Super easy Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef! The sweet/savory/garlicky sauce is AMAZING, not to mention so much better tasting and healthier than takeout.
If you love Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef, you’ve gotta try my NEW INSTANT POT BROCCOLI BEEF, as well as my popular Shredded Chicken Tacos, Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff, and Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon.
Say hello to my new favorite thing ever: This absolutely, hands down, best-ever, all-time favorite Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef recipe.
And that statement includes every broccoli beef recipe I’ve ever tasted — all of which were ordered from a restaurant establishment. This is my way of telling you that this broccoli beef is quite literally better than takeout. I know bloggers say that a lot. But today, it just has to be said. One taste and you’ll agree with me.
This past November we visited my grandparents in California and promised them that they were welcome at our house for dinner the next time they were in town. Well, this past weekend they were in town and they took us up on this offer.
I’m happy to report, this broccoli beef did not fail me. My grandparents (and Pops!) went on and on and onnnnnn about how much they loved it. Can I get a woot! woot! for impressing the husband, father, grandmum and grandpop in one fell swoop?
So easy, incredibly tasty, healthy, and company-worthy… just do yourself a big fat favor and skip the takeout in favor of home cooked next time you’re craving this Asian classic.
Here’s What You Need
- Flank steak
- Beef broth
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Sesame oil
- Minced garlic
- Red chili flakes (optional)
- Broccoli florets
- Cornstarch
- Cold water
Here’s How You Make it
Wondering how to make broccoli beef in your crockpot? It’s easy! I’ll walk you through it. Not only is this delicious, it’s super simple to throw together in the slow cooker, go on about your day, and come back a few hours later to dig in.
- After I’ve chopped, cut, and measured all the ingredients, I bring them all over to the slow cooker to put in and forget about it for a good 4-5 hours.
- First, grease the inside of the slow cooker, then add the steak, broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, garlic and chili flakes if you are using it. Add the lid and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
- Make a slurry from cornstarch and water right before you’re ready to serve this beef recipe. Then, add the slurry to the slow cooker and stir it into the sauce. Put the lid back on and let the sauce cook up and thicken for another 20-25 minutes.
- Now for the broccoli. While you’re waiting for the sauce to thicken, microwave your florets (or steam on the stovetop) and add the broccoli to the beef right before serving, mixing in well to coat the broccoli in the delicious sauce.
- Time to serve this delicious dish, sit back and watch the smiles form on everyone’s faces as they enjoy this better-than-takeout Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef.
Expert Tips and Tricks
While this broccoli beef dish is great the way it is, there are plenty of ways to tweak it to your tastes:
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes to the beef and sauce before setting the cooking time.
- For even more heat, top with Sriracha after plating the dish.
- Use a combination of broccoli and cauliflower for your vegetables. Or, add in more Asian veggies like snow peas, water chestnuts, or thick-cut carrots.
- For a super fast shortcut to cooking the vegetables, use frozen broccoli that cooks right in the bag. Follow the directions on the bag for best results.
- Purchase already-cut flank steak at your grocery store or ask the butcher. You might find it labeled “fajita steak” or something to that effect. You can just add that right into the slow cooker, no cutting required!
- If you are cutting your own flank steak, be sure to cut across the grain. This ensures the muscle fibers are cut as short as possible, thus making the meat as tender (i.e. not chewy) as possible.
- If you have trouble cutting your steak, you can freeze it first for up to an hour to make it easier to slice into.
- I like to garnish this with sliced green onions or cilantro. This gives the dish a little more bite at the end.
What Cut of Beef do Chinese Restaurants Use?
Chinese restaurants usually use a topside of beef. Something like flank steak, that’s low in fat and can be sliced easily. This ensures the beef cooks up nice and tender and just makes for the best stir-fries and other Asian beef dishes like this one.
You can also use skirt steak, hanger steak, or even brisket if that’s all you have/can find. Happy eating!
More Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Enjoy
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker Beef Roast
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
Did you try this crockpot broccoli beef recipe? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!
Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds flank steak - thinly sliced and chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup beef broth
- ⅔ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes - (optional)
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Grease the inside of a slow cooker. Add steak, beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and chili flakes. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours.
- Minutes before serving, uncover the slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk corn starch and water until dissolved. Add to slow cooker and stir. Cover and allow to cook another 20-25 minutes.
- Just before serving, place broccoli in a large tupperware, fill with 1/2 inch of water, and place the lid on in an off-set manner so that the container can vent. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain, stir broccoli into slow cooker, and serve.
I wonder if there is a more tender cut of meat to use with flank. I would love to make this for my family but my 2year old doesn’t do tough cuts so well yet.
I couldn’t find flank steak where I live (Korea) so I used top blade. It was well-marbled and I trimmed the fat when I was cutting into into the thin pieces, but it was like butter when it was all done-so soft. I made the meat the night before and then did the finishing touches the next day so was able to take the fat off the top of the meat. I am still learning cuts of meats…I think top blade is fattier, therefore softer.
Ooh, I bet that soft steak just melted in your mouth! I might just have to try it!
It was buttery soft! Thanks for an amazing recipe. This will be in my rotation of favorite meals, for sure.
Slow cooking is known for tenderizing tough cuts of meat. You might just give it a try and see. For better results, cook it on low for a longer period of time. I made it and it really is delicious.
Delicious!!!!! One of the best recipes we’ve tried… even the leftovers were great. Thank you for sharing!
Probably the best crockpot recipe I’ve found so far. Made it tonight & it is superrrrrrr delicious. I wasn’t sure what the Aussie equivalent of flank steak was so used round steak (which upon further research is a more tender cut) & it was melt-in-your-mouth tender. I added a purple onion cut into wedges & softened it a bit in a stove top pan before adding it in with the beef in the first step. (I was making something else in that pan as well, otherwise there would be nooooo way I would dirty a pan just for that). My chilli flakes weren’t that hot so i doubled them as well. Next time I might even chuck in a pinch of Chinese 5 spice & a bit of minced ginger. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi! This looks awesome! I am going to try it. I have a question before I do: I am at work for 9 hours, so am wondering what you think about cooking this (or any crockpot dish) for 9 hours or low. I don’t want to ruin the meat. Thoughts? Thank you!
Hi Hallie! If you have a slow cooker with a timer (of you can buy an attachment) you can set delay the start time so that it will start on its own while you’re at work! If not though, red meats will do better with the extra cooking time than poultry – chicken will dry out pretty badly if you leave it in for 9 hours.