This Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is the easiest beef recipe on Corrie Cooks!
Just toss all the ingredients into the Instant Pot and wait for the magic to happen.
This recipe is perfect for beginners since there is no need for countless steps or complex cooking methods.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
As you can see, this recipe is designed for those of you who are trying your first recipe in the Instant Pot or are in a hurry. Once you have the correctly sliced beef, you just toss everything in the Instant Pot, select the right settings, and continue your work until the meal is ready.
Recipe Video
The easy way
If it's your first time, or if you are in a hurry, I would suggest you go with the simple version and just dump and go.
If you are going simple, just:
- Dump all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir.
- Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
- wait for a natural pressure release.
- Serve and enjoy.
The fancy way
If you have time and want to get a slightly better taste, go this way:
Gather all the necessary ingredients.
Press saute and add olive oil. Add minced garlic and chopped onions into the Instant Pot and saute for 3 minutes.
Add beef slices and saute for 3 more minutes.
Next, add soy sauce.
Add Hoisin sauce (the secret sauce of our recipe!)
Add brown sugar, ginger and water and stir well.
Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
When the cooking cycle ends, wait for a natural pressure release (or at least for 20 minutes).
Open the lid.
Next, add green onions and stir for 1 minute.
Take out the beef.
Add fresh Cilantro on top and serve.
How to serve
The best way of enjoying the Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is on top of jasmine rice or brown rice.
There are other options you can consider. For instance, it works extremely well with fried or steamed veggies such as broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, green beans, and more.
It also works with stir fry noodles or even fried rice.
Need more ideas? Check out What to Serve With Mongolian Beef for 21 delicious side dishes.
FAQ
What Cut of Beef to Use?
For this recipe, you have the freedom of choosing any type of beef you enjoy the most. I like to go with flank steak or top round beef, but you can use the one you have at the ready. Other options that work just as well are sirloin, skirt steak, chuck roast, or New York strip.
Feel free to diversify and try different options until you find your favorite.
How to cut the beef?
The cuts of beef above should be easy to cut in thin strips.
If you feel you can’t get the right slices, put the steak in the freezer for about 30 minutes to 1h. This will bring the meat together and will make it easier to slice.
Remember, always slice against the grain.
What does it Taste Like?
The best description I can provide is that it tastes like Chinese takeout, but better.
To give you more details, you should know that the result is sweet and flavorful, but not spicy (which some of us may expect from Asian foods). The garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and brown sugar create an exotic combination that can be off-putting for someone who is not into sweet beef, so make sure to check with your guests before serving it.
If you do like sweet dishes, check out this Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli (The most popular recipe on the blog!)
Anyway, I advise caution - this dish can be quite addictive! When you add some steamed rice to the mix, you may never want to give it up...
Can I replace the brown sugar?
I strongly recommend using dark brown sugar instead of any other kind of sugar.
Dark brown sugar has a higher concentration of molasses and this improves the overall flavor profile of this dish.
Can I Replace the Meat?
While it is called Mongolian Beef, you can make it into Mongolian chicken or pork if you’re not a fan of beef.
Still, it’s best to select meats that can be thinly sliced. The beauty and deliciousness of this dish stand in the way the meat is cooked and infused with the flavors in the sauce.
For step-by-step images and video guide, check out the Instant Pot Mongolian Chicken recipe.
What to do with the leftovers?
If there are any leftovers (which may never happen), store them in an airtight container, in the refrigerator.
It is safe to keep the leftovers for 3 days and you can reheat them in the microwave or a skillet.
Can I freeze the leftovers?
Sure. Feel free to keep it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Can I make it spicy?
If you want to make the recipe spicy, add half a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the mixture. If you don’t have this, sriracha sauce also does the trick, just make sure to taste it.
Beef Recipes
For more ideas, check out these Instant Pot Beef Recipes.
Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ lb top round beef sliced into thin strips
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger chopped
- ½ cup Hoisin sauce
- ½ cup green onion chopped
- cilantro for serving
Instructions
- Press "saute" and add olive oil.
- Add onion and garlic and saute the pot for 3 minutes.
- Add beef and saute for 3 more minutes.
- Add soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, brown sugar, ginger and water and stir well.
- Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, wait for a natural release (Or for at least 20 minutes).
- Add green onion and stir for 1 minute.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Bold and Beautiful Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Hi- I tried to post this question a few days ago but I think it disappeared. Excited to try this, but have 2 questions
1) Would sautéing several flank steak batches with the garlic/onions/ginger/oil cause the mixture to burn and get stuck to the bottom of the inner pot, or would adding more oil to each batch keep the garlic etc from burning?
2) To help the slightly tough cut that flank steak is, would you recommend marinating it first?
Hi Howard, to answer your questions: 1) I would maybe saute the first batches of steak before adding the aromatics to prevent them from burning, that's a good thought. So, when you're about to sear the last batch of steak, that's when you should add the garlic, onion, and ginger. and 2) Yes, absolutely! Marinating would definitely help with that. Slicing against the grain will also help to tenderize it.
Hi. Your recipe sounds and looks yummy! I was wondering, do you do everything the same (times, ingredients, etc.) if you use Chicken??
Thank you.
Yes, you can follow the recipe exactly but with sliced chicken.
Great!!! We loved it!!! I did cut the sugar to 1/4 cup and didn’t miss it at all. I added corn starch to thicken the sauce- just like in your broccoli beef recipe. Next time I’m doing the long version!
That's good to know that you can reduce the sugar as an option. Glad you loved the recipe!
Is there a replacement for hoisin sauce? I have everything except that ♀️
Hi Corrie. Your mongolian beef was my very first recipe trying my new IP Duo Crisp + air fryer last night. OMG if all your recipes are this good and easy to make........my family and I are in for a long haul. Thanks so much!!! This is making my life quite easier and their appetite quickly satisfied.
That is the best compliment, thank you so much! I really appreciate it and I'm glad you are happy with the recipes.
So I did the method where put the meat in cornstarch and seared it . All I got was a burned stuck on mess on the bottom of pot! It just tasted like burnt corn starch
Oh no! Did you add enough oil? You'll have to make sure to add enough oil so that the meat doesn't stick and burn.
Fabulous. I did the longer way where I put the slices of meat in corn starch and sautéed them. Perfect consistency. Added a lot of broccoli over the rice and lots of Mongolian beef on top. I’ll definitely make this again . Thank you !!
That sounds excellent! This dish goes perfectly with broccoli. So happy you liked it!
It’s in my cooker now!!
If I am dumping everything together and cooking it together, do I still add the olive oil in? And do I still just cook everything for 10 minutes?
Yes, that's right. It's that easy!
Do you think this could be a freezer meal? Thinking about making 1 and freezing the 2nd half of ingredients.
Definitely! I think this would make an excellent freezer meal. I would wait to add the green onions so that they stay crisp and fresh as a garnish.