Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

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Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is made with a sweet and savory sauce and tender flank steak, to create an easy copycat version of a take-out favorite in under 30 minutes.

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef with Steamed Rice and Broccoli plated in a white bowl.

Put down the take-out menu and instead enjoy a healthier version of Mongolian Beef using the Instant Pot.

Just like Instant Pot Orange Chicken and Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli, this recipe for Instant Pot Mongolian Beef delivers a better-tasting, better-for-you, and easy copycat version of your favorite Asian restaurant dishes.

While yes, Mongolian Beef can be prepared together rather quickly on the stove, there are several reasons I prefer to prepare this dish using the Instant Pot.

The meat becomes ULTRA tender. Even when you use a less expensive cut of beef.
The sweet and savory brown Mongolian sauce becomes more concentrated in flavor.
You can prepare the rice at the same time using the pot-in-pot cooking method for an all-in-one meal.

Bottom line, Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is a set-it-and-forget-it-and-dinner-is-done kind of meal, making it perfect for any night of the week. Even the really busy nights!

Key Ingredients

Besides saving money, preparing this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef rather than ordering it out allows you to be in control of the quality of ingredients. Instead of being extremely high in sodium and added sugars, this recipe is made lighter by using low-sodium soy sauce, a bit of brown sugar, and pineapple juice for extra sweetness and flavor. And the results are perfection.

Ingredients for mongolian beef labeled on counter.

Beef: Flank Steak is the best choice for most stir-fried beef recipes because flank steak is lean and yet extremely flavorful. Its intense beef flavor holds up well to strong sauces in Asian Beef dishes and when cut correctly, is extremely tender. If you can't find flank steak at your store, skirt steak or hanger steak are great substitutes. And because the Instant Pot works its magic, you can even use a less expensive cut of beef, like sirloin steak.
Soy Sauce: Use low-sodium soy sauce to massively cut back on the amount of sodium in this recipe.
Pineapple Juice: Just like my Instant Pot Chicken Breasts, pineapple juice is the secret to this recipe. It not only helps to tenderize the beef but also adds natural sweetness to the Mongolian sauce.
Rice Wine Vinegar: For best results when preparing Asian dishes, use rice wine or rice vinegar, as the flavor is bright, yet subtle.
Garlic and Ginger: It is best to use both fresh garlic and fresh gingerroot, rather than garlic powder or ginger powder for the most concentrated flavor.
Red Pepper Flakes: Add more or less to your liking.
Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce, a cornstarch slurry is added to the sauce after pressure cooking. It is optional to thicken the sauce, but it helps it stick to the rice.

How to Make Instant Pot Mongolian Beef

While this recipe is incredibly simple to make, if you are unfamiliar with cooking in an instant pot or the functions of your instant pot, be sure to start with How to Use an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes.

Slice your beef into thin strips against the grain. This is key so that you can achieve tender, restaurant-quality results. TIP: I find it easier to cut the beef in thin strips if my meat has been frozen for 5-10 minutes prior to slicing.

Showing cutting beef against grain with knife.

Turn your Instant Pot to saute by hitting the saute button, add in the oil, and let heat.
Once the oil has heated, add in the sliced beef and saute until JUST browned for about 2 minutes.
Once the beef has browned, hit cancel to turn the Instant Pot OFF.

Seared beef in inner pot of Instant Pot.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic ginger, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes together.
Pour the sauce over the seared beef in the inner pot, and then use a spatula or wooden spatula to scrape up the browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot. This will prevent a burn notice from occurring.

Seared beef with mongolian sauce in inner pot of instant pot.

Put the lid on Instant Pot and turn the vent knob to the sealed position.
Hit manual and then adjust the cooking time by using the plus or minus buttons to 3 minutes.
After cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release for at least 10 minutes before releasing pressure. Once the pressure has been released, remove the lid from the Instant Pot.
To thicken up the Mongolian sauce, hit cancel to turn off the keep warm function and then hit sauce to bring the sauce to a simmer.
While the sauce is coming up to a bubble, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water until fully combined.
Add the cornstarch slurry to the pressure cooker, stirring constantly, and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.

Thickened Mongolian sauce in inner pot of Instant Pot.

Once the sauce has thickened, turn off the Instant Pot.
Serve the Mongolian Beef with Instant Pot Brown Rice, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, or cauliflower rice. Alternatively, follow the instructions to prepare rice WHILE cooking the Mongolian Beef for a simple all-in-one meal.

Pressure Cooker Mongolian beef in white bowl.

Cooking Rice using the Pot-in-Pot Method

Instant Pot Mongolian Beef only requires 3 minutes of cooking time under pressure, which is the same amount of time needed for Instant Pot White Rice, making this a perfect recipe to cook rice along with beef for an all-in-one meal.

Saute the beef and add the sauce as directed.
Insert a rack in the Instant Pot, right over the Mongolian Beef mixture.
Place a stainless steel dish on top of the rack and mix together 1 cup of rinsed long-grain white rice with 1 cup of water or stock. YOU MUST USE LONG-GRAIN WHITE RICE FOR THIS TO WORK!
Close the instant pot and turn the valve to seal. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally and then open the Instant Pot.
Remove the rice and rack from the inner pot and proceed with thickening the Mongolian Beef with the cornstarch slurry as the recipe directs.

Stainless steel bowl of white rice on rack in inner pot of instant pot.

Recipe FAQs

Can you Make Mongolian Beef with Frozen Beef?

Yes, you can absolutely make Mongolian Beef with frozen beef, with a few modifications. The beef needs to be sliced whether frozen or fresh, so it is best to slice your beef BEFORE freezing. You also can not sear frozen beef, so eliminate that step along with the oil from the recipe. Instead, add the frozen sliced beef to the inner pot, along with the Mongolian sauce, and increase the cooking time to 6 minutes on high pressure.

Is it necessary to sear the meat before pressure cooking?

You can skip searing your meat, but I will caution you that searing the meat adds a crispy texture that compliments this dish. If you do opt to not sear the beef, increase the cooking time to 4 minutes on high pressure.

More Copy-Cat Take-Out Favorite Recipes

If you tried this recipe for Instant Pot Mongolian Beef, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

This recipe was originally published in 2017 but updated in 2021 with a new video and tips.