Ultimate Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef (Printable)

Tender beef in rich, savory-sweet sauce with garlic, ginger, and soy. Slow cooker method for silky perfection.

# What You Need:

→ Beef

01 - 2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain

→ Sauce

02 - 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/2 cup water
05 - 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
06 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
07 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
08 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

→ Thickener

11 - 1/4 cup cornstarch

→ Vegetables & Garnish

12 - 5 green onions, sliced (white and green parts separated)
13 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
14 - Steamed white or brown rice, for serving

# Steps:

01 - Toss the sliced flank steak with cornstarch in a large bowl until all pieces are evenly coated. Shake off any excess cornstarch before proceeding.
02 - Transfer the cornstarch-coated beef to the slow cooker, spreading pieces evenly across the bottom.
03 - Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes in a separate bowl until sugar is fully dissolved.
04 - Pour the sauce mixture over the beef in the slow cooker. Toss gently to ensure all beef pieces are coated with the sauce.
05 - Scatter the white parts of the green onions over the top of the beef and sauce mixture.
06 - Cover and cook on low setting for 4 hours, or until beef is tender and sauce has thickened slightly.
07 - Stir in the sliced green onion tops and cook for an additional 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
08 - Serve hot over steamed rice, garnished with toasted sesame seeds and additional green onions if desired.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The beef becomes impossibly tender, almost melting in your mouth without any fancy restaurant equipment
  • The sauce develops deep, complex flavors while you're busy doing literally anything else
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day, if they survive that long
02 -
  • Cornstarch can clump if you dump it all at once, so sprinkle it over the beef while tossing
  • Every slow cooker runs differently, so check your beef at 3.5 hours if yours tends to run hot
  • The sauce will thicken dramatically as it cools, so don't worry if it looks thinner than restaurant versions while still cooking
03 -
  • Slice your beef when it's slightly frozen, it'll cut cleanly and easily against the grain
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan for two minutes before serving to unlock their nutty flavor

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