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Beef and Broccoli is a staple Chinese take-out dish, and it’s easy to see why. Tender beef combined with crisp broccoli in a savory garlic sauce. What’s not to love? For this beef and broccoli stir fry, I’ll show you how to keep your beef tender in this fast and easy recipe. Plus, it tastes better than take-out!

This dish is always a hit at my house. In fact, I probably made this dish four times in the last two weeks during recipe testing, and my spouse has yet to complain. The guy loves beef and he loves broccoli so everybody wins.

I love how easy and satisfying this meal is for the family. Not to mention economical! Whenever there’s steak on sale (you can pretty much use any cut), I just buy a bag of broccoli (usually the type you just steam in the bag), and boom! Dinner is ready. Everybody is happy.

Main Ingredients for Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Beef – I used tri-tip for this recipe because it was on sale. You can pretty much use any type of cut you like, even the cheaper cuts.
- You could substitute flank steak, sirloin, or London broil.
Broccoli – For this recipe, I used broccoli florets that you can steam in the bag. Super convenient!
- Alternatively, you can cut up broccoli and give it a blanch in boiling water before adding to the beef.
Baking soda – The secret ingredient for tender beef. You only need a little bit for the marinade.
Shaoxing wine – Also known as Chinese Cooking Wine. This gives the dish a more authentic flavor. If you find yourself cooking lots of Chinese dishes, this ingredient is a must-have.
- You can substitute with mirin or sake.
Corn starch – Another ingredient to help keep the beef tender. It’s also the thickener for the sauce to ensure it coats the meat and veggies in all the delicious sauce.
Oyster sauce – The main flavor of the sauce and contributes the savory umami flavor.
Soy sauce – Adds that salty goodness.
Buillion – You could go with beef or chicken buillion on this one. This is what’s going to flavor the sauce and kick up the meaty flavor.
Garlic – The key ingredient to making your house smell amazing. Your family will come to the kitchen and ask when dinner is ready.

How to Make Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Start with slicing your steak of choice. You’ll want to slice the beef about a 1/4 inch thick and cut against the grain. Transfer the sliced beef into a bowl and mix together the marinade ingredients. Give it a good mix with your hands. If the marinade mixture is feeling too dry (which sometimes happens with the addition of corn starch), you can add a tablespoon of water. Set aside for 15-30 minutes as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Next, you’ll want to cook the broccoli. When I’m lazy, I like to pick up a bag of broccoli florets and steam them right in the bag. Typically, the directions say to microwave for three minutes, but I do one and a half minutes to keep the broccoli crisp.

Optionally, you can blanch the broccoli as well. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and blanch the broccoli for about two minutes. Take out the broccoli and set it aside until you’re ready to cook.

Now it’s time to combine the sauce. It’s best to prep everything before cooking since it will cook fast. Combine the sauce ingredients, give it a good stir, and set it aside.

Lastly, prepare the corn starch slurry. Combine equal parts water and corn starch and set aside. This will be added to the stir fry at the end to thicken the sauce.

When it’s time to cook, heat up a wok or a large pan on high. When it’s hot, add cooking oil and the marinated beef. Give it a good stir, it should take about 3-4 minutes. Remove the sliced beef once it’s cooked and add the garlic. Deglaze the pan with the sauce and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan for the delicious browned bits. Add the corn starch to the sauce and allow it to come to a boil (should only take 30 seconds to a minute. Add the beef and broccoli into the pan and toss in all the delicious sauce. And that’s it – serve over rice and enjoy!

Tips for Tender Beef

Have you ever wondered why the beef from the Chinese restaurant is always so tender compared to when you make it at home? There are a few tricks to ensure you get restaurant-quality results:

Cut against the grain – Take a look at your steak and see what direction the muscle fibers are aligned (this is really easy to see in a flank steak). You’ll want to slice right through those fibers so that each piece now contains short fibers. This is what keeps you from gnawing at your meat and makes it easier to chew.
Add a little baking soda – Adding a small amount of baking soda to the marinade helps the steak stay tender. The baking soda raises the pH of the meat’s surface making it more difficult for the proteins to bond. At some restaurants, the meat is soaked in baking soda water for a few hours and then rinsed before cooking. I never have time for that, so I find adding a little to the marinade also does the trick.
Coat with some corn starch – I add a little corn starch to the marinade and let it coat the steak. I find it protects the meat from the heat of the wok/pan and keeps the meat juicy.

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