed this broccoli beef.
Loved this recipe! Added ginger paste to sauce mixture! My kids said it tasted just like the menu option at their favorite Chinese restaurant! Will definately be using again. Planning on trying with chicken as well!
Hi Susan - That sounds amazing. Ginger always adds such a nice, spicy depth of flavor. Let me know what you think if you try it with chicken. I'm curious how it turns out.
oke banget
Super good. Use oyster sauce, added water chestnuts and peanuts for a crunch, topped it with a twist of lime for acid and sesame seeds. Heck yes girl! 🐲
Hi Jessi - OH YUM! That sounds so good. I love the addition of peanuts. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed and thanks for the feedback.
Does it freeze well
Hi Gayla - It actually doesn't - I find that cooked veggies just don't thaw very well. Hope this helps!
I cut the recipe in half so it would fit in my 12"cast iron skillet, I still had to do two batches of the meat so it wouldn't overlap. I also kept the sauce amount as per the recipe. My whole family and I loved the taste of the recipe. We will make it again, maybe next time an all vegetable dish as the flank steak was pretty pricey, still cheaper than going to a restaurant though, and it was just as good! A large WOK would work best for this recipe which serves 8.
Hi Angela - Amazing! So glad you enjoyed this dish. We are so obsessed with it and make it almost weekly. You can also go for a cheaper cut like sirloin - we've done that a couple of times. Thanks for sharing!
Just made this tonight for dinner. I had all the ingredients EXCEPT for the sesame oil so i used extra olive oil and it tastes so good. I am going to try to continue to find the sesame oil to see if it tastes any different. I served it with brown rice and sooo delicious.
Thank you for sharing, Shanna! You'll find sesame oil in the asian section/aisle of most grocery stores.
Love Cook im enjoy o there make for my son he love food thank you 💕
Ahhh! Thanks, Yolanda. Appreciate the kind words.