Servings
Font
Back
4.7 from 267 votes

Easy Sticky Crispy Mongolian Beef

Homemade Mongolian Beef in less than 30 minutes! Crispy slices of steak are tossed in a sauce full of ginger, garlic, and rich flavor. Make this popular Chinese take out beef recipe with a sticky, sweet-savory sauce for your weeknight dinner.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 295 kcal
Cuisine: Chinese-American Fussion

Ingredients

  • 1 pound flank steak sliced thinly and cut into bite sized pieces
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ cup soy sauce low sodium
  • ¼ cup chicken broth low sodium
  • 2 tsp ginger freshly grated
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 green onions green parts only, chopped
  • 1 tsp sambal oelek or sriracha, harissa, or chili garlic sauce; or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • sesame seeds for garnish
  • white rice to serve

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a medium sized bowl, toss the beef slices in salt, pepper and cornstarch. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth, half the ginger and garlic, and simmer over medium heat until reduced by ¼, about 15 minutes.
  3. In a large skillet, wok, or saute pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat and place steak pieces in one layer in batches. Cook for 2 minutes on one side then another minute on the other, the beef should have a brown crispy crust on each piece. Using an Asian spider, scoop each batch up onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
  4. After all batches are done, discard the excess oil from the wok, leaving about 2 tbsp of oil or so in the pan. Add the rest of the garlic and ginger, half of the green scallions, the sambal oelek (or red pepper flakes or sriracha), into the oil and stir. Let that sizzle for about 2 minutes, until fragrant.
  5. Add our soy sauce mixture into the wok with sesame oil and let the sauce reduce more for 5 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally. Once reduced into a sticky sauce, add the sesame oil and toss the beef in. Cook for another minute to coat them.
  6. Toss in sesame seeds and the reserved sliced green onion then serve immediately with white rice and vegetables, if desired.

Notes

  • You can keep the leftover beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • To keep your Mongolian beef crispy when reheating, use the oven or an air fryer instead of the microwave. Here’s how:
  • Use low sodium soy sauce (or tamari, if that's your thing)! This recipe is made with low sodium all-purpose or light soy sauce in mind, if you use dark soy sauce or full-sodium, the saltiness will shoot sky high!
  • You can make this in a wok or a large frying pan, I've done it many times in both.
  • Throw the beef into the freezer for about 10 minutes before slicing to get clean, easy cuts without the meat mushing up.
  • Oven method: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread the beef out on a baking sheet in a single layer and heat for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through to maintain the crispiness.
  • Air fryer method: Set your air fryer to 350°F (175°C) and heat for about 3-5 minutes. This will help crisp it back up without drying it out.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1g Calories 295kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 24g (8%) Protein 28g (56%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 68mg (23%) Sodium 2349mg (98%) Potassium 507mg (14%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 14g (28%) Vitamin A 63IU (1%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 53mg (5%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 295

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 295kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 24g 8%
Protein 28g 56%
Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 68mg 23%
Sodium 2349mg 98%
Potassium 507mg 11%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 14g 28%
Vitamin A 63IU 1%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 53mg 5%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.