This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
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.
What can I use instead of chinese rice wine or shaoxing ?
You can just skip or use sherry.
Can I use regular soy sauce instead of dark soy sauce?
Yes.
Can I also use bicarbonate of soda (on top of all the ingredient to marinate) to make it more tender? What shd be the amount?
Yes you can. First, you add baking soda (1 teaspoon) to the beef for 5 minutes and rinse well and pat dry before marinating with other ingredients.
So tasty! Thank you!
Made this tonight! Delicious, and everyone loved it. Thank you!
Thanks for your trying!
Want to make this recipe is there another type beef that can be used?
You can use any cut you like.
You need to use steak cuts; flank, strip, sirloin, tenderloin, and cut them thin against the grain. Stew cuts like chuck, brisket etc. won’t come out right.
Yeah …it’s a little bit riskier using the tougher cuts …and some may never work. To be safer use the more tender cuts. But …I have used chuck many times for this and if cut properly (and isn’t from an old bull) it’s an exceptional beef cut for this application …exceptionally flavorful and sufficiently tender. Delicious! Maybe the best of all. I often wonder why I ever used more expensive cuts (like filet Mignon) in this recipe!!!???
And ….after trying more than a dozen Mongolian beef recipes on the internet …I ALWAYS return to this one!
Highly recommended!
Enjoy!
BobB (aka Roberto)
Awesome!
Whats the longest I can marinade?
A few hours maximum.
Love the recipes on this site! Everyone is fabulous!
Thanks, Pamela.
Will Rump steak work for this recipe please?
I think so.
eccellente ho messo anche un po’ di peperoncino
ciao Asia
I’m gonna try this for sure. Thanks for your recipe.
Well …we tried 2 other Mongolian beef recipes ….and although I liked the crispy quality of the beef of one recipe …the flavors were destroyed by toooo much sugar and honey.
Bee …we tried your recipe again (we saved it with a high rating) …and, it’s by far still the best! The whole family was going for seconds …and …I missed out on getting a second portion (darn it!) You have an excellent balance of sugar and sesame oil (and other ingredients) in this recipe.
Bee ,,,you have the best collection of Asian/Malaysian recipes on the internet. I highly recommend your recipes overall!
Thanks for sharing!
BobB (aka Roberto)
Hi Bob, thanks yes, all my recipes are very easy and delicious. Please try more! https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Hi there
Thank you for sharing the recipe. It looks so yummylicious! ?
The recipe include the use of wine. May I know what can I use as a substitute (non alcohol) to the wine?
Hope to hear from you. Thanks.
Skip.