Name: Instant pot broccoli and beef
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 454 g Long grain rice (rinsed and drained); 2 tbsp Sunflower oil (Rapeseed (canola) oil or most other vegetable oils will also work well.); 908 g Braising (chuck) steak (Sliced into thin pieces.); 1 Medium Onion (roughly chopped); 6 Cloves Garlic (roughly chopped); 1 tbsp Ginger (around a thumb-sized piece roughly chopped); 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes; 250 ml Beef stock (Chicken or vegetable stock would also be OK.); 120 ml Soy sauce; 60 g Brown sugar; 3 tbsp Sesame oil; 650 ml Cold water (for the rice); 454 g Broccoli florets; 3 tbsp Cornflour

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My instant pot broccoli and beef is an easy and tasty version of the popular Chinese classic. Bursting with melt in the mouth beef and nutritious broccoli.

This one is a real family favourite you will want to make over and over again. You can make it with pot in pot rice as well to further reduce the amount of effort required to create a great meal.

For anyone who knows me well, you will know that I love broccoli! Just take a look through all my recipes and you will see that I use it as a side serving in nearly all of them (not the puddings of course!). So what could be better than a meal where broccoli is the star ingredient.

How to make instant pot broccoli and beef

Broccoli and beef is a fairly simple dish to make. The hardest part is probably cutting the steak into thin strips. I would recommend either asking your butcher to do it for you or freezing the beef for around 30 minutes. This makes it easier to cut. Use a super sharp knife and cut across the grain of the meat.

Once you have prepared your beef, the next thing to do is to rinse your rice under a tap until the water runs clear. Put it in a container which will fit inside your instant pot (only do this step if you are doing pot in pot rice).

Now set the instant pot to saute and add the sunflower oil. When it's hot add the beef and brown. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes (chili flakes). Stir everything together and then add the stock, soy sauce (I used low sodium), sugar and sesame oil. Mix well together and then if doing pot in pot rice, add a high trivet. Add cold water to the rice and then put the container on top of the trivet.

Put the lid on the instant pot and set to high pressure for 10 minutes. When the time is up, leave under pressure for another 10 minutes and then do a quick release. When the pin drops, remove the lid followed by the rice and trivet. Set the pot to saute and add the broccoli to the pot. Remove around 4 tbsp of liquid and add it to a small bowl with the cornflour. Mix well together and then stir back into the pot. Put the lid on loosely and leave until the broccoli is cooked and the sauce has thickened (around 2 minutes).

Remove the lid, stir everything together and serve over the rice. Simple!

What are the ingredients in instant pot broccoli beef?

With mostly store cupboard ingredients and plenty of substitutions, all the ingredients should be easy to find.

Long grain rice (I used basmati).
Oil to fry the steak (I used sunflower)
Beef steak (I used braising steak which is reasonably well priced - alternatively named chuck steak).
Onion.
Garlic.
Ginger.
Red pepper flakes (chili flakes).
Beef stock.
Soy sauce (I used low sodium).
Brown sugar
Sesame oil
Broccoli florets
Cornflour

A fairly simple list of readily available ingredients.

ARE THERE ANY SUBSTITUTIONS I CAN DO IF I DON’T HAVE ALL THE INGREDIENTS?

Broccoli and beef is a fairly flexible meal with lots of substitutions if you don't have all the ingredients.

Any long grain rice should work well. I usually use basmati as its always in my cupboard ready to serve with curry.
I used sunflower oil, but pretty much any vegetable oil will be fine.
Braising (chuck) steak is obviously one of the main ingredients, however you could use flank, top round or sirloin (London broil). You could even change the meat completely to thinly sliced chicken or pork. In either case, timings would remain the same.
You could use powdered onion, garlic and ginger if you don't have them fresh.
Vegetable or chicken stock could be used instead of beef stock.
Brown sugar could be replaced with honey or even left out altogether.
Sesame oil does impart a nice flavour to the recipe, but if you are allergic it would be fine to leave it out.
There is and never will be any substitution for broccoli!

Just writing this reminds me of just how flexible this recipe really is.

What to serve with instant pot broccoli and beef

I served mine with a side serving of mange tout, but you could serve any leafy green vegetable or leave as it is (you still get your greens from the broccoli). A sprinkle of sesame seeds or spring onions (green onions) would make a nice garnish.

Can instant pot broccoli beef be keto-friendly?

Yes, it can. Even with the small amount of sugar in the recipe, it can be keto-friendly. You would have to serve it without the rice. If you are worried that the sugar would take you out of ketosis, just reduce the amount or omit altogether. I would suggest serving with cauliflower rice and a leafy green vegetable if you want to use this recipe on a keto diet.

If you want me to calculate the carbohydrate quantities however you make it, please send me a message and I will work it out for you.

Is instant pot broccoli beef healthy?

With all-natural ingredients and only a small amount of added sugar, this is a great recipe to include in a balanced diet. I would recommend using low sodium soy sauce, especially if you are on a low sodium diet.

Can the recipe be scaled up or down?

Absolutely. You could easily double the recipe in all pots 6l (6qt) and above and the recipe would half well in all size pots. In either case, all timings should remain exactly the same. Pot in pot rice will not, however fit in the 3l (3qt) pot and so you would have to make it separately.

Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge and will freeze well. Cook as instructed and allow to cool completely. Then transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container, seal and freeze for up to 6 months. To serve, defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight before reheating. To reheat and serve, put in a pan on the stove at medium heat, stirring occasionally until the dish is thoroughly heated through. Alternatively, you can reheat in the instant pot or in the microwave using a suitable container.

If you have enjoyed my instant pot broccoli and beef recipe, please check out some of my other Chinese inspired recipes:

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please leave them in the box below and I would be delighted to help.