Adventures of a Nurse HomepageAdventures of a Nurse

Bringing the Best Instant Pot and Sous Vide Recipes

Instant Pot Better than Take-Out Beef & Broccoli

· 138 Comments

Pin This Recipe!

Instant Pot Better than Take-Out Beef and Broccoli truly is better than take-out! You have thinly sliced beef that is so tender and juicy, that soaks up the gravy marinade, that is a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, beef broth, garlic and more. It offers that rich flavor with just a slight sweetness from the brown sugar.

Paired with the broccoli it truly is a showstopper meal that the whole family will devour.  Serve with rice or eat alone, you won’t regret whipping this dish up. The best part is you can make this dish in under 20 minutes

Better than Take-out Beef & Broccoli

This Better than Take-out beef and broccoli is in the constant meal rotation in our home. This is one of my husband’s favorite dishes, and I can’t complain because it is scrumptious but so quick and easy to make. It uses simple ingredients which you can find in pretty much any grocery store and comes out so juicy and flavorful each time. 

I have made so many recipes over the years where it claims to be as good as the restaurants and it always falls flat. This better than take-out beef and broccoli recipe truly picks up all the flavor notes in the traditional dishes you can get in restaurants.

It took me awhile to pinpoint the exact amounts of ingredients to make it the best, and I finally mastered this dish! It is affordable to make, and just as good as restaurant quality. Believe me, this recipe is so simple thanks to the Instant Pot. It cooks the beef and the broccoli to the perfect temperatures so you truly enjoy every savory bite of this dish. 

Instant Pot Better than Take Out Beef and Broccoli

Beef & Broccoli is one of the very first recipes I made in the Instant Pot. Since that turned out so good I had to try many other Instant Pot CopyCat Recipes like Better Than Take Out General Tso’s Chicken. Panera’s Broccoli and Cheddar Soup, Panera’s Mac & Cheese, Olive Garden’s Zuppa Tuscana Soup. As you can see I think I am saving money using the Instant Pot I eat out much less now.  You may also like 10 Instant Pot Copy Cat Recipes

Best Meat to Use for Beef and Broccoli 

 

Flank steak, flat iron, or sirloin are the three cuts of meat I recommend. You can find all of these easily at your grocery store. Flank steak can be a bit pricey but sometimes you pay a higher price for meat like flank, will leave you with that melt-in-your-mouth tenderness you desire.

I also really love flat iron steaks, they are so juicy and offer a perfect marble color for the perfect mix of meat and fat content. Some grocery stores with a meat market can cut any steak you want for free. I like to ask if they will thinly slice the meat for me if I am in a hurry and don’t have the time to do it before I need to prep dinner.

The steak you use will affect the flavor of the dish slightly if you buy a cheaper grade of meat it will still be as tender because of the magic of the Instant Pot. The marinade for this will help break down the meat, but it will only do so much. 

I hope you all enjoy this better than take-out beef and broccoli as much as our home does. The instant pot version wins the gold star for us, it truly makes the dish cooked perfectly. Bon Appetite! Instant Pot Better than Take Out Beef and Broccoli

Better than Take-Out Beef & Broccoli

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Have Mouth watering Better than Take-out Beef & Broccoli in under 20 minutes. 

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1.5 pounds thinly sliced steak
  • 3 tbs sesame oil
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 3/4 cup beef broth
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • Fresh or frozen Broccoli
  • 1 tbs cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Place oil and meat on saute in your pot.
  2. Until meat is brown about 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add in onions and garlic continue to saute until onions are tender.
  4. Add in beef broth and soy sauce
  5. Stir in brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
  6. Place IP on 10 minutes high pressure and do a natural release.
  7. Mix 2 tbsp water with 1 tbs cornstarch and add to your mixture.

Notes

 Meanwhile, steam your broccoli and cook your rice according to directions. Stir in the broccoli and serve over rice. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 645 Saturated Fat: 13g Cholesterol: 103mg Sodium: 1342mg Carbohydrates: 24g Sugar: 19g Protein: 37g
© Adventures of a Nurse
Cuisine: American / Category: Main Course

 

 

 

Pin This Recipe!

Adventures of a Nurse

About Adventures of a Nurse

Hi! I am Carla, the driving force behind Adventures of a Nurse. I love spending time in the kitchen and bringing you crowd-pleasing recipes to serve your family and friends. Main dishes, Instant Pot recipes, sides, desserts, and all things in between.

Join My Facebook Group

For answers to questions right away or to post your recipe join my group 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotandpressurecookerRecipes/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NinjaFoodi/

Follow Me on Pinterest

Products I Recommend

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply to Cherry Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Mmm.. this sounds tasty! Good combination of ingredients and I think my kids would eat this too (they can be a bit fussy).

    Reply

  3. This looks amazing! Definitely trying it out. I love my Instant Pot. So excited it can replace take-out food!

    Reply

  6. This looks even better than takeout to me. Thanks for sharing the recipe. It’ll definitely be one I will try

    Reply

  13. This looks amazing! We order Chinese out a few times a month and this is one of my favorite, but after seeing this, I am going to try and make it myself instead of ordering out. It really looks inexpensive and easy!

    Reply

  14. This looks delicious and I’m sure it’s much healthier than take out as well. They use so many unhealthy products in their food. Can’t wai to try it!

    Reply

  17. If I double the recipe for my 8 quart do I double the liquid? I tried to double another recipe and it came out watery? I love my 8 quart but I am still trying to figure it out. PS. What kind of meat did you use?

    Reply

    • I used regular thin steak but I have used flank steak in the past. You can double the liquid and you will have more 🙂

      Reply

  18. Question, do you wait until the natural release is done, then open and mix in the corn starch mixture? Thank you!!

    Reply

  21. This was delicious! I did cook the broccoli by adding it to the cooked meat, and using pressure for one minute (shut it off once it hits pressure). I also added a tablespoon of hot sauce, and used gluten free soy sauce.

    Reply

    • I would like to have an answer to this question also. Every recipe I see for Beef and Broccoli or Mongolian Beef seems to have a larger amount of sugar than what I want to eat as I am diabetic. I am wondering if it can be left out entirely or possibly just use a tablespoon? When I order Chinese for take out they make mine without sugar.

      Reply

  27. I was wondering if you could tell me what type of steak you used ? I’m really wanting to try this recipe but don’t know what cut of meat works best for the dish .
    Thank you

    Reply

  28. This is one of my favorite instant pot recipes. It is sooooo delicious. Our family loves it. I have 2 instant pots so I cook my rice in the other one while my beef is in the other. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  29. When you are sautéing the meat, do you cook it all that way through until there is no blood, or are you just browning the outside for extra flavor? I’m very new to using an instant pot and don’t want to over cook the meat. Thanks!!

    Reply

  32. Does this recipe really need that much oil? I have looked at similar recipes that only use 1/3 the amount of oil.

    Reply

  34. I am wondering if you steam broccoli in a separate pot not in the instant pot? I know I will cook rice in my rice cooker but was hoping broccoli and meat could all be cooked in one.
    Thanks

    Reply

  35. I made this tonight. I used gluten free soy sauce added some ginger powder and didn’t have sesame oil so I used olive oil and coconut oil and it came out AMAZING! This was the first meal in a long time that everyone loved even my picky in laws! Next time I was to try it with chicken. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

  36. Thank you so much for this recipe! I just made this as my instant pot debut. I added ginger, shiitake mushrooms, red pepper flakes and about a Tbs of oyster sauce and used thinly sliced ribeye. My family couldn’t believe I made something do delicious so fast!!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes ?

    Reply

  38. I have made this twice and everyone LOVES it! I used aminos in place of soy sauce and coconut sugar in place of brown sugar (could use arrowroot in place of cornstarch).

    I have a friend without an instant pot, how could you convert to a slow cooker or stove top? Thanks for any guidance. Thanks again for this awesome recipe!!!

    Reply

  39. I make this at least once a month. We have a big family, so I double the meat, triple the broccoli, but only add a little extra liquid.

    A couple of things we do: i slat, black pepper and white pepper the meat as I slice it. I add a big spoon of crushed chilis to the liquid. I also add fresh minced ginger with the garlic. I use green onions instead of a white onion. I mince the whites to use in place of the white onion and then we garnish the finished meal with the sliced greens. We also top the finished product with sesame seeds.

    As to the broccoli, I add it uncooked to the pot after the meat cooks and put the lid back on for five minutes. No pressure. That cooks the broccoli plenty for us. (I hate mushy vegetables.)

    Reply

    • Mine also didn’t thicken at all with the cornstarch….wonder what happened??

      But the flavour was excellent the while family lapped it up.

      Reply

  43. Approximately how long does this take to come to pressure before the 10 minutes starts? I am new to the IP and this is my biggest issue… I have trouble with the timing since recipes never seem to mention approx how long it takes to come to pressure. Thanks!

    Reply

  45. Add some hoisin sauce to it, it makes all the difference. Perso ally, before it, it tasted too much just like beef gravy. I followed directions to a T otherwise.

    Reply

  46. Trying this tonight!!! So excited, may just be me (and my beginners knowledge lol) but it’s taken 20 minutes alone just to complete its natural release and it’s still not done. Any tips?

    Reply

  47. Made this yesterday for my first Instant Pot use, (excluding water test,) and it turned out great. My step-son said it was as good as take out, my husband on the other hand said it was BETTER than take out. He says I can make this anytime. Score! I added a bit of hoisin sauce prior to cooking to give it a little extra pizzaz. YUMMO.

    Reply

  48. Tasted very good, will definitely make again, I had to add more cornstarch to get it to thicken up more and I plan to add some carrots as well next time. Highly recommend!!

    Reply

  49. This is an INCREDIBLE recipe. I decrease the brown sugar a bit to suit our taste. We eat it once a week, it’s that good (and easy)!

    Reply

  50. I added more broth for extra gravy and cooked the frozen broccoli on sauté with the finished meat and it came out great!! Crowd pleaser too!

    Reply

  52. Wow that’s so much oil though. Is it necessary to use that much? No criticisms here, I’m just trying to cut out some of the fat in my diet.

    Reply

    • I am wondering this also? Should it be teaspoon (tsp) or Tablespoon (Tbsp)?
      I want this to turn out, so I’m worried! Lol

      Reply

  53. This turned out very good. I used round steak, cut against the grain, 1/4 in thick. I did need to double the amount of corn starch to thicken it.?

    Reply

  54. why are there 2 different oils? are we supposed to mix the two? or use one or the other? sorry new to instant pot.

    Reply

    • Great recipe! I made a few adjustments for my household, gf low sodium tamari instead of soy sauce and coconut sugar instead of brown. I used 2or 3 tablespoons of cornstarch slurry to thicken it and added some sriracha at the end. Delicious! Thank you!

      Reply

  58. Honestly thought how s would be sacrilegious because unusually stir fry in a wok. I was wrong! Was soooooooooi good!
    I added a tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 3 dr I s red chili’s and used less soy and sugar, but mixed in oyster sauce :

    Yum, I bead so flavorful & So tender! Kids and fussy hubby all approved:

    Reply

  61. How long does the natural release take? I’m going on 35 minutes already and wondering if I should do a manual release?…

    Reply

  63. We just made this meal, at the end with the broccoli we also added shredded carrots, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts…would that be the reason the sauce isn’t thickening?

    Reply

  64. Have made numerous times. Love it, and my husband loves it which is even better. He always goes back for seconds. Thanks for great recipe

    Reply

  65. I’m a huge fan of broccoli beef. It’s pretty much the only Chinese food I ever eat, and this is hands down the BEST I’ve ever eaten. I couldn’t put the fork down last night. Thank you!!!

    Reply

  66. I used coconut aminos rather soy sauce as that was what I had. I found the meat to be tender and tasty but the sauce was too sweet. I will make it again but next time I will use less sugar or just soy sauce instead of the aminos.

    Reply

  67. This was a hit. Thank you! I had to make a couple changes based on what I had on hand, but they weren’t too drastic. I used venison loin as my meat…sliced very thin, cooked up perfect! I also had to sub the beef broth. Somehow I had no broth or bouillon. I used half packet of onion soup mix and 3/4 cup of water. My LO asked if he could eat it tomorrow and I had to break the news there was not going to be any leftovers.

    Reply

  68. If you replace the meat with chicken, how long do you set the Instapot for? Can you then do a quick release since chicken cooks quickly?

    Reply

  70. Best ever!! My toddler and hubby had seconds. Will make again but this time with chicken, snap peas and carrots instead of broccoli. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  74. This was really good. My boyfriend has never had it and said it was awesome. I paired it with roasted potatoes cause he’s a meat and potatoes type. I also added shrimp and steamed it with the broccoli. Was a win in this family.

    Reply

  75. To make this truly a one-pot meal, how would you cook the rice and the broccoli in the instant pot? Could you do pot in pot? And if so, how?

    Reply

  78. FYI, when I use the link I saved for this recipe to recommend it to others, it only loads your home page not the recipe. This problem has been going on for over a week. This makes it hard to recommend any of your recipes.

    Reply

  79. I’m not sure if I’m reading this wrong. In the ingredients you have listed 3 tbs sesame oil, but in the instructions I don’t see at what point do you add it. Is it when you add the soy sauce? 😎 thank you

    Reply

  80. Yum That was good. And I didn’t have to tweak anything! not even salt! Perfect, tasty recipe. The last beef and broccoli recipe I tried was bland and barely a hint of asian cuisine. Thanks for sharing this with us!

    Reply

  81. Made this tonight and the family RAVED about it. I used cocnut sugar and reduced by about 1/2. Braggs Aminios sub for Soy sauce and 2T Arrowroot sub for cornstarch. Please make this again said my teens, I will!

    Reply

  82. Tasted great but meat had more of a stew texture, no slight firmness. Should I not have done natural release or shortened cooking time?

    Reply

  84. This was good but in my opinion it had an overpowering taste of something that I can’t pinpoint. Maybe it was the sesame oil? It almost tasted like coffee?? Next time, I’ll try using just olive oil.

    Reply