Tender, juicy beef and broccoli smothered in a special glossy sauce. Who needs to order takeout when you have a Beef and Broccoli recipe sourced from a Chinese restaurant?
Copycat Chinese takeout recipes are a firm favourite in my world, with recipes like Chow Mein, Cashew Chicken, Fried Rice and Egg Foo Young on heavy rotation along with this Beef and Broccoli. For a full Chinese banquet, start with an appetiser of Spring Rolls or Potstickers. And don’t miss Chicken and Broccoli stir fry!
Beef and broccoli recipe
I’ve attempted on several occasions to wheedle recipes out of my local Chinese restaurant – with little to no success.
I’m beyond the age of hair flipping and lack the lashes for batting my eyes to any effect, but I do dial up the charm – full wattage smile, laying on the compliments, hitting them up after I’ve ordered a truckload of takeout.
Alas, I’ve gotten nowhere.
So imagine my delight when I discovered a Chinese cooking blog called Woks of Life run by a Chinese-American family who used to own a Chinese restaurant! And that’s where the base for this recipe came from – the Woks of Life Beef and Broccoli stir fry. An actual real-deal restaurant recipe!!
Beef and Broccoli Sauce
The sauce base for Chinese Beef and Broccoli is extremely simple. They key here is the right ratios:
soy sauce;
Chinese cooking wine OR Mirin (see recipe for subs);
sugar;
cornflour/cornstarch for thickening; and
Chinese Five Spice Powder – a hint of this is the signature flavour in Beef and Broccoli!
What is Chinese Five Spice powder?
It’s a spice mix made up of (surprise, surprise?) five spices – cinnamon, cloves, Szechuan pepper, fennel and star anise. It’s a common spice blend found in supermarkets nowadays that doesn’t cost any more than other standard spices.
The Sauce serves a dual purpose – as the main Sauce for the stir fry, as well as adding a little flavour directly to the beef. It doesn’t need to be marinated, just set it aside while you prep the other ingredients.
Best beef for stir fries
In the video and the photos of the finished dish in this post, I’ve used an economy beef eye fillet (Australia – Harris Farms sells it for $20/kg) which is beautifully juicy and tender, perfect for stir fries.
Any quick cooking cut of beef is suited to this recipe. Basically, the rule of thumb is: if you’d throw it on the BBQ and eat it as a steak, it’s great for stir fries.
But you can also make a Beef and Broccoli with economical beef – even stewing cuts (!!) – by using a little known Chinese restaurant secret method to tenderise beef using baking soda. It’s simple, highly effective and will make your beef incredibly tender in every stir fry – just like you cheerful local Chinese restaurant!
Beef and Broccoli – not authentic, and that’s ok!
I haven’t travelled extensively throughout China but in the time I did spend there, I can say with certainty that I never saw Beef Broccoli on any menu. Broccoli is actually very expensive in China!
So I’m pretty sure Beef and Broccoli is a westernised version of a Chinese dish, or just a Western Chinese dish.
Either way, it’s a big Chinese takeout favourite – with good reason. Tender beef with juicy broccoli generously smothered with a savoury Chinese brown sauce with the signature hint of Chinese Five Spice Powder, this is one of those dishes that’s a crowd pleaser for all ages!
Try the noodle version one day – Beef Broccoli Noodles. It’s everything you know and love about Beef and Broccoli – with noodles! – Nagi x
PS Update – also try the new Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry. Extra saucy!
More Chinese Takeout Favourites
Spring Rolls – better than egg rolls!
Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
See all Chinese Takeout Recipes
PS Plenty of sauce – see? Because everyone loves the sauce!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Sometimes it helps to have a visual, so watch me make this Beef Broccoli recipe!
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Chinese Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) (Note 2)
- 1/8 tsp Chinese five spice powder (Note 3)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
- 1/8 tsp tsp black pepper
Stir Fry
- 2 tbsp oil
- 12 oz / 360g beef fillet, flank or rump (Note 4 for tenderising option)
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 4 – 5 cups broccoli florets (1 head), cooked (Note 5)
- 1 cup water
Serving:
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Place cornflour and water in bowl then mix. Add remaining Sauce ingredients.
- Slice the beef into 1/4″ / 0.5cm thick slices. Place the beef and 2 tbsp of the Sauce into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add beef and spread out, leave for 1 minute until browned.
- Stir beef for 10 seconds, then add garlic and ginger. Stir for another 30 seconds or until beef is no longer pink.
- Pour Sauce and water into the skillet and quickly mix.
- When the sauce starts bubbling, add broccoli. Stir to coat the broccoli in Sauce, then let it simmer for 1 minute or until Sauce is thickened.
- Remove from heat immediately and serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Originally published March 2015, updated with new photos, new words, slightly more streamlined recipe and a recipe video!Nutrition Information:
Beef and Broccoli recipe original published March 2015, updated 2018 with new photos, new words, slightly more streamlined recipe and a recipe video!
LIFE OF DOZER
He’ll take the beef over the broccoli……
Made this tonight for a midweek dinner.. absolutely dynamite!!
Yeah, definite keeper.
Thank you again Nagi👍
Phil x.
Wahoo, thanks so much Phil! N x
Hi Nagi, I made this recipe the other night and it was amazing. Thank you so much. I’m quite new to the kitchen but your easy-to-follow recipes with its helpful cooking tips has helped me become more confident in the kitchen. Thank you again for all the effort you put into your recipes and website. 🙂
I did have a question though (apologies in advance if this is silly haha). What would be the best way to store this recipe as leftovers? I don’t want the stir fry sauce to become clumpy the next day. But if it does, what should I do?
This was delicious! The sauce was everything 😋 everyone had seconds! Thank you Nagi
After the cornstarch is dissolved in the 1/4 cup of water, can the 1 cup of water listed under “stir fry” be added to the sauce? Then it can be added to the skillet after the beef is done as a sauce / water combo.
I loved this recipe!! The taste was great. The only issue I have is that my beef always turns out rubbery. I bought grass fed ribeyes and sliced them a little thicker than the recipe called for and it still came out chewy. Can you please tell me how to avoid that? By the time the sauce is thickened my meat was overcooked. Would it be okay to remove the meat after browning it and then add back in the pan at the end? This happens with all my stir fry dishes 😭 please help me Nagi! Thank you!!
Hi Brooke, I would velvet the meat – I talk about this in the post. It will solve all your problems! N x
i made this, stuck to the recipe and unaccountably, it worked! i have a question about the cornflour though. i don’t use it often so it could be inexperience, but i found the sauce got gluggy on the bottom of the bowl if i didn’t stir it often. is that normal, was my stirring technique off?
Hi Geoff, yes cornflour settles. Mix into the sauce just before during into the pan 🙂 N x
Another keeper, not even a single drop of sauce or a sesame seed left and it was only the two of us, tasty and so quick to make. Thank you x
Made it with pork. Not enough broccoli so added onion,green and red capsicum. The sauce is delicious. Another winner. Thankyou
I’ve been so psychologically damaged by chinese takeaway beef dishes that ‘may contain traces of meat’ that only minutes into making this I went berserk and added probably nearly a kg of meat. I ended up panic-doubling the sauce at the last minute to compensate.
And the result was ‘FOOD THERAPY!’ We absolutely loved it. It was sooooooo gooooood, the sauce flavours were spot on. You’re amazing Nagi. Thank you so much for another better-than-restaurant winner!
I made your Chinese Beef and Broccoli and I was so Pleased. It was perfect, and even my Hunny was surprised by the authentic taste. Never going to eat out at the Chinese Buffet ever again. I Love cooking and having the recipes with the proper ingredients make them easier and cheaper. Thank you so very much. I LOVE your website.
This was amazing. Way better than any prepackaged frozen
stir fry that includes sauce. I’m a fan of your site, recipes and Dozer.
I’m loving your website and all the great recipes you share!
After having such great luck with ALL the ones I’ve cooked so far, I’m going to go ahead and make this for my family tonight 🙂
Thank you so much for all that you share xx
You’re so welcome Anita – thank you so much! N x
Nagi, you are amazing! You are beautiful inside and out! You have inspired me to be a better cook! Thank you for all the beautiful meals!!! I have tried many of your recipes and they have all been delicious! As for the beef and broccoli, it was very tasty but why did my sauce turn like a ‘jelly’ consistency? Also, I tried the baking soda method on eye of the round roast, but it was still very tough and chewy? Should I have sliced the meat thinner?
Hi Sylvia, sorry you had issues here – sounds like you may of used a little too much cornflour that thickens the sauce. Your meat needs to be sliced thin to use the velveting method – or were you using it on a whole piece of meat?
A great recipe! I added some onion and tablespoon of hoisin sauce. Highly recommend, Thank you!
Hi! Can Tamari be substituted for Dark Soy Sauce? It’s so hard to find from where I am but I have Tamari. 🙂
Hi Marcy, Tamari isn’t quite the same – subs are in the recipe notes! N x
Did with eye fillet 2 pack from Woolworths about $14.00 very cheap dinner. Very tender. And yum probably came at $7.50 – $$8.00 per person. When I was little in the 80’s my immigrant father wouldn’t let us eat out as he said he could cook better for less. Every dinner we had he would make us guess what we would pay for such quality in a restaurant. This meal would be right up my dearly parted dad’s alley😜
Hello! How can I make this with frozen broccoli?
Hi Mims, thaw the broccoli and cook as per the recipe 🙂 N x
Wow I’ve been looking for a great beef stir fry recipe for ages now I have found it! My girls can’t eat soy so I substituted the soy sauce for equal amounts of coconut aminos and oyster sauce, delicious, just like good take away!
Correction to my post. “I’m surprised I DIDN’T rate it 5 stars etc…” Sorry about that.
😂 Thanks Sherry!
We loved this recipe when I first made it. I’m surprised I rate it 5 stars at the time. I didn’t think it could be improved on until I tried your velveting method of tenderising the meat last night. What a revelation! It took it to a whole different level. Thanks again Nagi.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sherry, thanks so much for letting me know! N x