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Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is a copycat version of a favorite takeout dish made in record time! Using easy to find everyday ingredients, this recipe delivers tender beef coated in a sweet and savory sauce with unforgettable flavor!
Just like my recipes for Instant Pot Orange Chicken, Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken, and Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli, this Instant Pot Mongolian Beef recipe comes together fast to deliver a wholesome dinner perfect for any night of the week!
In This Post
Kristen's Key Takeaways
- Pineapple Juice is Key! You have seen me use it before (hello, Instant Pot Chicken Breast and Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken), but pineapple juice plays a crucial role in tenderizing the beef and sweetening the sauce.
- Use a Less Expensive Cut of Beef. While flank steak is the typical go-to for Mongolian Beef, you can opt to use a less expensive cut of beef (like sirloin steak) and still have incredibly tender results--thanks to the magic of the Instant Pot.
- Searing the Beef Matters. While it adds a few minutes to the overall prep, searing the beef adds a crispy texture to the beef that compliments the overall dish and reduces the time the Mongolian Beef needs to pressure cook.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
You will find the full list of ingredients, along with quantities in the recipe card. Below is a quick glance at what you need and tips to help you make the right selection.
- Beef: Flank steak, skirt steak, or hanger steak are great options for this recipes. That said, you can use a less expensive cut of beef, like sirloin steak, just be sure to note the difference in the cooking time.
- Pineapple Juice: Use canned pineapple juice, not refrigerated. You can even opt to drain off the juice in canned pineapple chunks, assuming it was canned in 100% juice (not syrup).
- Soy Sauce: Use low-sodium soy sauce to massively cut back on the amount of sodium in this recipe.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: For the best flavor, use rice wine or rice vinegar, as the flavor is bright, yet subtle.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Add more or less to your liking.
- Cornstarch: Feel free to replace with equal parts tapioca starch or arrowroot.
How to Make Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
If you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with my guide for using an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.
- Thinly Slice the Beef. It is important to thinly slice the beef into thin strips against the grain. This is key so that you can achieve tender, restaurant-quality results. To make easy work of this, freeze the beef for 5-10 minutes prior to slicing.
- Sauté the Beef. Turn the sauté function on, add oil and let heat. To the heated oil, add the sliced beef and sear until browned on all sides. Then hit cancel to turn off the sauté function.
- Prepare Mongolian Sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Deglaze the Inner Pot with Sauce. Add the prepared sauce to the inner pot and scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot to prevent a burn notice from occurring.
- Pressure Cook with Natural Pressure Release. Using the manual/pressure cook function set to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes (or 10 minutes if using sirloin steak). Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes.
- Thicken the Sauce. After pressure cooking with a natural pressure release, you will want to thicken the sauce so it coats the beef. To do this, turn the Instant Pot back to sauté, add a cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened. It will only take a minute or two to thicken.
- Serve with Rice. Serve Instant Pot Mongolian Beef with cauliflower rice, Instant Pot brown rice or Instant Pot jasmine rice, to soak up all the glorious sauce. I also like to add sliced green onions and sesame seeds as well for added flavor and texture.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Allow the Mongolian beef to cool and then transfer it to a an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Transfer the fully cooled leftovers to a freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: If needed, defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat individual servings in a heat-safe bowl, covered with a damp paper towel in 30-second intervals in the microwave until warmed through.
More Favorite Takeout Inspired Recipes
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
Using easy to find everyday ingredients, Instant Pot Mongolian Beef delivers tender beef coated in a sweet and savory sauce with unforgettable flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak, or skirt steak or hanger steak (see recipe notes for sirloin steak option)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ⅔ cup pineapple juice
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Slice 1 pound flank steak against the grain it into ¼-inch strips. I find it easier to slice the beef after it has been frozen for 10 minutes or so.
- Turn your Instant Pot to saute, add in 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and let heat for 1 minute. Add in beef and saute until just lightly browned. This should only take about 2 minutes. Turn the Instant Pot OFF by hitting cancel.
- In a small bowl, mix together ⅔ cup pineapple juice, ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce, 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar, and ¼ cup brown sugar.
- Pour the sauce over the seared beef and using a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits on bottom of the inner pot.
- Place the lid on the instant pot and be sure sealed. Using the manual or pressure cook function set the cooking time to 3 minutes on HIGH pressure.
- After cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes before doing a quick release of pressure.
- To thicken the sauce, turn the Instant Pot back to saute and heat until bubbling. Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with ¼ cup water until fully combined. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and allow to cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. This should only take 2-4 minutes.
- Turn off the instant pot and serve the beef and sauce over rice. Top with scallions or sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Searing the Meat: If you want to skip searing the meat, omit the oil from the recipe. Place the sliced beef and sauce in the Instant Pot and cook on high for 4 minutes. Follow instructions for adding cornstarch slurry as written.
Sweetener: If you do not want to use brown sugar, honey or maple syrup can be substituted.
Sirloin Steak: Feel free to use thinly sliced sirloin steak, but for best results increase the cooking time to 10 minutes on high pressure.
Frozen Beef: Be sure your frozen beef is cut into strips and eliminate the step of searing the beef 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.
Spice Level: Adjust the number of red pepper flakes based on how much spice you like.
Leftovers: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost overnight in the refrigerator, if needed. Reheat individual servings in a heat-safe bowl, covered with a damp paper towel in 30-second intervals in the microwave until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 265kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 27gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 785mgPotassium: 535mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 150IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @amindfullmom or tag #amindfullmom!
This recipe was originally published in 2017 but updated in 2025.
Hello 🙂
Everything was delicious, and I appreciate your detailed instructions. I have a question. I could not fit a 7 cup measurer bowl in my instant pot. The best I could do was a 4-5 cup bowl. I worried that the rice would overflow so I halved the rice recipe even though 1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 cups = 3 cups. I don't claim to be a cook so any answers or suggestions for me?
Hi Leslie! First of all, I am glad you enjoyed this recipe! The 7 cup bowl can be hard to find. I understand your hesitation as rice does expand--equaling more than 3 cups cooked. 1.5 cups dry rice equals over 4 cups.
I received my instant pot for Christmas. I just found your Mongolian beef and it sound delish. it will be our Sunday supper. can wait to try. Thank you - Claudia
I can't wait for your family to enjoy as well Claudia!
Made this recipe tonight... great flavor unfortunately the meat was chewy... like way chewy I didn’t have flank steak so I used skirt
Hi Melissa. It was definitely the meat you used. Skirt Steak is better suited for grilling or pan frying and cooking to medium-rare. It would be overcooked and chewy in the Instant Pot. I am glad the flavor was good and I hope that you try again with flank or sirloin 🙂
THANK YOU!! This was my first time using my Instant Pot, and your Mongolian Beef recipe was easy and delicious! My husband loved it, too.
I am so glad you tried this recipe first--and that you enjoyed it!
This recipe was awesome! I ended up using twice the amount of crushed red pepper because I love spicy food, and it turned out really nice.
I am so glad you enjoyed Derek!
I really wanted to make this tomorrow but I forgot the pineapple juice! Have you ever subbed orange juice? Do you think it would work?
Good Morning! I have not tried making this with orange juice before. However, I have made Instant Pot Orange Chicken using orange juice--I bet using orange juice would be more like "Orange Beef." If you try it, please let us all know your results in case others want to try that as well 🙂
I bought the pineapple juice because orange beef did not sound appealing 😂It was sooooo good! Even my picky 2 year old devoured it. Thank you! Definitely looking up the orange chicken next.
YAY!!! I am so glad you all enjoyed! And I hope you enjoy the Orange Chicken as well.
I made the recipe exactly as stated. The meat was very tender, but there was no flavor -- didn't taste the garlic or ginger or... anything. I'm sorry, I really wanted to like it:/
I am sorry you did not enjoy the flavor Joan. In the future you can double the ginger and garlic. You may also need to add additional salt to taste to help enhance the flavoring. If you are used to eating this dish at restaurants, one key difference is the drastically lower sodium--which was done intentionally, but you may need the extra salt to suit your palate.