Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Satisfy your cravings for Chinese Food with this Take Out Fake Out Instant Pot Mongolian Beef recipe. Crispy, tender slices of steak in rich sweet and savory sauce, served over rice. Ready in under 30 minutes, this Mongolian Beef recipe is perfect any night of the week.
Mongolian Beef Sauce
The highlight of Mongolian beef is the sauce. It’s rich and luscious and the perfect balance of sweet, salty and spicy. Using Tamari reduces the amount of salt, lots of fresh garlic adds bursts of flavor, brown sugar adds sweetness and thickens the sauce. I also use Sriracha for heat, and you can easily adjust the spice level by reducing the amount you use.
How Do you make Mongolian Beef?
Mongolian Beef can be made stove top in a wok, in the slow cooker, and my current favorite option, in the Instant Pot! Why the instant pot? This wet heat, high pressure cooking method means that the beef is tender and juicy in a very short period of time. Every time! I promise.
In addition to being fast, using the Instant Pot also makes this a one pot meal. Use the saute function to sear the beef until crisp on the outside, and the pressure cook (manual) to cook the beef and sauce until tender. At my house, on busy weeknights we serve it right out of the pot. No extra dishes to wash; that’s a win!
What cut of meat should I use for Mongolin Beef?
Honestly, how you slice the beef has the biggest impact on how tender your beef will be. Thinly sliced, and cut across the grain is the key to success. Flank steak is most common, but you can use a tougher cut of beef like chuck to make it more budget friendly. If you do use Chuck, make sure that it has some marbling . Too lean a cut of beef will be tougher.
PRO TIP: Partially frozen beef is much easier to slice. Put your meat into the freezer for 20 minutes before slicing.
Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs. flank steak sliced thin against the grain
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 4 large carrots cut into 3” match sticks
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 Tbsp Sriracha sauce adjust to taste
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 3/4 cup Tamari or Coconut Amino's
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup honey preferably local
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 cups long grain rice cooked
- 2 large green onions cut on the diagonal
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Place beef and cornstarch in a one-gallon freezer bag. Seal and turn to combine until steak is lightly coated. Set aside.
- Add one tablespoon olive oil to Instant Pot® and select the Sauté function. Set to high and once the display reads “hot,” add beef, working in batches if necessary, and brown on both sides, approximately 3 minutes per side. Add additional olive oil, as necessary, to brown the remaining beef.
- Transfer beef to a plate and add one tablespoon olive oil to Instant Pot®. Add onion, carrots, ginger, and garlic, and cook, stirring continually, until onion and carrots are soft and turn golden brown, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove from Instant Pot® and set aside.
- Return beef to the cooking container and add Sriracha sauce, sesame oil, tamari, water, honey and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Place lid on pot and set pressure valve to “Sealing” position. Select “Manual” option and set to high. Adjust cook time to 6 minutes.
- When finished cooking, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then do a quick release for the remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and add sautéed veggies back to the container. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired. Serve immediately over a bed of rice, topped with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy!
