Beef and Broccoli
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Tender strips of steak with crisp broccoli in a rich brown sauce, beef with broccoli is a weeknight favorite.
Beef and broccoli, or tender strips of steak and crisp broccoli florets in a rich brown sauce, is a popular Chinese restaurant dish, but it’s easy to make at home too. At most American Chinese restaurants, the dish is made with flank steak that has been tenderized with a baking soda solution and marinated, but when I make beef and broccoli at home, I prefer to use flat iron steak. It’s an affordable cut of meat that does not require tenderizing or marinating, and it’s ideal for high-heat, quick-cooking methods like sautéing. This recipe comes together in just 40 minutes with ingredients found at most supermarkets. Make some rice and dinner is done!
What you’ll need to make Beef and Broccoli
Step-by-step Instructions
Begin by slicing the beef into 1/4-inch slices. Add 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) and let marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
While the beef marinates, chop the scallions, garlic, and ginger. It’s important to do this before you start cooking because the dish cooks very quickly.
Next, prepare the sauce by combining the the remaining 3 tablespoons of soy sauce with the cornstarch, and stir with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), oyster sauce, chicken broth, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir and set aside.
When you’re ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan or wok over high heat until smoking. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the water. Cover the pan with a lid (or tightly with foil) and lower the heat to medium; steam the broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Wipe any excess water out of the pan. Increase the heat to high and heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan until smoking. Add half of the beef, so that it is in a single layer. Cook without moving until the beef is well seared, about 1-1/2 minutes. Continue cooking while stirring until the beef is lightly cooked but still pink in spots, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat until smoking. Put in the remaining beef and cook without moving until the beef is well seared, about 1-1/2 minutes.
Next, add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites. Cook, stirring constantly with the beef, for about 30 seconds. Return the reserved beef and broccoli to the pan, along with the reserved sauce and scallion greens.
Bring to a boil and cook, tossing and stirring constantly until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 45 seconds. Serve with rice and enjoy.
Note: The sauce for this recipe (not the method) is adapted from one of my favorite food columns, The Food Lab on Serious Eats by J. Kenji López-Alt.
Video Tutorial
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Beef and Broccoli
Tender strips of steak with crisp broccoli in a rich brown sauce, beef with broccoli is a weeknight favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 pound flat iron steak, cut into ¼-inch thick strips (flank steak, skirt steak or hanger steak may be substituted, but won't be as tender)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- ⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Asian/toasted sesame oil
- 4 scallions, whites finely sliced, greens cut into ½-inch segments on the diagonal, reserved separately
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger (see note)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound bite-size broccoli florets, from about 1½ pounds broccoli crowns
- ⅓ cup water
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the beef with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry) in a bowl and toss to coat. Let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of soy sauce with the cornstarch and stir with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), oyster sauce, chicken broth, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir and set aside.
- Combine the scallion whites, garlic and ginger in a bowl and set aside.
- When you're ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan or wok over high heat until smoking. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the water. Cover the pan with a lid (or tightly with foil) and lower the heat to medium; steam the broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
- Wipe any excess water out of the pan. Increase the heat to high and heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan until smoking. Add half of the beef, so that it is in a single layer, and cook without moving until the beef is well seared, about 1½ minutes. Continue cooking while stirring until the beef is lightly cooked but still pink in spots, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat until smoking. Add the remaining beef and cook without moving until the beef is well seared, about 1½ minutes. Add the scallion whites, garlic and ginger mixture and cook, stirring constantly with the beef, for about 30 seconds.
- Return the reserved beef and broccoli to the pan, along with the reserved sauce and scallion greens. Bring to boil and cook, tossing and stirring constantly until the sauce is lightly thickened, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with rice.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 369
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 28g
- Sodium: 1523mg
- Cholesterol: 77mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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After doing my homework on reviews and recipes, I decided to give this one a try. A couple of initial reasons I felt confident to try this one were, the step by step pictures (greatly appreciated), the reviews, and simplicity of the ingredients. Okay, now for the moment of truth. One hour before my son’s football game, needed to start dinner and make sure it was ready before the game. Took me 1 hour from start (literally getting ingredients from refrigerator etc) to complete, ready to eat. My family and I are what you would call “gourmet eaters”, very picky, very critical etc…. My 10 year son, my husband (who does most the cooking since his dad was a chef in an Italian restaurant forever!) and me, Chinese food snob, LOVED IT! Used low sodium chicken broth and soy sauce and followed directions (and pictures) step by step. Amazing dish, will definitely make over and over! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Jenn! I love your recipes! Can you sub rice wine vinegar in for the rice wine? I would think not but just checking. Thanks 🙂
Hi Cher, I wouldn’t recommend it. There’s no great substitute for the wine/sherry. You could try replacing it with chicken broth. Also, one reader used sake and was happy with the results. Hope that helps!
So delicious and easy! Good call on the flat iron steak, it was very tender. The sauce was just thick enough and so tasty. I’ve never cooked broccoli that way before and it turned out perfectly.
I made this last night and my husband and I thought it was delicious. I read the reviews about it being salty, so I used half low sodium soy sauce and half regular. I thought it was perfect, but my husband thought it was a tad on the salty side. Next time I’ll use all low sodium soy sauce. I can always add salt to my portion.
Thanks for another great recipe Jenn! Today I’m making your Coconut Pie for my husband’s birthday. It’s his favorite!
Very tasty overall and my husband loved it. I agree about this being too salty for my palette and that was using low sodium soy sauce. I will tweak it next time and add less soy sauce and use brown sugar instead of white for a little more depth. Great advice on the type of beef to use as it was cooked to perfection following the directions. I added mushrooms to the broccoli for more veggies and might add red peppers as well for next time. This is a great alternative to take out and way healthier.
I cannot believe how salty this was. I read every review and felt confident the meal would turn out awesome. The moment I bit into my dinner I had to throw it out. I have never made a review before but this pissed me off so bad. I should have known 1/4 cup of soy sauce was too much. Thanks for nothing and a $20 waste of ingredients.
Sara, if you had read the reviews like you say you did, you would have seen many people said it was salty, and many subbed reg soy for low sodium. Nobody forced you to try this recipe, you chose to. Everybody’s tastes are different. Nobody can gaurantee you will like the meal, even if 1000 people love it. If you don’t want to “waste” your money, stick to what you know. Do us all a favor, and try not be such a hateful wench!
I’m going to give it a try just because I love this response. thanks
Great response! I’ve tried more then 10 of your delicious recipes! Not one was bad..I’m making this one tonight! Thank you!
Jen,
1. I’m not big on beef
2. I don’t trust that recipes are going to have enough taste due to chefs being afraid of salt
3. Stir fries can so easily go wrong
However you my friend have truly found your calling! This is the 2nd recipe I’ve made from your site! I’ve been labeled a food snob and there isn’t one thing I’d change about this recipe! Absolutely delish!!! Two recipes down, many more to go.
This was hands down the best stir fry I have ever made, I mean restaurant quality, and my stir fries are usually awful, I’m so glad I found this, my oldest daughter told me she’d like more of this more often.
Made this this week and loved the flavor. Quick question- I bought some ingredients for this I don’t usually use- should I refrigerate the sherry and sesame oil now that they are open or ok just to leave in pantry? Thanks so much!
Hi Sara, I would refrigerate both.
I just finished eating my meal & can’t believe how delicious it turned out. If it’s humanly possible to ruin a recipe I will do it! But your step by step instructions & pictures were incredibly helpful. I can’t wait to try another recipe. Thank you?
Was searching your website for a quick, delicious and easy meal for dinner when I came upon this recipe and I have to say once again, another amazing recipe. Thank you for your website, it provides delicious, yet elegant recipes whether you are short on time during the week or have the time on the weekends. I hope some day you write a cookbook, I would one of the first ones in line to purchase it! Thank you!
I made this last night and it was a hit. I think it was a little salty so I will try low sodium soy sauce next time. I also used top round beef already sliced from the grocery store. The package said for fajitas or stir-fry. It was perfect.
Hi, would it be a problem marinating the beef for longer than 1 hour in the refrigerator, say for about 4 hours? The timing and prep time would work better. Thanks
No Andy- that would not be a problem at all!
Love this recipe. I used extra veggies I had on hand & dumped them in there. Delicious.
Would this work in the slow cooker?
Hi Tori, Yes, I think this would work in the slow cooker. I haven’t used a slow cooker a ton, so I unfortunately can’t tell you if the recipe would need to be modified at all :(. You could review here for some potential tips: http://www.epicurious.com/archive/howtocook/primers/slowcooking_adapting
Made this last night and it was really good. Definitely will make this again. My husband thought it was a little too salty so next time I will use low sodium soy sauce and also cut down a little on the fresh ginger.
Made this with London broil. This was so amazingly tasty!!! Made a double portion & used Costco frozen broccoli that I partially cooked in microwave; then I only used 1/2 amount of water & cut steam time by half. I also used the chinese wine. My husband loved it!!! He asked to have grape tomatoes added at the end when the liquid was added. The consistency of the sauce, the smell, the look…..it looked & tasted better than any chinese restaurant! I also used an enamel lined cast iron large pot to cook it instead of a pan or wok. Very easy to follow directions. Will absolutely make this again!
I followed the recipe as is and everyone loved it. I plan to make it again.
This is the closest thing I’ve been able to make to the real thing, very delicious. However, I feel like the ginger was incredibly potent. Is it really supposed to be a whole tablespoon? It was so strong it was almost burning my mouth. I did mince it pretty darn fine. Is there something I’m missing? Again, I love all the recipes here, and this one was delicious, but did anyone else feel the ginger was a bit intense? Thanks!
Hi Jen, My family and I love all your receipes I have made, which are many!! I want to try this Beef and Broccoli but I’m having a hard time finding flat iron steak 🙁
Any suggestions?? Thanks so much
Hi Vicky, You can use flank steak but try this tenderizing technique first: http://forkranawaywiththespoon.blogspot.com/2013/04/baking-soda-as-tenderizer.html. Please let me know how it turns out and glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Think you Jen!! It was delicious. I used the flank meat and used the baking soda as a tenderizing technique and it definitely worked! I can’t thank you enough for all your wonderful receipes. I’m so inspired every night to cook!! Any suggestions for a wild rice receipe as a side dish?
Hi Vicky, So glad that worked! I’d keep the rice as simple as possible so as not to compete with the beef 🙂
This Beef with broccoli recipe is the best home made beef with broccoli I have ever tried and tasted. I have tried many and even tried to create my own concoction. I don’t need to look anymore. To me, it is better than restaurant quality.
I made the beef and broccoli stir fry. It was better than take out from Chinese restaurant. The whole family lived it, even my picky 10 year old son. I will definitely be making this again and again. Everything I made from your recipes have been great. I look forward to making more of your creations.
This recipe is absolutely fabulous, and really quite easy! I had never heard of flat iron steak, but it is delicious, and I think it tastes even better than what you get in a Chinese restaurant, where they sometimes tenderize the beef too much! Thank you!
Another great recipe. It’s always difficult pleasing an extremely picky 10 year old but you had this mama smiling from ear to ear when he cleaned his plate. Thank you
Jenn,
The only thing holding me back from making this is the oyster sauce…we’ve got a shellfish allergy in our house. Can I just increase the amount of chicken broth or would you recommend a different substitute?
Many thanks!!!
I would try hoisin sauce instead.
We keep Kosher. Jenn recommended hoisin sauce and it was delicious. Thanks Jenn!
Alison
Yay! Thank you!!!
It has been almost a month since I said I wanted to try this recipe! I FINALLY made it last night…but with chicken rather than beef.
Of course it was fabulous. Thanks to the various allergies in our family we haven’t had Chinese food in years. This was quick and very yummy. Definitely worth the wait and I will definitely make this again.
Thanks, Jenn!!!
Thank you, thank you. I’ve been trying to find a recipe for beef & broccoli and have tried other recipes, but this is the closest I have come to finding one that tastes authentic. Just found your site and will be checking your other recipes. I think I`m going to try the asparagus one next, as I am a huge fan of asparagus.
Hi Jenn,
Your Beef With Broccoli recipe is so delicious! I’d love to make it when we have guests. Can the recipe be prepared ahead and reheated?
We love all your recipes and your photos help a lot. Thanks so much!
Thanks, Barbara! Unfortunately, this one is really best made and enjoyed fresh. Reheated won’t be bad — just not quite the same. Sorry!
Another successful recipe from onceuponachef. Greatly appreciated the tip to prep everything ahead of time because the cooking time went by really fast. I followed the recipe exactly and found it a bit salty so I will probably substitute low sodium soy sauce next time (there will definitely be a next time!). I also want to try with different veggies and maybe shrimp. My husband and teen daughter loved it. We had enough for me to have leftovers for lunch the next day.
I make new recipes all the time but this one is a keeper. Served with brown rice. First time I’ve ever used flat iron steak (found at Whole Foods) and it was perfect in this dish. I used low-salt soy sauce and low-salt chicken broth because the oyster sauce is plenty salty. I used thickish asparagus cut into 1 1/2″ lengths, cooked exactly the same way as the broccoli. I’m going to make it again this week with chicken.
This is a delicious and easy recipe. I appreciated the tip about having everything ready to go when you start cooking. It is a very fast meal to cook. I added red pepper as well as the broccoli and it was great.
Just tried this recipe, wonderful, easy to prepare, I used low sodium spot sauce because I have to watch my sodium intake, still delicious.
made your beef and broccoli a couple of days ago. the whole family LOVED it. my husband didn’t want beef stir-fry because he says it’s always tough. the flat-iron steak was amazing and he agreed. my 6 year-old practically needed a shovel to get it in and then she told her dad he couldn’t have seconds because she wanted it in her thermos for lunch the next day. i have tried dozens of your recipes and loved them all.
This was so good and easy to make. I made sure to have everything ready before starting. Next time I will add mushrooms and some pepper flakes .
Excellent! Thank you!
Excellent, excellent, excellent!
made this last night with no substitutions and served it with jasmine rice. it was excellent! my husband and i both had seconds.
This is the first dish I have made from your site and it was delicious! The beef was tender and juicy, the broccoli was vibrant and crunchy, and the flavor was exactly the comfortingly familiar taste that I was hoping for. I feel so satisfied. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe and instructions.
Success! The whole family ate it including my 6 and 8 year olds. Didn’t use oyster sauce. Used Hoisen instead. Could not find flat iron. Used Skirt Steak instead. It was a bit chewy, but no one seemed to mind. Great recipe. Happy Mommy.
I made this tonight because I had some strip steaks on hand and wanted something quick. I didn’t use the oyster sauce and added onion and green peppers. I topped with wonton noodles for a nice crunch and made sure I had enough for tomorrow’s lunch. Great recipe!
We made this tonight with a Chicken and added water chestnuts– super delish! I bought chicken tenderloins and cut them into thirds. I had a 6 Qt All-Clad pan with lid and it was more than big enough to combine all the ingredients for the final toss. This was a huge hit in our family – Thank you!
I am looking forward making and enjoying this recipe. Was wondering if fish saûce can be a substitute for the oyster sauce?
Hi April, Unfortunately, fish sauce is not a good substitute for the oyster sauce — hoisin sauce would be a better option.
I made this tonight for dinner and it was absolutely delicious.
I deviated from the recipe in only 2 ways:
1. I used pre-cut “fast fry” stir fry strips from my local butcher instead of cutting my own strips from a steak.
2. I don’t have access to chinese rice wine where I am and I’m not a fan of sherry so I used japanese sake instead.
The food was awesome, but trying to double check the next step on my phone with how quick everything cooks was a challenge. Everytime I opened my phone the page would jump around wasting precious seconds of getting ready for the next step.
Made the beef and broccoli last night. Turned out really great. I added water chestnuts and mushrooms to give it more volume since I didn’t have enough beef.
Delish!
Made this last night and it was quick to prepare and delicious, as are all of Jenn’s recipes. I think next time I’d add a little heat via chili oil or some crushed red pepper. But the recipe was perfectly fine as written.
Loved it! I did add water chestnuts because I like the crunch. My sauce didn’t thicken as much as I thought it would.
Glad you liked it, Tina. For a thicker sauce, you can add a bit more corn starch.
This is a wonderful recipe. Loved it. So great to have Chinese without the msg and too much oil. Really easy too.
Hi Jenn. This sounds like a very tasty recipe. I love broccoli, especially in stir fries (yum)! However, I cannot use wine or sherry when cooking. Is there a substitute I can use for this ingredient?
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Aminah! Unfortunately on this one, there’s no great substitute for the wine — but you could try replacing it with chicken broth. If you try it, pls let me know how it turns out 🙂
Can the beef be replaced with chicken?
Hi Paula, Yes, please let me know how it turns out.
My husband is allergic to soy. What is another ingridient to substitue the soy?
Hi Lilia, Unfortunately there is no good substitute for the soy sauce in this recipe. Sorry!
You could use coconut aminos.
I made it and we loved..used round steak..beat the life out of it(lol) so very tender.
Can fish sauce replace oyster sauce? We keep kosher Thanks!!
Hi Alison, I don’t think fish sauce will work. You’re better off trying to find a vegetarian oyster sauce or using hoisin sauce. If you try it, please come back and let me know how it turns out 🙂
Can I substitute fish sauce for the oyster sauce?
Hi Sarah, Hoisin sauce would be a better substitute for the oyster sauce, but be sure to use a good brand like Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman.
This recipe was delicious as is! Fast and easy, the only addition I made was to add thinly sliced one red pepper to when I sautéed the last batch of beef just for an added crunch and a dash of colour.