• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Modern Honey
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Top 20
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Top 20
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Mongolian Beef

    Published: Sep 12, 2017 · Modified: Aug 14, 2018 by Modern Honey · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

    5170 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    A crispy, sweet, and salty Mongolian Beef is way better than Chinese take-out

    Mongolian Beef recipe. A P.F. Chang's Monglian Beef copycat recipe. Crispy beef in a sweet, salty, spicy sauce on a bed of rice. A popular asian dish. www.modernhoney.com

    Mongolian Beef

    How to make Chinese Mongolian Beef at home. It is a combination of crispy, sticky, savory, spicy-sweet, and salty beef topped with fresh veggies.

    I love to think back to our newly married days. We were living in an apartment, both attending college full-time and trying to squeeze in as many hours at work as possible. Our schedule was jam-packed and we were poor college students. My husband drove an old, passed down, beat up Volkswagon wagon! We were trying to keep our heads above water.  I would look forward to the weekends so much because that meant date night.  We would save up our money for that super special night!

    Mongolian Beef recipe. A P.F. Chang's Monglian Beef copycat recipe. Crispy beef in a sweet, salty, spicy sauce on a bed of rice. A popular asian dish. www.modernhoney.com

    If it was my husband's choice, it would always be P.F. Chang's since he has a love affair with Asian food. Remember I said we were poor college students? P.F. Chang's was like eating at a ridiculously nice, fancy restaurant to us.  We would split his favorite beef dish and we were so happy! I love those days because we had to appreciate the little things in life. Now as a mother, I am constantly trying to teach my kids to appreciate those things, look for the positive, never take anything for granted and to always feel blessed.

    Mongolian Beef recipe. A P.F. Chang's Monglian Beef copycat recipe. Crispy beef in a sweet, salty, spicy sauce on a bed of rice. A popular asian dish. www.modernhoney.com

    Since my husband is an Asian food aficionado, I am determined to make at home Asian dishes that taste as if we are sitting in a fine Asian restaurant. This Mongolian Beef could be straight out of a restaurant! The key is using thinly sliced flank steak, cut against the grain to ensure that it is tender.  The beef is coated with cornstarch which gives it a nice coating when quickly pan-fried in oil.  The quick fry allows the beef to get a crust on the outside that helps to stand up to the sweet, salty, and spicy Mongolian beef sauce.

    Mongolian Beef recipe. A P.F. Chang's Monglian Beef copycat recipe. Crispy beef in a sweet, salty, spicy sauce on a bed of rice. A popular asian dish. www.modernhoney.com

    The Mongolian Beef is paired with a sauce made with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar,  and red chili flakes. You have it all in this sauce -- sweet, salty and spicy! The beef is tossed into the sauce and then placed on a bed of white rice. It is garnished with freshly sliced green onions and shredded matchstick carrots for freshness and crunch.

    You may use other types of cuts of beef in this Mongolian Beef recipe but I found the flank steak works the best to stay tender and flavorful when frying.

    Mongolian Beef recipe. A P.F. Chang's Monglian Beef copycat recipe. Crispy beef in a sweet, salty, spicy sauce on a bed of rice. A popular asian dish. www.modernhoney.com

    Mongolian Beef recipe. A P.F. Chang's Monglian Beef copycat recipe. Crispy beef in a sweet, salty, spicy sauce on a bed of rice. A popular asian dish. www.modernhoney.com

    Mongolian Beef

    Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey
    A spicy sweet Mongolian Beef that is better than take-out!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Asian
    Servings 6
    Calories 481 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 ½ lbs. Flank Steak thinly sliced against the grain
    • ¾ cup Cornstarch
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ - ⅓ cup Oil
    • 4 Garlic Cloves minced
    • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger powder
    • ¾ cup Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
    • 1 - 1 ½ cups Brown Sugar depending on how sweet you like it. You can start with 1 cup
    • 1 cup Water
    • 1 - 2 teaspoons Red Chili Flakes depending on preference

    Garnish:

    • Green Onions cut on the diagonal
    • Shredded Carrots

    Instructions
     

    • Cut beef into thin pieces, against the grain.
    • Place cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Coat and cover the beef with cornstarch mixture. Repeat to ensure it is completely coated.
    • Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat (approximately 350 degrees).
    • Cook for 2-4 minutes or until beef starts to get a little crispy on the edges. Repeat.
    • Remove beef and let it rest.
    • Remove most of the oil, leaving some behind. Saute garlic and ginger for 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and red chili flakes. Bring to a boil and let boil for 4-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10-12 minutes or until it is thickened. Stir in beef and coat with sauce.
    • Garnish with green onions and shredded carrots, if so desired.
    • Serve with white rice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 481kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 43gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 2122mgPotassium: 772mgSugar: 36gVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword mongolian beef
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Mongolian Beef recipe. A P.F. Chang's Monglian Beef copycat recipe. Crispy beef in a sweet, salty, spicy sauce on a bed of rice. A popular asian dish. www.modernhoney.com

    Happy Cooking, my friends!

    More Dinner

    • Ground Beef Tacos
    • Sweet and Sour Chicken
    • Creamy Lemon Orzo
    • Chipotle Chicken Tacos

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Annie

      October 02, 2017 at 9:28 am

      5 stars
      This was amazing. I made it yesterday with my husband (fun time in the kitchen together!) (busy life- hasn't happened for a while!) kiddos thought it was a bit too spicy, (I used red pepper flakes, not sure if that is the same thing as red chili flakes?) but IT WAS AMAZING!!!! I can't wait to make this again. Definitely a new favorite. The garnishes are a MUST. thanks for the yummy recipe!

      Reply
    2. Modern Honey

      October 17, 2017 at 3:28 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Annie! I am SO happy to hear that you and your hubby loved it. I love that you cooked it together...that's the best. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it!

      Reply
    3. Erica Griffin

      December 29, 2018 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      So tasty!! I hesitated putting one cup of sugar in the sauce, but it was perfect! My husband and I loved this, and it was great reheated the next day too! Thank you!

      Reply
    4. Stephanie

      November 09, 2020 at 12:11 pm

      5 stars
      2nd win in our home with your recipes! My hubby loved this one as well! I love the simplicity in your recipes and it yields amazing results. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!

      Reply
    5. Rebecca

      March 28, 2021 at 4:01 pm

      5 stars
      Loved this! This is now my favorite Asian recipe to make.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Melissa Stadler Modern Honey

    Hi, I'm Melissa Stadler! I am an Award-Winning Recipe Creator. Cover of Food Network Magazine. Two-Time Pillsbury Bake-Off Finalist. I am passionate about sharing the best recipes so you have success in the kitchen!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Chinese Orange Chicken
    • The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
    • Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Crush Cookies
    • The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

    Recent Recipes

    • Bean and Cheese Dip
    • Biscoff Cookies
    • Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    About

    Recipe Index

    Travel

    Contact

    Privacy Policy

    Contact

    [email protected]

    Subscribe to my Recipes

    Follow

    Instagram

    Facebook

    Pinterest

    TikTok

    Copyright © 2022 Modern Honey