This slow cooker Mongolian beef is flank steak cooked with garlic, ginger, brown sugar and soy sauce. This crock pot recipe tastes just like a meal you would get at a Chinese restaurant!
Make your own take out with this easy Mongolian beef recipe. This dinner is SO simple to put together and always gets rave reviews from family and friends.
Making meals like this slow cooker Mongolian beef, in the crock pot is one of my favorite things to do. Not only does it allow you to have a nice meal when you’re finished with your day but, it feels like you’re getting to skip all the cooking. It kind of feel like cheating because it makes dinner time that much simpler!
HOW DO YOU MAKE SLOW COOKER MONGOLIAN BEEF?
This Mongolian beef has the rich flavors of ginger, garlic, and brown sugar. It’s cooked slowly in the crock pot so every flavor has a chance to really sink in. When it’s almost ready to be served, the green onions get added to the pot and stirred in. The family is sure to love this one.
I highly suggest slightly freezing the flank steak before slicing it. It makes it much easier to slice if you do so. I prefer using the low sodium soy sauce because it keeps the dish a little healthier and you won’t have to worry about the finished dish being overly salty.
This crock pot Mongolian beef pairs well with steamed rice. I always serve it with a green vegetable on the side such as broccoli or asparagus. Of course, there are many other sides that would work as well, but I love the fresh counterpart of a lightly steamed veggie.
ARE THERE SUBSTITUTES FOR FLANK STEAK?
Yes, there are a few other options that will work for this crock pot Mongolian beef. Flank steak is my favorite option but you can also use skirt steak or even hanger steak if you can get your hands on it. You could also use thinly sliced sirloin steak if desired.
WHY IS IT CALLED MONGOLIAN BEEF?
Mongolian beef was created in Taiwan where dishes like this slow cooker Mongolian beef were popular. That area was where the first Mongolian restaurants started opening up. They made the Mongolian style of food popular which is why the name is carried with dishes like this one.
Looking for Mongolian beef but don’t have the time to wait for it to cook in a crock pot? Try my stove top Mongolian beef!
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that it doesn’t take a ton of work to have a delicious meal. I love this crock pot Mongolian beef because it’s easy, but comes out totally delicious and satisfying. Even my kids love this one!
MORE ASIAN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Pepper Steak Stir Fry
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Cream Cheese Wontons
- Firecracker Chicken
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak thinly sliced against the grain
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup green onions cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Instructions
- Place the flank steak in a bowl with the cornstarch and toss to coat evenly.
- Add the flank steak to the slow cooker.
- Place the sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar and water in the slow cooker. Stir to coat the meat in the sauce.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours.
- Stir in the green onions, then serve.
just about to try out the recipe
I make this almost every week, the family loves it and even with double Qty, there is none left
Made this for my family with steamed rice. I love how the recipe gave me time to go for a walk with my kids and spend some quality time with them. I used my rice maker so everything makes for easy clean. I did a taste test and burnt my tongue a couple times because it was so good. Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing <3
How would it be best to add broccoli? Steam separately then add as side? Or put in while it’s cooking? If I was to add in chilli pepper for a little kick how much do you recommend? Making this tonight! Can’t wait to try
You can steam the broccoli, and either serve it on the side or stir it in during the last 10 minutes of the cooking time!
You said to freeze the beef before slicing. Should it be frozen when put into the crockpot or should you cut it while frozen and then let it defrost?
It’s fine to go in either way, the thin slices defrost very quickly as you want to only partially freeze the beef.
I made it today, how I did it was as soon as I woke up I put the beef in the freezer. Then when me and the kids were all around and them ready to get on the bus, I pulled them out and sliced. They were in the freezer for around 1 hour, maybe hour fifteen. They were partially frozen, but frozen enough to make perfect slices without bleeding all over from the fresh beef. They did thaw really quickly though, as the tail piece of the second slice of beef I used was soft.
This was EXCELLENT. For sure a family favorite. I would recommend doubling the sauce.
So, so good! I love all your recipes Sarah and this did not disappoint! Had it with Jasmine rice and bok choy! Yum !
This was the easiest, tastiest thing I have ever made! I added a few more ingredients like housin sauce, a bit of oyster sauce and chillies and substituted the corn starch for flour. Sprinkled sesame seeds on It before serving. It was amazing!
Oh ye of little faith …. [and by that I mean me!] I was so skeptical of this recipe because it didn’t require searing of the beef. Really, Sara, I think this is the only recipe on the internet that doesn’t. I took the plunge and made it anyway, and I was not disappointed. We loved it and it was so darned easy! I did double the sauce and cornstarch with no issues at all. Great recipe, thanks.
I’ve made this four times now. Each time I add in water chestnuts at the end when I add the green onions. I also add a little bit of red chili flakes for added spice. Served with rice and broccoli. It’s SO GOOD and so easy. My bf and I love it. Thank you for such a great and reliable recipe!
Can you use regular sesame oil instead of toasted?
Yes that’s fine!
This is delicious! I omitted the green onions in order to use them raw as a garnish and I added a bag of broccoli florets during the last hour of cooking. It tastes like beef and broccoli from my local Chinese restaurant!
This tastes amazing. Not sure what I did wrong as my thinly sliced flank steak fell apart into tiny pieces! It wasn’t cheap either lol.
You might have sliced the flank steak too thin and/or cooked it too long.
Can you double up on the sauce so you have enough for over the rice?
Yes that’s fine but I’d only use 1.5 times the amount of soy sauce so it’s not overly salty.
Could I substitute for beef chuck? Would that change the cooking time?
Beef chuck will take a lot longer to get tender, so you’d want to add 2 hours to the cooking time along with 1/4 cup water.