Name: Easy Mongolian Beef
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 lb flank steak (thinly sliced against the grain); 2 Tablespoon cornstarch; 2-4 Tablespoon canola oil; 1 yellow onion (sliced); 2 green onions (chopped, green and white parts separated); 4 garlic cloves (chopped); 1- inch ginger (chopped); ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce; ¼ cup water; 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce; 3 Tablespoon brown sugar; Salt to taste

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If you are looking to mix up your weekly meals, this easy Mongolian beef is perfect! This rich and flavorful dish is on the table in 20 minutes, and the whole family will love it.

Mongolian beef in a bowl over some rice.

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You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Be sure to check out the blog post itself for extra tips and tricks!

Evenings in our house are so busy, and I'm always trying new recipes that I can get on the table quickly and easily, and that everyone will love! This Mongolian beef is a lifesaver! It's so full of flavor!

Inspired by my love of the Mongolian beef at my favorite Chinese restaurant, this recipe has all the components I love.

Lots of onions - I use both yellow and green onions in this recipe. The yellow onions provide a nice contrast in texture with the tender beef.
Fried yet tender beef - This recipe calls for the beef to be quickly fried, so you get crispy, tender beef in one bite.
An amazing sauce - This sauce is balanced with sweet and salty.

Serve this delicious beef dish with white rice, cauliflower rice, noodles, my Instant Pot brown rice, or my air-fried egg rolls.

Ingredients You Will Need

To make this quick and easy Mongolian beef recipe, you’ll need a few simple ingredients that come together to create a flavorful homemade takeout-style dinner.

Flank steak is the best cut of beef for Mongolian beef because it cooks quickly and stays tender when sliced thin against the grain. Cornstarch helps coat the beef for that classic, lightly crispy texture.

For the bold Mongolian beef sauce, you’ll need low-sodium soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and water to achieve the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Yellow onion, green onions, garlic, and fresh ginger add texture and deep flavor to the dish, while canola oil is used to quickly fry the beef.

Add a little salt to taste before serving, and this easy beef dinner is ready in no time.

ingredients needed for the mongolian beef on table

How to Make This Quick and Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe

Step 1: Slice the flank steak against the grain into thin slices, then coat the slices with cornstarch. Set aside.

flank steak sliced and then covered in cornstarch

Step 2: Grab the rest of your ingredients and prep and measure them out so they are ready to go.

Step 3: Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the flank steak to the frying pan in a single layer. Cook on 1-2 minutes per side until each side is browned. Cook in batches and set aside.

The skirt steak cooked in a skillet in oil - before and after

Step 4: Add the yellow onion, whites of green onions, garlic, and ginger to the skillet and stir-fry until the onions are slightly softened. Add soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar, stirring.

Step 5: Add the steak back to the pan along with the green parts of the onions. Remove from heat and serve.

Onions and garlic sauteed and then the beef and sauces adedd

What's the best cut of beef to use?

I like to use flank steak for this recipe. If you can't find flank steak, skirt steak, or hanger steak will also work. Flank steak is full-flavored and a lean cut of meat. It can be tough, but by thinly slicing it correctly and quickly cooking it, it is wonderfully tender.

How to cut flank steak

Before you start, freeze the beef for 30 minutes; this will make it easier to slice thinly. Be sure to cut the beef against the grain so you cut through the fibers, making it as tender as possible and easier to eat.

A piece of Mongolian beef held with chopsticks

Tanya's Top Tips

Freeze your steak before slicing it. It will make it easier and less likely to fall apart. Remember to cut against the grain.
Prep all of your ingredients before you start cooking. The dish comes together so quickly, so have everything to hand and ready to go.
If you have leftovers, they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. They can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
The Mongolian beef will also freeze really well. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.

More Beef Recipes

Korean Flavored Sloppy Joes - a flavorful twist on beef sloppy joes.
Steak Kimchi Fried Rice - fried rice with kimchi and steak.

Tanya Harris

Easy Mongolian Beef

4.93 from 13 votes

Easy Mongolian beef is a rich and flavorful dish and is on the table in 20 minutes. Your favorite takeout made at home. Can also be made in the air fryer.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mongolian

Calories: 303

Ingredients

1 lb flank steak thinly sliced against the grain
2 Tablespoon cornstarch
2-4 Tablespoon canola oil
1 yellow onion sliced
2 green onions chopped, green and white parts separated
4 garlic cloves chopped
1- inch ginger chopped
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup water
1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
3 Tablespoon brown sugar
Salt to taste

Instructions

Cover the flank steak with cornstarch, making sure each piece is covered. Set aside.
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the flank steak to the frying pan in a single layer, making sure that the pieces are not touching. Cook on 1-2 minutes per side until each side is browned. Cook in batches until all the flank steak is cooked. Set aside.
Add sliced yellow onion, whites of green onions, garlic, and ginger to the skillet and stir fry for about 3 minutes, until the onions are slightly softened but still have a little crunch. Add soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar and stir. Add steak back to the pan along with the green parts of the onions. Remove from heat and serve.

Air fryer Instructions:

This Mongolian Beef can also be made in an Air Fryer. If Air Frying, coat the flank steak in corn starch and place in a preheated air fryer of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway. Prepare the sauce on the stove with the onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar.
After multiple tests, we preferred the stovetop version but wanted to share the Air Fryer version for anyone wanting to exclude the frying component of this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 26gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 670mgPotassium: 496mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 60IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 2mg

Notes

Freeze your steak before slicing it. It will make it easier and less likely to fall apart. Remember to cut against the grain.
Prep all of your ingredients before you start cooking. The dish comes together so quickly, so have everything to hand and ready to go.
If you have leftovers, they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. They can be reheated on the stove top or in the microwave.
The Mongolian beef will also freeze really well. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

This post was first published on March 6, 2020. It has been updated with new photos and information.

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