This is how you turn a budget cut of beef into the most meltingly tender version of this popular Chinese take out without a wok! My Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli is cheap, healthy, easy and you can make it freezer friendly!
“Very few stir fries can be converted into a slow cooked version without compromising flavour or texture. Beef and broccoli was made for it.”
Have you noticed that when you order Chinese that the meat is always incredibly tender? It’s not because they are made with expensive fillets. It is because of a technique used to tenderise the meat called “velveting”. All you do is marinate the meat in cornstarch and sauces.
But even with velveting, you can’t disguise cheap beef cuts because stir fries are cooked quickly over high heat so the meat is still quite tough. And if you use an expensive cut of beef, it will be tender but it won’t be meltingly tender.
The solution? SLOW COOKING. Not an authentic method, but the ingredients in the recipe are. Time savvy? YES. Cost efficient? DOUBLE YES.
“I took an authentic Chinese Beef & Broccoli recipe and adapted the quantities and directions to suit slow cooking and freezing.”
There are 2 basic steps to make this Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli:
1. Throw the beef and sauce ingredients in the slow cooker. Then let it cook on High for 3 hours, or pressure cook it for 40 minutes on High.
2. Toss in lightly cooked broccoli. Just steam or boil broccoli until it is “tender crisp” (which means the broccoli is just cooked, still bright green and crisp). I once saw a recipe where the broccoli was slow cooked with the beef. Please do not be tempted to try this! The broccoli gets overcooked to the point that it practically turns to mush and it’s horribly brown. The extra few minutes it takes to toss in freshly cooked broccoli is worth it.
“Thie entire meal can be made ahead and frozen, including the cooked rice.”
This Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli recipe can also be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. I didn’t realise that broccoli could be frozen until I researched it for this recipe! It actually freezes really well, you just need to make sure you blanch it before freezing. So the recipe includes directions for how to make this freezer friendly as well. It worked perfectly – when I thawed and reheated it, the broccoli was perfectly cooked and bright green.
Plus the other tip is to freeze cooked rice. It’s not common knowledge, but cooked rice freezes incredibly well and it’s a standard thing to do in Asian households. All my relatives in Japan do it, and I’ve never known any different because my mother always did it.
Hope you enjoy it! Leave me a comment if you have any questions.
PS This recipe is part of my mission to consume an abnormal pile of broccoli I stockpiled because it was insanely cheap at the grocery store. Here are the other broccoli recipes I’ve shared as part of the Broccoli Consumption Mission:
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Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 500 g / 16 oz chuck steak or other beef cut suitable for slow cooking
- 300 g / 16 oz broccoli florets (about 6 cups, 1 giant broccoli or 2 medium)
- 2 tbsp corn flour (corn starch)
- 1 cup water (see note 2)
Sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp finely sliced fresh ginger (note 1)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (normal dark soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 4 tsp Chinese cooking wine (rice wine) or dry sherry (note 5)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 dashes white pepper
Instructions
- Cut the beef into thin slices against the grain (which means at 90 degrees to the direction of the fibres in the meat).
- Place beef in slow cooker.
- Mix the corn flour with the water, then add to the slow cooker.
- Add the Sauce ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 3 hours (or pressure cook on high for 40 minutes).
To Serve Immediately
- Steam or boil broccoli until "tender crisp" (just cooked, still bright green and still crisp).
- Add to beef and sauce, toss to combine. Serve over rice.
To Make Ahead to Freeze (2 months) or Refrigerate (2 days)
- Let the beef and sauce cool.
- Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli very briefly, then run under cold water or plunge into ice water to stop from cooking further.
- Drain broccoli, then combine with the beef and sauce.
- Place into ziplock bags or airtight containers and freeze or refrigerate.
- To cook, thaw then reheat in the microwave, covered. Be careful not to heat for too long because otherwise the broccoli will overcook.
- Serve with rice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Surprisingly easy to cook. Just throw into the slow cooker for 3 hours. The taste is really like that from a Chinese restaurant.
This was the first recipe of yours that didn’t come out well for me, but I’m new to the pressure cooker so probably my own fault 😬
A hearty winter dish. My husband absolutely loved it. I cut the soy and oyster sauce by half as I knew it would be too salty for us and it turned out perfectly balanced. I also slow cooked it on low for six hours and kept the meat a little more chunky.
This dish is super simple and incredibly tasty. The whole family loved it! The slow cooker option is perfect for busy after school afternoons.
Just made this in the pressure cooker. 3 minutes then thickened after cooking. Delish. I did add extra 2 tbl oyster sauce after tasting.
This was the best ever slow cooker recipe I’ve made. Easy, using things I have in my pantry and delicious. My 3 year old grandson absolutely loved it, as did the rest of the family.
First try and family loved it! I adjusted for ten people so that I could freeze half. Also added lots of fresh chunky veggies half way; good way to clear out the fridge 🙂
Can you cook longer 8-10 hours on low?
Thank you for your help.
Hi Nagi – another winner! I love how it tasted (as did my family) and loved how easy it was to prepare. And slow cooker without searing – win, win, win!! More like this please 🙂
I adore your recipes!!! You are the TOP. I hope the cookbook is going well. I am having friends over. If I double the recipe, is the cooking time the same? Best, Elizabeth
IN this case yes it would be Elizabeth! N x
Found this recipe to be very bland. Don’t know what I did wrong.
So easy to cook but still tasted delicious! Will definitely be cooking again. I used rump steak instead of chuck steak as I couldn’t find any and worked out great.
Hi Nagi, I love, love, love your recipes. Not had one we haven’t enjoyed! Will this work with cubed rather than thinly sliced beef?
Can I skip the ginger without ruining the taste?
Am cooking this for my family and my dad is not too fond of ginger after too many ginger shots to fight of nausea.
Thanks for all your amazing recipes, I am rediscovering my passion for cooking:)
Oh no! Just omit it Heidi, it will still taste amazing! N x
Nagi thank you I love your recipes. Just wondering should this one also have Chinese five spice?
Not my recipe sorry – you can always add it if you like though! N x
Hi Nagi…I did the slow cooker beef and broccoli recipe and substituted cut up boneless chicken thighs and it came out PERFECT!! Sauce is very versatile. I did the full 4 serving sauce ingredients and will freeze the extra plain just to have for another day…Thank you!
Has anyone swapped out the beef with chicken for this recipe Please??
Hi Martha, give this one a go! https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-broccoli-stir-fry/ N x
I have made that one and love it but was curious if chicken would work in place of the beef for this crock pot version?
Yet another winner meal tonight. Thanks again Nagi.
Hi Nagi..made this tonight n LOVED it..made it for two inspite of the fact it’s just me n actually went back for seconds so no left overs. Super easy to make n was perfect. Do you ever add minced garlic or garlic powder with it?