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? ›

📺 Watch how to make it
  1. Place the steak strips in a bowl.
  2. Sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and rub it into the meat with your hands.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  4. Rinse the beef in cold water to remove the bicarb.
  5. Pat dry with paper towels and use as per your recipe.
Jul 11, 2023

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. DO use fresh herbs.

Why is my Instant Pot beef not tender? ›

If it's still tough, you will need to cook it longer. The pressure cooking process breaks down tough meat, making it tender. Put the lid back on, seal the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for another 10 to 20 minutes. The provided nutrition facts are estimates.

How many cups of water to pressure cook beef? ›

Brown roast on all sides in hot shortening. Sprinkle onion soup mix over the roast. 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.

How much water do you put in a pressure cooker for vegetables? ›

Pour a 1/2 cup (125 ml) of water in the bottom of the pressure cooker if the vegetable's cooking time is less than 5 minutes. If the cooking time of the vegetable is between 5 and 10 minutes, use 1 cup (250 ml) of water. If the cooking time is between 10 and 20 minutes, use 2 cups (500 ml) of water.

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.

Why is my beef and broccoli chewy? ›

Buy the right cut of meat.

Since stir fries cook quickly, you have to use a tender 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.

What is Chinese beef and broccoli sauce made of? ›

The sauce is a combination of beef stock, light and dark soy sauce, Chinese rice wine (you can swap for sherry if you haven't got rice wine), sesame oil, sugar, white pepper and black pepper. Fry up slices of very thinly sliced flank/skirt steak. Remove from the pan, then fry up plenty of tenderstem broccoli.

Do I need to brown meat before pressure cooking? ›

Brown it

Pressure cooked food doesn't brown so it's worth doing this at the start of cooking before adding liquid and putting the lid on. Meat looks and tastes more appetising with a little browning. Onions, garlic and spices also benefit in the flavour stakes from pre-cooking.

What is the best meat to pressure cook? ›

You can still pressure cook leaner pieces – like eye of round and top sirloin – but these work best if they've been stuffed, shredded or rolled (with other ingredients). Best cuts of beef to use: Chuck steak, Round Roast, Shoulder, Pot roast, Ribs, Brisket, Oxtail.

Does quick release make meat tough? ›

Quick release does not necessarily make your meat tough. There are many recipes that have a longer cook time, so doing a quick release is better. It really just depends on what you are making. However, if the recipe calls for a natural release and you do a quick release, then yes your meat could come out tough.

How do you cook beef so it stays tender? ›

Cook It Slowly

This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.

Will cooking beef longer make it more tender? ›

Your meat will be juicier and more tender

The longer cooking time and the low heat complement each other perfectly. As a result, even though the meat is cooked for far longer, it doesn't dry out because the temperature is low. As a result, this is the best way to retain all the natural juices of the meat.

How much liquid do I need in my Instapot? ›

Your Instant Pot needs liquid to work. If there's not enough, your pot won't be able to create enough steam to build pressure. About 1 cup is the minimum amount of liquid, so if you're cooking a recipe that will absorb water, like rice or beans, you'll need even more.

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 I add to slow cooker meat? ›

How much liquid do I add? Water or liquid is necessary to create steam. 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.

Does food need to be submerged in a pressure cooker? ›

Recipes that use little liquid will come to pressure faster because there is less liquid to heat and many of the solid ingredients will only be partially submerged which means less of their surface area can steal heat.

References

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