This Copycat Mongolian Beef (hello, P.F. Chang’s fans!) is really easy to throw together, and on the table in just 30 minutes! Make your favorite Chinese restaurant dish from the comfort of your own kitchen! It’s perfect for busy parents throughout the week, or on the weekend when you want something a little healthier than take-out!
We’re huge fans of making recreating restaurant favorites at home! This 10 minute Easy, Classic Chinese Beef With Broccoli will blow you away with time and flavor, and for something a little more special, try these Slow Cooker Korean Beef Short Ribs!
Table of Contents
Quick and easy recipes that are made in one pot or pan are my ideal go-to dinner dishes, every time! Whether it’s the slow cooker, instant pot, or made on the stove, having less to clean later is always a good thing! This Mongolian Beef recipe ticks all of the boxes.
Mongolian Beef is not only super speedy to throw together (ready in 30 minutes!), it’s so incredibly easy as well! There aren’t many vegetables to chop up (although you could absolutely add in some broccoli or sugar snap peas), you really just have to prep the flank steak, garlic, ginger, and green onions, which takes around 5 minutes. Then serve it up with some baby bok choy.
The aroma we get from this copycat P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef recipe is out of this world rich and deliciously sweet! It’s classic Chinese-inspired flavor, made from soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sugar, and it’s not too spicy making it perfect for the whole family. Our kids love this one!
It’s a hard call for me to say whether I like this Mongolian beef more, or if my long-standing favorite honey walnut shrimp would win in a showdown of fakeout takeout that we make at home.
Shopping list for Mongolian Beef
- Flank steak: Thinly sliced flank steak is the perfect cut of meat for this Mongolian Beef recipe because it cooks super quickly!
- Cornstarch: A little cornstarch is added to the flank steak to help it sear perfectly in the pan and give it just a bit of crunch on the outside. It also helps thicken the sauce just a smidge.
- Oil: Oil keeps all of the other ingredients from sticking to the pan! As we’re working with high heat, we need a little more oil than a normal stir fry.
- Soy sauce: Even though I opted for low sodium soy sauce, it still adds plenty of salt and flavor! This fermented soy product is a foundation ingredient for many delicious Chinese dishes.
- Brown sugar: Mongolian Beef needs sweetness! I prefer brown sugar to white as it adds an amazing caramel flavor, and not just sweetness.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger makes a huge difference. It’s SO good.
- Garlic: Along with ginger, garlic is a key ingredient in Chinese dishes! I used 4 cloves to really pack a punch!
- Red pepper flakes: I love to add just a pinch of heat to my Mongolian beef recipe, but feel free to add more if you are a spicy food fan!
- Green onions: Last but not least, fresh green onions really balance all of the flavors out perfectly. I feel like there are never enough of these when I order this dish at a restaurant, so I will often double the amount when making it at home because I love them so much!
How do you make Mongolian Beef from scratch?
Toss the flank steak. Firstly, toss the flank steak and cornstarch in a large ziplock bag, and shake it to coat the steak evenly. Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat.
Sear the beef. Secondly, working in batches, add steak in a single layer and cook for about 1 minute on each side, just until the edges are beginning to brown. Then transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat.
Make the sauce and add it together. Next, add ginger and garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, and water. Bring to a boil. Return the meat to the pan and toss in the sauce to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. If the sauce doesn’t thicken enough from the cornstarch coating on the meat, you can add a slurry made from 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water and cook until thickened.
Add remaining ingredients, toss and serve. Finally, add in the chopped green onions, sprinkle with the red pepper flakes, and cook a final 30 seconds just to barely wilt the green onions. Serve over rice.
Storage & Freezing
Store this Mongolian Beef in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, either heat it up in the microwave or on the stove until it is piping hot.
It’s perfect for freezing as well! Store it in an airtight container or a Ziploc freezer bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, allow it to thaw completely and either heat it up in the microwave or on the stove until it is piping hot.
What goes with Mongolian Beef?
RICE:
- Plain White rice, brown rice, or wild rice
- Fried Rice
- Brazilian Rice
- Garlic Rice with Fried Egg (with or without the egg)
VEGETABLES:
- Cauliflower Rice
- Fried Cauliflower Rice
- Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Easy Oven Roasted Cauliflower
- Tender Roasted Green Beans
- Oven Roasted Asparagus
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
SALADS:
Why is it called Mongolian Beef?
Surprisingly, this dish and the Mongolian style of Chinese Barbecue actually originated in Taiwan. The original creator of Mongolian Barbecue, Wu Zhaonan, was fleeing from Beijing during the Chinese Civil War, as the city became communist.
He originally wanted to name this style of cooking “Beijing Barbecue” but because of political sensitivity at the time, he decided to call it “Mongolian Barbecue”, and as a result, this dish became known as Mongolian beef, even though it has no real connection to Mongolia.
That’s a fun little bit of trivia to talk about at the dinner table for ya!
More Take Out Recipes Like This
- The Best Orange Chicken
- Better Than Take Out Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork
- Cambodian Chicken Red Curry
- Easy Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak sliced thin against the grain into 1/4-inch thick strips
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 bunch green onions green parts only, cut into 1-inch long slices on the diagonal
Instructions
- Toss flank steak in cornstarch in a large ziplock bag to coat evenly. Heat oil in a large pan over high heat.
- Working in batches, add steak in a single layer and cook for about 1 minute on each side, just until the edges are beginning to brown. Then transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining meat.
- Add ginger and garlic to the pan and saute 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, and water. Bring to a boil. Return the meat to the pan and toss in the sauce to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. If the sauce doesn’t thicken enough from the cornstarch coating on the meat, you can add a slurry made from 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water and cook until thickened.
- Add green onions and cook a final 30 seconds.
- Toss with the chopped green onions and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Serve over rice.
I used skirt steak, cut at an angle for this dish. In addition, I did add a bit of sesame oil and roasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top to bring out the flavor. Thank you for sharing. We loved it.
Ohhh… I can’t wait to make this tonight.
.I used beef precept for a stir fry. It cooked the steak till just browned as the recipe instructed and then just followed the instructions. It was sensational
Made this tonight, added carrots, celery, green pepper along with the green onions. It was really good but way too salty for us! Would recommend 1/4 c of soy sauce. Will make again with less soy sauce. Over all, good recipe. Thank you for sharing.
So so good. I made as directed and absolutely loved it. I served over rice with roasted sesame garlic green beans on the side. Will definitely make again!
So glad you loved it! Those green beans sound amazing with it too!
Used sesame seed oil to do the frying. Turned out wonderful! And I have always added roasted peanuts to my Mongolian Beef for years , so I stuck to my tradition! Old habits and all. Ha! Delish!!