Last Updated on April 8, 2025 by Sabrina Currie
Love Chinese-style beef and broccoli? So do I, so I made this quick and easy broccoli beef just like Panda Express! It's a delicious dish with tender slices of beef, crunchy broccoli florets and a savory sauce and it's just a fraction of the cost.
Why I love this recipe
This recipe is really simple but there is one key ingredient and one simple technique that makes it stand out. The ingredient is baking soda. By using a small amount of baking soda in the marinade, the beef becomes extra tender, just like at Panda Express. Sometimes it's called 'velveting' the meat.
The technique is blanching your broccoli before stir frying. You don't have to, it will still taste great, but if you want it to stay bright green like your favorite Chinese restaurant, this is how. I've included it in the step-by-step instructions.
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Love Chinese food or Panda Express? Try this mushroom chicken taste-alike recipe!
Got Broccoli?
Whether you're growing your own or it's in season and a great price, I've got lots of broccoli recipes to use this nutritious vegetable. Try it in broccoli cheese soup, cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole or broccoli asparagus soup. I love broccoli on a veggie platter with dip, too.
Ingredients
Broccoli beef Panda Express recipe uses just a few simple ingredients. This popular Chinese-American dish is quick, easy and a family favorite so it's a great addition to your weeknight dinner rotation.
- Chinese soy sauce - Chinese soy sauce is a dark soy sauce that is richer and sweeter than Japanese soy sauce (light soy sauce). Either will work well in this recipe, but to keep it closest to the original, use the Chinese kind if you can find it. (If you are watching your salt intake, you can use low sodium soy sauce instead for this recipe.)
- Broccoli - Tender broccoli cut into florets is perfect but you can also sub in sprouting broccoli or it's spicier cousin, broccolini.
- Beef - Flank steak is the perfect cut for this copycat recipe. Cut across the grain and marinated with the 'secret' ingredient, it results in tender beef strips every time.
Chef's Tip
To get the most tender slices of meat, especially when using flank steak, it's key to spot the direction of the muscle fibers, or the "grain," on the meat. Look for the lines or feel the fibers with your fingers to figure out which way they run, then slice across the grain for a tender bite. Cutting it this way helps make the meat easier to chew and more tender.
Substitutions + Variations
- Beef - I've used flank steak but you can use another cut of beef if you like. Skirt steak, sirloin steak, or even a boneless chuck steak all work well in this beef broccoli recipe. Just be sure to slice it thinly across the grain of the meat. This recipe is also yummy made with chicken instead of beef.
- Vegetables - Broccoli is traditional but this easy dinner is delicious with other crisp vegetables, too. Extra veggies to try are sliced bell peppers or carrots, snap peas, snow peas, mushrooms or scallions.
- Spice - Want just a little extra flavor and heat? Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of sriracha or other hot chili sauce to the beef broccoli sauce mixture.
Step By Step Instructions
Fresh broccoli florets and tasty beef mixed with a flavorful ginger soy sauce is an easy weeknight dinner. Thinly sliced steak gets a quick, tenderizing marinade before being quickly stir fried with broccoli. The sauce is quick and easy to stir up in one bowl while the beef is marinating.
Optional Step - Blanching The Broccoli
Blanching first will give you the most tender crisp broccoli florets with bright broccoli flavor and color. You can blanch the broccoli up to a day ahead and store the cooked broccoli covered in the fridge. During the week, I usually skip the blanching step but if I'm making this for company, I will blanch it before frying.
To have bright green broccoli just like Panda Express, blanch and shock your broccoli. To do this, bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a separate bowl with ice and water. Once the water is boiling, add the broccoli and cook it for 1 minute. Drain it and immediately plunge it into the ice bath. Swish it around to stop the cooking. Once it's cool drain it in well in a colander and let it continue to drip dry until ready to use.
Step 1. Combine the beef, 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch, baking soda, 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce together in a bowl. Mix well and place in the fridge to marinate for 30-60 minutes. (Don't skip the baking soda or your sliced beef won't get that nice, velvety texture.)
Step 2. In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, oyster sauce, water, the remaining rice vinegar, cornstarch and soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, and stir to mix.
Step 3. Heat a large pan or wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. When it just starts to smoke, add ½ of the marinated beef and give it a good quick sear without stirring it.
Step 4. Sear until it's starting to brown on one side, then flip and brown the other side. Place the cooked beef on a plate and repeat with the remaining oil and beef.
Step 5. Reduce the burner to medium heat, then add the remaining oil along with the minced garlic and ginger. Stir and cook it for about 20 seconds, until it's sizzling and translucent.
Step 6. Add the beef back to pan and then add in the broccoli. Pour the sauce mixture over, then stir or toss until the sauce thickens and coats the copycat Panda Express beef and broccoli.
Serve it while hot with steamed brown or white rice or chow mein noodles.
Leftover broccoli beef keeps well stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
More Dinner Recipes
I love a meal with a good mix of meat and veggies. If you do too, try some of these easy, family-friendly dinner ideas.
📖 Recipe
Quick And Easy Broccoli Beef Just Like Panda Express
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak thinly sliced
- 1 lb broccoli cut into florets (bite sized pieces)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger finely grated
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch divided
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar divided
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the beef, baking soda, 1 tablespoon each of cornstarch and rice wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce in a medium bowl or zip top bag. Mix it together well and place it in the fridge to marinate for 30-60 minutes.
- *Optional step - blanch and shock your broccoli. To do this, bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a separate bowl with ice and water. Once the water is boiling, add the broccoli and cook it for 1 minute. Drain it and immediately plunge it into the ice bath. Swish it around to stop the cooking. Once it's cool drain it in well in a colander.
- In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, oyster sauce, water, brown sugar, black pepper and the remaining rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and cornstarch and stir to mix.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and when it just starts to smoke, add ½ of the flank steak. Sear it without stirring until its brown on one side, then flip and let the other side brown. Remove the meat to a plate and repeat with the remaining half of the beef.
- Reduce the burner to medium heat, then add the remaining oil along with the minced garlic and ginger. Stir and cook it for about 20 seconds, until it's sizzling and translucent.
- Add the beef back to pan and then add in the blanched (or raw) broccoli. Stir the sauce and pour it evenly all over broccoli and beef. Stir or toss continuously until the sauce thickens and coats the stirfy ingredients.
- Serve while hot with rice or chow mein noodles.
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