This copycat recipe for P.F. Chang’s Mongolian beef rivals anything ordered at the restaurant! Tender beef is easily made at home and coated in a sweet and savory sauce.
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Easy Mongolian Beef
A visit to P.F. Chang’s is always delicious but when I am craving my favorite Asian-inspired recipe, it’s sometimes nice to know I don’t have to hop in the car and drive there or pay the expensive dinner bill!
This copycat P.F. Chang’s Mongolian beef is so easy to make at home with very thin strips of tender flank steak, coated in a flavorful sauce made from soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. In the time it would take for takeout to arrive, you can have this simple copycat recipe ready and on your table!
Other P.F. Chang’s copycat recipes we love include P.F. Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps and PF Chang’s orange chicken. And if you love Asian BBQ try my Korean bulgogi beef!
Mongolian Beef Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Flank steak: Either purchase a 1 pound steak and then thinly slice against the grain or purchase steak already cut into strips.
- Cornstarch: This helps thicken the sauce.
- Vegetable: For pan frying your beef.
- Soy sauce: I prefer light soy sauce (lower in sodium) but regular could be used or tamari.
- Brown sugar: Gives the sauce it’s sweeter taste.
- Garlic and ginger: Gives the sauce wonderful flavor.
- For serving: Cooked rice, green onions, sesame seeds
How to Make P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
PF chang’s mongolian beef made with crispy fried strips of beef coated in a homemade sauce is so easy to make!
- Coat beef in cornstarch and set it aside.
- Combine sauce ingredients (soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger) in a medium saucepan. Cook for about 5 minutes until thick. Whisk occasionally.
- Brown the beef in a heated skillet with a bit of oil. Transfer the beef to a paper-lined plate to drain the fat using a large slotted spoon or tongs. Combine the beef and sauce.
- Serve over rice, and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Recipe Tips
- Cut thin strips of beef against the grain. What this does is shorten the fibers crosswise to get your beef tender to a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Don’t skip the cornstarch! It helps to dry out the meat for a better browning but it also helps to thicken the sauce.
- Be sure to remove extra fat from the beef strips.
- Flank steak cut is thin and doesn’t take long at all to cook. Keep an eye on it!
- Perfect rice on the stove will come in handy for this recipe so you can make a Mongolian beef bowl at home.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve this P.F. Chang’s Mongolian beef copycat over white rice like the restaurant but you can use fried rice, brown rice, quinoa, noodles, or cauliflower rice.
Think about veggies to add as a side to your Mongolian beef bowl recipe like steamed veggies with broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower or green beans. Add some cream cheese wontons for a restaurant feel!
Need more copycat recipes to make at home? Try Panda Express kung pao chicken, crockpot beef and broccoli and General Tso’s chicken.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak , thinly sliced against grain
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Sauce
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar , packed
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
For serving: Cooked rice, Green Onions, Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Coat steak. In a large bowl, combine the 1 pound of sliced flank steak (make sure to remove extra fat) and 3 Tablespoon cornstarch. Stir until the beef is coated.
- Make sauce. In a medium size pot or pan, combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons garlic and 2 teaspoons ginger. Cook over medium heat until it has thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk occasionally.
- Flash fry beef. Place about 1/2 cup oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the beef and fry until the edges are browned and the meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Then place beef on a plate lined with paper towels to drain any fat.
- Combine sauce and beef. Once sauce has thickened, add the beef and stir together until coated. Then serve over rice. Top with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
FAQs
Despite the name, it does not come from the country of Mongolia! It’s a popular dish originating in Taiwan but very popular in Chinese restaurants here in the United States. It’s made from thinly sliced beef usually from flank steak and cooked until brown then combined with a mouthwatering sauce. The restaurant version is quite sweet, so it’s nice to be able to play with the amount of sugar you add to it for those that would like a little less.
Absolutely. As you can imagine it won’t be a replica of the famous dish, but the delicious sauce pairs well with thin strips of chicken and pork too!
For this recipe I use flank steak. You could use sirloin steak, too. Both of these cuts of meat are tender and when will cook quickly when sliced thin. NY strip steak or ribeye steak could be used as well.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also meal prep the sauce in advance and store for 3-4 days. When ready to cook your beef just reheat sauce in a small saucepan, pour over cooked steak and enjoy.
jean
can I use any other kind of beef other than flank steak?
Jamielyn Nye
You could use a NY strip steak or beef tenderloin and thinly slice it.
katerina @ diethood.com
YUM! This is my faaave! It looks and sounds incredibly delicious!
Vivian Oakes
WAY better than takeout! My new favorite dish. Thank you!
I Heart Naptime
So glad you loved it :)
Agnes
Oh YUM! Mongolian Beef will always be a favorite of mine! Thanks for such an easy recipe!
I Heart Naptime
You are so welcome, Agnes!