This slow cooker beef and broccoli is a healthy, homemade version of the classic Chinese takeout dish. Beef sirloin slow cooks with a homemade sauce that is low-carb, paleo, and Whole30 friendly. Just before serving, fresh broccoli is stirred in for tasty one-pot recipe. Instructions to make this beef and broccoli in the Instant Pot are also included.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
- Beef Sirloin
- Fresh Broccoli
- Onion
- Garlic
- Beef Broth
- Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
- Seasonings: ground ginger, salt, pepper
How To Make Beef and Broccoli In The Slow Cooker
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to the slow cooker. Mix until well blended.
- Stir in the beef and the onion to the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours or LOW 4 to 6. The last 30 minutes of cooking time, stir in the fresh broccoli.
Optional Step: Pour the starch/water thickener into the slow cooker. Stir gently. Cook 10-15 minutes or until thickened.
- Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot, add the sesame oil. Add the beef and onion and cook until the beef is browned, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
- Pour in beef broth and deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon. Add coconut aminos (or soy sauce), salt, pepper, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Stir to mix well.
- Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 10 minutes. When cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure.
- Stir in broccoli & thickening agent (if using). Turn pressure cooker to sauté and cook a few minutes until sauce has thickened and broccoli is tender.
FAQs & Tips
Where is the sugar?
Most beef and broccoli recipes include sugar, brown sugar or some sort of sweetener. This healthy version is what I call the trifecta: low-carb, paleo, Whole30 compatible. Whole30 and paleo means no added sugar. I promise you, you won’t miss it. Of course you can add your preferred sweetener like honey.
Can you use frozen broccoli?
I prefer to use fresh broccoli however frozen can be used in a pinch. Frozen will cook much faster so I suggest stirring in frozen broccoli almost right before serving.
Should you thicken the sauce?
Thickening the sauce is optional. I use a slurry mixture of arrowroot starch and water as my thickener. You can make your slurry using your preferred starch whether is be arrowroot, cornstarch, or even potato starch.
How do you serve this?
Rice is the obvious choice for beef and broccoli. This can be cauliflower rice, white rice, or brown rice.
How do you store leftovers?
Store leftover crockpot beef and broccoli in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
What size slow cooker did you use?
I use a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe.
Chinese take-out inspired recipes
PrintSlow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
This slow cooker beef and broccoli is a healthy, homemade version of the classic Chinese takeout dish. Beef sirloin slow cooks with a homemade sauce that is low-carb, paleo, and Whole30 friendly. Just before serving, fresh broccoli is stirred in for tasty one-pot recipe. Instructions to make this beef and broccoli in the Instant Pot are also included.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef sirloin, sliced into strips
- 2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
- 1/3 cup onion, diced
Sauce
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of salt and pepper
- Optional thickener: 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water
Instructions
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to the slow cooker. Mix until well blended.
- Stir in the beef and the onion to the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours or LOW 4 to 6. The last 30 minutes of cooking time, stir in the fresh broccoli.
Optional Step: Pour the starch/water thickener into the slow cooker. Stir gently. Cook 10-15 minutes or until thickened.
- Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot, add the sesame oil. Add the beef and onion and cook until the beef is browned, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
- Pour in beef broth and deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon. Add coconut aminos (or soy sauce), salt, pepper, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Stir to mix well.
- Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 10 minutes. When cooking time is complete, quick release the pressure.
- Stir in broccoli & thickening agent (if using). Turn pressure cooker to sauté and cook a few minutes until sauce has thickened and broccoli is tender.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 362
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 440.6 mg
- Fat: 10.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.9 g
- Fiber: 2.7 g
- Protein: 52.7 g
- Cholesterol: 135.6 mg
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16 thoughts on “Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli”
It was 100 degrees today so I didn’t want to add additional heat to the house. This was a great recipe for a family of picky eaters. After trying so many versions this was the favorite. I did use top round steak bc that was in the freezer. Also added a handful of brown sugar to the sauce for a bit of sweetness. Broccoli was steamed separately while others opted for peas. Only criticism was they wanted a thicker sauce bc I didn’t add the slurry. I’ll make sure to add it next time.
Thanks for the recipe 💖
That was so delicious!
I loved this dish! I served it with mashed potatoes since I love that combo! 🙂
This looks like it came out of a restaurant. I am making this tonight!
That was incredible! I’ve never thought about making my own beef and broccoli at home, but now I will make again soon.
This smells good and taste fine, but everything – including all the broccoli, turned an unappetiszng brown. If I make it again I’m going to add the broccoli during the last hour or so of cooking.
I haven’t had beef and broccoli in a while. I loved how simple your recipe is and I loved cooking it the crock pot.
My son loved this dinner. He always gets beef and broccoli when we get Chinese food.
What cut of beef did you use?
I used pre-cut beef stroganoff stew meat strips but you can use any cut of meat as long as you cut it down into appropriate sizes.
I just made this! It’s cooking now and the whole house smells so good it’s making my tummy hurt lol! It’s 5 am here and it’s waking the whole house up 🙂 I shared this link with my parents, my sister, and on my twitter page! I hope it taste as good as it smells 🙂
Let me know how it turns out!
This looks great and healthy
This looks amazing! I will try to veganize it with seitan instead of beef and hope for the best!
Oh my gosh, yum. I need to pin this because I WILL be making it. I love when I can use my slow cooker.
This is a super easy recipe. I doubled the recipe for my hungry boys.