Ultimate Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef (Printable)

Tender beef slices simmered in a savory-sweet blend with garlic, ginger, and soy, served over steamed rice.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain

→ Sauce

02 - 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/2 cup water
05 - 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
06 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
07 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
09 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

→ Slurry

10 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
11 - 1/4 cup cold water

→ Garnish

12 - 4 green onions, sliced
13 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes until sugar dissolves completely.
02 - Place sliced flank steak in a large zip-top bag. Add cornstarch, seal tightly, and shake vigorously to coat every piece evenly.
03 - Transfer coated beef to the slow cooker. Pour sauce mixture over the beef and stir thoroughly to ensure all pieces are submerged.
04 - Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours, or until beef reaches desired tenderness and easily pulls apart.
05 - During the final 30 minutes of cooking, whisk cornstarch with cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir slurry into slow cooker and continue cooking until sauce thickens.
06 - Serve immediately over steamed rice or noodles. Top generously with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce develops this deep complexity that tastes like you spent all day reducing it, but your slow cooker does all the work
  • Cornstarch coating creates this restaurant-style texture on the beef that stays tender through hours of cooking
  • The balance of sweet and savory is completely addictive—Ive caught family members eating it straight from the slow cooker with a fork
02 -
  • Do not cook on high heat setting—low and slow is what breaks down the connective tissue in flank steak
  • Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before serving so the sauce thickens up beautifully
  • The sauce will look thin when you first add the slurry but give it time to bubble and thicken
03 -
  • Purchase pre-sliced beef from an Asian market to save yourself 20 minutes of knife work
  • If your sauce is too thick after adding the slurry, thin it with warm water a tablespoon at a time
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully with a splash of water to loosen the sauce

Go Back