Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

5 from 2 votes

This Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is the perfect dish to satisfy all your quick fix Asian/Chinese food cravings! Tender, succulent pieces of beef are cooked in a sweet and savory sauce that is sure to make you go for seconds. Trust me this homemade pressure-cooker Mongolian beef is way better than any Chinese take-out that you have had before.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Instant Pot Mongolian Beef, Mongolian Beef Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings people

Calories 337kcal

Author Freda Dias

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 quart

Ingredients

1.5 lbs flank steak, sliced across the grain into 1/4 inch thin strips

For the sauce

2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 cup less-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup light/dark brown sugar
2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 tablespoon rice vinegar, substitute with apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup beef stock or 1cup water + 1 tsp better than bouillon beef base, divided

To thicken the sauce

2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water

Other ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2-3 stalks scallion greens, cut diagonally
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, optional

Instructions

In a medium bowl, add soy sauce, light/dark brown sugar, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Mix well to combine. Add 3/4 cup of beef stock or water, mix everything and set it aside. You can make the sauce a day ahead and store it in the refrigerator.
Press 'SAUTE' button, and set it to 'NORMAL'. Once it displays 'HOT', add oil, place the beef strips in a single layer. Sear it for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip and cook the side for another minute. Do not crowd the pot by piling the beef, it will steam in its own juices. I did this in 3 batches. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
Add 1/4 cup of beef stock or water, scrape off the browned bits with a wooden spatula. Make sure nothing is stuck or else you may get a 'BURN' message.
Add the prepared Mongolian sauce mixture and the beef along with its juices. Mix lightly.
Close the lid of the Instant Pot. Set the valve to 'SEALING'. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. It will take some time for the pressure to build up (about 5 minutes), after which the timer will begin. You can prepare the cornstarch slurry during this time, and set it aside.
Let the pot depressurize for 10 minutes. Then do a quick release of any leftover pressure as per the manufacturer's instructions. Once the silver pin drops, turn the knob to 'VENTING' and open the lid away from you.
Press the 'CANCEL' button and turn on the 'SAUTE' button. Push the meat to one side of the pot. Once the sauce begins to bubble, add the cornstarch slurry (whisk it again before pouring as cornstarch settles down) into the sauce, and keep stirring until it thickens and turns glossy. Mix the beef with the sauce to coat it evenly.
You can add some scallion greens cut into 2 inches and mix it in. Finish off with sesame oil. Press the 'CANCEL' button and switch off the Instant Pot. Serve hot with steamed rice and sides of your choice. Garnish with more scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Notes

If you have time to spare, marinate the beef strips with the mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar for a couple of hours. Then dump everything in the Instant pot, add 3/4 cup of beef broth, and cook as directed.
Mongolian beef and broccoli: Add about 3 cups of steamed broccoli florets in the last step i.e step 6, after adding the cornstarch slurry and thickening the sauce and mix it in gently. Or, steam the broccoli florets directly in the IP after thickening the sauce. Press 'CANCEL' to turn off saute mode and add the florets, close the lid and let it sit for 10 minutes.
If you'd like to add veggies, you can add some onion wedges, diced carrots, bell peppers etc. in step 4. Make sure the veggies are chunky, or else they will turn mushy, place them over the beef.
You can cook rice using the Pot in Pot method. Use a tall trivet, add equal amounts of white rice and water with a pinch of salt in a bowl, and place it on the stand. Pressure cook everything for 10 mins with 10 mins NPR. This will not work for brown rice as it needs more cooking time.
You can double the recipe, cooking time remains the same.
Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutrition values are calculated for a single serving. This recipe should yield about 6 servings. These are approximate values, if you rely on them for your diet, please use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml

Nutrition