Easy Instant Pot Mongolian Beef Recipe (2024)

This Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is a quick and easy way to get dinner on the table thanks to the pressure cooker. Sear the beef for a crispy outside then pressure cook it with a sweet sauce that coats the steamed broccoli. Have a healthy dinner on the table in under 30 minutes!

Love making Asian-inspired recipes at home? Then you’ll love thisAir fryer Orange ChickenandHealthy Chicken Pad Thai.

With back to school here, this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef recipe will be a lifesaver! I know schedules get crazy and kids come home hungry so having an easy recipe they will love is key. This recipe features tender beef that will remind you of your favorite Chinese takeout —just healthier!

Reasons to Love this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

• It’s a great recipe for the whole family – kids love the sweet sauce!
• Pressure cooking the meat and sauce develops a lot of flavor in a short amount of time—similar to Instant Pot Pulled Pork.
• It’s a pf chang copycat, but cheaper and healthier.
• This meal is just as good the next day, making it one of our favorite recipes for meal prep.
• The thin slices of beef are so tender and juicy.
• It’s easy to customize with other fresh vegetables like baby corn, green beans, or red or green bell pepper.

Looking for more ways to use your Instant Pot weekly? All of our Instant Pot recipes are delicious, but we especially love this Instant Pot Greek Chicken and Rice and this Instant Pot Pot Roast.

Grab These Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients for this apple kale salad. Most are pantry staples and easy (and affordable) to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.

• Flank Steak: my favorite beef to use in stir-fry recipes with steak and veggies. View more cuts of beef or flank steak substitutes to thinly slice for this recipe like flat iron steak or top round beef.
• Soy sauce: use low sodium soy sauce, tamari (gluten-free), or coconut aminos (soy and gluten-free)
• Aromatics: fresh garlic and fresh ginger.
• Honey or dark brown sugar: to sweeten the sauce.
• Corn starch: or tapioca starch to thicken the sauce.
• Broccoli: purchase pre-chopped and washed to save time.
• ​Beef broth: to create the sauce and to help the Instant Pot come to pressure.

Pro tip: You need at least 1/2 a cup of liquid in the Instant Pot to prevent getting the burn notice.

How to cook the beef from frozen

You can even make this recipe directly from frozen beef. It will take a few extra minutes to come to pressure. I love that about an instant pot! You can safely cook frozen beef in an Instant Pot without thawing which makes weeknight dinners so easy. Anyone else forget to defrost meat in the morning!?

The other recipe I love about this is it’s so healthy. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like as much brown sugar in my dinner as in an entire cookie recipe, so I stuck to a healthy ingredients for this Mongolian beef.

And everything in this recipe is healthy too!

Health benefits of beef

Beef is definitely a healthy part of a balanced diet and I love eating it a couple of times a week. It’s such a good source of protein too!

A 3-ounce serving of beef (about the size of an iPhone) provides more than 10 essential nutrients and 25 grams of protein for less than 150 calories. Not to mention, eating protein helps your kiddos stay focused during the school day and the B vitamins in beef provide them with energy too.

I was a student athlete all through middle school and high school and I know that if your kids are active, eating beef is a great source of protein and energy! My husband (who’s a health coach!) always says we need to be eating more protein to help build muscle and strong bodies.

What cut of beef is Mongolian beef made from?

Mongolian beef is most commonly made with flank steak. This cut of beef is lean and has tough muscle fibers running through it. Cut it against the grain and cook it quickly for best results.

How is this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef recipe healthier?

• No refined sugar: I used a little honey to sweeten it instead of brown sugar.
• Gluten free: I also opted to use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Coconut aminos tastes just like soy sauce but doesn’t have any soy in it! If you don’t mind having soy in your diet you can definitely use soy sauce, but I love the coconut aminos! You can get it at any grocery store
• Greens: The broccoli in this recipe also makes it healthy and balanced. Broccoli is a really good source of vitamins K and C and it’s a great source of folate and provides potassium and fiber. Add that to the protein from the beef and you’ve got yourself a balanced meal!

How to Make Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

Slice the steak: Start by slicing the flank steak against the grain. You’ll notice there are small fibers going across the beef. You’ll want to cut the steak in small thin pieces across those. This makes the beef really tender and not chewy!

Sear the steak: Work in batches to sear both sides of the flank steak for 1-2 minutes.

See Also

Tah chin | Lamb recipes | Jamie magazine recipesRed Thai Curry Recipe60 Irish-Inspired Recipes That'll Soak Up The Booze This St. Patrick's DayTraditional Seven Layer Salad Recipe - Oh Sweet Basil

Pressure cook: add the liquids, garlic and ginger and pressure cook for 8 minutes then quick release.

Thicken the sauce: add the cornstarch and water mixture, honey and broccoli to the Instant Pot and turn the saute function back on. Mix everything together until the sauce gets thick!

Serve: with brown rice, white, cauliflower rice or quinoa! Learn how to cut green onions on the bias for a finishing touch.

Thank you to The Ohio Beef Council for sponsoring this recipe. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I’m so thankful to brands like them who support my mission of providing easy, healthy meals so I can continue to provide you with free recipes!

If you love this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with @what_mollymade or #WhatMollyMade so I can see it and feature you!