Beef and Broccoli
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This beef with broccoli recipe delivers all the savory, saucy flavor you love from takeout—and it’s easy enough to whip up any night of the week!
Beef and broccoli is one of those takeout favorites that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. It features tender steak, crisp broccoli, and a rich, savory brown sauce that comes together in no time. While most restaurants (and beef with broccoli recipes) use marinated flank steak, I go with flat iron steak—it’s naturally tender, budget-friendly, easy to find, and great for quick cooking.
With just 40 minutes and a handful of everyday ingredients, you can have this delicious beef and broccoli dinner on the table. Just add white rice or fried rice and you’re done! If you love recreating Chinese restaurant dishes at home—they’re often better and definitely cheaper—be sure to check out my orange chicken and General Tso’s chicken recipes. They’re a bit more involved but totally worth it!
“My family and I loved this! The sauce is tasty and flavorful, probably the best beef and broccoli recipe I have ever made.”
What You’ll Need to Make Beef and Broccoli
- Flat iron steak: My go-to cut of beef for this dish—it’s tender, flavorful, and cooks quickly. Plus, it soaks up the marinade nicely. Feel free to substitute flank steak if you prefer.
- Soy sauce + Shaoxing wine or dry sherry: These add that deep, savory flavor you expect in restaurant-style beef and broccoli. They season both the beef and the sauce.
- Cornstarch: Works double duty—helps tenderize the beef and gives the sauce that glossy, velvety finish.
- Oyster sauce: Adds a rich, savory-sweet depth that really brings everything together.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: Creates a light, savory base for the sauce without making it too salty or heavy.
- Sugar: Just a touch to balance out the salty and savory notes.
- Toasted sesame oil: Adds a nutty, aromatic finish. Make sure it’s the dark, toasted (Asian) kind—not the light, untoasted version.
- Scallions: I separate the whites and greens—the whites go in early for depth, and the greens get sprinkled on at the end for a fresh, oniony bite.
- Garlic and fresh ginger: Can’t skip these! They add warmth, spice, and that unmistakable stir-fry aroma.
- Vegetable oil: Great for stir-fries and high heat cooking—helps everything cook quickly and evenly without sticking.
- Broccoli florets: Bright, tender-crisp, and the perfect fresh contrast to the rich beef and sauce.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Slice and marinate the beef. Slice the beef into ¼-inch strips and toss with 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and rice wine (or dry sherry). Let it marinate while you chop the scallions, garlic, and ginger. It’s important to do this prep work prior to cooking because the dish cooks very quickly.
Step 2: Make the sauce. For the sauce, mix the remaining 3 tablespoons of soy sauce with the cornstarch until dissolved. Stir in the remaining rice wine, oyster sauce, chicken broth, sugar, and sesame oil. Set it aside.
Step 3: Cook the broccoli. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan or wok over high heat until smoking. Stir-fry the broccoli for 30 seconds, then add the water. Cover and steam over medium heat for about 2 minutes until tender-crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 4: Cook the Beef. Wipe out the pan, crank the heat to high, and add a tablespoon of oil. When it’s just starting to smoke, add half the beef in a single layer and sear for about 1½ minutes without touching it. Stir and cook for another 30 seconds—it should still be a little pink in spots—then transfer to a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil and repeat with the rest of the beef.
Step 6: Add the aromatics and finish the dish. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and cook with the beef for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the rest of the beef, the broccoli, the sauce, and the scallion greens, and toss everything together until evenly coated. Bring to a boil and stir-fry for about 45 seconds until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve with rice and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
More Asian Recipes You May Like
Beef and Broccoli
Saucy, savory, and full of flavor—this beef with broccoli is weeknight-friendly and better than takeout.
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 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!