Enjoy Mongolian Beef in your slow cooker or Instant pot. Serve this Asian-inspired dish over rice or your favorite veggies for an easy meal.
If I told you that you could have restaurant-level Mongolian Beef on your table by throwing a few ingredients into your slow cooker and walking away, would you believe me?
What if I told you it’s 300 calories and only 8 WW points for a heaping cup serving? A serving of this same dish at P.F. Chang’s clocks in at 770 calories and 24 WW points? Kind of scary, right? This one is just around 260 calories per serving. We’ve cut the calories by over half!
It has been so hot and humid lately. So I’m trying to avoid using the oven or stove if humanly possible.
The funny thing is, I typically only think to use my slow cooker in the fall and winter months. I guess I just associate it with mostly soups and stews.
Slow cooker mongolian beef is so easy!
This recipe is a really nice change for me and helps keep me on track. And I inevitably reach a point in the week when I just want takeout. Usually after a long day at work. Or a hot day at the beach or park. My motivation just disappears.
Set it and forget it
I use my Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting because it has a timer and keep warm setting. You can find the one I use —> here.
So even though this only takes 4 1/2 hours to cook, I can pack everything into the slow cooker in the morning and come home to some fully cooked Chinese fakeout. Then all you need to do when you get home is turn the cooker back on high and throw in your green onions and any extra veggies for about ten minutes.
The ten minutes it takes for the veggies to cook is the perfect amount of time to cook an easy side. Cook up some rice or saute some riced cauliflower as a side dish. You’ll want something to soak up all that tasty sauce. Yum!
Make it your own
Feel free to swap in any veggies you like, or even half the recipe if 8 servings is too much for you. I’m only cooking for two, but I always feel like if I’m going to take out a big pot like a slow cooker, I might as well fill it and eat leftovers or freeze some for meal prep.
I’ve also heard from some folks that chicken can work in this recipe if you don’t eat beef. Just cut down the cook time by half, and you should be good to go!
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! Leaving a starred review and comment below helps my blog grow. I’m always grateful when you can take the time to do that!
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*Recipe originally published July 18, 2018*
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean beef, trimmed of visible fat , like flank, round, london broil, or sirloin
- 2/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsps sriracha (it just adds depth of flavor, not spice)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
- 4-5 green onions sliced
- (optional) 4 cups chopped veggies, like green beans or broccoli
- (optional) salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Thinly slice beef against the grain.
- In the pot of your slow cooker, whisk together all remaining ingredients except shredded carrots, green onions, and any optional veggies you want to add in the end. Add beef and carrots to the sauce mixture and toss to coat.
- Cook on low for 4 1/2 hours. When done, add in green onions and any extra veggies. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on high for another 10 minutes, or just until veggies are al dente.
This is a keeper! I used flank steak & it was fork tender. Good flavor!
Absolutely love this recipe! I normally put it on after I get home from work. I will be getting home later tomorrow .. do you think it would be okay if I cooked it for 8 hours on low? Or too long?
Sorry for the late reply. 8 hours on low should have been okay, but let me know how it went!
My husband, who can build a house without blueprints but cannot cook dinner to save his life, followed this recipe today and although he ran into hiccups, yes I know this recipe is only 3 steps (user error), this dish still came out amazing! We will definitely be making this again! (Okay, maybe I’ll be the one making this next time!) thank you Geri!
Can I do on high if I need it done faster??
Hi Tiffany,
You could set it to high and check on it in a couple of hours if you need to speed things up, but I’ve found that leaner cuts of beef come out more tender if I cook them low and slow.