Easy Mongolian Beef

Mongolian beef from PF Chang’s is one of our absolute favorites. Except we live over 30 minutes away.

Which is not ok on a weeknight with kids and homework. Enter: Copycat Mongolian beef recipe.

The Backstory on This One

I had been meaning to share this recipe for Mongolian beef. It’s super easy to make, takes about 30 minutes start to finish, and tastes just like PF Changs.

This version disappeared so fast, I’m sad there weren’t leftovers. The kids usually give me grief if I don’t make their favorite PF Chang’s order, but there wasn’t even time for them to ask for seconds this time.

The Five Technique Details That Make This Taste Like Takeout

• Make the sauce first, consisting of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Then you can let that sit while you prep the meat.
• Get the beef sliced thin at a 45 degree angle (see photo). Against the grain, for maximum tenderness. Pro tip: Ask your local butcher to do this for you, saves tons of time.
• Toss the meat in cornstarch and then quickly fry it off. You need a WOK for this. Except, if you are like me and do not own a wok, a big ol’ sauté pan does the trick perfectly. You want the beef to get nice and hot in a big pan with hot oil. Those little crispy parts aren’t greasy at all. It’s a matter of seconds.
• Add the sauce, get out of the kitchen, come back. Stir. Done.

The Six Ingredients, and Why Low-Sodium Soy Sauce Matters

Flank Steak (or Flat Iron Steak)

Flank and flat iron steaks are much more lean with a more distinct grain. Which is important.

You want a more distinct grain so you can slice against it easily. You can use other cuts, but the texture of sirloin and chuck are quite different from flank, and won’t crisp up in the same way.

Cornstarch

Not to be confused with another recipe, which calls for flour. Cornstarch makes a lighter crust on the beef, whereas flour creates a pasty coating.

The cornstarch is important because it is what creates that light exterior that keeps all that yummy sauce on the beef. All the other stuff is likely in your grocery already.

Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Half a cup of low sodium soy sauce forms the basis of this recipe. Using full sodium soy sauce will make this recipe way too salty, drowning out all of the other flavors from garlic, brown sugar and ginger.

Dark Brown Sugar

Dark brown sugar not only adds a lovely sweetness and sheen to Mongolian Beef, it also adds another dimension with its molasses-y flavor. You can use light brown sugar but you’ll be missing out.

Green Onions

Bright and fresh, the green onions add a nice bite to cut through the sweet and salty sauce. I like them added raw at the very end for maximum flavor.

If added with the sauce they’ll mellow out.

How to Make Easy Mongolian Beef

Step 1: Make the Sauce

In a small saucepan, heat oil (2 tsp) over medium-low heat. Add minced garlic, minced ginger and whisk as they sizzle.

Add the soy sauce, water and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil about 5 minutes.

Garlic and ginger complement each other beautifully and mellow out when cooked in the hot oil. Remove from heat.

Sauce will be thin at this point, do not worry, it will thicken up once you add the cornstarch-coated beef to it.

Step 2: Prep the Beef

Heat a wok or sauté pan with 1 cup oil, or 1 1/2 cups if using a sauté pan, over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. While oil is heating slice beef into quarter inch strips at a 45 degree angle so the grain of the meat will be running horizontally rather than vertically.

Add beef to a medium-sized bowl and toss with cornstarch. Let sit about 10 minutes before frying, cornstarch needs time to cling to beef to ensure that it doesn’t all fall off in hot oil.

Step 3: Fry the Beef

Add beef to hot oil and fry about 2-3 minutes, stirring, until edges begin to get nice, crispy, and brown.

Transfer the beef to a plate. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef from the oil and place it on top of some paper towels.

Discard the cooking oil.

Step 4: Finish the Dish

Place the pan back over medium heat. Return the beef to the now-empty pan for about 1 minute, tossing to re-heat.

Add the Mongolian Beef Sauce and sliced green onions, tossing to coat. The sauce will thicken almost immediately.

Remove from heat, transfer to a serving dish and serve right away. This dish is best when the beef is still crispy, as the texture softens quite rapidly once the sauce is added.

Tips and Tricks

If you’d rather not fry the meat in a ton of oil you can broil the cornstarch-tossed beef until browned. This Mongolian Beef recipe is fantastic served over rice but also incredible in lettuce cups.

What to Serve This Over

You can serve this recipe over jasmine rice, long-grain white rice, or brown rice. You could also make some steamed broccoli or stir-fried snap peas to go alongside it.

How to Store It and When to Make the Sauce Ahead

Mongolian Beef Sauce: If you’re planning ahead, you can make the Mongolian Beef Sauce up to 2-3 days ahead of time and store it in the fridge until needed.

Leftovers: Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to enjoy again, I’d recommend reheating on the stovetop with a splash of water over medium heat, tossing frequently.

Microwaving works too, but is not ideal.

Easy Mongolian Beef FAQ

What cut of beef is best for Mongolian Beef?

I prefer to use flank or flat iron steaks because they are quite lean and have a really pronounced grain which makes them easier to cut into thin slices against the grain, which is important for quick-frying them in hot oil. You can ask your butcher to slice the meat for you, which is much easier.

You can also make this recipe with sirloin but the beef won’t get quite as crispy.

Do I need a wok to make this?

This recipe doesn’t call for a wok, although it will work just fine. If you don’t have a wok, use a large sauté pan.

You’ll need a bit more cooking oil, about 1 1/2 cups, since sauté pans aren’t as deep.

• Make sure to wait until oil is shimmering before adding beef. This ensures the beef will fry and be crunchy. If added to cold oil, it will steam.
• Why is my sauce so thin? This recipe calls for the sauce to be boiled. When boiled, it will appear very thin. This is normal. Once mixed with the cornstarch-coated beef, the sauce will thicken a bit as it sits. If you still prefer a thicker sauce, whisk together 1 t cornstarch and 1 T cold water and stir into sauce mixture before heating. Add slurry and heat until thickened.
• Can I make it less sweet? You can reduce the amount of brown sugar to 1/2 cup if you prefer a more savory flavor. Be mindful, however, that the sweet and salty combination of flavors is what makes this dish taste like Mongolian beef. Below that amount and it’s just beef with soy sauce.
• Is this the actual PF Chang’s recipe? While I can’t share their secret recipe, I’ve eaten Mongolian Beef at PF Changs enough times and tinkered enough times to recreate their recipe as best I can. The crispy beef, green onion and sweet and salty sauce over rice takes me straight back to PF Changs every time I make this dish and my dinner guests are always satisfied.

Five Ways to Switch Up This Recipe

• Use chicken. Slice chicken breast or chicken thighs thin and follow same directions.
• Make it spicy. Add a dash of sriracha or 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes while cooking. The heat really complements this dish.
• Add some veggies. Once you’ve cooked the beef and emptied out the pan, stir-fry some broccoli, bell peppers, snap peas or your favorite stir-fried veggie. Once cooked, add beef back into pan along with sauce.
• Make it gluten free. Soy sauce isn’t gluten free, but can be substituted for gluten-free tamari. Just make sure all ingredients are gluten-free before serving.
• Make it less sweet. Use 1/2 cup brown sugar. Still tastes very good but is more savory.

Four Ways to Use Leftover Mongolian Beef

• Rice bowls. Assemble rice bowls with leftover Mongolian beef the following day.
• Lettuce wraps. Fill lettuce leaves with leftover Mongolian beef for a lighter lunch.
• Fried rice. Chop up the beef and add to fried rice.
• Top it all you want. Top noodles or your favorite veggie with Mongolian beef. The options are endless.

The Two Things That Make This Crispy, Not Soggy

• Use a large, wide-base sauté pan so the beef isn’t overcrowded and can crisp up. If it’s too crowded it’ll get soggy. Stainless or carbon steel holds heat really well and helps with the quick sear. My 12 inch sauté pan pictured below is perfect.
• Use a low sodium soy sauce, such as this one from Kikkoman, so your dish doesn’t get too salty. This will allow the other ingredients (garlic, ginger, brown sugar) to have their moment to shine.

Lighter Version

Instead of frying, you can sear the cornstarch-tossed sliced beef in a large, dry, nonstick skillet on high heat (I like to add a teeny bit of oil, but it’s not necessary). Cook until browned and crispy at the edges.

They won’t be as crispy, but this modification will make this recipe lower in calories. To make this recipe lower in sodium and calories, use coconut aminos in lieu of soy sauce, use only 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar and serve over cauliflower rice for an even lower calorie dish!

More Quick Weeknight Dinners

• Instant Pot Mongolian Beef with Fried Rice: the same great Mongolian beef flavor but made in your Instant Pot (pressure cooker) and served over rice.
• Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff – tender beef simmered in a creamy mushroom sauce served over egg noodles
• Crock pot French Dip Sandwiches – shredded chuck roast simmered in beef au jus piled high with provolone on a hoagie roll