Mongolian Beef Recipe (2024)

Updated on |By Kate|10 Comments

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Mongolian Beef Recipe is a quick and easy weeknight dinner that’s ready in just 30 minutes. So you can make dinner in less time than it takes to grab takeout.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (1)

This Mongolian Beef is just what I like in a weeknight dinner recipe – quick, easy, and tasty. Plus, my family loves Chinese food, so it’s a win-win.

Other than a little slicing and chopping, there’s almost no prep work involved in making this recipe. Also, there isn’t a lot of time involved in making this dish.

Ten of the 30 minutes are resting time, so there’s only about 20 minutes of actual hands-one time.

How to make Mongolian beef

Mongolian Beef Recipe (2)

Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk soy sauce and cornstarch together.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (3)

Step 2: Add sliced beef to soy sauce mixture, and toss to coat. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (4)

Step 3: Meanwhile, whisk hoisin sauce, sherry, and sugar together in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.

Step 4: Chop green onions into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.

Step 5: Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (5)

Step 6: Add garlic, ginger, and beef with its sauce. Quickly toss to combine.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (6)

Step 7: Let the beef cook for 30 seconds without stirring.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (7)

Step 8: Stir in green onions, and cook, stirring regularly, until they’re just starting to wilt.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (8)

Step 9: Pour the hoisin sauce mixture in along with the sesame oil, and cook until just thickened.

Recipe Tips!

  • I prefer to use lite or reduced-sodium soy sauce in this recipe. It keeps the sauce from getting overly salty.
  • Flank steak is another great choice for this recipe.
  • This recipe moves pretty quickly. It’s a good idea to gather all of the ingredients and have them ready before beginning.
Mongolian Beef Recipe (9)

Recipe FAQs

Why coat the meat with cornstarch?

Coating the meat with cornstarch (velveting) helps to make the meat tender.

Is Mongolian beef spicy?

This recipe isn’t spicy. If you’d like to add some heat, add some chile sauce, like Sriracha or sambal oelek, to the sauce.

Is Mongolian beef sweet?

The sauce isn’t super sweet. The sauce is pretty balanced with just a bit of brown sugar to round it out. Feel free to add more sugar if you would like a sweeter sauce.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (10)

Serving suggestions

I serve the beef over white rice, brown rice, riced cauliflower, or noodles. I also like to pair it with a side of steamed broccoli or snow peas.

Mongolian Beef Recipe (11)

Storage

Store any leftover Mongolian beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.

More Chinese food favorites!

  • Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken
  • Easy Orange Chicken
  • Easy Cashew Chicken
  • Honey Garlic Chicken

If you’ve tried this Mongolian beef recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!

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Mongolian Beef Recipe (16)

Mongolian Beef Recipe (17)

5 from 5 votes

Mongolian Beef Recipe


Author Kate @ I Heart Eating

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Take-out copycat recipe that’s ready in just 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 ½ pounds petite boneless sirloin steak or a similar cut of beef, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry or rice wine
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
  • 2 bunches green onions
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, whisk soy sauce and cornstarch together.

  • Add sliced beef to soy sauce mixture, and toss to coat.

  • Set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, whisk hoisin sauce, sherry, and sugar together in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.

  • Chop green onions into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.

  • Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a large skillet over medium-high heat.

  • Add garlic, ginger, and beef with its sauce. Quickly toss to combine.

  • Let the beef cook for 30 seconds without stirring.

  • Stir in green onions, and cook, stirring regularly, until they’re just starting to wilt.

  • Pour the hoisin sauce mixture in along with the sesame oil, and cook until just thickened.

  • I serve this over rice topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Notes

  • Soy sauce: I prefer to use lite or reduced-sodium soy sauce in this recipe. It keeps the sauce from getting overly salty.
  • Steak: Flank steak is another great choice for this recipe.
  • This recipe moves pretty quickly. It’s a good idea to gather all of the ingredients and have them ready before beginning.
  • Nutrition values are estimates.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 792mg | Potassium: 439mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Share it with me on Instagram @i_heart_eating and follow on Youtube @katedean and Pinterest @katedean for more!

Originally published 1/16/18.

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Created by Kate

Kate got her first cookbook when she was five years old, and she hasn't stopped cooking since then! Her delicious recipes have been featured on Food Network, MSN, Better Homes & Gardens, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and more. When she's not cooking or baking, she can be found on her mini farm with her husband and her five kids.

Reader Interactions

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Brady says

    Mongolian Beef Recipe (18)
    Love this. No more take-out for me!!!

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Thank you so much!

      Reply

  2. Vicki Thibault says

    Can I substitute the brown sugar for honey instead??

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Yes, that should work. However, honey is sweeter than brown sugar, so you may want to use less honey.

      Reply

  3. Analissa says

    Mongolian Beef Recipe (19)
    Hello!! I think this a great recipe, although I do have a question. If I quadruple the recipe, will it affect the taste or anything at all? If so, any tips?
    Thank you so much for the recipe, and I appreciate any help!! Have a great day :)

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Hi! I don’t think that it will, but I haven’t tried that to say for certain. I worry more about scaling affecting the recipe with baking than I do with cooking, and I can’t really see any reason that it should affect the taste. Best of luck! =)

      Reply

  4. Phillip Minyard says

    Haven’t made it yet. Should I use regular sesame oil or could I use toasted sesame oil?

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Normally, sesame oil is better to cook with. However, since it’s such a small amount of sesame oil and such a brief cooking time, either one will be fine.

      Reply

  5. Rob says

    Mongolian Beef Recipe (20)
    Oh…my…goodness….fantastic is all I can say.

    Reply

    • Kate says

      Thanks! Glad you liked it!

      Reply

Mongolian Beef Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Mongolian beef sauce made of? ›

Making the Mongolian Beef Sauce

Whisk the Mongolian Beef Sauce ingredients together consisting of soy sauce, water, brown sugar, Asian sweet chili sauce, rice wine, hoisin, pepper, sriracha and cornstarch.

Why is Mongolian beef so tender? ›

This is the KEY ingredient to super tender beef. Baking soda is commonly used in Chinese cooking to tenderize beef. If you're curious about the science behind it – baking soda neutralizes acid and raises the pH level, which causes the meat to become more alkaline.

What is PF Chang's Mongolian sauce? ›

Deep and flavorful, our Mongolian Style BBQ Sauce can attribute its flavor profile to smoked black pepper, sweet molasses, soy sauce and garlic making this sauce versatile for marinades and as a finishing sauce.

What is the difference between Szechuan beef and Mongolian beef? ›

Szechuan Beef vs Mongolian Beef

Szechuan Beef has a sweet and spicy flavor with added chili peppers and Szechuan peppercorns. The Szechuan peppercorns has a distinctive tingly numbing sensation when eaten. Mongolian beef has a mild and much simpler taste, making it a kids' favorite, outside of broccoli beef.

What is the secret ingredient in stir fry beef? ›

Velvet the beef: The velveting technique involves tenderizing, marinating, and a quick searing of the meat. To tenderize: Sprinkle with baking soda (the secret Chinese meat tenderizer). To marinate (a quick marinade): Add basic beef marinade and mix to coat evenly. Let marinate for 15 minutes or up to overnight.

How to make beef tender like Chinese restaurants? ›

There are a few methods, but this is the easiest way:
  1. Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts.
  2. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes.
  3. Rinse, pat off excess water.
  4. Proceed with stir fry recipe. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain.
Feb 23, 2019

Do you need to rinse baking soda off meat? ›

From there, leave it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. Then take the meat out of the container and rinse it ensuring that all—or most—of the baking soda is off the steak.

What ethnicity is Mongolian beef? ›

Mongolian beef is a dish from Taiwan consisting of sliced beef, typically flank steak, usually made with onions. The beef is commonly paired with scallions or mixed vegetables and is often not spicy. The dish is often served over steamed rice, or in the US, over crispy fried cellophane noodles.

What is the difference between Mongolian beef and Chinese beef? ›

Szechuan beef vs Mongolian beef, what's the difference? Szechuan beef has a sweet and spicy flavor, and Mongolian beef has a mild taste. Szechuan beef hails from the Sichuan Province in southwestern China. Its main ingredients are chili peppers, garlic, and Szechuan peppercorn.

What do the P and F stand for in PF Chang's? ›

P.F. Chang's was conceived and developed by Paul Fleming (P.F.) and Philip Chiang (Chang) so both names were incorporated into the name of the concept.

What is the difference between Hunan and Szechuan in Mongolian? ›

Here are some differences between the two: Heat level: Szechuan cuisine is known for its fiery, numbing spice, which comes from the use of Szechuan peppercorns. Hunan cuisine, on the other hand, is spicy but doesn't have the numbing sensation of Szechuan cuisine.

Why is Chinese takeout beef so tender? ›

Velveting is a Chinese method of marinating which keeps delicate meat and seafood moist and tender during cooking.

Is Hunan beef same as Mongolian beef? ›

Hunan beef also packs in some heat in the form of chili peppers, but it's not a numbing heat whatsoever and I like to think of it as the milder cousin to Szeuchuan beef. What's the difference between Hunan beef vs Mongolian beef? Another favorite beef recipe of mine, Mongolian beef is much sweeter than Hunan beef.

Is Mongolian beef healthy for you? ›

It's a good source of protein, iron, zinc, and various vitamins and minerals. By using lean cuts of beef and adding plenty of vegetables, you can make Mongolian beef a part of a healthy and balanced diet.

What's the difference between Mongolian and teriyaki? ›

True Teriyaki has Mirin and Sake in it and those two ingredients aren't in my Mongolian Beef recipe. That's like saying Ketchup is just co*cktail Sauce even though it needs horseradish to make it so.

Does Mongolian beef contain oyster sauce? ›

Place the steak in a shallow bowl and add the water, vegetable, and cornstarch mixture. Massage all the ingredients into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 12 hours. For the sauce: Combine the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar, garlic and half the ginger in a small bowl and set aside.

What is Mongolian beef supposed to taste like? ›

When done just right, it's perfectly sweet and savory, slightly spicy, and loaded with lots of delicious aromatics such as ginger, garlic, green onions and even a few dried red chilis, all combined to bring a nice pop of deep, fragrant flavor.

What does Mongolian food taste like? ›

Mongolian food is traditionally heavy, extremely meaty, and fairly bland. The cuisine revolves around meat, especially mutton, milk products, and dough. Boiling and roasting are the main cooking methods and spices or sauces are not much in evidence.

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