Beef and Broccoli

4.62 from 76 votes
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Broccoli Beef  - Best homemade recipe featuring tender beef in a brown sauce. You'll never need to order it for takeout ever again, and it's healthier.

Beef and broccoli slathered in beef and broccoli sauce in a serving bowl.
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Broccoli Beef

Beef and broccoli is the most popular Chinese beef stir-fry dish in the United Status. It’s the poster child of American Chinese food so much as that the most popular item in Panda Express is this dish!

The rich brown sauce with tender beef and healthy broccoli has captured the hearts and palate of many people. This recipe is from my Easy Chinese Recipes cookbook, the best selling and top rated Chinese cookery book.

Unlike spicy Szechuan beef, beef and broccoli tastes mild with its savory sauce. It’s not spicy, hence, it’s a popular choice for everyone.

Another of my favorite beef stir fry recipe is ginger and scallion beef.

If you don’t have beef, make my classic Garlic Broccoli or Shrimp and Broccoli recipes instead!


Ingredients For The Brown Sauce

Broccoli beef stir fry Chinese-style.

There are two types of sauces in Chinese stir-fry: white sauce and brown sauce. Here are the ingredients for delicious and authentic brown sauce.

  • Soy Sauce
  • Oyster Sauce
  • Sesame Oil
  • Corn starch
  • Sugar
  • Water

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


Tips For The Best And Tender Broccoli Beef

Homemade beef and broccoli recipe ready to serve in a stoneware bowl.

Here are the techniques and tips used by Chinese and Cantonese chefs in the best restaurants, and I am sharing with you the secrets:

  • Cut the beef against the grain. This will ensure that the beef is tender and not rubbery.
  • Velvet the beef to make sure you have silky, smooth and tender beef. Velveting is a secret techniques used by Chinese chefs to seal in the moisture of protein while stir-frying. The key ingredients for velveting is corn starch.
  • Blanch the broccoli in hot boiling water first before stir-frying.
  • During the stir-frying process, quickly toss the broccoli with the beef. Do not overcook the broccoli.
  • The brown sauce should be light and not starchy or sticky. It should just barely coat the beef.

For perfect wok stir fries, please check out my Chinese stir-frying techniques.


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 397 calories per serving.

Tender beef and broccoli stir fry in a Chinese bowl, with a pair of chopsticks, ready to serve.

What To Serve With Beef And Broccoli

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


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4.62 from 76 votes

Beef and Broccoli

Broccoli Beef – best and easiest homemade beef and broccoli in brown sauce. You'll never need another broccoli beef takeout. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 people
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Ingredients  

  • 8 oz (230g) beef tenderloin, flank steak or flap meat, cut into pieces
  • 6 oz (170g) broccoli florets
  • water, for boiling
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons oil
  • 2- inches (5cm) ginger, peeled and sliced

Marinade:

Sauce:

Instructions 

  • Marinate the beef with all the ingredients for the Marinade, about 15 minutes.
  • Bring the water to boil and add a few drops of oil. Blanch the broccoli florets in the hot water, about 10 seconds. Remove the broccoli immediately with a strainer or slotted spoon, draining the excess water. Set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the beef until 70% cooked. Dish out and set aside.
  • Heat the remaining oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. Transfer the beef into the wok or skillet and stir-fry until the beef is cooked through and the center of the meat is no longer pink, about 1-2 minutes. Add the broccoli and then the Sauce, stir to combine the ingredients well.
  • As soon as the sauce thickens, dish out and serve immediately.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2people, Calories: 397kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 1091mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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130 Comments

  1. Nancy says:

    The marinade was thick and pasty. Does that seem right? Regardless, the dish was delicious and my family loved it! I’ve just discovered your website (via Pinterest) and I’m going to search for more!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      For the marinade, you add them to the beef, and the marinate. Thanks and welcome to Rasa Malaysia. :)

  2. Kortez says:

    I have a question. Why don’t you use oil or water velveting with the meat? I am merely curious if that would help. Thank you. Love your recipes!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Kortez, water and oil won’t do the job.

  3. thi says:

    i’ve messed up beef & broccoli many times, whether it was too salty or beef was too tough. this recipe was PERFECTION. one of my favorite dishes is beef & broccoli even though i’m Asian. anyhow, i marinated the beef in baking soda for 30mins, then rinsed it out. i mistakenly marinated the beef with the sauce, rather than the marinade and let it sit for 15mins. when it was time to cook it, i added the marinade in and let it sit for another 10mins – then finally cooked it as instructed. i added another heaping of the sauce and it still turned out perfectly flavored. THANK YOU!

  4. mandy says:

    Hi! This looks awesome and I definitely have to try it but I was hoping to make chicken and broccoli tonight for dinner, can I follow this recipe for that?

  5. Dennis Gerber says:

    When I make Beef & Broccoli – to make beef more tender, can I add baking soda to the marinate – or use baking soda first for 15 min, then rinse, then marinate?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes, you can marinate and then rise and then marinate, please refer to my cashew chicken recipe.

  6. Dennis Gerber says:

    When I marinate the beef in Beef & Broccoli – can I add baking soda to increase tenderness or use the baking soda first and then rinse it off after 15 mins and then do the marinate

  7. Jacqi davis says:

    Alternative to oyster sauce

    Ive seen a vegetarian mushroom version at asian grocery stores. Comparable brands so i think the taste is decent substitute for oyster sauce. Ive ate at chinese gourmet vegetarian restaurants in Singapore and didnt miss the flavor. Of course they probably concocted their own sauce but it was an eyeopener that chinese vegetarian could be that good and polished.

  8. Germaine says:

    Bee.. to get the beef tender for a fork to cut the meat like – marinating the sliced beef in egg white was suggested – have you ever tried this procedure. Thanks

  9. Christine says:

    What kind of soy sauce works best for this recipe? Light or dark soy sauce?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Light soy sauce.

  10. josette says:

    I’ve tried this recipe and even without the rice wine or sherry it still tastes good and my husband loved it. As a working wife, this and your other easy to prepare dishes were a big help. Glad I found this site.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks Josette. :)