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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Is Mirin the same as rice wine?
Mirin is just a type of rice wine. Hope that helps!
I made this last night. It was ok, but in defense, knowing I detest oysters, I should have simply not used the oyster sauce. But wanting to give the recipe an honest look, I followed it to a tee, and used low sodium soy as well. It was good, but I could taste the oyster way more than desired for my pallet. The recipe was very easy, and I know I will use it again but without the oyster sauce. I also used my favorite cut of meat which is top sirloin, a good choice as it is always tender.
I thought this was great… My husband had been in the hospital and needed to build himself up and I thought this would work really well for him and he LOVED IT!!! The broccoli was great and I was happy to have a meal I could make quickly and also he was so glad to be home and to have “real food” instead of hospital fair…. so he and I were both thrilled… I have tried several of your dishes and loved them all… Thanks for making my honey happy!! Married 53 years!!
Tasty and beautiful! This dish is easy to put together if you use the technique of mise en place…( french for have everything chopped,diced,and measured before you begin) I found grass fed beef, a 10 oz pack, and it was enough for three….my husband hates broccoli, so I used a bag of small, red orange,and yellow peppers, sliced thin, and it was beautiful….also followed the advice of others and used low sodium soy..you could always have full strength on the side, but I felt the reduced soy sauce was just enough. Next time I might add a dash of red pepper flakes for an added kick…..will try it with chicken also…a nice Sunday supper!
Agreed. ..way too salty!! Wow. …almost inedible
WAY too salty. Made extra for leftovers that I don’t know if I’m going to be able to use. Disappointed.
Agreed!
I followed the directions as written with the only exception being the cut of beef. I opted for a rouladen cut which was cheaper and worked out just fine.
The textures of the dish were great. Tender meat, crisp broccoli, relatively thick sauce. My children really enjoyed the flavor but I found it a bit too salty for my liking. I added a trivial amount of sugar to see if it would help, but it didn’t.
I wanted to give this dish 5 stars as I feel the rest of your recipes (that I have attempted) are deserving of.
What do you recommend I try next time to mask the saltiness? Maybe low sodium soy? I thought about rice wine vinegar, but didn’t want to change the flavor profile of the dish. Thanks for sharing great tips and great recipes.
Hi Jen, sorry to hear you found this a bit too salty– Yes, the easiest way to reduce the salt here is to use low-sodium soy sauce. Hope that helps!
Outstanding. I followed your recipe exactly using flat iron steak. This was the second recipe of yours I have tried and again another 5 stars. My goal is to make one of your recipes a week. So glad I stumbled into this site.
I normally don’t give a review but I have to on this one. Beef was hard I don’t think frying it is a good idea. Too much soy sauce. Definitely will not make this one again.
Hard beef means you overcooked it. When slicing beef this thin it does n’t take long to cook, especially when cooked on medium-high to high heat in pan or wok.
I’ve made many versions of this same recipe, but this one is way out front. There is so much flavor in this recipe, you’ll want to have it weekly. Loved it!
Easy and scrumptious!
Also once you have all of these ingredients on hand it’s an even easier …deserves to be repeated often meal.
I use chicken breast tenders as an option instead of flat iron steak in my rotation.
Great recipe! It’s on my weekly rotation!
Did this backwards. Bought supplies (beef, broccoli) and then tried to find a recipe. This one was close enough. I didn’t have sherry so I just used some rice vinegar. Didn’t have spring onions. Added some shredded carrots for color Used low-salt soy. I served it with a side of cauliflower/basmati rice mix. Huge hit! Both my son and husband asked me to make it again. And this was the first time I made broccoli this way and I kid you not, my 12 year old said “this broccoli is yummy!” (and he is not a particular fan of green veggies). It is saltier than I normally like (even with low-salt soy), so won’t go in my monthly rotation, but will certainly make it a few times a year. Yay!
Served this with homemade fried rice. It was delicious! This is my new go to beef and broccoli
I have made this recipe before and it is amazing, but I am curious about making it in a crock pot. Is this possible? How long would I need to cook it using flat iron steak?
Glad you like it, Michelle! I do think this would work in the slow cooker. I don’t use a slow cooker much, so, unfortunately I can’t tell you if the recipe would need to be modified at all. These tips may be helpful, though.
Great recipe; will definitely make again.
Agree that this was really good–but also a bit too salty (I didn’t have low-salt soy, but will try to find that). I also used beef broth instead of chicken broth to up the flavor, and added a bit more ginger. This is a great recipe though that can be adjusted to everyone’s preferences! Easy to make, and much healthier than takeout.
I made this tonight. The flavor was good (loved the sherry), but the dish was overwhelmed by the soy sauce (salty!). I was surprised, as I typically have a pretty heavy hand with salt when cooking, and I used reduced sodium soy. Probably would cut the soy in half if I made it again.
Made this dish tonight & Paired with perfect jasmine rice. I did everything the same except cooked in a wok. The cut of meat you noted was perfect – very tender!!! We thought it was pretty good but after reading the comments was expecting it to taste as good or better than takeout & it was good but not that close to takeout we felt. I also used low sodium soy sauce after reading all reviews & felt the dish was perfect in regards to the saltiness of the dish.
This was a super recipe for a novice cook ! I had no sherry and used crown royal – I’m Canadian !- and it was still super. I love the pictures – thanks so much for your great site!
Karen
I have made other beef with broccoli recipes, but this is by far the best. Extremely flavorful.
I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow. I don’t have oyster sauce but I do have fish sauce. Do you think that will work?
Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes. It’s one of my go-to sites. : )
Hi Kerry, I definitely would not use fish sauce here – it will be way too strong. You could hoisin sauce though. Hope it turns out!
This recipe was easy to make and husband really liked it- enough to ask for it again later. The sauce is just delicious! I did not change a thing.
I cooked this quick and easy recipe for my daughters family and it was the first time her 3 year old tasted beef. She was hooked and asked for 3 and 4 servings. It helped introduce your site to my daughter, which she now looks forward to in her inbox. I love Chinese food but hate eating at Chinese restaurants, so this satisfies my palate. Delicious!!
I’ve sent many people to this site, too. When I’m looking for a recipe, I start off with this site. Jenn is the bomb. (Can’t tell you how many times I’ve made that Ceasar dressing..lol.)
This was delicious, and an easy weeknight meal. I make stir fry a lot, but have never added sherry to the sauce before, but it really made a difference. I will definitely be using sherry again in the future.
I can only find Shaoxing Rice COOKING wine. Is this what you use? I understand it has more salt than wine sold without the word “cooking” on the label. Haven’t cooked this yet. Thanks.
Hi Debby, In general, I like to avoid any wine that specifies that it’s “cooking” wine; I just don’t love the quality. But I think you should be fine with it here as calls for a pretty small amount. Enjoy!
Made this tonight and it was great!! Thank you Jen! ?
Can you buy brown sauce used for beef broccoli?
Hi King, I think the fresh sauce is best here, but I guess you could do that for a shortcut.
Hi Jenn- I have made this a few times before with fantastic results! Thank you for the wonderful recipe- I use your method here just to cook broccoli sometimes too (:
So now the query- I’m trying to make some meals ahead to freeze. Do you think I could make this in its entirety and then cool and freeze it for later?
So glad you like it April! While I think this is probably best fresh, I think you could get away with freezing it.
I practically licked the bowl clean, the sauce is so delicious! I served this with white jasmine rice, which beautifully absorbed the sauce. Thank you for the precise instructions re: cooking the beef. It was just right (not overcooked, as I always fear it will be when I stir fry beef!), and my family loved it.
HI JENN, I’M A FAN OF YOUR WEBSITE, HAVE RECOMMENDED IT TO MANY FRIENDS, AND HAVE LOVED ALMOST EVERYTHING I HAVE MADE FROM HERE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THIS BEEF AND BROCCOLI. I REALLY WANTED TO LOVE IT, BUT I WAS SO SHOCKED BY HOW SALTY IT WAS. I DOUBLED THE RECIPE, AS WE HAVE A LARGE FAMILY, AND I ALSO SUBSTITUTED HOISIN SAUCE FOR THE OYSTER. WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD YOU MAKE, FOR NEXT TIME?
THANK YOU, VIRGINIA
Hi Virginia, glad you like the recipes and sorry you found this one to be too salty. The easiest way to reduce the salt here is to use low-sodium soy sauce. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn. Looking forward to making this dish soon. Do you have any suggestions on what to look for when buying flat iron steak? I’ve tried it before a few times and it’s always tough. Thanks!
Hi Kerrie, Usually flat iron steaks have a lot of marbling and are very tender, unless you cook them well done. However, if they are not cut properly, they can have a tough membrane that runs through the middle. Make sure to ask your butcher if it has been removed. Hope that helps!
Is a flat iron steak different from a skirt steak?
Hi Kerrie, Yes, they are different cuts from different parts of the cow. See here for a good description of both cuts.
This dish had so much flavor! My husband saw me get the oyster sauce out and he was hooked…no leftovers. Once again, your recipes do not disappoint. Thanks so much.
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I could not find the rice wine, any suggestions?
Hi Denny, Dry sherry works great here too!
Sake works great.
Great recipe and so easy. I don’t do veggie oil so subbed with peanut oil, and subbed out cornstarch with arrowroot.
Looks so easy!! What other cut of beef could be used? I was actually looking for a beef & broccoli recipe & it looks like I may have found it!
Hi Cathy, You can use flank steak but just be careful not to overcook. Hope you enjoy it!
Love this receipe. The entire family pulls up a chair for this dinner favorite. The kids have asked me to double this recipe every time.
I tried this last night and it is delicious ! Hanger Steak is a cut of meat that I have never used before and it is a revelation…absolutely tender and so flavorful. The recipe definitely provides enough for 4 servings. I cut my broccoli pieces too small-bite sized- and they were a little overcooked. The pieces will be cut slightly larger next time or cooked less.
This is a keeper! I added an extra step by stir frying some red bell pepper strips and mushrooms and it turned out great. I like salt but would probably use low sodium soy next time.
love this recipe! By far the best beef and broccoli recipe I’ve made. Kid approved too.
My husband loves this recipe and we have it once a week. This puts the local Chinese restaurants to shame.
What’s a good substitute for the oyster sauce? There was none to be found at my grocery store.
Hi Steffanie, Hoisin sauce would work here too. Enjoy!
This is a very tasty dish! . I used reduced sodium soy sauce and chicken broth- it came out great! I will add this to my ‘go to’ recipe collection.
Tasted great, I used chicken!!
My substitution would only be to use reduced/ low sodium soy sauce!!
This was absolutely fantastic. One of the best online recipes I’ve found to date… I did add extra veggies to make the dish into a more traditional stir-fry. Such as mushrooms, red pepper, carrots, and onion.
Not sure how I stumbled upon this, but soo glad I did. This has been added to our rotation of “regulars”! Thanks for posting!
As some have stated, it is a bit on the salty side… I personally enjoyed it, but I could see where it may be a bit much for some.
so….this is really, really delicious. I love salt, and it was pretty salty for me – I didn’t have low sodium soy (nor low sodium chicken broth). But it is a TOTAL keeper. I added some additional veggies, but there is no need to. Great as it. THANK YOU!
Thank you for the recipe. Just made this tonight and it was delicious! I added some shiitake mushrooms and Chinese leeks to it too. SO much flavour, so yummy!
This was a great recipe. I even added some yellow peppers and mushrooms for color and flavor. My whole family loved it. I doubled it and it was all gone!
Hi Jenn!
You have inspired me to pieces!! A quick question for this dish: I don’t have Chinese Rice wine or dry sherry-anything else I can use without tarnishing the dish? ( I have rice wine vinegar.. 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Sarah, Thanks for the nice words! Unfortunately for this dish, there’s no great substitute for the wine/sherry — you could try replacing it with chicken broth. Also, one reader used Japan sake and was happy with the results. Hope that helps!