Copycat P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef – 🤎💚🙌🏻 My copycat recipe is every bit as good as the restaurant version and my family says it’s actually BETTER! It’s ready in just 20 minutes, EASY, and makes for a great weeknight meal! The extra sauce is perfect over rice and even picky eaters will love this one!
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This copycat P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef recipe is loaded with rich Asian flavors from the ginger, garlic, sesame, and soy. I love it when I can recreate a restaurant dish and make it taste as good at home, if not better, and it’s extremely easy!
It’s ready in 20 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknight dinners. Or picky eaters, if you happen to have one!
Rather than frying the beef in a wok with excess oil, I seared it in a skillet with just a bit of oil. The beef is wonderfully tender thanks to the tenderizing properties of cornstarch and so juicy from all the sauce.
The sauce tastes so authentic and is where it’s at with this dish. It’s so simple but really is the star of the show for me at home. You’ll likely have extra, and it’s great over rice.
Ingredients for This Recipe
You’ll need the following basic ingredients for this better-than-P.F. Chang’s Mongolian beef recipe:
- Flank steak
- Cornstarch
- Olive oil
- Sesame oil
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Soy sauce – I used reduced sodium
- Dark brown sugar
- Green onions
- Sesame seeds
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Mongolian Beef from P.F. Chang’s
This is such a fast and easy recipe for Mongolian beef that everyone adores! Follow my easy and straightforward steps:
- To a large bag, add sliced steak and cornstarch, then toss to coat.
- In a medium saucepan, sauté garlic and fresh ginger until garlic is fragrant, taking care not to burn it.
- To that same saucepan, add soy sauce, water, and brown sugar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and allow it to boil for a couple minutes before reducing the heat and simmering until slightly thickened and reduced.
- While the Mongolian sauce simmers, sear the steak in a well oiled skillet. Then pour in the soy sauce mixture and toss meat to coat it evenly with the sauce. Let the Mongolian beef continue cooking until the sauce thickens up, and give it a final taste before serving.
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, then dig in!
What to Serve with P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
Recipe FAQs
If you’ve never been to P.F. Chang’s before, you might be a little confused about why I’m so excited for this copycat recipe. Essentially, Mongolian beef is a stir-fry made up of sliced beef (I used flank steak in this recipe) and a savory brown sauce.
Sauce ingredients may vary, but a combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger gives you the right flavor. Depending on where you get Mongolian beef, it might come with stir-fried vegetables in it as well, and the sauce may be slightly spicy from the addition of chili peppers.
It’s always served with rice, but you can also make cauliflower rice or quinoa to go with it!
No! The cornstarch in this recipe is non-negotiable. It helps the beef crisp up a little when seared, and it thickens the sauce. If you omit the cornstarch, your sauce will be too runny and your Mongolian beef won’t be just like P.F. Chang’s!
To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure your soy sauce is certified gluten-free. I know that’s important for many of my readers, so I wanted to mention that!
Yes, you could add sugar snap peas, snow pea pods, or broccoli in the final few minutes of cooking the beef if you want to turn this into more of a ‘beef with broccoli’ type of dish.
Storage Instructions
In the fridge: Beef is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the freezer: Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to enjoy.
P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak, (sliced with the grain in 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick bite-sized pieces*, alternatively use skirt steak, flat iron steak, flap (sirloin tip) steak, tri-tip steak, or hanger steak – listed in order of preference)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh ginger or to taste, finely minced
- ½ cup lite or reduced sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed (light may be substituted), or to taste
- 1 or 2 green onions, sliced into thin rounds for garnishing
- sesame seeds, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- To a large ziptop bag, add the steak slices, cornstarch, seal, and toss to coat. Set aside while preparing the sauce.
- To a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and heat over medium-high for about 1 minute, or just until garlic is fragrant, taking care not to scorch it.
- Add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and allow it to boil for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened and reduced. Taste the sauce and make any necessary flavor adjustments. While the sauce simmers, sear the steak.
- To a large skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and steak. Cook over medium-high or high heat until steak is cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes, flipping the pieces intermittently to ensure even cooking.
- Add the soy sauce mixture, noting it will bubble up. Toss meat to coat it evenly with the sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 3 minutes at medium-high heat before reducing heat to low and simmering for 3 to 5 minutes, or until sauce has reduced and thickened to taste. Give mixture a final stir to coat all pieces evenly.
- Evenly garnish with the green onions, sesame seeds, and serve immediately. Beef is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally posted January 4, 2017 and reposted with updated text January 13, 2023.