Easy Sticky Crispy Mongolian Beef

overhead view of a bowl of sticky crispy mongolian beef

4.71 from 89 votes

Easy Sticky Crispy Mongolian Beef

Homemade Mongolian Beef in less than 30 minutes! Crispy slices of steak are tossed in a sauce full of ginger, garlic, and rich flavor. Make this popular Chinese take out beef recipe with a sticky, sweet-savory sauce for your weeknight dinner.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Weeknight Recipes

Cuisine: Chinese-American

Servings: servings

Calories: 295kcal

Author: Eden Westbrook

Equipment

Ingredients

1 pound flank steak sliced thinly and cut into bite sized pieces
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup soy sauce low sodium
¼ cup chicken broth low sodium
2 teaspoon ginger freshly grated
4 garlic cloves minced
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 green onions green parts only, chopped
1 teaspoon sambal oelek or sriracha, harissa, or chili garlic sauce; or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon sesame oil
sesame seeds for garnish
white rice to serve

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl, toss the beef slices in salt, pepper and cornstarch. Set aside.
1 pound flank steak, ¼ cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
In a small saucepan, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth, half the ginger and garlic, and simmer over medium heat until reduced by ¼, about 15 minutes.
½ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup chicken broth, 4 garlic cloves, ¼ cup dark brown sugar, 2 teaspoon ginger
In a large skillet, wok, or saute pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat and place steak pieces in one layer in batches. Cook for 2 minutes on one side then another minute on the other, the beef should have a brown crispy crust on each piece. Using an Asian spider, scoop each batch up onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
½ cup vegetable oil
After all batches are done, discard the excess oil from the wok, leaving about 2 tablespoon of oil or so in the pan. Add the rest of the garlic and ginger, half of the green scallions, the sambal oelek (or red pepper flakes or sriracha), into the oil and stir. Let that sizzle for about 2 minutes, until fragrant.
2 teaspoon ginger, 4 garlic cloves, 2 green onions, 1 teaspoon sambal oelek
Add our soy sauce mixture into the wok with sesame oil and let the sauce reduce more for 5 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally. Once reduced into a sticky sauce, add the sesame oil and toss the beef in. Cook for another minute to coat them.
2 teaspoon sesame oil
Toss in sesame seeds and the reserved sliced green onion then serve immediately with white rice and vegetables, if desired.
sesame seeds, white rice, 2 green onions

Notes

Variations and Pro Tips

Use low sodium soy sauce (or tamari, if that's your thing)! This recipe is made with low sodium all-purpose or light soy sauce in mind, if you use dark soy sauce or full-sodium, the saltiness will shoot sky high!

You can make this in a wok or a large frying pan, I've done it many times in both.

Throw the beef into the freezer for about 10 minutes before slicing to get clean, easy cuts without the meat mushing up.

Storage and Reheating

You can keep the leftover beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To keep your Mongolian beef crispy when reheating, use the oven or an air fryer instead of the microwave. Here’s how:

Oven method: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread the beef out on a baking sheet in a single layer and heat for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through to maintain the crispiness.

Air fryer method: Set your air fryer to 350°F (175°C) and heat for about 3-5 minutes. This will help crisp it back up without drying it out.

Nutrition