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Made this tonight with coconut rice … YUM! Added sriracha on top to give it a little kick. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
Aviva
Say hello to this weeknight beauty! It is full of protein, green broccoli goodness, and sticky-sweet garlic and ginger flavor, and it has been fueling me through these long end-of-winter days.
This is sesame beef and broccoli – sesame because it’s got a tablespoon of sesame oil in the sauce (LUSCIOUS) and beef and broccoli because of the, well, beef and broccoli.
I was initially going to call this recipe easy – and it is easy, I guess – but also, there are several steps and lots of high heat and sometime searing meat business can feel like a bit of a job, so just trust me when I say while you should probably wear an apron, this is still 100% weeknight material.
The prep time is minimal, the ingredients are mostly pantry staples, and the total time is low.
AND THE RESULTS ARE SAUCY AND AMAZING.
A few things I’d like to point out about this Beef and Broccoli:
Please Sear The Meat
This is very important. You do not want the meat to simmer or steam – you want it BROWNED. In order to get the browning without overcooking, you’re going to have to work with a very very very hot pan. I used a cast iron skillet for this which worked really well.
Marinate, But Not With Sauce
Whenever I marinated the meat in a little sauce to improve its flavor, there was so much excess moisture from the sauce that came into the hot pan with the beef that it essentially went into simmering / steaming mode. Not good.
To prevent this but still get the flavor, I “marinated” the meat with just dry salt. Just sprinkled it with salt and let it rest. This worked beautifully because the meat you put into the skillet is dry, which is what you want to get a really nice sear on it.
If you want to get reeeally detailed about your salting, your searing, and all that goes into getting your steak perfectly cooked… this post is great.
The Sauce Is Yours
Honestly, I made the sauce just slightly different every time I made this. If you want more or less sweet, adjust sugar. Or salt, or vinegar, or whatever suits your fancy. The sauce is flexible!
The cornstarch is important, though, because it helps the sauce thicken into that yummy consistency that coats the beef and broccoli perfectly, so that should stay as-is.
Vegan Option
I love this recipe with sliced tempeh. Made it several times that way! YUM. Only difference is that you *should* marinate your tempeh in the sauce because it needs the help for better flavor!
Sesame beef and broccoli is bold and big and just all-around here for us in this season. It’s saucy seared meat, it’s tender-crisp veggies, it’s fresh, feel-good flavor. Get after it!
Check Out Our Video For How To Make Sesame Beef and Broccoli:
Click here to see the step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
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Sesame Beef and Broccoli
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings, or 2–3 if you’re very hungry 1x
Description
Sesame Beef and Broccoli! Full of protein, green broccoli goodness, and sticky-sweet garlic and ginger flavor. Perfect at-home takeout!
Ingredients
The Basics:
- 1 lb. beef flank steak, thinly sliced
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
- one 1-inch knob fresh peeled ginger, grated or sliced
- 1.5 cups of uncooked white rice or brown rice, (or a bag of cauliflower rice)
- thinly sliced green onions for serving
The Sauce:
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (sub coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (sub white vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Beef Prep: Freeze beef for 30 minutes – 1 hour for easier slicing. Slice against the grain, into very thin strips. Toss the beef strips with a generous pinch of coarse salt and let it rest while you prep everything else. (All of this is optional but recommended for flavor and texture.)
- Sauce: Whisk the sauce ingredients together.
- Rice: Cook your rice according to package directions.
- Stir Fry Time: Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add a swish of oil. Working in batches, add the beef in a single layer. Let rest, undisturbed, for a minute or two to achieve a nice browning on the meat. Flip each piece over and cook until browned and yummy. Remove beef from pan.
- Broccoli: Add a swish of oil to the same pan. Add the broccoli; stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until bright green. (Sometimes I add a splash of water to steam it a little bit.) Remove broccoli from pan.
- Finally: Turn the heat down and let the pan cool a bit. Add one last swish of oil. Add the ginger and garlic; sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the sauce; stir until a thickened and sticky sauce forms. Add beef and broccoli back in. Toss gently to coat.
- YUM! Serve with rice, thinly sliced green onions, and sesame seeds.
Notes
It’s easier to get a nice sear on the meat if it’s mostly dry when it goes into the hot skillet, which is why I am not recommending marinating the meat in the sauce. When you marinate it in the sauce, it gets wet, which makes it cook differently in the pan (more like steaming – not as good as a nice browned sear).
Vegan option: Sliced tempeh is delicious and works wonderfully in this recipe! I would recommend letting it marinate in a little bit of the sauce before cooking to get the best flavor.
Rice Amounts: 1 1/2 cups rice, 2 1/4 cup water, a pinch of salt. Add to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, and allow for natural pressure release (this should give you enough rice for 4 very generous servings).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: beef and broccoli, stir fry recipe, beef recipe, takeout at home
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This recipe is part of our collection of yummy beef recipes. Check it out!
I quite liked this! My only criticism is that for me (and my tasters agreed), this made much too much sauce for the amount of solid food. But after basically halving the sauce ingredients it was a hit.
Oh, yeah, I should probably note a modification that I made from the start: I used skirt steak, which has become my go-to stir-fry cut, instead of flank steak. It is a little pricier, but man it’s tasty.
I made the sesame beef and broccoli and followed the sauce recipe exactly. It was so yummy. I used pork and added peppers it worked well and tasted great. Love it!
Wow, this sauce was sweet!! Much sweeter than even a teriyaki sauce would be. I did like this, but would half the brown sugar next time. Thanks for sharing! I do love your recipes!
This was so yummy! As a person who is learning to cook better, this was a manageable recipe and tasted so good. I subbed jarred chopped ginger because they didn’t have fresh at the grocery store and it turned out okay. My whole family enjoyed it.
Made this tonight exactly as it was written and it was excellent it is in my keeper file
This has become a staple in our house. The only change I made was to reduce the brown sugar to 2 tablespoons just because I have been trying to decrease my sugar intake. It was still super delicious!
Do you think I can make this ahead and freeze?
This was fabulous. The entire family was happy! Husband said it was better than what you would get in a restaurant. Easy to throw together. Adding this to the rotation!
Can you share how you would make this in a crock pot?
This was a little too sweet for me. I suggest adding less sugar next time.
This was so easy and so delicious! I used the shaved steak from the store and cut it into think strips.
Love this dish and would love to add to my freezer meals. Is it freezer friendly? Should I do anything differently to prep?
Delicious! Made this last night and it was fantastic and easy. Subbed Sriracha for the Sambal, since it’s so hard to find these days. I would recommend adding cashews on top for some crunch. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Delicious! Easy and straightforward recipe and very rewarding dinner, the only thing that could have been better is if I had the foresight to double the recipe to have more. Will definitely be making this again!
Lindsay, oh my gerd! I have been following your insta / blog and cooking most of my meals each week from POY recipes for the last many many months now. Like 90% of our meals are recipes from Pinch. It all began with the Butter Chicken Meatballs. I digress, I made the beef and broccoli tonight and holy s**t. My toddler ate her whole plate and more. My husband didn’t cover his entire dish with hot pepper. It was better than my favorite takeout place, and SO EASY. You’re a goddess, and I’m pretty sure you’re the reason I found my way back to loving to cook. And so thank you.
This is amazing. Thanks for sharing, Elise!
This was the best dinner I’ve made in a long time. Prepping the sauce in advance did save some time.
Hey, I’ve been making this for months and my fussy eating 2 (nearly 3) year old absolutely loves it … and so do we. Good job!
Very good 👍🏼
This was amazing and so quick to pull together. Cannot wait to make again.
Delicious! The whole thing was quick, easy, and yummy- great for a weeknight diner. This will definitely be a repeat recipe in my house!
This was terrific. The only thing I did differently was to saute 1/2 onion before cooking the broccoli. What I really liked were your directions. Very clear way to stir fry without overcooking anything! The veggies were nice and crisp and the sauce was very tasty!
This is a staple in my house. I absolutely love it and so many other of your recipes. I know they’ll always have big flavour (so many out there are bland). Thanks!
I really appreciate that you always include the nutrition facts of the dish. It really helps, especially to the people who are taking calorie deficit or keto diet like me.
I tried cooking this dish and my family loved it! Thank you so much!
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This is so delicious! If I ordered this in a restaurant I’d be really impressed 🙂
👏👏👏
Delicious recipe with great flavors! Have made this a handful of times and it’s always a hit. Love how it comes together pretty quickly with items I usually have on hand.