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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I made this. Was super easy. Surprisingly it turned out very well. Tasted very authentic. I kinda wished there was measurements, but I managed
Hi Sammy, So glad you enjoyed this even without the ingredient amounts! I actually do have a full recipe for it — If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures on the page, you’ll find the recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, under the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies! 🙂
I truly look forward to my weekly emails from Jen and love her cookbook. I previously made this recipe with beef and found it to be my best ever effort at preparing a stir fry. I made it with chicken last night and with the recommendation of cooking the chicken for a shorter amount of time, it resulted in the perfect chicken and broccoli recipe! As a caution to the gluten free cooks, please be advised that oyster sauce has gluten in it. I am unaware of a grocery store variety without wheat.
Oh my gosh this is heaven! I followed the directions precisely and I can tell you this is the best beef with broccoli that I’ve ever had. Thank you Jenn!
I have made this a number of times and it is, without fail, a HUGE hit. I read through some of the more recent reviews and took a reviewer’s suggestion to substitute hosin sauce for the oyster sauce. I like a sweeter sauce and this did the trick, though the original recipe is also outstanding. I pan fried some tofu coated in Chinese Five Spice as well and then added it for volume. I also cooked some sliced orange peppers along with the broccoli. Jenn, you continue to be my go-to for all my meal planning. Thank you for being such a consistently delicious resource for this working mama.
❤️
This was easy and tasty but WAAAAAY too salty. Next time I will use water instead of chicken broth and hoisin instead of the oyster sauce.
My husband and I really enjoyed this beef and broccoli recipe. I was thinking I would like to replace the beef with chicken. Please advise.
Glad you enjoyed it. The method and timing would be the same for chicken. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I plan on making the Beef with Broccoli, and I see that I can substitute dry sherry for the Shaozing wine. Can you tell me if dry sherry is the same as Sherry cooking wine (Holland House brand)? I love your recipes and can’t wait to try this one!
Glad you like the recipes, Jackie! Generally, I avoid “cooking wine” as I just don’t love the quality. But I think you should be fine with it here as calls for a pretty small amount. Hope you enjoy the dish! 🙂
Will rice vinegar or white wine work as a sub? Thanks!
Hi Hilary, it will provide a bit of a different flavor, but white wine should work here. Hope you enjoy!
I have been searching for three years for a decent beef and broccoli recipe. This is the best one…hands down.
THIS!!! Is a spectacular flavored dish. It does not disappoint. Flavors/seasonings are great. Next time I’m going to dble the ingredients for the sauce. I like “sauciness” 🙂. Thank you Jenn for you sharing such wonderful recipes ; I’ve not prepared one yet that isn’t tasty ! I appreciate the time you put into sharing the tips/recipes. And my family thanks you too 🙏🏻
This is an outstanding recipe. Very flavorful, served over rice it was a complete meal. The first time I was not as prepped as I should have been, so it seemed more difficult. This time around much easier following your directions to have everything prepped and ready to go. Plenty of sauce so having leftovers was great. This is as good as the chicken and cashews recipe. Thank you for so many good recipes with specific instructions.
Very good. It’s a little difficult to find a flat iron steak, so I asked the butcher what to substitute that would be close and he recommended a top sirloin, so I went with that. It was great. I served it with your delicious Perfect Basmati Rice. It sort of needs the rice to mute/blend the flavors a little bit, if you try the beef/broccoli by itself the flavor is a little strong (fine for me, but both kids said it was better with the rice). Great recipe, thank you! Love your website, the recipes are complicated enough that I feel like a “chef” but not too much so!
This was really good, so much better than any takeout I’ve gotten in the past. Added a couple Tbsps of sambal oelek for my heat-loving family. Thanks so much for another great recipe!
This was such a delicious recipe. I used venison steaks because that’s what I had, and I added mushrooms, but otherwise followed the recipe and it was such a winner!
This is a favorite of my grandchildren ages 13 and 15. Have made it several times for them and now that they are learning to cook with me they can help with the prep and the finishing. Our whole family feels that the broccoli should be doubled in the recipe. I did that last time and it was perfect. Thanks!
Hi! Every recipe of yours that I’ve tried is fabulous. The Beef with Broccoli is a family favorite-I make it a few times a month. Didn’t change a thing, it’s perfect as it is. All every your recipes are delicious!!
This is so delicious. The first time I made it, my husband told me to keep this in rotation. I’ve made it a few times now and follow it exactly and it comes out great every time. I do use skirt steak since that is our favorite for meals like this. The key is to really cook it in batches, as Jenn instructs. It keeps the crunch in the broccoli, which I prefer, and cooking the beef in 2 separate batches also keeps the nice flavorful browning that really goes a long way. It rivals any Chinese restaurant beef and broccoli dish.
We love Asian food my fiancé and I looked for something that we could cook at home instead of eating out all the time. This is now a staple in our home!
LOVED this recipe! Better than any restaurant! The only major change I made was slow cooking the beef in the oven (at 180 degrees for 5 hours or so). I used flank steak, and it was delicious. Essentially let beef marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature, then added it to the rest of the ingredients (except broccoli) and cooked in a stoneware pot in oven . I’ve made this at least three times since, always doubling the recipe so we have leftovers. I just steam some broccoli on the side and serve it with hot rice. You can also toss some baby carrots (in a separate container in the oven) and cook for the last two hours the beef is cooking.
Hi Jenn,
This recipe is such at hit at my house! After eating it tonight, my 3 year old asked me if I could make it again…for lunch tomorrow!
Quick question – if I wanted to prep this a few days in advance, could I marinate the meat that long or should I do it the night I am cooking it? I think I can prep everything else in advance. Thanks!
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth, So glad this is a hit! Because the wine in the marinade is a bit acidic, I wouldn’t suggest marinating this for an extended period of time – sorry!
Straight from Facebook last night after making and eating this for dinner! Thank you Jenn!
As a busy mom, working full time and commuting I have found this food blog to be extremely helpful. Real food that is both both basic enough for an almost 5 year old and exciting enough for a plus 45 year old. I have made no fewer than 10 recipes and each one gets rave reviews! I have had to make basic substitutions based on a picky toddlers likes but a piece of cake compared to the alternative. We made beef and broccoli tonight and it got a thumbs up!
This is a fantastic recipe! I followed it exactly as written (used sirloin tip steak from Costco, tho) and it turned out absolutely delicious. Recipes often claim to be as good as take-out–this is the real deal. My husband and two teenagers devoured it. It will now be my go-to for a Chinese take-out fix for sure.
Very solid Beef & Broccoli recipe. I let the meat marinate in the soy/dry sherry mix for 4 hrs and I think that worked wonders. I basically followed the recipe, but added 2 tbsp of Sambal Oelek (hot chili sauce) and 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes to the sauce to give it some kick, which worked well. Also, the recipe combines the corn starch right into the sauce before cooking, but for me it’s always worked better to create a slurry (mix the 2 tsp corn starch with 4 tsp water in a cup, put it to the side, and stir it in as needed after the sauce is added to the wok and has gotten hot). Seems to thicken better and faster that way. The dish got very positive feedback and, frankly, blows away any Beef and Broccoli you’ll get from a Chinese take out joint.
Hi Jenn, can I use ribeye steak for this? Hoping so! I want to make this and have ribeye on hand.
It should work, Colleen. 🙂
This recipe is simple and delicious! It utilizes things I have in my pantry, and is very forgiving, if one needs/chooses to substitute ingredients. I’ve substituted snow peas or sugar snaps for broccoli, and top sirloin as the beef, all with excellent result. I often double the amount of marinade/sauce, as my family likes things pretty saucy.
Fabulous! This also keeps well in the ‘fridge for several days. I used hoisin sauce; used 1/3 cup water rather than low sodium chicken broth. I also added some pre-cooked, blanched green beans and fresh peas.
My children and I love your recipes. They always turn out delicious. I did substitute Hoisin sauce for the Oyster sauce since that’s what I had on hand. I used flank steak and it was very tender and affordable for a fast weeknight supper.
What are the utensils needed for this recipe?
Hi Ryan, you’ll need a chef’s knife, a large saute pan or wok, and some measuring spoons. Hope that helps!
Easily my family’s favorite dinner recipe – I find the sauce is always the hardest part to get right when trying to recreate Chinese take-out at home, and this recipe nails it! I recommend buying the ingredients and not substituting – the flavor is worth it and you will use them up putting this recipe into your weekly dinner rotation. Great recipe!
Best broccoli beef ever!
This was outstanding! We moved to a small town a few years ago and I miss having the luxury of visiting authentic Chinese food restaurants. This tasted JUST like Chinese take out but better because I didn’t have that weird filmy/sugary after taste that comes with eating Chinese takeout. I added an extra clove of garlic (I always add extra garlic to everything) and used flank steak (our grocery store has limited options) but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Having everything ready to go was great advice too-It took a little while to get everything together but the actual cooking went super fast.
Loved it. I made a couple changes. I roasted the broccoli separately, and added in onion. Some fish sauce or fermented black bean paste would push this recipe over the top!
It’s also nice to finish this with toasted sesame seeds or flax seeds.
Do you think pork tenderloin would work in this recipe?
Hi Jean, I think this is best with beef, but that pork tenderloin would work if you cook it very quickly. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Made it last night and it came out really good. The whole family liked it and there were no leftovers. Thanks Jenn
Such incredible flavor (and worth seeking out flat iron steak at Eataly in NYC!). My sauce, like a few others, didn’t thicken up and I can’t figure out why.
Glad you enjoyed it, Annie! Regarding the sauce not thickening, it could be due to a couple different variables. This link (scroll down to the question about the sauce being thin) may shed some light.
J love Jenn’s website and have prepared many of her recipes (we LOVE the pecan-crusted chicken!). This recipe just didn’t work for us. When I saw it added a tablespoon of sugar I was dubious, but followed the recipe. The final result was cloyingly sweet– we actually added soy sauce, which is cliche, and not typical for us — to counterbalance the sweetness. I might omit the oyster sauce, too. I’m an everyday cook, not a chef. I followed the recipe, but wouldn’t make it again.
So sorry this didn’t work out for you, Deborah!
We loved this! We did half the amount of beef since my daughter doesn’t like too much meat, but kept everything else the same. Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe twice. The flavor is fantastic but for some reason my sauce never thickens up as described. It stays thin and runny so I just drizzle it over the top of my dish at the end. Any suggestions for thicker sauce as described/pictured?
Hi Caitlin, Check out this link and scroll down to the question about the sauce being thin – there are a few things it could be. Hope that helps!
Hi Jen,
Can I substitute mirin for shoaxing?
Hi Lynda, Mirin is a type of rice wine, so that should be fine. Enjoy!
Made last night – husband and I really liked this! Thank you for having reliably good recipes. One question : I substituted Tamari for the oyster sauce because no one in the family can tolerate fish sauce, so I didn’t even want to try oyster sauce. Is there a different substitution I could have tried (for people who are allergic to shellfish for example). The final result may have been a little too salty for that reason. Thanks.
Hi Kathie, glad you enjoyed this! Hoisin sauce is a reasonably good substitute for the oyster sauce (and it won’t be as salty with that).
This recipe is outstanding. Thank you Jenn for your amazing recipes and such clear step by step instructions. I have used your recipes for several years now and am never disappointed. This has great flavor and has become a house favorite.
My family loved this recipe. It isn’t always easy to get my husband and son (10) to eat broccoli but they both said it was delicious. The three of us ate the entire recipe and both son and husband were left wanting more. I used sherry because I couldn’t find Chinese rice wine. I sliced the flat iron a little thinner than 1/4 inch. Otherwise I followed the recipe. I served with brown rice. Excellent recipe that I plan to add to my rotation. I have only recently discovered Once Upon a Chef but I love this site and have already ordered the cookbook. Thank you!
I’ve always liked making Chinese recipes because of the flavors and the speed of cooking. Your beef and broccoli recipe is unmatched. The only change I made was to use low salt soy and stock. A new go to recipe. Thank you.
I made this for Valentine’s Day for my husband and 3 teenage boys. I cannot tell you how much they LOVED it! They told me it was one of my best dinners EVER! So tender. So flavorful. So awesome! I will make this for my dinner club.
After reading other reviews I opted to make this with low sodium soy sauce and low sodium chicken broth and it was fantastic! Will definitely be making again! Plus I discovered a new cut of meat (the flat iron steak) and learned an easy way to steam vegetables that I hadn’t done before.
Hi,
Love your site! Keep up the great work! How can I adapt this for chicken and broccoli?
Hi K, The method would actually be exactly the same. I’d love to know how it turns out!
Beef and Broccoli is my go to order at any Chinese place. If their beef and broccoli isn’t good I don’t want to eat there. Over the years, I’ve tried several recipes to replicate beef and broccoli but the sauce never turns out and never has the flavor that I want. I found Once Upon A Chef about a year ago and absolutely everything that we’ve tried has been fantastic! I decided to see if Jenn’s beef and broccoli recipe would make the Chinese restaurant cut. It absolutely does!!! I think it’s even better than what you can get in restaurants. This is my go-to beef and broccoli from now on. No need to even go out to eat.
I made this recipe with few substitutions.
– used tri-tip steaks cut into strips as directed , low sodium soy sauce, water instead of chicken broth due to being salt sensitive and mushroom sauce instead of oyster sauce. It turned out delicious. My family loved it. The recipe was easy to follow and less time to make it. No more Beef & Broccoli take outs. Thank you Jenn for posting the recipe. Feel confident to make again and again.
One of my all time favorite dishes to make! Jenn’s recommendation to use flat iron steak made for an incredibly tender bite (we live in Georgia and my local Publix always has them available). The sauce is easy to assemble yet so flavorful and delicious!! For my family of 5 (3 teens) I always double recipe and serve with steamed jasmine rice. You won’t want to order take out again, it’s that good!
This recipe looks delicious and I’d like to try it with chicken instead of beef. Are there any changes that you would recommend, or can I just make the substitution while leaving everything else as is? I’ve made so many of your recipes since I discovered your site 2 years ago and they have all been delicious. Thank you!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes, Donna! Chicken would be fine here; no changes necessary!
I could see how people would think this is salty. I love salt and I didn’t go out of my way to use low sodium ingredients. Different brands have different salt content, so it’s something to pay attention to! My boyfriend and I are really good home cooks (I’m almost modest. Both worked in commercial kitchens) and I made this as an easy weeknight meal. I was surprised to hear my boyfriend say that it was one of his favorite things I’ve ever made! Considering we’ve been cooking for each other almost daily for the past 4 years, that’s huge. I just wanted to leave a review to say that you’re my absolute favorite food blogger! Your recipes are fresh and sophisticated without being pretentious and you don’t use canned crescent dough, etc regularly. I first came to your site while looking for a Caesar dressing recipe (the. best.) and have since made several things. It’s clear you know what you’re doing and that you test the recipes. I enjoy that you post photos of important steps and don’t share 700 photos of just the finished product. Anyway, I’m done gushing and need to find a recipe to make for dinner, but wanted to let you know that I can’t wait for your cookbook!
Thanks for the sweet note, Hannah– you made my day! (And glad you enjoyed the Beef with Broccoli 🙂
I’ve been looking for a beef and broccoli recipe for a while so I was glad that I found this one. I actually use low-sodium soy sauce in addition to low-sodium chicken stock and I found that the salt level was not overwhelming and it came out tasty.