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.
Made this recipe a month ago and it was a big hit with my husband. Meat was so tender.besides broccoli I added frozen vegetable oriental mix and water chestnuts. served it over rice. Bringing this to a family pot luck dinner this weekend.
Awesome job, Linda! I hope it just as big of a hit at your family pot luck!! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
OH MY G-O-S-H!!!
I’ve made this recipe probably about 3 times, and its melt in your mouth good. My family loves it. Instead of steaming the broCcoli like it says, i saute it with some oil to get a beautiful color and nice crunch. Also, i usE an istant pot, so ive pressure cooked it too, it’s still jUst as good in oNly 20 minutes. Thanks, thIs recipe rocks!
That is awesome, Wyatt! I am stoked to hear that you have had such great success with this recipe! Even in the instant pot!! Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
Can this be made up ahead of time and be put into the freezer RAW? Hoping to do a weekend of batch cooking. Looks amazing.
Hi Gini- I have frozen this meal with the broccoli and had great success!
Can you use an instant pot?
It can be done! There a few comments from earlier readers who have shared how they did it and had great success!
FIrst, i loVe, lOve, love this reCipe and Have shaRed It with so many others! Just wondering, is there a way to it in an instaPOt, rather tHan the slow cooker? Thanks for your help (and amazing recipes!)