Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (2024)

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Instant Pot beef and broccoli tastes like Chinese takeout and is ready in 20 minutes!

Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (1)

If you like beef and broccoli from a Chinese restaurant, you will go crazy over this homemade Instant Pot beef and broccoli! Tender soft beef and perfect green broccoli swimming in the flavorful garlicky brown sauce – amazing!

Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (2)

You’ll be drooling smelling the beef and broccoli while it’s cooking in the Instant Pot. Your own kitchen will be transformed into the best Chinese restaurant ever! When you bite into this beef and broccoli dish, you will marvel how soft and tender the beef is, how perfectly cooked is the broccoli and how well they go with the brown sauce that ties the whole dish together.

Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (3)

Making your own beef and broccoli is cheaper and healthier than getting it from the restaurant. Chinese restaurants usually fry beef in a ton of oil and add unhealthy MSG. Homemade beef and broccoli doesn’t contain MSG and no oil is used in this recipe because it’s simply not needed! You know exactly what ingredients go into this meal – what you see is what you get!

Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (4)

Instant Pot beef and broccoli is very easy to make. All you need to do is combine the ingredients for the brown sauce (soy sauce, water, minced garlic and minced ginger), add beef and sauce to the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 10 minutes. While the beef is cooking, cook the broccoli in the microwave. When the Instant Pot is done cooking the beef, quick release (QR) the pressure, switch the Instant Pot to the Saute setting and add some cornstarch mixed with water to thicken the sauce. Stir in cooked broccoli and delicious homemade beef and broccoli is ready!

Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (5)

You may be wondering – why don’t I cook broccoli together with beef in the Instant Pot? The reason why I cook it separately is because the broccoli cooks much quicker then the beef. If broccoli were pressure cooked for 10 minutes, it would turn into absolute mush.

Can you cook broccoli in the Instant Pot too instead of using a microwave? Yes you can, but it needs to be cooked separately from beef. Instant Pot can make perfect broccoli, check out my Instant Pot broccoli recipe. If you have 2 Instant Pots, you can cook it in the second pot while the first one is cooking the beef, and if you only have one Instant Pot, then cook broccoli first, then remove it and cook the beef.

Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (6)

Beef and broccoli is awesome served over rice, and you can cook rice in the Instant Pot too! Second Instant Pot would come in handy here as well :) Check out my recipes for Instant Pot white rice and Instant Pot brown rice. Or you can use the rice cooker or microwave to cook rice at the same time as the beef (see how to cook rice in the microwave).

Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (7)

This beef and broccoli portion is quite big (2 lbs of beef) and it makes great leftovers. It tastes great re-heated the next few days, and you can also freeze it too in ziploc bags, and thaw it in a microwave or in refrigerator overnight when ready to eat. If you halve the portion and only cook 1 lb of beef, you still need to use the same quantity of sauce as for 2 lbs (1 cup of sauce), otherwise the Instant Pot might not come to pressure.

You can use any cut of beef to make Instant Pot beef and broccoli. The classic version useschuck roast or flank steak thinly sliced against the grain, but I’ve also made this successfully with pre-cut beef stew meat (I just had to halve the pieces to make them smaller) and pre-cut beef taco meat! Instant Pot makes beef so tender, so use whatever beef cut is on sale – it’s going to turn out awesome!

Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (8)

If you like Instant Pot beef and broccoli, you will also like these easy recipes:

Instant Pot Egg Roll In A Bowl – another Chinese takeout-fakeout! This is a low-carb version of eggroll, tastes like the eggroll without a wrapper :) The whole dinner cooks in one Instant Pot and ready in 10 minutes!

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo – authentic Filippino chicken Adobe recipe made simple in the Instant Pot! Super flavorful!

Instant Pot Beef Chili– another comfort one-pot meal, mouthwatering! Just dump all ingredients in the pot and get a steaming hot bowl of chili!

Instant Pot Lazy Cabbage Rolls – “unstuffed” cabbage rolls with beef, cabbage and rice, simmered together in Instant Pot to perfection! So filling and comforting!

Instant Pot Beef Meatballs With Rice – also called “porcupine meatballs” because the rice sticks out of meatballs like porcupine needles :) So tender and mouthwatering!

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Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (10)

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4.95 from 19 votes

This is the best and easiest Instant Pot beef and broccoli recipe ever! Ready on the table in 20 minutes and tastes like Chinese takeout! Instant Pot is a game changer!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: beef, broccoli

Cooking Method: Instant Pot

Diet: Gluten-Free, Keto / Low-Carb, Paleo

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 452kcal

Author: MelanieCooks.com

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs beef chuck roast or flank steak, cut into small pieces or thin strips
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar (or sugar-free sweetener for keto option)
  • 1 lb broccoli florets fresh or frozen
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch (or 1 tbsp xanthan gum for keto option)
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • Sesame seeds for garnish optional

Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)

  • Instant Pot

Instructions

  • Put soy sauce, 2/3 cup water, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender and process until smooth (if you'd like to make it without a food processor, mince garlic and ginger by hand and combine with soy sauce, water and sugar in a cup).

  • Put sliced beef in the Instant Pot and pour soy sauce mixture over it. Toss with your hands to make sure all the beef is coated with soy sauce mixture.

  • Close the lid of the Instant Pot and set the valve to a Sealing position. Press the "Pressure Cook" or "Manual" button and set the time to 10 minutes on High pressure.

  • While the beef is cooking, put the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on High for 4 minutes if fresh (or 5 minutes if frozen).

  • When the beef is done cooking, quick release (QR) the steam and open the Instant Pot lid.

  • On the Instant Pot, press the Saute button and set the time to 15 minutes.

  • In a cup, mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of hot water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the Instant Pot and mix until incorporated. The beef mixture will come to a boil and the sauce will gradually thicken (in about 3 minutes).

  • Stir the cooked broccoli into the beef mixture and serve.

  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds for garnish (if using).

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Nutrition

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 850mg | Potassium: 682mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 471IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4mg

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Instant Pot Beef And Broccoli Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How much liquid do you need for Instant Pot beef? ›

The Instant Pot won't come to pressure without a bit of liquid. We found 1 cup was just enough to avoid stewing the beef. Don't throw out the sauce at the end. It's amped up with flavor from cooking with the beef and is absolutely decadent spooned over medium-rare slices.

How do you soften beef for beef and broccoli? ›

How to tenderise beef – easily! There are a few methods, but this is the easiest way: Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes.

Should meat be covered with liquid in Instant Pot? ›

While you may cover meat almost completely for a conventional braise, use just enough liquid for the cooker to reach pressure – during pressure cooking the meat will release it's own juice and braise in that flavorful liquid, instead.

How long does it take to steam broccoli in an Instant Pot? ›

While you'll set your cooking time to “0”, the steaming time is actually just the time it takes for the instant pot to come to full pressure (about 5-10 minutes). After that, you'll just use your quick release to release the pressure and remove the broccoli.

What happens if there is not enough liquid in the pressure cooker? ›

It's necessary for steam to build up, ultimately creating a high-pressure environment used for faster cooking. Without sufficient liquid, pressure won't build — and you'll likely get the dreaded “burn” error.

How many cups of water to pressure cook beef? ›

Pour in at least two cups of water; use 1 to 2 cups more if the beef is a tough cut or to reach the minimum amount recommended by the pressure cooker's manufacturer. Seal the lid and bring the cooker up to full pressure over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, maintaining full pressure, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

How do Chinese make their meat so tender? ›

While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. You may also include two to three tablespoons of water. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing. Additional seasonings are optional and vary from recipe to recipe.

What kind of beef is good for beef and broccoli? ›

Beef flank steak is the best cut for quick stir fry dishes like beef and broccoli. It's cheap but still flavorful, and you can easily tenderize it with a little bit of baking soda.

Why is my beef and broccoli chewy? ›

Buy the right cut of meat.

No, cheap stew meat will not work here! You'll end up with tough chewy pieces of meat that no one will enjoy. My personal faves are flank steak & skirt steak. They are thin cuts of steak that cook quickly and are deliciously tender when sliced across the grain.

How much water is needed to make a pound of beef? ›

Beef. It takes approximately 1,847 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef — that's enough water to fill 39 bathtubs all the way to the top.

How much liquid do you need for pressure cooking? ›

A pressure cooker shouldn't be more than 2/3rds full. With liquids, avoid filling more than half full. Overfilling leads to food being ejected from the pressure release valve – a messy business. If this does happen, you'll need to take apart and clean the parts thoroughly.

How much liquid do I add to slow cooker meat? ›

When cooking meat or poultry, the water or liquid level should cover the ingredients to ensure effective heat transfer throughout the crock. Some manufacturers of slow cookers recommend adding liquid to fill the stoneware 1/2 to 3/4 full.

How much liquid per pound of meat in slow cooker? ›

Add about 1/4 Cup Liquid Per Pound of Pork

Aromatics aside, the actual liquid you put in the crock pot is what will flavor the pork the most.

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