Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
This delicious Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is a quick, filling meal that reheats well! Tender flank steak in a smooth, salty-sweet sauce is pressure cooked to juicy perfection.
What is Mongolian Beef?
Mongolian Beef is a Chinese dish that was developed in Taiwan in the 50s. Traditionally, beef is sliced very thinly, then fried in a skillet and coated with a dark, thick, spicy-sweet sauce. This recipe uses the Instant Pot to make sure the meat is perfectly tender–The combination of sauteing and pressure cooking makes this a quick and delicious meal!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
- QUICK: There’s so little prep involved and no veggies to cut! With the fast heating speed of the Instant Pot, this recipe is ready in just about 30 minutes. There’s also so little work involved, you can easily put together an easy Air Fryer side dish while waiting on the beef.
- MEAL-PREP FRIENDLY: If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, you’ll understand why this is so meal-prep friendly! The sauce gets even better the second day, so it’s the perfect recipe to prep for lunches. You can also double it and freeze it for dinner later.
- PERFECT FOR BEGINNERS: This recipe has a few simple steps, all forgiving enough for a beginner. One key tip for Instant Pot newbies: Have your ingredients measured out and ready to go! The instant pot is quick to heat up, so having these prepared will help ensure you don’t let too much liquid evaporate before the pressure cooking cycle.
Mongolian Beef Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this recipe. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card down below.
- Flank steak and Cornstarch – Flank sliced into thin strips. If you can’t get flank steak, you could use skirt steak or sirloins instead. The key to tender flank is slicing against the grain. Cornstarch will help create a light coating to hold the sauce and create a great texture. See the FAQ’s below for cornstarch substitute details.
- Sesame oil, Water, Brown sugar, Soy sauce (low sodium), Minced garlic, Rice vinegar – This creates the delicious savory sweet sauce that coats the tasty beef! If you can’t get fresh garlic, you could replace it with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Brown sugar could be replaced with a keto-friendly alternative if you’re looking to lower your carb intake. You could substitute coconut aminos for soy sauce if that works better for you, too. If you like some spice, add a pinch of red pepper flakes!
- Additional cornstarch and water – This slurry is added into the sauce after pressure cooking to thicken it to the perfect consistency. See the FAQs below for cornstarch substitute details.
- Possible garnishes: Sesame seeds, green onions, chopped fresh herbs
How to Make Mongolian Beef in the Instant Pot
This is a simple recipe with three steps–Two to cook the beef, and one to thicken the sauce. Here’s a step-by-step guide to this quick recipe!
Brown the Steak
First, place your flank steak strips in a large bowl, then sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss to coat, then set aside. Turn the sauté function on the Instant Pot to “high,” then add the sesame oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the steak. Brown for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to get all sides. Remove the steak from the Instant Pot and set it on a plate. Turn off the sauté function.
Add Sauce
Pour water into the Instant Pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape off any browned bits off the bottom. This is essential–Any stuck bits and pieces can cause a burn warning during the pressure cooking cycle. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger, rice vinegar. Stir to mix and coat beef in sauce.
Pressure Cook
Close the lid and set the the cooking function to high pressure to cook for 10 minutes. Remember, the cook time does not begin immediately. The machine must come to full pressure before the cooking time begins. It may take anywhere from 10-15 minutes for the machine to come to pressure. Once the cooking cycle has begun the timer will start counting down. When the cooking cycle is completed allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before hitting the quick release to open the valve.
Thicken Sauce
After the pressure has released for 10 minutes, manually open the venting knob. Carefully open the lid of the Instant Pot. Continuously stir the beef and sauce mixture as you slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry. Turn sauté on high and allow the sauce to thicken for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Serve
Spoon Mongolian Beef into four bowls, then garnish with chopped green onions, fresh herbs, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Add some white rice, this flavorful Brussels Sprout Fried Rice, or this Cauliflower Fried Rice if you’re keeping it lower carb. An easy veggie side like Roasted Cabbage or Air Fryer Zucchini would also be quick, easy, healthy recipes you pair with this beef.
Storage and Reheating
FRIDGE – You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. It’s great to go ahead and portion into individual portions so you can just grab one and go for the day with a delicious leftover lunch!
FREEZER – Transfer cooled Mongolian beef to a freezer-safe container and enjoy within 3-6 months for the best texture. The sauce reheats best if you allow the dish to defrost overnight in the fridge–The slow thaw helps keep a smooth texture.
REHEATING – You can easily reheat this recipe in the microwave or the skillet. If a nice crispness on the beef is important to you, the skillet is your best bet–Just add the beef and sauce to a skillet on medium heat, add a splash of water, and stir occasionally until heated through. The microwave is the fastest option–Reheat on 50% power in 1-minute intervals until heated through, stirring the sauce and turning the beef between each blast.
Recipe FAQs
Flank steak is the traditional choice for this recipe. When sliced correctly (against the grain) and pressure cooked in this delicious sauce, it is perfectly melt-in-your-mouth tender without becoming mushy. Flank is usually decently priced, very flavorful, and easy to find. You could use sirloin or skirt steak if you can’t get flank steak.
No, this recipe as written isn’t keto, but you could make some adjustments to lower the carbs. Swap out the brown sugar for a brown sugar monk fruit replacement, and leave out the cornstarch slurry at the end (though this will leave the sauce thin). For a similar dish made keto, try Keto Beef and Broccoli.
Cornstarch serves two purposes in this recipe: First it’s added to the beef to create a light, fried coating on the beef. Then at the very end, we create a cornstarch-water slurry to thicken up the sauce.
You could replace the cornstarch with potato starch (a 1:1 substitution in both circumstances) or arrowroot powder (use twice as much in the first frying step, then 1-1.5 times as much in the slurry step). You could use all-purpose flour or rice flour, but it would require at least twice as much in each step and could change the texture too much.
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Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 2 lbs flank steak, , sliced into thin strips
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, , packed (or monkfruit if low carb)
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
- Sesame seeds and green onion for garnish, (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
- Toss the cut flank steak with the ¼ cup cornstarch until well coated, then set aside.
- Add the sesame oil to the Instant Pot and heat using the saute function.
- When the oil is hot, add the steak, and brown for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the steak from the Instant Pot and set it on a plate. Press “cancel” on the Instant Pot.
- Add the water to the Instant Pot and scrape any browned bits off the bottom.
- Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, and beef to the Instant Pot. Stir until everything is mixed thoroughly and the beef is coated in the sauce.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 10 minutes, allowing for a 10-minute natural release.
- When the natural release is complete, release the pressure using the venting knob, then open the lid. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture, stirring continuously as you pour it in. Press the saute button and thicken the sauce for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and/or green onion if desired! Serve!
Notes
- This recipe took about 5 minutes to come to full pressure in the Instant Pot.
- Sub in 1 tsp of dried ginger if you don’t have fresh ginger on hand.
- The beef is very tender and shreds easily in this recipe. Best served with rice and stir-fried vegetables!
- The sauce is sweet and savory, just how Mongolian beef should taste!
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
