This Broccoli Beef satisfies my craving for Chinese takeout but with less oil and sugar than what you’ll find at most restaurants.
Broccoli Beef
One of my favorite types of food to order in is Chinese takeout. However, it is not always the healthiest. That’s why I love cooking lighter versions at home. This Broccoli Beef recipe is even better than takeout. You may also like this Peruvian Beef Stir Fry called Lomo Saltado. If you prefer chicken, try my Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.
If you’re craving takeout, this beef and broccoli stir fry will definitely hit the spot. You can serve it over white or brown rice, or for a low-carb option, try cauliflower rice. My Easy Wonton Soup would really round out the meal.
This beef and broccoli recipe is from Gaby Dalkin’s gorgeous new cookbook Eat What You Want: 125 Recipes for Real Life (affil link). When I saw it, I couldn’t wait to try it! I modified the recipe only slightly to lighten it up by cutting back on the sugar and oil.
Gaby’s new cookbook is fantastic. It features recipes that are not only flavorful and simple to cook but also hearty and satisfying. You seriously need her book, you’ll want to make everything in it! Gaby created this dish because finding GREAT broccoli beef can be hard. She wanted to put her own take on it that would never disappoint. The ingredients are easy to find, and you’ll have plenty of leftovers.
What cut of meat is used for beef and broccoli?
Typically, flank steak is used for tender beef and broccoli. It’s inexpensive and widely available. You could also use flat iron steak.
How do you blanch broccoli?
This recipe calls for blanched broccoli. Blanching is an easy way to quickly cook vegetables.
Bring a big pot of water to boil. Drop the florets into the water and cook for two to three minutes until bright green and crisp-tender. Immediately drain in a colander and put in an ice bath (a large bowl filled with ice water), which will stop the cooking process. Once the broccoli is cool, drain in the colander again.
Variations:
- Use flat iron steak instead of flank steak.
- Swap the steak for chicken, or for a vegetarian version, use extra firm tofu.
- Serve over brown, white, or cauliflower rice.
More Stir Fry Recipes You’ll Love:
- Orange Chicken Makeover
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry
- Soba Noodle Veggie Stir Fry
- General Tso’s Chicken
Broccoli Beef
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak, cut into thin strips
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce, or gluten-free tamari
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 one-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, optional
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched
- cooked rice or cauliflower rice, for serving
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 3 scallions, sliced on the bias
Instructions
- Season the beef with white pepper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch, if using. Set aside.
- In a large nonstick skillet over high heat, warm 1/2 tablespoon of the sesame oil until just smoking. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is just about cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the skillet, then add the onions and cook until they are softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add the blanched and drained broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Then add the reserved sauce and stir to coat.
- Return the beef to the skillet and continue to cook until the beef is cooked through and the sauce has reduced slightly, about 3 minutes more.
- Transfer to serving plates over rice or veggie rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.
Simply delicious and easy to make
Great as usual. I use sirloin (cheaper) partially thaw and slice in food processor.so thin.and tender. Also add dried chilis and mung means for a little extra. Husband often asks for it. Also microwave in bag brocolli florets for ease.
I made this for dinner last night and the family love it. I did not have cornstarch, since it was optional I skipped. Easy and delicious!
I found this one to be a lot of work. It will make a good weekend dinner but is too much for a weeknight. My family enjoyed it so I will definitely make it again. I also suggest putting a note at the beginning of the recipe for people to start their rice!
Loved the flavor!
Couple tips…
1. I toasted the sesame seeds in my air fryer for about 4 minutes.
2. I used frozen broccoli florets. I just thawed them in the microwave for 4 minutes. Worked great.
Very tasty 😋 doesn’t even taste diet friendly. Will definitely make again!
I made this several times this week 2 ways, originally with the beef and again with tofu for my vegetarian friends. It was delicious both ways. I substituted maple syrup for brown sugar and used grated jarred ginger, not pickled.
Definitely a hit!
This was delicious and I wish I had doubled the recipe! My fiancé loved it, although we love every recipe I’ve ever tried from Skinnytaste! Thank you for sharing!
A+ just added a little more of the seasonings listed, but garlic salt and paprika
I make this all the time!!! We no longer order this when we go out for Asian foold
My kid doesn’t eat anything except for fruit, yogurt, and Mac & cheese. Today this got 2 thumbs up and he asked for seconds. That’s a winner for us
Awesome!!
Good recipe but I agree too salty. I am Chinese and grew up eating my Dads version. I would suggest using 1/2 cup chicken stock, 2 -3 tablespoons of soy, and 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine or dry sherry along with the sugar and cornstarch for the sauce instead. Thanks for all the great recipes, Gina!
This was great, thanks for the recipe!
Super easy to make, which is what I was looking for. Loved it. I read about the “salty” comments, so I substituted 1/4 of the soy sauce for teriyaki and turned out pretty good. All and all, very good. Thank you!!
I made this tonight for dinner for the next couple of days and I have to say this is outside of my normal meal prep and OMG it is so good. I didn’t low sodium soy sauce and will make sure I have that next time I make this. First time cooking with fresh ginger! Thanks for the recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I still haven’t received the last item from my last order
This was SO, SO good! My son loves take out Beef and Broccoli, and this was way better. Flank steak at my grocery store was too $$ for me ($16 a pound or so), so I bought sirloin steak and sliced it very thinly. I’m going to make Chicken and Broccoli this week following the same recipe.
I followed the directions, to the T, including thinly slicing flank steak (at an angle, against the grain) and blanching the [fresh] broccoli that I made into florets before cooking. This dish came out AMAZING! I didn’t think it was too salty, if anything, I added a little salt to the steak out of fear that it could turn out bland. I had a lot of ‘steak juice’ left in my wok when I cooked it, so I poured it out before cooking the onions. This will definitely be added to my Skinnytaste Recipes Rotation. I’ve yet to be disappointed by anything I’ve made by Gina. 🙂
This was a huge hit. Entire family loved it. My husband said it was the best Asian dish he has ever had! Will definitely be a regular in our house.
I made this for dinner and LOVED it. Wanted to use a small steak that I had, it worked out just fine. We don’t have any good Chinese restaurants where I live. This felt like such a treat! Thank s Gina!
Glad you enjoyed it!
So good! I reduced the amount of soy sauce based on other comments, and also used petite sirloin steak since that’s what I had. Delicious.
Just made this tonight with 2 strip steaks (all I had) and it was fantastic! I don’t think I’ll be able to eat take out broccoli beef again!
This recipe is fantastic! I use the two pack of filets from Trader Joe’s and serve it over rice made in the instant pot. It’s like having take out from a local spot. So delish and easy! It’s in our monthly rotation.
My family (kids included) loved this dish! I was nervous reading the other comments about saltiness, but I did not find this to be an issue. It is on the saltier side, but what American chinese food isn’t 🙂 Be sure to slice the beef thin and don’t let it cook the whole way through the first round, made for very tender meat. Will definitely make this again!
This was such an easy, inexpensive, and MUCH healthier version of one of my favorite Asian takeout dishes. Everyone in my family LOVED it! I have made other recipes of Beef with Broccoli and this one was honestly the best tasting. The only suggestion I would give to someone making this would be to use the quick velveting method of Baking Soda and Water soak for the beef. I do this for every Asian stir fry I cook. I used “Beef Stir Fry” pre-sliced meat, as they didn’t have any flank steak when I ordered, which I am sure is not as ideal as flank, and the meat was easy to bite into, not rubbery. Not having to cut the meat was a nice time saver. I will actually just plan to use that (less expensive) cut from now on!
This one is going into my regular rotation! (By request from the 11 and 13 year olds!)
Hi Gina,
I love your recipes. Thank you for all you do. I am on WW here in Canada. When I click on personal points, it opens my WW app but I can’t see how to enter the recipe. Are you able to help me?
Thanks,
Paddy
Unfortunately the links don’t work for us in Canada.
can i use frozen broccoli
If you wish
I was in somewhat of a hurry and didn’t read the comments. Oops. I agree that this is way too salty to be any good. I would not make it again, all I tasted was salt.
Can you tell me how much ginger to use if i just use ground ginger from the spice section?
Do you have directions for slow cooker?
No sorry
Made this for myself and a friend. We both agreed this is a repeat meal. The flavor was spot on. I prefer the optional cornstarch so I tried 1/2 of the amount above as a test. It was very good but I decided I will use the full amount next time. Thanks for a great recipe. Yum!
Excellent! I did double the sauce because I also had more beef and vegetables than called for. Just perfect!
Amazing! I doubled the sauce when i put it in with the broccoli because it didnt look like it was enough. But it was! I ended up with too much sauce but my husband was very excited to have extra sauce for his rice. You are a genius Gina!
I’ve made Gaby’s version and this one a couple of times both with chicken and beef. I made it again tonight and just had to come and say it is the best beef and broccoli I’ve ever had.
Made this for the 1st time tonight. It was so good. Only adjustments was used 1/4 cup of water and 1 /4 cup on low sodium soya sauce based on other reviews about saltiness, it was perfect. Thanks Gina
Made this last night and hubby went back for seconds. That’s a rare compliment!
Why does this recipe have over 1400 mg of salt? That’s quite a bit. How can I make this a lower sodium recipe?
Thank you!
You can use less soy sauce
This was so delicious! Just like take out but better. My daughter has celiac and being able to offer her a take out meal that normally she couldn’t have is priceless.
Could this be made in an air fryer? If so, what modifications would you recommend?
This came out so very salty that we couldn’t eat it. If I were to make it again, I’d use the sauce from the chicken & zucchini stir fry, which is delicious, and would use sirloin steak instead of flank steak. We like flank steak but it was tough prepared like this.
Delish!! I find Asian food to be a “ niche” cooking style unless prepared regularly. This was so good, all ingredients readily available. Only a few changes—- put flat iron steaks in the freezer for 20 minutes for easier slicing. Made a double batch of sauce and poured 1/3 cup over meat to marinate for a few hours. Cooked as directed. Only addition would be some hot chili flakes if you like some heat. Great advance prep recipe.
This was so very good! Another great recipe!
I used low sodium soy sauce. But the broccoli really absorbed the salt! It was almost too salty to eat. Not sure what happened.
If you find the recipe too salty, use equal parts soy sauce and mirin or white wine. It’s good that way!
My husband and I loved this recipe! Much better than the local Asian restaurant. I have one question…I would like to make this for friends of ours for an evening meal but was wondering if I could make the beef and broccoli before they arrive and then heat it up when we are ready to have dinner. Has anyone tried that? However, I don’t want to diminish the texture or flavor by reheating.
I made this the other night when my daughter was at a long night of dance practice. It was not as good when she had it…the broccoli, which was crisp and just sauced when fresh was more soggy, and the sauce in general had evaporated some, so did not get into the bed of rice like it did when the rest of it ate it right when I made it. It really does cook up quickly, though! Maybe blanch the broccoli ahead of time and combine the sauce ingredients ahead of time?
This recipe comes together so quickly and is packed with flavor. We added in the white parts of the scallions and some serrano peppers because we had some on hand and it was delightful. Take the low sodium soy sauce note into consideration, or cut regular soy sauce with coconut aminos if you have it.
Usually beef and broccoli is my favorite, this one however was a bust. It is wayyyyy to salty, even using reduced sodium soy sauce.
Can I use frozen broccoli for this recipe?
1452mg sodium……
Do the calories include the rice or just the broccoli and beef?!
@Jess,
Since the serving says per 3/4 cup, you need to add points for whatever you choose to serve it with. Rice, noodles, spiralized veggies, spaghetti squash..some good choices for you. 😊
I made this recipe just as it was written and served it over rice. Perfect! I LOVED it!
Definitely adding this to my meal rotation.
This looks great but it’s just not enough food for me.
Do the points include the rice?
Easy to make, delicious – meets our criteria for a great meal. The only change I made was to use combined cauliflower and broccoli, as I was a bit short on the broccoli.
This was so delicious and beautiful. It just burst with flavor from the ginger and spices. Also, so easy to make. Definitely a keeper.
Easy enough recipe, but way too salty for me.
This was good, but my meat came out a bit chewy. Any tips?
if the meat came out chewy, then you over cooked it. I would pull the meat off the heat and into a bowl when you can still see some pink in the meat. The heat from the meat sitting will continue to cook the meat to the proper temp.
I always velvet my beef (google it, it’s a game changer!) for stir fry. I can make even less tender, cheaper cuts of beef easily bitten through.
OMG! This was so delicious! I doubled the sauce, my husband likes lots of sauce. I didn’t have broccoli so I used blanched green beans and added a squirt of Sriracha.
It came out wonderful! Thank you for another tasty recipe!!
Solid recipe that is super easy to make. It is a little salty even when using low sodium soy sauce but I did add about a 1/4 cup of water to “thin” it out. Made with cauliflower rice for me and regular rice for my husband. Yum!
This is an outstanding recipe. So simple, and so delicious. I had a go-to broccoli beef recipe for a long time, and this replaces it. Tonight, I subbed tenderloin for the flank steak and baby bok choy for the broccoli. The baby bok choy worked beautifully.
I did this in the recipe builder in purple and got 6 points even by making the steak 1.5 lbs instead of the 1 you have listed above. I’m not sure how you got to 7?
I made this twice and I’m about to make it again tonight. The whole family loved this meal! Thank you for these great healthy family meals. The receipt has great favor. I followed the recipe exactly how you have it listed. I did add a little too much white pepper on the second try which the kids noticed. Also I think it’s important to slice the meat very thin. I tried this the second cook and found the meat very tender and tasty. I also used a mixture of tamari and low sodium soy sauce. It didn’t come out salty at all but you have to taste the sauce prior to adding to meat.
Great recipe, I reduced the sodium a bit more by diluting the soy sauce with 25% water and it still tasted great. I felt that the ginger added a lot of depth to the sauce without overpowering it. When I tried this the night I made it I thought I should’ve served a bit extra sauce on top. The leftovers were even better because they soaked up all the sauce making them very flavorful.
I made this for our family yesterday, and it was a hit! Thank you so much for sharing your simple, healthy, tasty recipes with the world!
I make a kot of your recipes but this one was particularly excellent!
Such great flavors in this dish! I had my family over tonight and made this amazing broccoli beef recipe for them. Everyone loved it!
I felt compelled to comment after reading other comments. This was delicious. I followed the recipe to a T except that I didn’t have low-sodium soy-sauce. I used regular soy sauce but cut it down with water so I used 75% soy, 25% water. The food is delicious. It is salty, but not too salty for me. It tastes how I would think beef broccoli is supposed to taste.
I’m eating the leftovers right now as I type this. Give me a second…. Mmmm good. Very good. So yeah, this wasn’t a salt explosion for me. It’s damn tasty. And it didn’t take long to make – I would say the 30 minute time is pretty accurate.
The recipe says to add the reserved sauce but doesn’t tell you when to add sauce initially. Of course I realize that as I am cooking it. Was half to go with the beef?
This was delicious!! Absolutely loved this recipe and my family gave it two thumbs up. I followed the recipe exactly. Ironically, my husband and son who are salt lovers said that next time they think I should add a little salt to the meat.
How do I make this less salty I already mixed it with the beef and broccoli 🥺😭
This is an excellent recipe. My husband kept commenting how good the sauce is, and so much better than bland takeout. Both my kids cleaned their plates too. We added 1/4 cup water and about a tsp of sriracha to the sauce because we love a little spice. Total win! Thank you!
This was delicious! Will definitely make again!
My daughter and I love this recipe! I’ve made it 3 weeks in a row!
Does the nutritional information include the rice or cauliflower rice, or is that factored separately?
Absolutely delicious and totally satisfied my Chinese takeaway cravings. Super easy to make and a real family hit.
This recipe was really easy to make and very delicious!
Loved this recipe, so easy and quick to make but it was SO salty (I should’ve read the comments before starting). Do you have any advice on how to further reduce the salt content? Would the recipe still work if I diluted the soy sauce with water? I definitely want to make this again but want to avoid it being so salty. Thanks for all your great recipes!
Unfortunately it was way too salty. This is the first SkinnyTaste recipe we did not like in about 8 years. We used low sodium tamari sauce but it was still too salty for us.
Was looking to try it but was wondering what a serving was. 315 calories for how many ounces/grams. I know I could do it myself but I’m being lazy. Thanks
3/4 cup. Serving size is listed before the nutritional info.
Is that 3/4 of a cup of the meat and broccoli mixture alone or that with rice? Do you calculate the rice separately? Thanks.
Hi – I entered the calories and nutritional info into the app and I’m on purple points and it says 9 points instead of 7. Is that wrong?
You have to do it in recipe builder to get 7 points
I made this on Monday for dinner and it was delicious! I omitted the salt like others suggested and used low sodium soy sauce, which was perfect. We also served it with cauliflower rice – great suggestion. Definitely a thumbs up on this recipe and plan to add it to our meal rotation!
Made this today and it was a huge hit! Served over cauliflower rice.
Just curious, I put the ingredients in the recipe builder and mine only came out to 5 pts. I’m not complaining, just curious if I did something wrong? Its for the blue plan? I love all your recipes and cook them all the time! We are having this one tonight!
Made this tonight. Based on other comments, I only put white pepper on the beef. I also used a skirt steak because that was what I had.
Otherwise, I followed the recipe and did add the cornstarch. It was amazing! Everyone at my house loved it and said it was better than the last time we ordered beef and broccoli from a restaurant. Mine was not too salty at all! I used Trader Joe’s reduced sodium soy sauce.
My first skinny taste meal for my family and I’m not at all impressed. I like the idea of an Asian beef and broccoli meal but this was way too salty even with reduced sodium soy sauce. I couldn’t finish it. Thank goodness I had side salad prepared or I guess I’d be making an extra dinner. On top of that it took me close to 2 hours and I’m relatively fast around the kitchen (I thought). I’ll look for a different recipe to try next based upon the reviews I’ve read here.
Made this with cauliflower rice and it was so good! Quick and easy weeknight meal and tasted better than takeout.
Yikes!!!!! I love salt but this was inedible!!! I used low sodium soy sauce and didn’t even add additional salt to the beef, and we had to throw it out. I love skinny taste recipes but this one was WAAAY off.
Would NOT recommend!
I am sorry so many are finding this so salty! While I had only slightly altered the recipe from the original, I have now gone back and removed the salt and stated to use low sodium soy sauce. You can also use less soy sauce and then adjust to taste.
We really enjoyed this but next time we’ll use maybe a 1/4 cup of soy sauce. We love salt in my family but this has too much. Thanks so much!
Is it 315 calories for each serving or 315 for all of the food you make?
Per serving.
Does that include the rice? And if so, how much rice?
Love the recipes!!!
Easy recipe, turned out great! Will definitely add this into a regular rotation.
Another delicious meal from Skinnytaste!! I made extra sauce and broccoli for my daughter who is a vegetarian and the whole family was happy! I am gluten free and always nervous about ordering Chinese take out and now I don’t have to order because I can make something quickly and know it will taste great….Gina you never let me down.
This dish was fantastic! We omitted the 1/2 tsp of salt based on other reviews and used low sodium soy sauce. I did a few cracks of salt while cooking the meat. We used snap peas instead of broccoli and did use the cornstarch and it thickened up the sauce nicely! Will be making this again!
I have always had good luck with Skinny Taste recipes but this one was a disaster. I followed the recipe exactly and it was by far the saltiest meal I have ever cooked. Totally inedible. It also took much longer to prep and cook than what was stated in the instructions.
This recipe got 3 stars because it was way too salty even though I used a reduced sodium soy sauce. I’ll try it again but cut the soy sauce to 1/4 cup or less.
I use sirlion, which is great, as flank and skirt steak are expensive where I live, but sirloin often on sale. I semi freeze it and then slice it in the food processor so it is uber thin and tender. Tastes just like take out.
One of my all time takeout meals, but with less oil and sugar? Count me in. Can’t wait to add this to our upcoming dinners!
A little confused about step 5 saying to add reserved garlic sauce? Should that be all of it hopefully? 🙂 Cooking now.
The sauce you make in the beginning.
I was a little confused by the wording too but since I didn’t see it used anywhere else I figured she meant use the whole reserve, not what was leftover from using it earlier in the meal (if that makes sense).
This took FOREVER to make. Never again. Not worth it.
This was delicious and easy.
I used a flat-iron steak, sliced thinly, and did not salt it in advance. Also, Kikkoman makes a “reduced-sodium” soy sauce.
Thank you for this excellent recipe!
Could you substitute fresh ginger with ground ginger? How much ground ginger?
Good Morning ! I like to Silken my beef to help tenderize it…Slice meat thinly, put in a bowl and add 1/4 tsp. baking soda per pound of meat, mix in a bit of water, mix and let stand for an hour or so. Do Not use to much soda or it will taste like soap !!!! To use, rinse the soda off the meat and continue with your recipe ! I was so surprised how tender the meat got !
I notice the the ginger has a metric equivalent. Any chance that you’d add that to all ingredients in all recipes? When I ask for the 1 person version of the recipe, the British Imperial units become very weird, I mean what is .13 teaspoons?
With over 1400 mgs of sodium per serving I would hardly call this healthy. E gads
But since it’s homemade, you can adjust the sodium.
This was very easy to make, and it smelled so good. It was way, way too salty though. We couldn’t eat it. I am wondering if it would be better without the 1/2 tsp of salt on the steak, and just having the sauce?
Yeah this was super salty! The one from her book is much better. Maybe only 1/4C soy sauce and 1/4C water next time?
This is from the author’s cookbook, I didnt want to alter her recipe too much. You can omit the kosher salt.
I would be making this with chicken. Have you figured the point count when white meat chicken is used in the recipe ? Thanks.
I am so glad to see this! I will try it soon.
I’m curious as to your statement that flank steak is inexpensive. In my city in the South, it’s $9 per lb, which to me, is quite expensive. How much is it where you live? I’d love to make this often, but it costs too much which is a shame because it’s delicious! Flat iron steak costs even more. Is there a truly inexpensive cut of meat that would work in this recipe?
Have you tried the tenderizing method of using a bit of baking soda? I understand it really helps make thin strips of meat much more tender.
Does the nutrition information account for the rice as well? If so, how much rice?
No, rice is not included.
Thanks! What is the “reserved garlic sauce” referring to?
11 inches of ginger? Maybe 1? Equals 2.5 cm.
Thanks
1- 1″ piece, sorry for the confusion!
can you substitute tofu for beef?
I love the new printing functionality you added that lets me adjust the number of servings. I don’t have to do math now!
We are sesame allergic. Do you have any substitute suggestions for the oil? I can just skip the seeds.
In your recipe, you call for 11 inches of ginger, I believe that you mean 1 inch of ginger.
correct, 1 inch
Can I use frozen broccoli?
It you wish.
Do the 7 points (WW Blue) include rice?
no
Looks delicious!! Could you substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce?
Sure.