Your Instant Pot is a great tool to make restaurant quality food at home. And in less time than it takes to get your drink order! This Instant Pot Mongolian beef recipe is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy and a whole lot of delicious. Let me show you how to make this easy Instant Pot dinner recipe today!
One of the best things about my Instant Pot is that I can make a whole meal quickly and do other things. Once I seal the lid I am able to work on other parts of the meal, clean up the kitchen, hang with my kids. I know that dinner will be ready soon and I don’t have to watch over it.
And of course you are able to make restaurant quality food at home! Why jump in the car to grab take-out when you can make it in the comfort of your own home? No more runs to the Chinese food place around the corner – you can make recipes like this Instant Pot Mongolian beef at home!
What is Mongolian beef?
Mongolian beef is a recipe that consists of thinly sliced beef coated in a sticky sweet sauce. The sauce is a perfect combination of sweet and salty thanks to the brown sugar, soy sauce and ginger. It’s easy to make and requires an Instant Pot cook time of only 6 minutes. (Not counting building and releasing pressure.)
It pairs perfectly with rice or even noodles.
Instant Pot Mongolian Beef Ingredients
To make this recipe you need a combination of pantry basics, fresh vegetables and Asian inspired ingredients. You will need:
- Meat – flank steak
- Pantry – cornstarch, olive oil, brown sugar, rice
- Produce – onion, carrots, bell pepper, ginger, garlic, green onions
- Asian inspired – soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds
Flank steak – Flank steak is a thinner cut of meat taken from the lower chest area of the cow. It is not a super common cut of meat and may be hard to find at some grocery stores. You should be able to find it at a local butcher or you can use any thin steak.
Pantry items – Check your pantry before you head out to grab these basic items. You can use any type of olive oil, brown sugar and rice in this recipe. My only advice is if you want to keep this recipe gluten free to grab a gluten free cornstarch.
Produce – Grab your favorite type of onion, bell pepper, garlic and green onions. Any kind you pick will work here.
Carrots – You want to grab matchstick carrots or whole carrots that you can easily shred down.
Ginger – Fresh ginger is best in this recipe. It can normally be found over by the garlic. If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use a ginger paste or powdered ginger in place of fresh.
Asian inspired ingredients – These ingredients should be fairly easy to find at your local grocery store. Coconut animos are a soy and gluten free version of soy sauce that tastes just as good. Use it here to keep this dish gluten free.
How to make Mongolian Beef in the Instant Pot
Once you have gathered all your ingredients you will also need to grab:
- large ziplock baggy
- your Instant Pot
- measuring cups and spoons
- wooden spatula
Step 1: Coat the beef – Thinly slice your flank steak against the grain and place it in a large ziplock baggy. Add the cornstarch, seal the bag and toss the beef around to coat.
Step 2: Saute the vegetables – Add more olive oil to the Instant Pot along with your onion, carrots, ginger, garlic and bell pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the carrots are soft and the onion in translucent. Remove vegetables from the pot.
Step 3: Sear the beef – Set your Instant Pot to saute and add the olive oil. Working in batches, sear the beef on both sides.
Step 4: Cook the meat with sauce – Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, water, and brown sugar. Stir everything to combine. Place the lid on, set the valve to SEALING and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes.
*Note – It will take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure before cooing starts.
Step 5: Release pressure and add vegetables – Once the Instant Pot is done cooking, allow to come to natural pressure for 10 minutes and then do a quick release of the remaining pressure.
Related – What is natural pressure vs. quick release?
Add the vegetables back in back and sit to combine everything. Top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Side Dishes to Try
This Mongolian beef is a great meal on it’s own but it goes great with a starchy side. You should try adding:
Storing Leftovers
If you have leftover Mongolian beef you can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for up to 5 days this way.
Can I freeze Mongolian beef?
Yes! You can! Once the Mongolian beef has cooled place it in a ziplock baggy and squeeze all the air out. Lay it flat in the freezer. To re-heat – thaw in the fridge and then warm up in a hot skillet.
Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Prep Time:
5 minutes
Cook Time:
6 minutes
Additional Time:
20 minutes
Total Time:
31 minutes
Learn how to make this take-out favorite at home in your Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. flank steak, sliced thin against the grain
- 2 tablespon cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 4 large carrots, cut into 3” matchsticks or 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¾ cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
- ¾ cup warm water
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large green onions, cut on the diagonal
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
1. Place beef and cornstarch in a one-gallon freezer bag. Seal and turn to combine until steak is lightly coated. Set aside.
2. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add one tablespoon olive oil to Instant Pot®. Add onion, carrots, bell pepper, ginger, and garlic, and cook, stirring continually, until onion and carrots are soft and turn golden brown, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove from Instant Pot and set aside.
3. Add another tablespoon olive oil and working in batches if necessary, brown the beef on both sides, approximately 3 minutes per side. Add additional olive oil, as necessary, to brown the all the beef.
4. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, water, and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Add lid and set pressure valve to “Sealing” position. Select “Manual” option and set to high. Adjust cook time to 6 minutes.
5. When finished cooking, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then do a quick release for the remaining pressure.
6. Remove lid and add sautéed veggies back to the container. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired. Serve iwith sliced green onions and sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 646Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 1907mgCarbohydrates: 76gFiber: 5gSugar: 28gProtein: 36g
Other easy Instant Pot dinners to try:
Be sure to PIN THIS recipe to your Instant Pot or dinner board.
