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Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

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This incredibly tender and flavor-packed Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is on the table in a flash!

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Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef – The most tender and flavorful Mongolian beef prepared in your pressure cooker!

My new Instant Pot has been a total game-changer when it comes to getting a meal on the table on busy weeknights.  I was completely amazed at how tender and flavorful this beef was… like it had been slow cooking for hours and hours!

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

With just 10 minutes prep time and 25 minutes cook time (I included the time it takes to come to pressure), this sweet and tangy Mongolian beef is on the table in 35 minutes, and it’s so much better than takeout!

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, I have a slow cooker version of this recipe here.

I hope you enjoy this quick and easy Mongolian beef as much as we did!

12/4/18:  Recipe slightly revised

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Instant Pot Mongolian Beef – The most tender and flavorful Mongolian beef prepared in your pressure cooker!

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

★★★★★

4.8 from 28 reviews

  • Author: Amy @ The Blond Cook
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 38 minutes
  • Total Time: 48 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds flank steak, sliced into thin strips across the grain
  • 2–1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
  • 2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic
  • 3/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1 cup shredded or julienned carrots
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/3 cup cold water
  • Sliced green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish
  • Optional:  cooked white rice

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, add ginger root, garlic, soy sauce,  1 cup water, brown sugar and hoisin sauce.  Stir well to combine.
  2. Set your Instant Pot to the saute setting.  Add olive oil.  When olive oil is heated, add beef and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Pour mixture over beef and stir to combine.  Add carrots and stir again.
  4. Turn Instant Pot off.  Place the lid on and lock.  Steam release knob should be set on “sealing”.
  5. Cook on manual setting (high pressure) for 10 minutes.  Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.
  6. Carefully remove lid and stir.  Turn off Instant Pot.
  7. Prepare the cornstarch slurry by whisking together cornstarch and 1/3 cup cold water in a small bowl or large measuring cup until smooth.  Add to sauce and stir to combine.   Turn on the saute setting and continue to stir until slightly thickened (about 2 minutes).  Turn off your Instant Pot.  Sauce will thicken as it sits (about 5 minutes).
  8. Serve over cooked white rice (if desired) and top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

  • Cook time includes the time it took my pot to come to pressure.
  • I used an Instant Pot LUX80 8 quart in this recipe.

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Susan says

    This looks delicious! I’m wondering how to convert this recipe to slow cooker or stove top, as I don’t have an Instant Pot. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes and mouth-watering photos!

    Reply

  4. Terry says

    I want to try this but I have a 6 QT pressure crockpot. would there be any changes to the recipe. I am new to the pressure crockpot

    Reply

  5. Brandi says

    This sauce is incredible!! I unfortunately got my first instant pot BURN icon while making this tonight. I followed the recipe exactly but my steak was tough and chewy. Any insight as to why?

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Brandi, I’m so sorry that happened to you! I’ve made this several times and have never had a burn notification so I can’t say as to why that happened… my meat has always been tender as well. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!

      Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Stacey, in step 2 of the instructions: “In a medium bowl, add ginger root, garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar and hoisin sauce. Stir well to combine.” Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

  8. Janet says

    this is legit one of the BEST meals I’ve ever made. My family loves it. Including my children who basically live on nuggets.
    thanks!

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Thank you so much, Janet! So happy to hear everyone loves it, even your children… makes me smile! 🙂

      Reply

  9. Lana says

    Hi Amy Thank you for all the great recipes!Trying this one tonight. Question re the Sesame seeds:should they be toasted? And I saw in the comments above that someone got a Burn error and was wondering why. I’m sure they have found an answer already but for anyone still wondering googling the error will give you all possible scenarios for getting that error and how to address them :o) My first Burn error came as a result of not deglazing the pot after sauteing meat in a different recipe. I was trying my own recipe for pot roast and also found that using mushroom soup (with some water and onion soup mix) was possibly too thick and may also have caused the burn error which doesn’t mean that your food is burning but that it could and that is why there is an auto heat shutoff and the error for you to address. This will be my 4th Instant Pot meal and I’m thinking the best so far! Thanks again :o)

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Lana! No, I don’t toast the sesame seeds. I’ve never gotten a burn error using my Instant Pot so I can’t give any advice on it… sorry! Hope you enjoy the Mongolian beef! 🙂

      Reply

  10. Michael Sullivan says

    I made this tonight. It was fantastic. This is only my 4th time using my Instant Pot. It was very easy to make.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Betty says

    I just purchased my insta pot yesterday and this was the first thing I tried. LOVED it!!! The only thing that I’m going to change is adding the cornstarch to the liquid mixture as when I coated the meat the cornstarch stuck to the bottom. I had to remove everything and clean the bottom and then put the food back in the pot.

    Reply

  12. Luann says

    I made this last night and it was awesome. The whole family loved it. The skirt steak at our grocery was very expensive. It was going to be $33 for this dish, so I used a london broil instead. I was worried about it being tough, but it was not. It turned out very tender and delicious.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  13. Jeff says

    Did anyone have problems with the “burn” error using this recipe? I did — maybe the saute created a layer on the bottom or the liquid wasn’t thick enough. Not sure.

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Jeff, I’m so sorry that happened. I’ve never gotten a burn error when making this recipe (I’ve made it several times) so I can’t say for sure what might have caused it.

      Reply

  14. Stacey says

    Do you make the rice first in your instant pot and set aside or do you have a 2nd pot or do you make the rice in a rice cooker while making the meat. I am thinking, if may make since to keep the rice cooker. I just ordered the instant pot and it will arrive in a few days. I am planning on making this recipe first.

    Happy Thanksgiving.

    Reply

  16. Katie Sullivan says

    My 3 grown boys and husband did backflips over this meal! We will definitely make again, but boys wanted seconds. New to Insta Pot, but can this recipe be doubled??

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Thanks so much, Katie! I’ve never doubled this recipe so can’t say for certain. It would also depend on the size of your Instant Pot, as you shouldn’t go over the fill line. So happy to hear everyone enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Scott, I’ve never included broccoli in this recipe so I can’t say with certainty. I would steam the broccoli separately (microwave or stove top) and add them just before serving. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

    • Evie Gibson says

      I tried this recipe today and I added broccoli. After adding the cornstarch and thickening the sauce, turned instantpot off, added broccoli, submerged in sauce, covered, and let it sit for 5 minutes. The broccoli was perfect and it wasn’t over cooked. I’m definitely making this again (with a little less brown sugar). It was delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Melissa, I’ve never substituted honey for brown sugar in this recipe so I can’t say with certainty… but I wouldn’t hesitate to try it. Here is an article I found on how to substitute honey for brown sugar in recipes. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

  19. Cyndi Sobel says

    I do not have an instant pot – only crock pot.
    this recipe has been going around for a very, very long time. I have not received any other recipes from you. do you only cook with an instant pot?

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Cyndi, if you browse around the site, you’ll see that I don’t cook only with an Instant Pot. At the end this post I included a link to a slow cooker version of this recipe that you can find here. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

  21. Karla Walters says

    We loved this recipe!! I am new to Instant Pot and love trying new recipes! The big drawback I am finding is no info on Nutritional Facts. I count calories & have to keep track of Hubby’s sodium. I couldn’t find a low sodium Hoisin sauce so I almost skipped it, but was well worth that flavor! I went to a small market and they didn’t have Flank or Skirt Steak but they did have Bottom Round Stir Fry Beef & I didn’t even have to slice the meat, BONUS!! I would like to try this again with Flank. If anyone has figured out the calories & sodium, please let me know since this is one of the new favorites!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Thanks so much, Karla! I don’t have nutritional info for this recipe, but there are several online resources, just Google “nutritional calculator” and enter the ingredients. So happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Steve, that’s the only thing I can think of… sorry that happened! I hope you’ll try it again with slicing the meat thicker; glad you liked the flavor!

      Reply

  23. Jessica says

    This was my first instant pot recipe. It came out so well! Very tasty and tender. I used a cheaper cut of beef and still came out great. Next time, I may use less brown sugar to cut down the sweetness.

    ★★★★

    Reply

  25. Joan Clark says

    I liked the taste of this, but it was a bit on the sweet side. My sauce never thickened, even after increasing the amount of corn starch mixture that I added. Also, the carrots completely disappeared. I’m thinking it might be better to add them when the pressure cooking is done and the lid is removed. When I added the corn starch, a chemical reaction happened that made the sauce foam up and expand. It did eventually go down. It would be useful to add to the instructions to pour the corn starch mixture in slowly. I’ll definitely make this again and tweak the amount of liquid that goes in at the beginning. Any suggestions as to why the sauce didn’t thicken would be appreciated.

    ★★★

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Joan, I honestly can’t say as to why your sauce didn’t thicken as I’ve never had that to happen (especially with adding more cornstarch mixture). As for the “chemical reaction” that has me baffled as well. So sorry I couldn’t be of more help.

      Reply

      • Joan Clark says

        I feel like a dunce! I just realized I used baking powder instead of corn starch! That’s why I got the chemical reaction and the sauce didn’t thicken. Remade, this time using corn starch. It was perfect!

        ★★★★★

        Reply

        • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

          JOAN! So funny, I was going to suggest that being a possibility but decided not to (LOL). At least I’m not the only one that makes silly blunders in the kitchen! Thanks and have a wonderful weekend! 🙂

          Reply

  26. Rodney Lucas says

    This fantastic recipe is the very first one we tried in our Instant Pot, and we’re immediate fans! Thank you so much!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  28. Linda says

    Made this today, first recipe in my new instant pot. Love it, thank you sooo much. Where can I find more of your recipes?

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Linda, Thanks so much! My recipe index is here and there is a category dedicated to Instant Pot recipes. Hope you enjoy your new Instant Pot!

      Reply

  29. Katy says

    I’m so happy with how this turned out! Im new to instantpot and this is the first beef dish i made. Its moist and flavorful and not dry at all.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  30. Michelle says

    Made this yesterday in a six-quart Duo. I decided to brown the beef in batches so that it didn’t all just steam in the bottom of the pot. That was the only change I made to your instructions. So, you can assure other readers that this recipe works in a 6-quart pressure cooker just fine!

    Tasty recipe. I am curious, did you intend for the beef to brown in that initial saute step?

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  31. Christina Gillis says

    I made this recipe the other night and it was a HUGE hit with my kids! I just got my instant pot and this was the first recipe I made using it. I was kind of intimidated to use my instant pot but this recipe was so easy and so tasty and now I love using my instant pot! Thank you for this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Thanks, Christina! So happy to hear you (and the kids, too!) enjoyed it! I was intimidated as well when first using the Instant Pot. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have! 🙂

      Reply

  32. Stacey Kerr says

    This was so great! Husband raved and both kids went back for seconds – a usually unheard-of occurrence! The only difference is I used arrowroot since I didn’t have cornstarch in the house. Thanks so much for this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Thanks so much, Stacey… that makes me smile! 🙂 So happy to hear everyone (even the kids!) enjoyed it!

      Reply

  33. Angela Allen says

    I have a new Instant Pot and am pretty interested in this recipe. I have to say, that seems like a lot of sugar. How sweet does the final dish taste?

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Angela, it’s definitely sweet (and spicy), which Mongolian sauce is supposed to be. Hope you enjoy it if you make it! 🙂

      Reply

      • Angela Allen says

        I made it and reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup. It was fine for us. I think I might make it spicier next time and I agree with an earlier poster that it would really be good with broccoli.

        ★★★★

        Reply

        • Michelle says

          Angela, I agree on all counts. I added frozen broccoli florets after the pressure cooking while thickening the sauce. What do you think you’d add for spice? Cayenne pepper, maybe?

          Reply

  34. Garrett says

    I’m planning on doing this tonight, but realized you said 10 minutes included your pressure cook time. Mine takes like 10 minutes to pressurize…not sure what to do.

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Hi Garrett, at the top of the recipe card it states that total cook time is 38 minutes. This includes initial saute time (3 minutes), pressure time (10 minutes), NPR time (10 minutes) and thickening the cornstarch slurry on the saute mode again (about 2 minutes) for a total of 25 minutes, which leaves 13 minutes left which was the time it took for my pot to come to pressure. This is an estimate, as times will vary slightly. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

      Reply

  36. Lynn says

    Made this tonight and it was fantastic!Question…If I want to cook the rice at the same time, but the cooking times are different,how do I adjust?

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  37. Alan Fisher says

    Hi, this recipe looks great and I’m off to buy the ingredients. Can you just clarify if it’s light or dark soy sauce? Thanks

    Reply

  39. Sue says

    This was my first ever recipe I tried in the Instantpot and it was delicious! It got me over my intimidation. I steamed broccoli separately because I like it crispy and stirred that in at the end with another handful of Raw carrots for crunch. Served with brown rice I made in my rice cooker. So happy with this recipe. Thanks

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      That sounds delicious, Sue! Thank you for sharing. I was really intimidated with my Instant Pot when I first got it, too. All I could think of was a story my mom told me as a child about scraping beans off of the ceiling after a (traditional) pressure cooker mishap… LOL! So happy you enjoyed the Mongolian Beef! 🙂

      Reply

  40. Amy says

    So so good! Even my picky 12 year old son LOVED it and came back for seconds. I made as published with no substitutions and it was delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  41. Tami says

    Hi,
    I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but beef fell apart and it had a lot of liquid compared to beef ratio. It was good but a bit sweet for my taste – I’ll cut back on the brown sugar next time. Will likely make adjustments to reduce spiciness of end product.
    Any suggestions? Oh yeah, I will slice the flank a bit thicker next time.

    Reply

  44. Tricia says

    This recipe is so simple but oh so good. I’ve made it about 5x’s already. I do cut the sugar back to 1/2 cup as the hoisin sauce adds sweewtness as well. I also add in 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes. I was out of beef and also out of venison so this evening I used elk. Came out really good and tender. YUM!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  47. Tricia says

    Luv this recipe. However, 1 cup of the brown sugar is way too much for us so I cut it back to 1/2 cup and also added some red pepper flakes. YUM!!! This I’ve made this about six times already and I’ve only had my IP since May ’19.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Amy @ The Blond Cook says

      Thanks for sharing, Tricia! Happy to hear you and your family are enjoying it and enjoying your new Instant Pot! 🙂

      Reply

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