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Mongolian beef is one of the best Chinese recipes. This easy Mongolian beef recipe is better than Chinese takeout and PF Chang's. Homemade easy recipe that anyone can make at home!
Mongolian Beef Recipe
What is Mongolian Beef?
It is one of the best Chinese recipes ever; it’s also a popular Chinese beef dish at Chinese restaurants or takeouts. The popularity is second to broccoli beef. Other crowd favorites are ginger and scallion beef, Szechuan beef, and sesame beef.
Mongolian beef is delicious, with silky and tender beef in a rich and savory Chinese brown sauce.
My Mongolian beef recipe is very close to the taste of PF Chang’s Mongolian beef.
It’s savory, slightly sweet, with melt-in-your-mouth beef.
It’s also healthier, less greasy, with a Mongolian beef sauce that is so yummy with steamed white or brown rice.
Ingredients
- Beef tenderloin
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Scallion
- Corn starch
- Shaoxing wine
- Sesame oil
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1. Marinate the beef slices with the marinade ingredients for 30 minutes. Heat a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the marinated beef until it is half-cooked. Dish out and set aside.
Step 2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the garlic and ginger until aromatic. Add the beef back into the wok, followed by the Sauce.
Step 3. Continue to stir-fry until the beef slices are almost done, then add the scallions. Stir briefly. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Cooking Tips For Home Cooks
To make the best and authentic Mongolian beef, please follow the cooking tips and techniques below:
- Make sure you cut the beef against the grain.
- Marinate the beef with cornstarch to tenderize the meat.
- The step above is called velveting in Chinese food. It makes the beef tender, juicy, moist and silky.
- Stir fry the beef on high heat using a wok (preferred) or skillet.
- The brown sauce shouldn’t be too sticky and gooey.
Frequently Asked Questions
The name of the dish is misleading because it’s not a traditional Mongolian dish from Mongolia. The dish is named “Mongolian Beef” after the cooking style, rather than its origin. Mongolian Beef is actually a stir fry dish that originated in Taiwan.
Mongolian sauce is a savory sauce that consists of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and ground white pepper. The sauce pairs extremely well with the beef and is easy to make!
Yes, you can make the dish in an Instant Pot. Just use the Saute function to stir fry the beef and ingredients. Add the Mongolian beef sauce towards the end, thicken it up and it’s ready to serve.
For authentic flavors, I don’t recommend crockpot or slow cooker to make this recipe. This is a Chinese stir fry beef dish. The beef shouldn’t be slow cooked in a slow cooker or crockpot.
This recipe is only 396 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve this dish with fried rice or chow mein. For a healthy Chinese 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 Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Chinese Recipes You Might Like
Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 12 oz. beef tenderloin, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch peeled ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 stalks scallions, cut into 2-inch strips
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or Shaoxing wine
Mongolian Beef Sauce:
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the beef slices with the marinade ingredients for 30 minutes. Heat a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the marinated beef until it is half-cooked. Dish out and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the garlic and ginger until aromatic. Add the beef back into the wok, followed by the Sauce.
- Continue to stir-fry until the beef slices are almost done, then add the scallions. Stir briefly. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you cut the beef against the grain.
- Marinate the beef with cornstarch to tenderize the meat.
- The step above is called velveting in Chinese food. It makes the beef tender, juicy, moist and silky.
- Stir fry the beef on high heat using a wok (preferred) or skillet.
- The brown sauce shouldn’t be too sticky and gooey.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love your recipes. Asian food is among my favorites. The nearest Asian market is 1 hour away from me, so when I go there I would like to buy all that I need. Do you have a list of staples that I should have on hand for my Asian c recipes? That way I could stock up on what I need.
Thank you, stay well,
Eva
A beautiful balance of flavours and super quick and easy.
Thank you x
Hi Tiare, thanks for trying my Mongolian beef. All my recipes are quick, easy and flavorful. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Can I use London broil instead beef tenderloin?
Your Mongolian Beef is super delish.
Thank you for all the tips & love all the recipes. I will certainly be cooking and try all of them.
Awesome Jovy.
We love your recipes and they are easy to make. Thanks for taking the time to create dinners with a special touch and amazing outcome for everyone.
Thanks Carla, I appreciate your support. :)
i looked at this recipe and your onion scallion beef recipe side by side and they are exactly the same except for onions. is there no difference in these two dishes?
The taste is different. Onion adds sweetness to the dish.
I’m trying your recipie tonight for Mongolian beef in your words you say to marinade beef in corn starch and soy but recipie marinade says rice wine water and corn starch?