This Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is a healthier version of your favourite takeout dish – plus, it’s ready in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – feel free to substitute for sesame oil or use a neutral oil like canola oil or avocado oil.
- Steak – I used a cheap sirloin fast fry steak in this recipe. You do not need to use the good stuff here.
- Rice – use your favourite kind of rice, such as jasmine rice.
- Red pepper – you can use any colour bell pepper you have on hand.
- Broccoli – cauliflower, brussels sprouts, green beans or asparagus are great substitutions.
- Green onions – green onions are a great garnish for the meal but also add great flavour to the stir fry as well. If you’re in a pinch, feel free to leave it out or replace them with chives.
- Hoisin sauce – you can use bean paste, garlic teriyaki or a sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) in place of hoisin sauce.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari sauce are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic can be used.
- Water – chicken, beef or vegetable broth can be used to add more flavour.
- Cornstarch – flour or arrowroot both work well to thicken the sauce. Make sure to stir well to avoid clumps.
- Sesame seeds – to garnish. Leave these off if you don’t have any on hand.
How to make Mongolian beef in the Instant Pot
- Add the first 6 ingredients in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Stir in the veggies.
- Let the mixture sit.
- Serve over cooked rice!
What is Mongolian beef?
Mongolian beef is a popular takeout dish. Even though it’s called Mongolian beef, it actually originated in Taiwan! It consists of pieces of sliced beef (typically flank steak) in a sweet and savoury sauce, served with vegetables over steamed rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
The sauce for this Instant Pot Mongolian beef recipe is super easy and cooks alongside the rest of the ingredients. It’s made of mostly pantry staples that you likely already have on hand! All you need is hoin sauce, soy sauce, garlic and cornstarch.
This Mongolian beef Instant Pot recipe tastes just like your favourite takeout dish. It’s both savoury and sweet! You can always add in a little honey if you want to make it sweeter or some chili garlic sauce to add spice.
This pressure cooker Mongolian beef is a lot healthier than the dish from your local takeout restaurant! My copycat version has just 373 calories per serving and doesn’t have any additives, whereas restaurant options generally have upwards of 700 calories (like P.F. Chang’s, which has 770 calories per serving).
Storing and reheating
This Instant Pot Mongolian beef recipe makes 6 servings which means you may end up with leftovers. Not to worry – this stir fry stores very well in the fridge for up to 4 days! Package it up into glass containers or meal prep bowls, either with or without the rice.
You can reheat the beef with the rice in the microwave. Splash a little water over top before microwaving for 1 to 2 minutes. If you stored the beef separately, you can also reheat it on the stovetop, making sure to stir frequently.
Freezing this recipe
This Mongolian beef Instant Pot recipe freezes wonderfully. You can freeze it in glass containers for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight then reheat as normal.
More Asian-inspired Instant Pot recipes
- Spicy Honey Garlic Instant Pot Noodles
- Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Korean-Inspired Instant Pot Short Ribs
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
is the version I use in this recipe. - Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this meal up for lunch!
- And of course I get all my grass-fed beef from Butcher Box!
is the version I use in this recipe.
Instant Pot Mongolian Beef {Quick & Easy}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb fast fry steak cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups cooked rice (about 1 cup dry then cooked to package directions)
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1 bunch green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Add olive oil, steak, garlic, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and water to Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes – Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to preheat then pressure cook the 3 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure and open lid when safe to do so.
- Add red pepper, broccoli and green onions to pot, stirring well. Replace lid and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes (this will slightly steam the veggies).
- Serve overtop of cooked rice and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
