This easy Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli recipe is perfect for the busy household. Now you can have a great Chinese dish the whole family will enjoy with only 10 minutes of preparation.
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Introduction and My Rating
Beef and broccoli is a popular Chinese favorite that we all love in every Chinese restaurant. But it is super easy to make at home with these simple step by step photo instructions.
Google will give you lots of examples, most of which are nearly identical, but this Food.com Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli recipe will do as the inspiration piece.
A few minor adjustments for more sauce, taste, and options for you.
My Rating
A very nice middle of the road four.
🐄Beef
The most important thing for the meat is to cut your beef thinly across the grain. 1/8 inch or a bit more is a good thickness. Your beef roast needs to be nicely trimmed, so you don’t have to pick out uneatable things.
The beef needs to have some marbling, but otherwise fairly lean. Sirloin roast is the preferred cut, but I also find an English cut roast is great here. It is related to a chuck roast but leaner.
🥦Broccoli
Frozen broccoli will work fine, but you can use fresh.
Frozen broccoli in the old days always came in a one-pound bag. Not any more. Most are 12 to 14 oz. But really with this dish, anywhere from 12 to 16 oz is just fine.
Fresh broccoli will work for this recipe, also. One medium to a large bunch of broccoli will produce approximately 3 cups when cleans and cut up.
♨️The Crock Pot
This recipe fits in a 4 quart or larger crock pot. It might do ok in a 3 1/2 quart, but that is marginal. For a double batch, at least 6 1/2 quarts but bigger is better.
Crock pots can vary some so the end point is when the vegetables are tender and not the time.
✔️Tips
This is easy to adjust. A bit more meat or broccoli doesn’t matter.
Add a can of drained water chestnuts or some snap peas.
It will refrigerate well for about 3 days. Will not freeze well due to the corn starch.
I suggest low sodium ingredients and removed added salt. There is lots of sodium in soy sauce, and more is generally not needed. Add some if you think you need it.
📖Chinese Recipes
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Easy Fried Rice in 10 Minute
Easy General Tso Chicken
Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Breast
🔪Instructions
No special sauces needed.
Trim 1 to 1 1/2 pound beef roast and slice into 1/8 inch slices across the grain.
In a larger crock pot (4 quarts or larger), add one 14 ounces can low sodium beef broth, 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper and 4 cloves crushed or minced garlic. Mix well. Add the beef to the crock pot and cook for 6 hours.
At the 5-hour mark, mix two tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Add the cornstarch mixture and mix well.
Add about 2-3 cups of broccoli. You can add other vegetables at this point, also.
Increase crock pot to high and cook for the final hour. Be sure the broccoli is tender before ending. If not, extend the cooking time.
Serve over rice and garnish as you wish.
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📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli
This easy Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli recipe is perfect for the busy household. Now you can have a great Chinese dish the whole family will enjoy with only 10 minutes of preparation.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time6 hrs
Total Time6 hrs 10 mins
Servings/Adjust Amount: 6 hours
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ½ pound beef roast
- 14 oz beef broth – low sodiium
- 1/2 cup soy sauce – low sodium
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper – to taste
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2-3 cups broccoli – frozen or fresh
- 8 oz sliced water chestnuts – optional
Instructions
-
Trim 1 to 1 ½ pound beef roast and slice into 1/8 inch slices across the grain.
-
In a larger crock pot (4 quarts or bigger ) add one 14 ounces can beef broth, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, one tablespoon sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper and four cloves crushed or minced garlic. Mix well
-
Add the beef to the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.
-
At the 5-hour mark mix two tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Add the cornstarch mixture and mix well. Add 2-3 cups of broccoli. Other vegetables can be added at this point.
-
Increase crock pot to high and cook for the final hour. Be sure the vegetables are tender and extend the cooking if needed.
-
Serve over rice and garnish as you wish.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- You can use the beef you want, but I suggest a sirloin roast or English cut roast.
- Trim the beef well and cut across the grain about 1/8 inch thick. No more than 1/4 inch, please.
- Use low sodium products since the sodium will get out of control here. Add more salt only if you need it.
- The crock pot size is bigger than it seems to need due to the volume of the broccoli when added. A 4 quart or larger crock pot works well, but it may fit in a 3 1/2 quart size. A double recipe will squeeze into a 6 1/2 quart size.
- Add other vegetables with the broccoli if you like.
- Crock pots can vary some, so be sure the broccoli is tender before ending the cooking.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days but will not freeze well due to the corn starch.
Check Out Other Great Recipes
ADJUST THE RECIPE SIZE:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli
Amount Per Serving
Calories 245 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 62mg21%
Sodium 911mg38%
Potassium 673mg19%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 27g54%
Vitamin A 214IU4%
Vitamin C 28mg34%
Calcium 54mg5%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Originally Published April 18, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos and a table of contents to help navigation.
