This Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli recipe is easy to make so that you can have a restaurant quality dinner at home. Succulent slices of beef and crunchy broccoli are coated in a rich, umami sauce. The slow cooker does most of the work for a stress-free, delicious dinner!
Slow Cooker Beef And Broccoli is the cozy, weeknight dinner that works while you work. Tender beef, glossy sauce, and crisp broccoli come together with minimal effort and maximum comfort, right when everyone is hungry.
This dish is inspired by Chinese-American beef and broccoli, a staple on restaurant menus across the United States. In fact, beef and broccoli is one of the dishes both my husband and my son love to order when we order Chinese take-out. If you enjoy it when dining or ordering take-out too, then you’ll love how easy it is to make at home!
It balance savory sauces with quick-cooking vegetables and comforting textures. This is definitely cozy comfort food made easy.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
- This is mostly a hands-off recipe. It cooks for hours while you go about your day.
- The beef comes out incredibly tender every time.
- The sauce is savory, slightly sweet, and deeply comforting with big umami flavors.
- It reheats beautifully for lunches and leftovers.
- Making it at home helps you skip the takeout bill and extra sodium.
Ingredient notes
Another great thing about this recipe is that it is made with simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store.
- Beef – flank steak or sirloin work best. You’ll want to slice nice thin, tender slices that will soak up the sauce.
- Broccoli – You can use frozen or fresh. Add it near the end to keep it bright and crisp.
- Beef broth – use homemade or store-bought as a flavorful foundation for the sauce.
- Soy sauce – use low-sodium to control saltiness or use coconut aminos for a gluten-free option.
- Sesame oil – use toasted sesame oil to add flavor to the sauce.
- Hoisin sauce – I love adding this for even more depth to the sauce.
- Brown sugar – adds gentle sweetness that helps balance the sauce.
- Garlic – brings warmth and depth to the sauce.
- Cornstarch – mixed with water to create a cornstarch slurry, this thickens the sauce into that glossy finish everyone loves.
- Sesame seeds and green onions – optional ingredients to sprinkle over the finished dish as garnish.
Step-by-step instructions
You’ll find the full list of ingredients along with measurements, and more detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are some step-by-step photos to show you how to make beef with broccoli at home.
- Add the beef to the slow cooker.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients.
- Pour the sauce over the broccoli.
- Cover and slow cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
5. When the cooking time is up, add the broccoli and gently mix in. Keep the slow cooker on warm and allow the broccoli to heat through, stirring gently regularly to coat all of the broccoli in the sauce.
Serve immediately.
Marlynn’s Tip
Recipe Tip
For extra zing, feel free to add a little bit of minced or grated ginger.
Recipe FAQs
You can use either! But if using fresh, allow it to cook a few minutes longer, until tender.
No, but a quick sear adds extra depth if you have time.
Yes, use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Serving suggestions
This slow cooker beef and broccoli is an amazingly satisfying dinner. We like to serve it over Instant Pot Basmati Rice or Instant Pot Garlic Rice for a classic, comforting bowl.
You can also spoon it over Chili Garlic Noodles for a slurpable, cozy twist.
Add a side of Asian Cucumber Carrot Salad, Lumpia, or Instant Pot green beans for crunch and freshness.
Serve alongside Crab Rangoon, or Wonton Soup for a full spread.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
This slow cooker beef and broccoli dish pairs well with either red wine or white wine.
For red wine, a Pinot Noir works beautifully with the savory sauce and tender beef without overpowering the dish.
For white wine, an off-dry riesling balances the salty-sweet flavors and refreshes the palate between bites.
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Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sirloin steak or chuck roast, cubed or sliced
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced finely
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 2 cups frozen broccoli
- sliced green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the sliced or cubed steak into the slow cooker.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the beef broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, brown sugar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the steak, then gently toss to coat all of the steak on all sides, in the sauce.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
- Just before the cooking time is up, whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to create the cornstarch slurry.
- When the cooking time is complete, switch the heat level to Keep Warm. Add the cornstarch into the steak and sauce in the slow cooker. Gently stir and combine until there are no white clumps visible and the slurry has dissolved into the sauce.
- Add the frozen broccoli and gently toss with the beef. With the heat on Keep Warm, allow the broccoli to heat up in the slow cooker until it's heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Serve over rice and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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