This is a reliable weeknight dinner that hits the sweet-salty notes I want when I’m craving takeout without the wait. The Instant Pot speeds through the braise so you get tender beef in a glossy sauce, and the quick-steamed broccoli keeps its bright color and snap. I make this when I need something satisfying, fast, and unfussy.
The recipe uses pantry staples and a single pot for most of the work, so cleanup is quick. There are a few small rituals—browning the beef, deglazing the pot, and finishing the sauce with a cornstarch slurry—that make a big difference to texture and flavor. Follow those steps and the result is consistently good.
Below you’ll find the ingredients and a step-by-step walk-through from prep to serving, plus real-world tips from my test kitchen to help you avoid common mistakes. If you like, bookmark it; this is one of those go-to dinners that scales well and adapts to what you have on hand.
What Goes In
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil — for browning the beef; use a neutral oil with a high smoke point.
- 3 cloves garlic, minced — adds immediate aromatic flavor when sautéed briefly.
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated — gives brightness and a little warmth to the sauce.
- 12 ounces (340 g) beef steak — I used flank; sliced into strips or cubed for even cooking.
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water — to deglaze the pot after browning the beef and lift fond.
- ¼ cup (60 ml) low-sodium soy sauce — the main salty-savoury backbone of the sauce; low-sodium keeps it balanced.
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar — light or dark; you can use honey instead at the same amount to balance the soy.
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil — added for flavor depth; a little goes a long way.
- ¾ cup (180 ml) water — or beef stock; provides the cooking liquid for pressure cooking.
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch — mixed with 1 tablespoon of water to make the slurry; used to thicken the sauce.
- 12 ounces (340 g) broccoli — steamed until crisp-tender before adding back in.
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds — to garnish (optional).
- Cooked rice — for serving; short- or long-grain works, depending on preference.
Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli in Steps
- Prep: mince 3 cloves garlic; grate 1 tablespoon fresh ginger; slice 12 ounces (340 g) beef into strips or cubes; steam 12 ounces (340 g) broccoli until crisp-tender and set aside; mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water to make the slurry; have cooked rice ready.
- Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and heat until shimmering.
- Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and sauté about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the beef and brown on all sides, stirring occasionally (about 3–4 minutes).
- Deglaze the pot with 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.
- Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or honey), 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and 3/4 cup (180 ml) water or beef stock. Stir to combine, then cancel the SAUTE setting.
- Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL on high pressure and set the time for 8 minutes. (The Instant Pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.)
- When the cooking program ends, perform a quick release: carefully turn the vent to VENTING to release the steam, then remove the lid once the float valve drops.
- Select SAUTE. Stir in the cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water) and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 1–2 minutes.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and stir in the steamed broccoli until heated through.
- Serve the beef and broccoli hot over cooked rice and garnish with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, if desired.
Why It Works Every Time
The method hits three key points: build flavor, control moisture, and finish for texture. Browning the beef adds Maillard flavor and those browned bits become concentrated taste once deglazed. Deglazing with 1/4 cup water lifts those fond flavors into the sauce so the pressure cooking step doesn’t steam them away.
Pressure cooking at high for 8 minutes is long enough to tenderize typical sliced flank or similar steak without turning it stringy. Using a slurry after pressure cooking lets you thicken the sauce precisely—if you thicken under pressure you risk uneven texture. Finally, steaming the broccoli separately and adding it back in preserves color and bite. If you pressure-cook the broccoli with the beef, it will overcook.
Smart Substitutions
- Beef cut — use skirt, sirloin, or flat iron in place of flank if that’s what you have; slice thinly against the grain for tenderness.
- Water or stock — 3/4 cup (180 ml) water can be swapped for beef stock for more depth; no other amount changes are required.
- Sweetener — replace 1 teaspoon brown sugar with 1 teaspoon honey (same amount) if you prefer.
- Soy sauce — low-sodium soy sauce is listed; if you only have regular soy sauce, reduce added salt in any sides and be cautious with extra seasonings.
- Broccoli — if you don’t have broccoli, use broccolini or green beans; steam until crisp-tender before adding back in.
Hardware & Gadgets
You’ll need an electric pressure cooker/Instant Pot with SAUTE and PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL functions. A few tools make the job easier: a sharp chef’s knife for thinly slicing the beef, a grater or microplane for fresh ginger, and a wooden or heatproof spoon for deglazing. A steamer basket speeds up steaming the broccoli while the beef cooks or before you start.
If you have a fine-mesh strainer, use it when rinsing rice. A wide spatula helps stir and prevent scratching the inner pot during saute and deglazing.
Easy-to-Miss Gotchas
Do not skip deglazing. Those browned bits on the bottom carry huge flavor; if you don’t scrape them up the Instant Pot may detect a burn and shut off or give you a burn notice. Use the full 1/4 cup (60 ml) water specified to lift them safely.
Don’t pressure-cook the broccoli with the beef. The broccoli will overcook and lose color and texture. Steam it separately until crisp-tender and add it right at the end. Also, add the cornstarch slurry only after pressure cooking and with the SAUTE function on; adding it under pressure prevents it from thickening properly.
Tailor It to Your Diet
To reduce sodium: keep the low-sodium soy sauce and skip any extra salt in sides. Use water instead of beef stock. For a gluten-free version, swap the soy sauce for tamari or a gluten-free soy alternative at the same volume.
To make it lower-carb: serve over cauliflower rice or shredded cabbage instead of white rice. For a slightly lighter dish, use leaner cuts of beef and shorten saute time so less oil is needed.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
I tried this a few ways while refining it. Browning the beef briefly before pressure cooking improved both texture and flavor—skip it only if you’re short on time. I also tested the amount of liquid used for pressure cooking; 3/4 cup (180 ml) water or stock gives a sauce that reduces nicely when thickened with the slurry. Less liquid led to a dry pot or stickiness; more liquid diluted the flavor.
When testing broccoli timing, steaming it first and folding it in at the end preserved the bright green and firm bite we want. Over the course of trials, the 8-minute high-pressure cook for thinly sliced flank delivered tender, not mushy, results every time.
Storing, Freezing & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools; loosen with a splash of water or broth when reheating. Reheat gently in a skillet over medium heat or use the microwave in short bursts, stirring between intervals.
Freezing is possible but note that broccoli’s texture will change after thawing. If you plan to freeze, consider freezing the beef and sauce separately from steamed broccoli, or omit steaming the broccoli until you reheat. Freeze in a shallow container for faster thawing; use within 2 months for best quality. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Popular Questions
- Can I use frozen beef? You should use thawed beef for even cooking and to get a good brown during the sauté step. Frozen beef will release extra moisture and won’t sear well.
- Why did my sauce stay thin? Make sure the Instant Pot is on SAUTE when you add the cornstarch slurry. If you add the slurry and immediately turn off heat, the sauce won’t thicken. Also, ensure the slurry ratio is 1 tablespoon cornstarch to 1 tablespoon water as written.
- Can I double the recipe? You can, but keep an eye on fill lines in your Instant Pot. Doubling liquid can work, but don’t exceed the max fill line and expect slightly longer time to come to pressure.
- Is toasted sesame oil necessary? It’s optional for flavor. It adds a nutty finish; you can omit it if you don’t have any, but include it if you can for depth.
Time to Try It
This Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli is a practical weeknight champion: quick to make, easy to adapt, and consistently satisfying. Follow the order—brown, deglaze, pressure cook, thicken, and fold in broccoli—and you’ll get reliable results. Make the rice first or keep some pre-cooked grains in the fridge to shave off minutes on a busy night.
Cook it once and you’ll see how small steps—browning, deglazing, finishing with a slurry—combine to make a fast dish taste like it took more time. Put a pot of rice on, steam the broccoli, and you’ll have dinner on the table in less than an hour. Enjoy.
Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
Ingredients
- ?1 tablespoonvegetable oil
- ?3 clovesgarlicminced
- ?1 tablespoonfresh gingergrated
- ?12 ounces 340 gbeef steakI used flank, sliced into strips or cubed
- ?1/4 cup 60 mlwaterto deglaze the pot after browning the beef
- ?1/4 cup 60 mllow-sodium soy sauce
- ?1 teaspoonbrown sugarlight or dark or honey
- ?1 teaspoontoasted sesame oil
- ?3/4 cup 180 mlwateror beef stock
- ?1 tablespooncornstarchmixed with 1 tablespoon of water
- ?12 ounces 340 gbroccolisteamed
- ?1 teaspoonsesame seedsto garnish optional
- ?Cooked rice
Instructions
Instructions
- Prep: mince 3 cloves garlic; grate 1 tablespoon fresh ginger; slice 12 ounces (340 g) beef into strips or cubes; steam 12 ounces (340 g) broccoli until crisp-tender and set aside; mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water to make the slurry; have cooked rice ready.
- Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and heat until shimmering.
- Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and sauté about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the beef and brown on all sides, stirring occasionally (about 3–4 minutes).
- Deglaze the pot with 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits.
- Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or honey), 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and 3/4 cup (180 ml) water or beef stock. Stir to combine, then cancel the SAUTE setting.
- Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL on high pressure and set the time for 8 minutes. (The Instant Pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.)
- When the cooking program ends, perform a quick release: carefully turn the vent to VENTING to release the steam, then remove the lid once the float valve drops.
- Select SAUTE. Stir in the cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water) and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 1–2 minutes.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and stir in the steamed broccoli until heated through.
- Serve the beef and broccoli hot over cooked rice and garnish with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, if desired.
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Notes
For more flavor, add 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce to the sauce.
