Tender sliced beef in a savory rich sauce. This easy Instant Pot Beef Broccoli recipe beats Chinese takeout any day of the week.
In my experience, making dinner in the Instant Pot allows the flavors to mingle while being pressure cooked! Today’s dinner is a copycat takeout of one of my family’s favorite meals.
This pressure cooker dinner recipe was originally published in January 2020. I updated the recipe notes and images and republished in October 2025.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste & Texture: Tender beef with fresh broccoli in a homemade stir-fry sauce.
Ease: Start to finish you’ll have this dinner on the table in 30 minutes. So much faster than driving to a Chinese restaurant.
Tools: This recipe was tested in a 6-quart Instant Pot.
Avoid the Burn: Adding the broth while the pot is still on “saute” helps release the cooked meat from the bottom of the pot. This will prevent the “burn” notice from appearing.
This has already become a favorite of mine! So easy and turns out perfectly!
– wilhelmina
Beef Broccoli Ingredients
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
Beef. A walk through the grocery store and you’ll notice there are many different cuts of beef. Here are my favorites:
- Chuck Roast – you can have the butcher cut this into thin strips for you, or do it yourself.
- Flank Steak – thin and easy to slice.
- Stir Fry Beef– already sliced and packaged.
When slicing the beef, whether you are using the chuck roast or a flank steak, slice against the grain of the meat.
If you’re having difficulty, freeze the beef for about 20 minutes, this will help stabilize the meat while you slice.
Broccoli. Fresh OR frozen broccoli will work in this recipe.
- Frozen broccoli. Make sure to choose “florets” otherwise you’ll find they load the bags with the stems!
- Fresh broccoli. So you don’t wind up with soggy broccoli, I suggest steaming fresh broccoli for a few minutes in the microwave or on the stovetop. Putting it in with the beef will overcook it.
Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil. Both ingredients infuse so much flavor into this dish. However, I would choose a low sodium soy sauce if possible.
I know the recipe only calls for less than 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil, but trust me when I say it’s important!
How to Make Broccoli Beef in the Instant Pot
You’ll use several functions on your pressure cooker to make today’s dinner.
- Saute- this feature allows you to cook and brown the beef before making the sauce. You’ll use this again to thicken the sauce at the end of cooking.
- Sealing- this valve on top gets set to sealing after locking the lid in place.
- High Pressure- or manual pressure. This cooks the beef broccoli for a set time, you’ll adjust up/down.
- Venting- after a ten minute “natural release”, which means after the cook time do nothing, you’ll turn the valve on top to venting. This releases the remaining pressure inside.
Broccoli Beef on the Stove Top
In a large skillet (or stir fry pan), heat olive oil and garlic together over medium high heat. Add sliced beef and cook for several minutes until browned on both sides. Remove beef to a plate.
Remove beef and add broth, brown sugar, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with cold water. Add to sauce and increase heat to medium. Whisk until sauce is thickened. Add in frozen broccoli and beef.
Cook for several minutes until broccoli is heated through. Garnish with sesame seeds.
What to Serve with Beef Broccoli
You can serve this with a side of rice, or cauliflower rice.
Or, create a Chinese Takeout meal!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Keep your pressure cooker out for this Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff and Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings recipe!
- Make these Black Bean Enchiladas and have your family be impressed by the flavor!
- This Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken will have your whole house smelling good and the whole family eating good!
- Italian Beef Crescent Roll Ring is a game day favorite!
- Make this creamy and spicy Buffalo Chicken Pasta for your family!
- We’re obsessed with Chinese “fake out” dinners. From Instant Pot Orange Chicken to easy Chicken Fried Rice. What’s your favorite?
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section below!
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Instant Pot Beef Broccoli Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds chuck roast cut into thin strips
- 4 garlic cloves pressed
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ Tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- 2 Tablespoons cold water
- 1 pound 16 ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Select "SAUTE" on the instant pot and add olive oil to the pot. Add the sliced beef and brown on each side for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer browned beef to a plate. Add pressed garlic to the pot and cook for about one minute. Pour in the beef broth and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- To the broth, add the brown sugar, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Whisk together. Add in the beef.
- Lock the lid in place and make sure the valve is set to "SEALING."
- Select "HIGH PRESSURE" and a cook time of 15 minutes. When the cook time ends, allow the pot to naturally release for 10 minutes.
- After the ten minute natural release, move the valve to "VENTING" and allow the remaining pressure to release.
- Remove the lid. Stir the beef in the sauce. Turn the Instant Pot back on "SAUTE." In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with cold water. Pour into the pot.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. When the sauce is thickened, add in the FROZEN broccoli. Allow the broccoli to cook, which will take about 2-3 minutes. Turn off Instant Pot.
- To serve, spoon broccoli beef over rice or noodles (ramen is really tasty)! Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. ENJOY.
Notes
- Recipe tested in 6 quart Instant Pot.
- Broccoli Beef is great for meal prep! Add the beef broccoli to an airtight container with a side of rice (or noodles). Refrigerate and use within 4 days.
Nutrition
Easy Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Beef Broccoli is better than takeout and is the perfect weeknight dinner recipe! You’ll love the tender beef with tangy sauce.
In case the author never gets back to me, hopefully you are reading this before you shop for/make the recipe. We enjoyed this recipe and I’m giving it 4 stars only because of the cook time.
Comparing similar recipes online, this cook time is way too long for stir-fry beef. The recipes that included the slice thickness all say 1/4″. I don’t remember if the stir-fry beef I bought was that thickness or less. I will check with my grocer/butcher before buying it again. I wonder if the author actually tested this recipe with stir-fry beef.
The other recipes call for anywhere from 8-10 minutes on high pressure. One called for quick release after 8 and others called for 10 minute natural release after 10. So it appears experimentation is necessary, your mileage may vary.
This was so good. I’ve never had beef & broccoli before so I don’t know, but the beef is supposed to stay in the same shape it was cut in? I bought stir fry beef from my grocer which was very thin, I suppose that’s necessary for stir fry? But when this dish was done cooking, the meat had all disintegrated and my husband felt like he was eating pot roast.
Is this the fault of the meat or the cook time? I did everything exactly by the recipe.
Is there a way to use fresh broccoli? Not a fan of frozen.
Way to salty for my taste. Next time I would only put 1/2 the soy sauce. The broccoli made it to cold so ran it on pressure cook for 2 more min. Great other than those 2 things!
How can I adapt this when I am traveling and don’t have my instant pot? Can I make it in a slow cooker/crockpot? How about on the stove top? My family love this and are frustrated when I can’t make it! 🙂
What could I substitute for sesame oil? I have a severe allergy – but the recipe looks delicious.
Avocado or olive oil will work just fine!
Is there a way to cook rice in there as well? Maybe use the trivet and put that on the meat and then put a bowl with rice/water in it?
This was delicious !!! Huge family hit. Will be made again anf again. Thank you for this amazing recipe
Our family loves this dish so much! I do add some red pepper flakes, fresh grated ginger, and julienned carrots as well. The sauce…oh my…I could lick my plate after eating this. Thank you!
This was so good! Better than our Chinese restaurant! I used fresh broccoli and just added it when everything was done. Turned off the pot, and had the lid set on so some heat could escape. The heat from the pot and the dish cooked the broccoli and I kept checking until it was fork tender.
Do you add the beef before or after the 15 minute pressure cooker time?
Step 3 has you “add in the beef.” This is before the 15 minute cook time.
Can you add Ramen noodles to the beef mixture?
This has already become a favorite of mine! So easy and turns out perfectly!