Quick and Easy Mongolian Beef

If you are looking to mix up your weekly meals, this easy Mongolian beef is perfect for you! This rich and flavorful dish is on the table in 20 minutes and is a dish the whole family will love. Serve with rice or noodles for a filling and well balanced weeknight dinner.

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Evenings in our house are so busy, and I’m always trying new recipes that I can get on the table quickly and easily and that everyone will love! This Mongolian beef is a lifesaver! So full of flavor and a breeze to make!

Inspired by my love of the Mongolian beef at my favorite Chinese restaurant, this recipe has all the components I love.

• Lots of onions – I use both yellow and green onions in this recipe.
• Fried yet tender beef – This recipe calls for the beef to be quickly fried, so you get crispy and tender in one bite.
• An amazing sauce – This sauce is balanced with sweet and salty and provides an amazing depth of flavor.

Serve this delicious beef dish with white rice, cauliflower rice, noodles, my Instant Pot brown rice or my air fried egg rolls.

How to Make This Quick and Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe

Slice the flank steak against the grain into thinly sliced pieces, then cover the pieces with cornstarch. Set aside.

Grab the rest of your ingredients and prep and measure them out so they are ready to go.

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the flank steak to the frying pan in a single layer. Cook on 1-2 minutes per side until each side is browned. Cook in batches and set aside.

Add the yellow onion, whites of green onions, garlic, and ginger to the skillet and stir fry until the onions are slightly softened. Add soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar and stir.

Add the steak back to the pan along with the green parts of the onions. Remove from heat and serve.

How To Make Mongolian Beef In An Air Fryer

If you have an air fryer, you can also make this beef recipe easily with it too. We preferred the stove top version, but if you are looking for more of a hands off method then this is perfect.

If Air Frying, coat the flank steak in corn starch and place in a preheated air fryer of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway. Prepare the sauce on the stove with the onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar.

What does Mongolian beef taste like?

Mongolian beef is one of my favorite takeout dishes, but it’s so easy and quick to make at home! It’s sweet and salty and so addicting! My version isn’t overly spicy, but if you like things hot, feel feel to throw in a couple of red chilies.

What’s the best cut of beef to use?

I like to use flank steak for this recipe. If you can’t find flank steak, skirt steak or hanger will also work. Flank steak is full of flavor and is a lean cut of meat. It can be tough but by thinly slicing it correctly and quickly cooked it is wonderfully tender.

How to cut flank steak

Before you start, freeze the beef for 30 minutes, this will make it easier to slice thinly. Be sure to cut the beef against the grain so you cut through the fibers making it as tender as possible and easier to eat.

Tips

• Freeze your steak before slicing it. It will make it easier and less likely to fall apart. Remember to cut against the grain.
• Prep all of your ingredients before you start cooking. The dish comes together so quickly, so have everything to hand and ready to go.
• If you have leftovers, they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. They can be reheated on the stove top or in the microwave.
• The Mongolian beef will also freeze really well. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.

More Beef Recipes

• Air Fryer Steak Fajitas
• Corned Beef Hash Breakfast Casserole
• Korean Sloppy Joes
• Steak Kimchi Fried Rice

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4.93 from 13 votes

Easy Mongolian Beef

Easy Mongolian beef is a rich and flavorful dish and is on the table in 20 minutes. Your favorite takeout made at home. Can also be made in the air fryer.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mongolian

Keyword air fryer Mongolian beef, easy mongolian beef, quick Mongolian beef

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 303kcal

Author Tanya

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 lb flank steak thinly sliced against the grain
• 2 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 2-4 Tablespoon canola oil
• 1 yellow onion sliced
• 2 green onions chopped, green and white parts separated
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 1- inch ginger chopped
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 3 Tablespoon brown sugar
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Cover the flank steak with cornstarch, making sure each piece is covered. Set aside.
• Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the flank steak to the frying pan in a single layer, making sure that the pieces are not touching. Cook on 1-2 minutes per side until each side is browned. Cook in batches until all the flank steak is cooked. Set aside.
• Add sliced yellow onion, whites of green onions, garlic, and ginger to the skillet and stir fry for about 3 minutes, until the onions are slightly softened but still have a little crunch. Add soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar and stir. Add steak back to the pan along with the green parts of the onions. Remove from heat and serve.

Air fryer Instructions:

• This Mongolian Beef can also be made in an Air Fryer. If Air Frying, coat the flank steak in corn starch and place in a preheated air fryer of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway. Prepare the sauce on the stove with the onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar.
• After multiple tests, we preferred the stovetop version but wanted to share the Air Fryer version for anyone wanting to exclude the frying component of this recipe.

Notes

• Freeze your steak before slicing it. It will make it easier and less likely to fall apart. Remember to cut against the grain.
• Prep all of your ingredients before you start cooking. The dish comes together so quickly, so have everything to hand and ready to go.
• If you have leftovers, they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. They can be reheated on the stove top or in the microwave.
• The Mongolian beef will also freeze really well. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 670mg | Potassium: 496mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg

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