This Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Beef and Broccoli is better than any restaurant. Make it a one pot meal and cook the rice using my “pot in pot” method!
Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Beef and Broccoli
My family’s favorite Chinese restaurant is in Boynton Beach, Florida, called “Chinatown.”
We actually stumbled onto it one Christmas Eve while driving around looking for a new Chinese restaurant. It was just a “hole in the wall.” That hole in the wall, turned out to be the best Chinese restaurant we had been to in many years. It became our go-to Chinese Christmas Day restaurant (and many days throughout the year). You have probably heard the joke that Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas, right? Well, it is no joke. We actually do and have been doing it for years. 🙂
Now that we are back in California, unless you drive to China Town or San Gabriel it is hard to find fantastic Chinese eateries. So, I’ve been developing my own recipes for yummy Chinese food. You will find tons of Chinese recipes like my Instant Pot Chinese Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce and my Air Fryer Chinese Salt and Pepper Pork Chops thought my website, so make sure to check out all the wonderful recipes.
Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Beef and Broccoli
You won’t believe how easy it is to make Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Beef and Broccoli, in your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker. This recipe does not use a ton of brown sugar, nor is it overly sweet. My Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli has that authentic Chinese flavor as I use the ingredients found in great authentic Chinese food. I love authenticity!
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Ingredients for Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- Beef
- Fresh Garlic
- Chili Peppers
- Potato Starch – see below
- Black Soy Sauce*
- Fish Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Chinese Five Spice is a popular spice in Asian cooking and adds authenticity to this recipe.
- White Pepper
- Beef Broth
Slice the beef into strips
Chuck Roast works wonderfully for this recipe, but you can use Rump Roast or Flank Steak. If using a Sirloin or Skirt Steak, you really don’t even need to pressure cook it, as it will become a bit tough.
*What is Black Soy Sauce?
Healthy Boy Sweet/Black Soy Sauce is my favorite, but sometimes hard to find. The Kecap Manis Brand is terrific and always available on-line. Sweet/Black Soy Sauce is used a lot in Asian cooking, so I suggest you keep a bottle in your arsenal of pantry staples. The flavor is sweet and slightly salty with a thick molasses texture. It adds a nice depth of flavor.
Pro Tip: Black soy sauce that is sweet is different from a product labeled Dark Soy Sauce. Dark soy sauce is extra salty.
Another wonderful ingredient that I use in many of my Asian (and American) dishes is Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce. It adds a huge level of flavor, without being fishy. If you are grossed out by it, just leave it out.
Coat Beef with Dry Seasoning and Potato Starch
The meat is then coated in potato starch.
Why Add Potato Starch?
- Coating the meat in potato starch will protect the meat and keep it nice and juicy. You will also notice that when you saute the meat, it won’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Using potato starch at this stage will also ensure the sauce has a nice consistency so that you will not need to do a potato starch or corn starch slurry at the end.
Pro Tip: Often times adding a slurry to a pressure cooker recipe will cause a raw starch taste if you don’t get the pot hot enough. To do that, you are chancing over cooking the food.
Whisk up the Sauce for the Beef
Whisk up the Sauce ingredients into a medium bowl.
Set the Sauce aside until a bit later.
Heat up the Pressure Cooker and add Oil
Make sure to fully heat up your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker cooking pot before adding the oil.
A very hot stainless steel pot with the fat added afterwards, makes stainless steel, non stick!
Some multi-pots have a Sauté button, which is handy. If not, any other button which produces heat is fine. Even using the button marked “Meat” will heat up the pot enough.
Add the Meat to Instant Pot
The potato starch sinks into the meat and during cooking releases a bit. This is what gives the sauce some body. Because the starch is under pressure, it will easily combine with all the ingredients and there won’t be any kind of raw taste.
Pour in the Beef Broth
More onions can be used. If you like carrots, just slice them on the diagonal and add them in here. There are so many option you can add if you want more than just beef and broccoli!
If you don’t like spice, the red peppers can be omitted. On the flip side, more can be added for those who love lots of heat!
Place the Trivet over the Beef
Turn this Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Beef and Broccoli recipe into a one pot meal! You will just need these two accessories. One stainless steel flat bottomed insert pan and a Stainless Steel Tall Legged Trivet/Steamer Rack.
If you would like to read more about the method, check out my Pressure Cooker Perfectly Cooked Pot In Pot Rice recipe for step by step instructions as you can make the rice on its own as well. I suggest rinsing the rice and placing it in the pan prior to starting this recipe, so that when you get to the part of adding in the trivet and pan, you are good to go.
Place Pan on Top of Trivet
Alternatively, if you are cooking for a crowd and need a larger portion of rice please use my Pressure Cooker White Rice recipe and cook the rice right in the cooking pot and make as much as you like.
Pressure Cooker Perfectly Cooked Pot In Pot Rice
Keep the lid on top of the rice to allow it to continue to steam and finish the cooking process. While the rice is steaming, go on to the next step. Your rice will be perfectly cooked by the time the beef is ready.
Remove the cover from the pan of rice and fluff. Your entire dinner has now been cooked in one pot, in under 15 minutes.
Add the Broccoli
Another beauty of my Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli recipe is that you can cook the broccoli in the same pot as the beef and broccoli and it will be perfectly cooked and flavored with the fabulous sauce. Broccoli cooks so quickly and my method turns out cooked broccoli with just a bit of a bite, so no mushy broccoli here!
Drizzle on the Toasted Sesame Oil
Toasted Sesame Oil is something used as a condiment. It adds a nice flavor, but is not necessary. Right before serving, if you like, add in a drizzle and give it a quick mix through.
Pro Tip: Toasted Sesame Oil is used after the food is cooked and adds extra flavoring. Pure Sesame Oil be lost.
Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Beef and Broccoli
Sesame seeds are optional. This same recipe can be made using pork or chicken too!
More Instant Pot Chinese Recipes to Make:
- Pressure Cooker Chinese Hot and Sour Soup – start the meal off with a nice bowl of soup!
- Pressure Cooker Chinese Orange Pepper Chicken & Rice
- Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Spicy Orange Beef
- Pressure Cooker Healthy Inside Out “Eggrolls”
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
- J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- Gravity Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Ekovana Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Stackable Pans Set
- Stainless Steel Tall/Short Trivet & Egg Cooker Set
- 3.5 Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
One Pot Pressure Cooker Beef and Broccoli
Print Pin Save RateIngredients
- 2.5 pounds Flank Steak Chuck Roast or Flap Meat, sliced into strips
- 1 Tablespoon Peanut Oil (Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil) (any oil which can be used in high heat safely)
- 1 Yellow/Brown Onion diced
- 1 pound Broccoli
Seasoning Mix
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground White Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Potato Starch
Sauce
- 1/2 cup Beef Broth (or 1/2 cup water + 1/2 tsp Better than Bouillon Beef Base)
- 1/2 cup Sweet/Black Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce, Low Sodium
- 1.5 Tablespoons Premium Fish Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Pure Sesame Oil
- 5 Cloves Fresh Garlic minced
- 3 Dried Red Chili Peppers (optional - use more or use less)
Rice
- 2 "rice" cups Jasmine Rice (see notes)
- 2 cups Fresh Water
Extras
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- Water Chestnuts
- Thin Sliced Carrots
- Cremini Mushrooms
- Natural Sesame Seeds (Toasted)
Recommended Products
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together sauce ingredients and set aside .
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine beef and Chinese Five Spice. Massage into beef.
- Add potato starch to bowl and rub in completely.
- Select Sauté/Browning on pressure cooker and allow to fully heat and then add Peanut Oil.
- Add coated Beef to cooking pot and give it a good mix around, about 30 seconds total.
- Add onions, broth and sauce and mix through to combine, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot. Turn off pressure cooker.
Rice Option
- Rinse rise well and place into stainless steel flat bottom insert pan. Set aside until needed. (Do this step before starting the recipe.)
- Place tall legged trivet into cooking pot. (Otherwise, you are ready to pressure cook.)
- Pour in two cups of fresh water (or chicken broth) and cover with lid (only if the lid has steam holes).
Back to Cooking
- Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook at high pressure (most machines default to high pressure) for 3 minutes.
- When beep is heard, wait 10 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
- Open lid and remove bowl of rice and trivet and set aside, so that it finishes steaming while you cook the broccoli.
- Add broccoli and mix through. Select Sauté/Browning and simmer if desired for a softer broccoli and thicker sauce.
- Turn off heat and drizzle in Toasted Sesame Oil and stir. Serve over rice.
Notes
Red peppers are very hot and just for flavoring. Most people push them aside.
Add Ins
- Sliced carrots
- Mushrooms
- Water Chestnuts
Nutrition
PIN this Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Beef and Broccoli!
Pressure Cooker Chinese Take-Out Beef and Broccoli and Rice
I am really looking forward to making this but can’t find any of the sweet soy sauce. Can I substitute thick terryaki sauce?
My third or 4th time making this and it gets better every time. Tonight is my first time making it with the Chinese Five Spice and so far the taste is amaZing. I love the smell of the spice too. You must make this with Jill’s (This Old Gal) pot in pot rice. I don’t make rice any other way now. In fact, I can’t stand boiling my rice. This recipe is fool proof and the rice is fluffy and never gummy or stuck together.
Thank you, Kathie! Jill
Thank you for so many wonderful recipes! I see this recipe has been updated. No mention of sautéing the onions (and carrots) and is now suggested to add carrots when thickening the sauce. Do you recommend adding onions and carrots to pot raw?
Yes, raw is fine. They will cook nicely. Jill
This is super. Dad said it tasted just like takeaway. Super easy to make and tastes great as leftovers too!
I followed d the directions but didn’t have regular Sesame Oil so I used Sunflower oil. The taste was great but a little too much cinnamon tasting. I can’t figure out where the cinnamon taste came from. I even bought the black soy sauce that was posted in the recipe. How do I tweak to taste less cinnamon?
Melinda, omit or reduce the Chinese 5 Spice. Jill
next time low sodium all the way…extremely salty but otherwise great promise!!! will make it again with adjustmaents
I am guessing you did not use the correct black soy sauce, which is super sweet and thick and not at all salty. It makes a huge difference. Jill
would like to have recipe called 20 minute garlic beef and broccoli LO MEIN in Power Pressure Cooker XL
DO YOU HAVE IT ?
I used sweet soy sauce nad it wsa thick and tasted great. When I went back to the store they had black soy sauce thta had molasses in the ingredients but it wasn’t thick at all. Is this still ok? Thanks for all the amazing recipes.
I am just making this recipe and am almost finished. I included sesame oil in the marinade as it was listed there but then I see step 12 says to drizzle toasted sesame oil. Is that different from the marinade sesame oil?
Two different types of oil The Toasted used after cooking is done. Jill
This was fantastic and will be added into my rotation of meals. I used bite sized pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts and cooked for 3 mins. I did have to omit the Chinese peppers, as I could not find them, but we didn’t miss it. Also, I couldn’t find black soy sauce, so I used the sub (low sodium soy sauce + brown sugar) and it was still excellent! Another keeper!
Hi Melissa. I am glad you enjoyed this recipe. Jill
Can frozen broccoli be used?
Hi. Can frozen broccoli be used? Thanks!
Can this be made with boneless chicken thighs instead of beef? Would you modify the time under pressure? Thanks!
Hi Kit~
Yes, no change in time, assuming chicken is bite sized. Jill
Hello Jill,
I made this today, and took a special trip on my bike to get the black soy sauce. I found “thick soy sauce” with the key ingredient being molasses. So I think it’s an equivalent.
I did the rice at the same time–absolute perfection!
The problem I had was that the final result was very dark and had an bitterness to it. I don’t like the cloying sweetness of many Americanized Chinese dishes, but this seemed to be missing some sweetness. It was just too bitter. Your photos suggest it should all look brown. Mine was almost black.
Any thoughts on what I might try? Because it’s worth trying again. I’m new to the IP.
P.s. made your baked beans today, too. So good!
Hi Jennifer~
I agree with you on the cloying sweetness of Americanized Chinese dishes. Many home cooks use brown sugar, instead of authentic ingredients. I use the Healthy Boy Black Soy, which does not have molasses in it, but is thick like molasses. My guess would be the garlic caused bitterness. If sautéed for to long, it will burn and become bitter. When you brown the meat, it is important to keep it moving in the pot, so that the garlic won’t burn and then quickly add the liquid. That would be my guess. Let me know if you try it again, using this little tip. Jill