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Better than takeout and healthier too! This easy beef and broccoli instant pot recipe is ready in 20 minutes! Treat your family to healthier Chinese food with this family friendly recipe.
Better than Take Out Beef and Broccoli Instant Pot Recipe
Inevitably when we’re trying to pick a restaurant, one of my children votes for a Chinese buffet. I don’t know about you, but I’m not thrilled with Chinese buffets. Everyone ends up eating too much food, and it’s never healthy. [social_warfare]
But we love Chinese food, so I have been making my own. Not only is it not that hard to make, I feel a lot better serving my creations to my family. Recently, I harvested a bunch of broccoli from my garden and knew I wanted to make beef and broccoli with it. Since the Instant Pot is my obsession this summer, I decided to try a pressure cooking recipe. I based my recipe on this one I found at ISaveAtoZ, but I made a few healthier ingredient swaps and used fresh broccoli instead of frozen broccoli.
The result is an easy recipe that the entire family loves. And it’s really on the table fast! 15-20 minutes is about all you need to make this recipe. Serve it up over rice or noodles – your choice. And then take it easy because dinner is served! Since it’s all made in the instant pot, cleanup is minimal.
Let’s get cooking – it’s easy to make this pressure cooker beef and broccoli recipe To make this healthier beef and broccoli recipe:
First, cut your meat against the grain into thin slices. I’ve used both a chuck roast and boneless sirloin and they both work really well. Just make sure your slices are on the thin side. Then, prep your onions and broccoli. When that’s done, add oil to the Instant Pot and use the saute feature to heat it up.
When the oil is hot, cook the onions until translucent, 3-5 minutes. While the onions are cooking, mix up the sauce and pour it over the meat.
To make the sauce, I like to use Tamari Sauce. Tamari Sauce is gluten-free and non-gmo. I think it also has a little bit richer flavor. If you want a lower-sodium sauce, get this one.
I like to use fresh ginger when I make Chinese food. I store ginger root in the freezer and then grate it very easily using my beloved microplane. If you don’t have one, you need a microplane! I also use fresh garlic which I love to grow myself. Fresh garlic is very good for your immune system (and keeping away vampires) and fresh ginger can help lower blood pressure.
Pour the meat and sauce in the Instant Pot, cook on high manual for 8 minutes, the manually release the pressure. Carefully open the Instant Pot and add the broccoli, cook on high pressure for 1-2 minutes more, and one again, manually release the pressure.
The final step to making this easy beef and broccoli is to remove 1/3 cup of the hot liquid from the instant pot and mix it well with arrow root powder or corn starch. I prefer arrow root powder because it is non-gmo. Mix the liquid back in the instant pot and watch it thicken! Now you’re ready to eat. 🙂
Want a printable beef and broccoli pressure cooker recipe? Here you go!
Slice the onion in thin strips and cut the fresh broccoli into bite sized pieces.
Combine tamari sauce, honey, beef broth, garlic, and ginger in a medium sized bowl and pour over the meat strips.
Using the saute feature on you pressure cooker, heat 3 tablespoons of avocado oil and saute the onions until they are translucent in color about 3-5 minutes.
Add the meat combined with the liquid marinade to the pressure cooker and set it on manual high pressure for 8 minutes. When the time is up, quick release all pressure.
Carefully open your Instant Pot and add the broccoli. Cook again on high for 1 -2 minutes depending on how soft you like your cooked broccoli. When time is up, quick release the pressure again.
Carefully remove about a ⅓ cup of the hot juices and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Whisk well to combine the powder, and then add the mixture back into the pressure cooker and stir. The liquid should begin to thicken.
Serve over cooked rice or lo mein noodles. My kids prefer the noodles. I prefer the rice!
Michelle Marine is the author of How to Raise Chickens for Meat, a long-time green-living enthusiast, and rural Iowa mom of four. She empowers families to grow and eat seasonal, local foods; to reduce their ecological footprint; and to come together through impactful travel.
