Make your own takeout-style beef and broccoli! It’s ready in about 30 minutes, making it a great weeknight dinner. Tender beef and broccoli cook in a delicious stir fry sauce – pile it all on rice for a meal that’s better and less expensive than takeout.
It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve been making some favorite Chinese takeout dishes at home, like beef and broccoli, because I spent a good part of my life thinking it was just too hard, would take too long, and just wouldn’t be the same as what I might have delivered to my house in a brown bag.
And while my version of my favorite take-out dishes might not be authentic – I don’t use a wok and I make do with ingredients I can find at my regular grocery store – I’ve been surprised at how easy it is to make these dishes at home and how close they are to the originals in appearance and in taste. As is the case with this beef and broccoli, I prefer my simple make-at-home version.
This recipe makes two generous servings, but you can easily double it to serve more.
Ingredients
- I used sirloin, but tenderloin, tri-tip, or strip steak will work well. All of these are tender cuts, which means they don’t need a marinade or a long cook time.
- Use high smoke point oil like vegetable oil. Everything needs to cook fast at high heat and olive oil isn’t the best choice.
- Soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger paste, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes for the sauce.
- Cornstarch helps thicken the sauce.
- Fresh broccoli florets
- Cooked white rice
How to Make It
It’s basically a broccoli stir-fry with steak, which cooks fast. It’s a good idea to have all of your ingredients prepped beforehand so everything is ready to go.
Cook the broccoli and beef: I like to cook the broccoli first in a hot pan with oil, followed by the beef which only needs a couple of minutes until it’s ready. Remove all of it from the pan.
Cook the sauce: From there add the sauce and simmer it until it starts to thicken before adding the beef and broccoli back in to cook for a few minutes in the sauce. So easy.
Recipe FAQs
My beef and broccoli recipe has evolved over the years and here are some questions I often get about the recipe!
This is up to you. I use regular soy sauce because I usually serve the beef and broccoli with plain white rice and I find the saltiness is balanced out. If you’re sensitive to salt I recommend using low-sodium soy sauce.
Also, this beef and broccoli recipe is extra-saucy. Some readers have reduced the amount of soy sauce to make less sauce with success, so keep that in mind.
You don’t have to marinate the beef ahead of time for this recipe.
I used to marinate the beef first and make extra sauce to cook it in, but when I tried it without that extra step and just cooked the beef in the pan without marinating it I really couldn’t tell the difference.
I used to do this but it’s an extra step I’ve eliminated over time. I was only doing it because I read somewhere you must blanch your veggies in order to keep them vibrant in color.
Well, turns out you can cook them in the same pan you cook the beef and sauce and they maintain their color (and cook through) with no problem.
This recipe is so easy, I don’t usually make it ahead of time. However, I think the leftovers taste great and beef and broccoli will keep well in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Rice, on the other hand, doesn’t always keep well as it will dry out in the fridge, so I usually make a fresh batch when I reheat the beef and broccoli.
Reader Reviews
Here are what some readers are saying about this recipe!
“A+. Very easy. One pan. Delicious.”
“I made this for lunch the other day – better than my local Chinese restaurant! I will definitely make this again.”
“I’m making this for my second time now. This is an amazing recipe.”
“Love, love, love this recipe!”
Make it the next time you get a craving for Chinese food – it won’t disappoint!
If you want more recipes for one or two people be sure to check out my cookbook, Gourmet Cooking for One (or Two), or browse more small-batch recipes here on the blog.
Happy cooking!
More Easy Dinner Ideas
Love easy dinner recipes? Here are a few of my favorites to check out or browse all of my Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes for even more ideas!
- One-Pan Spaghetti Bolognese
- Orange Chicken
- Steak Salad with Sauteed Mushrooms
- 30-Minute Steak Carbonara for Two
- Sesame Beef Bowls
Beef and Broccoli
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
30-minute beef and broccoli! Be sure to prep all of the ingredients first because all of it cooks very fast. Serve it with rice, noodles, or all on its own. No take-out menu required.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
- 3 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 12 oz sirloin, sliced thin
- Cooked white rice, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, ginger paste, and cornstarch until combined. Set the sauce aside.
- In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until it’s hot, but not smoking. Rotate the pan to ensure the oil evenly coats the bottom of the pan. Adjust the heat to medium and add the broccoli to the pan. Cook it in the oil, stirring frequently, until it’s crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the broccoli to a plate and set aside.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the same pan. Once it’s heated, add the sliced sirloin in an even layer. Cook the beef for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the beef to the plate with the broccoli and set aside.
- Pour the sauce into the pan. Simmer the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it thickens. Add the broccoli and beef to the pan and stir to coat it in the sauce. Cook them in the sauce for a minute or so. Serve with the cooked white rice.
Notes
Soy sauce: If you are sensitive to salt, use low-sodium soy sauce. You can also reduce the soy sauce to make the dish less saucy.
Leftovers: This recipe makes two generous servings and can be doubled. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for three to four days.
The nutrition estimate does not include the rice.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir-Fry
- Cuisine: Chinese-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 452
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 4117.7mg
- Fat: 20.5g
- Saturated Fat: 8.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22.4
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 45.9g
- Cholesterol: 100.5mg
Keywords: easy beef and broccoli recipe, quick beef and broccoli, homemade beef and broccoli
Post updated from the archives. First published in January 2015.
Chris says
Nothing says Chinese takeout more so than beef and broccoli. This recipe brings out those classic takeout flavors and puts them in your own kitchen. I like to add a few dashes of sesame oil for a more authentic taste. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Bridget says
I’ve made this twice now, both were good, but I think the 3rd time will be 5 stars! Attempts #1: I made the recipe as written. I found the beef to be a little tough and I used closer to 1/3C of soy sauce because I didn’t realize I was running low.
Attempt #2: I used the full 1/2C of soy sauce but I divided the marinade and put some of it over the beef so the cornstarch could do it’s thing while I prepped the rest and cooked the broccoli. This time the beef was perfect but the sauce was WAY too salty. So, for attempt #3 I’ll marinate the beef but cut the soy sauce. All in all, I love the recipe. It’s a great alternative to carry out and almost as fast. Thank you!
★★★★
Kelly says
Love, love, love this recipe! I did cut back on the amount of soy as well. Awesome when I can find a recipe that the whole family will eat! This will definitely be added to our meal rotation!
★★★★★
Renee Gardner says
Great technique! I tried the recipe last night for the first time and while it was a bit too salty for my taste, I will definitely try again with reduced sodium soy sauce. I swapped a dash of sriracha for the pepper flakes and added a bit more spice at the end. There is plenty of sauce to serve over rice and it made generous portions. Thank you!
★★★★★