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
Recipe Video
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.
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.
FAQs
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
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.
If I make this for 12 servings, should I still cook it for 10 mins? This recipe is a family favorite and cooking 1.5 lbs for 10 mins comes out SO tender- just not sure how long to cook an additional 3 lbs and it still come out tender.
Yes, keep the cooking time the same. It will take longer to come to pressure with more in the pot, so that will ensure it cooks evenly. Let me know how it turned out!
A bit too sweet for me. Reduce brown sugar to 1/4 cup
add 1/4 cup Orange Juice concentrate
I added 1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tablespoonfuls corn starch to thicken
I'm glad you were able to make those adjustments to your liking. Good to know for those who prefer the recipe less sweet. Thanks!
I made this before it’s absolutely wonderful
Thank you!! I'm very happy that you like it.
Hi!
Tried this for the fittest time. Did the long recipe and after 10 min NR added cooked spaghetti
Stirred and sautéed to thicken so yummy
That sounds delicious, I'll have to try that next time!
I think your recipes are mixed up! I wanted to get the recipe for Mongolian beef, but I'm sure the recipe presented is not that!
Fixed 🙂
Hi! First time on your website. This recipe sounds delicious, and the photos are awesome, but something happened to my version-not sure where all the above people are seeing the recipe. When I look at the section that contains the recipe, the title is "Instant Pot Mongolian Beef", but the description is "Italian" and the listed ingredients and instructions include tomato paste, ground beef, and lasagna noodles, and different cooking time. The ingredients and method don't match the photos! I tried the print button thinking it might be different, but no luck. Any ideas? I'd really like to try this recipe! Thanks.
Fixed. Now you can make it 🙂
I've tried several Mongolian Beef recipes and so far, this is my favorite. Easy, fast and so good. I used beef chuck, sliced thin. Came out tender and so flavorful. A little crushed red pepper for heat. The husband really liked it too. I think I will stick with this recipe from now on.
So happy to hear that! I love adding a bit of red pepper as well.
Thank you for this recipe! I have made this many times for my family and guests. They always rave about it! I do add the crushed red pepper flakes to it for more heat. This is my favorite instant pot recipe ever!
Thank you for your comment 🙂 I'm glad you love it!!
I was wondering if I could use my crockpot to make this. I don't have an instant pot. If so, what settings do I need to set the crockpot on?
Thank you!
Yes, I believe you can. It will take 4-5 hours in the crockpot set to high.
My husband is a hunter so I used a Venison ham roast cut thin slices, pressure cooked as the recipe states and it was very tender and tasty. I did thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. Next time I will cut back on the brown sugar and add some veggies.