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. Cateli says:

    5 stars
    Thank you for this recipe! I just made this and my husband said this is the best beef and broccoli he’s ever had :). I usually hate cooking but this gives me hope! So easy and tasty!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Cateli, thanks so much for trying my Broccoli Beef recipe. Yes, all my recipes are the best recipes you will find online. :)

  2. Grace says:

    5 stars
    My first time cooking Chinese! Loved it and so did my Son!! Thanks it was quite easy.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks Grace. I am glad you liked my broccoli beef recipe. :)

  3. Bailey says:

    Hey! @Rasa Malaysia

    Do you think Sirloin strips would work for this?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes it would.

  4. Holly says:

    Actually, anything with Western broccoli in it is not oriental Chinese food. Broccoli was never in China until modern times.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Holly, this is an American-Chinese food. There is no Chinese vegetables in the US then so broccoli was used.

  5. Mona says:

    Can you follow the same recipe when making chicken and broccoli?

  6. Lynn says:

    I don’t have oyster sauce, but do have fish sauce. It sounded like you said the fish sauce can be used as a substitute for the oyster sauce?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yes you can! :)

  7. Jill says:

    When you say to add the stir fry what exactly do you mean by that?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Stir-fry is a Chinese cooking technique meaning to stir and toss the ingredients around to cook them evenly.

  8. Fiona says:

    5 stars
    I just cooked this tonight and it was simple, tasty and just perfect – thank you!

  9. Cassie Oh says:

    Mine doesn’t taste Chines-y

  10. Sylvieann says:

    Bee, another winning recipe, haven’t made it yet. Enjoyed reading all of the comments and am looking forward to making this. Thanks again for sharing your delicious recipes!