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Mongolian Beef is a quick and easy dinner with tender beef in a savory and sweet garlic ginger sauce. Better-than-takeout flavor ready in 30 minutes.
If you love takeout, but want something easy to make at home, Mongolian Beef is the answer. Tender slices of beef coated in a rich, sweet and savory sauce with just the right amount of garlic and ginger. It’s surprisingly simple to pull together in under 30 minutes.
Table of Contents
We’re big fans of stir-fry and Asian-style dinners like garlic beef noodle bowls and General Tso’s chicken. I also love my Mongolian pork, and since I always have a freezer full of beef, I knew it was time to update the beef version that has been on the website for years!
This Mongolian beef comes together in 20 minutes, which works out great on nights when the kids have football practice, or if I simply need dinner on the table ASAP. The sauce has loads of flavor, the beef is tender, and everyone always asks for seconds.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Beef – The best beef for stir-frying is sirloin steak, flank steak, Denver steak, and skirt steak. Thinly slice the steak against the grain (the lines in the meat) so that it’s tender. You can also make ground Mongolian beef.
- Cornstarch
- Oil – Choose a vegetable oil with a high smoke point, like canola, sunflower oil, or peanut oil.
- Garlic and Ginger
- Soy Sauce – I prefer low-sodium soy sauce. You can also use tamari or coconut aminos if necessary.
- Brown Sugar
- Rice Vinegar – Good substitutes are apple cider vinegar, white or red wine vinegar, or distilled white vinegar.
- Chile Garlic Paste – You’ll find brands like Huy Fong in most grocery stores, Asian supermarkets, or online. Similar chili paste options are Indonesian sambal oelek and Korean gochujang (which you can also use to make Korean meatballs).
- Sesame Oil
- White Rice
Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 pound sirloin steak, sliced thinly across the grain
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons grated ginger
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon chili garlic paste
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Toss together sliced steak with cornstarch until well coated1 pound sirloin steak, 1/4 cup cornstarch
- Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Add steak and cook for 3-4 minutes, until browned.1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- Add the garlic and ginger to the beef and cook for 1-2 minutes until you can start to smell the garlic.4 cloves garlic, 2 Tablespoons grated ginger
- Meanwhile mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, chile garlic sauce and sesame oil. Pour over beef and bring to a boil.1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 Tablespoon chili garlic paste, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the beef is cooked to your desired doneness.
- Remove from the heat and serve over white rice topped with green onions and sesame seeds.2 cups cooked white rice, 2 green onions, sesame seeds
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Mongolian Beef
- Sear Beef. First toss the sliced steak with cornstarch until it’s evenly coated. Meanwhile, preheat the in a skillet over high heat. Add the beef, and cook for 3-4 minutes until it’s browned on all sides. Stir in the garlic and ginger.
- Make the sauce. Whisk together your soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, chile garlic sauce, and sesame oil. Pour this over the steak and bring the skillet to a boil, then simmer for 3-4 minutes to thicken.
- Serve. Dish up your Mongolian beef over rice with a sprinkle of green onions and sesame seeds, and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Slice against the grain. When slicing steak for stir-fry, or any steak for that matter, make sure you’re cutting against the grain. The grain is the direction the muscle fibers run in a piece of meat. You want to cut across these lines, not with them, for tender slices.
- Preheat the pan. If your steak doesn’t sizzle as soon as it hits the skillet, that’s a sign that your pan isn’t hot enough. You want the skillet and oil hot for a nice, even sear on the beef.
- Adapt the heat. Feel free to adapt the amount and heat level of the chile paste in this stir-fry, or omit it altogether for a milder dish. That’s the beauty of making takeout at home.
- Add veggies. Sauté quick-cooking vegetables like bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, or green beans to combine with the beef when you add the sauce. You could also use frozen stir-fry vegetables.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover Mongolian beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. Warm the beef in a skillet with a splash of water to help loosen up the sauce.
- Freeze. Freeze leftovers airtight for up to 2 months. Thaw the beef in the fridge before reheating.
More Better-Than-Takeout Asian Recipes
Oh darn. I just made something similar for lunch today. I wish I had seen this in time! It looks great and I love that I have all the ingredients. That’s always a plus. 🙂
Love that you secured a healthy version. Always a favorite when we go to PF Changs. Looks tasty!!
Oooh, I haven’t had a chance to look through the November issue yet but I am definitely trying this recipe! I’ve never had a restaurant version of this dish but I made a different recipe at home over the summer and loved it.
This looks great, Erin! Love restaurant dishes at home, they are almost always healthier, and tastier. Love how quick this is!
Quick and flavorful-that’s the kind of dinner I like. Thanks for this wonderful recipe:) (I’m still getting through the Oct issue!)
Cooking Light recipes were some of the first I tried when I was learning how to cook–they were always winners. Your Mongolian Beef sounds delish!
My boys love steak in just about every form 🙂 Great flavors here…looks wonderful!
Made this tonight, it was very good!
HEY I CANT GET THE hoisin sauce BY WHAT SHALL I REPLACE?
You can order the Hoisin sauce online, and I can find it at my Walmart and Target grocery stores in the Asian aisle. I have not tried this substitute – but I found this online http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/hoisin-sauce-substitute
What would you recommend to sub for peanut oil?
You could use vegetable oil in its place. Enjoy!