This Mongolian Beef Recipe is a crispy homemade version that's less sweet and more flavorful than restaurant versions you're probably used to. It's one of our top recipes for a reason!
Recipe by Bill on October 11, 2023
Prep time: PT35M
Cook time: PT10M
Total time: PT45M
Rating
4.96 stars (524 reviews)
Keywords
mongolian beef
Ingredients
1 pound flank steak ((sliced against the grain into 1/4-inch/6mm thick slices))
2 teaspoons neutral oil ((such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil))
3/4 cup hot water ((or hot low sodium chicken or beef stock))
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce ((optional))
1/2 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup neutral oil
1 teaspoon ginger ((minced))
8 dried red chili peppers
3 cloves garlic
4 scallions
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Categories
Beef recipes
Cuisine
Chinese
Steps
Combine the sliced beef with the marinade ingredients (the neutral oil, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, cornstarch, water, and baking soda. Marinate for 1 hour. The beef should still be quite moist after it has marinated. If it looks too dry, add a tablespoon of water to it.
In a small bowl, mix the sauce. Dissolve the brown sugar in the hot water or stock, then stir in the light and dark soy sauces.
Next, dredge the marinated beef slices in the cornstarch until thoroughly coated.
Heat 2/3 cup neutral oil in a wok over high heat. Just before the oil starts to smoke, spread the flank steak pieces evenly in the wok, and sear for 1 minute on each side, until you have a crispy coating. Turn off the heat and transfer the beef to a plate.
Drain the oil from the wok (save it for other cooking), leaving 1 tablespoon behind. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the ginger and dried chili peppers, if using. If you want the dish spicier, break 1-2 chilies in half. After about 15 seconds, add the garlic and white parts of the scallions. Stir for another 15 seconds and add the premixed sauce.
Let the sauce simmer for about 2 minutes, and slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry mixture. Cook until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Add the beef and green parts of the scallions, and toss everything together for another 30 seconds. The scallions should just be wilted, and there should be almost no liquid, as the sauce should be clinging to the beef. If you still have sauce, increase the heat slightly and stir until thickened. Plate and serve with steamed rice!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 383 kcal
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Protein: 26 g
Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Trans Fat: 0.04 g
Cholesterol: 68 mg
Sodium: 960 mg
Sugar: 14 g
Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
Reviews
Rachel on 2026-06-23 (5 stars): I made the cookbook version of this last night and oh my goodness! Stir-fry has been our main method of cooking for several years now, but this honestly was the best thing I have ever made. Thank you so much for all you do.
JamesX on 2026-06-12 (5 stars): THIS is the recipe you want to try - Depending on your taste, these are the changes I made to it and it came out Amazing!
Step 0.5: Slice the beef up to about 1/4" or slightly less - Use Flank or Strip Steak - Once sliced, Tenderize with a Meat Mallet on the pointy side.
Step 4.5: Add Large Sliced White Onion to the oil. Also, Add the red peppers at this point and yes, cut a couple of them in half (More if you want more spicy, I found 2 to be perfect but if you like actually spice, 4-5 probably). Cook this for about 2-3 minutes until the white onion just starts to go translucent, then proceed to step 5.
This will now be my go-to recipe for Mongolian Beef - Thank you!!!!
Terri on 2026-05-29 (5 stars): Love this recipe. The only change, I tenderize the beef with a meat mallet before marinating it. This has become one of my favorite meals.
Everyone loves it, so simple with your instructions❤️
Thank you!
Víctor on 2026-05-26 (5 stars): This is a delicious dish, my son's favourite, thank you from Veracruz, México.
Nick on 2026-05-09 (5 stars): I have made this recipe many times. This has to be one of my absolute favorite dishes! Sweet and savory, everyone always wants seconds 😀
Personally, I do it exactly as the recipe calls for. I use 5 chilies rather than eight though. Make sure to slice the beef no less than a 1/4 inch thick (6mm), a little thicker is better than a little thinner, as it cooks quite fast.
Thanks to Bill and the Family at The Woks of Life! I've enjoyed many of your recipes over the years, and have referred people to your blog many times. To be honest, im surprised how many people know about this blog, sometimes I think im letting someone in on a little secret, but they already know! You guys are popular!
Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦 😀
Ryan on 2026-05-09 (5 stars): Cooked this with my wife and it blew our minds! Made it again for friends and wow!
Thank you so much for all of your recipes, we ordered your book months ago and cooking at home has never been the same since.
John McBratney on 2026-05-09 (5 stars): Hello Bill,
I made the Mongolian beef pretty much as close to your recipe as I could and it was excellent, we loved it and dubbed it a "Do again" recipe. I often add a bit more vegetables to these sorts of recipe and ion this case I added some fresh runner beans and this was a good move too.
We tried also the Mongolian chicken and were not so impressed, it lacked some of the flavour punch evident in the beef version, OK but not spectacular as the beef version was.
Christine on 2026-04-27 (5 stars): This was great! Loved the sauce. I marinated the beef for a few hours and it was super tender. It wasn't as crispy as I'd like, but that's my stove's fault.
Gregory von Richter on 2026-04-22 (5 stars): Agree different but a lovely variation. Have to dial the soy sauce down.
