Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

Super easy Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli! The sweet/savory/garlicky sauce is AMAZING, not to mention so much better tasting and healthier than takeout. 

If you love Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef, you’ve gotta try my NEW INSTANT POT BROCCOLI BEEF, as well as my popular Shredded Chicken Tacos, Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff, and Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon.

Why This Recipe Works

Better than takeout — This is the best broccoli beef I’ve ever had, and that statement includes every broccoli beef recipe I’ve ever tasted — all of which were ordered from a restaurant. This is my way of telling you that this broccoli beef is quite literally better than takeout. I know bloggers say that a lot. But today, it just has to be said. One taste and you’ll agree with me.

Crowd-pleaser — Even though I think this is the best slow cooker beef and broccoli recipe, ever, I knew that not everyone may think that. Luckily for me, though, everyone did, indeed love it. My grandparents (and Pops!) went on and on and onnnnnn about how much they loved it. 

Easy — You pretty much just put almost every ingredient for the slow cooker beef and broccoli into the slow cooker and let it do its thing…then make a slurry at the end to thicken it, steam the broccoli, add it together and voila!

Healthier — This beef and broccoli in the crockpot has no fake ingredients, no preservatives, and just a little bit of oil. So much healthier than what you would get from take out.

Ingredients

• Flank steak — Flank steak is my choice in this crockpot beef and broccoli recipe because it is a cut of beef that needs to cook for a long time any way to make it tender. Other cuts of steak may become overcooked and chewy.
• Beef broth — I prefer beef broth to keep the flavor nice and beefy, but you can also substitute chicken broth.
• Low sodium soy sauce — Use low sodium and then add more salt later, to taste if you prefer. 
• Brown sugar — Use either light or dark brown sugar to give this dish just a bit of sweetness and to help the sauce come together. 
• Sesame oil — Sesame oil has a bit of nuttiness you’ll enjoy in this dish. 
• Red chili flakes — While chili flakes are optional, I do like to add just a bit of heat this way. 
• Broccoli florets — Florets will cook much quicker in the microwave. You could also use a microwavable bag of frozen broccoli if you prefer.
• Cornstarch & Cold water — These two ingredients are stirred together at the end to make a slurry to thicken the sauce.

How to Customize this Dish

While this broccoli beef dish is great the way it is, there are plenty of ways to tweak it to your tastes:

• Add 1-2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes to the beef and sauce before setting the cooking time. 
• For even more heat, top with Sriracha after plating the dish. 
• Use a combination of broccoli and cauliflower for your vegetables. Or, add in more Asian veggies like snow peas, water chestnuts, or thick-cut carrots. 
• For a super fast shortcut to cooking the vegetables, use frozen broccoli that cooks right in the bag. Follow the directions on the bag for best results. 
• Purchase already-cut flank steak at your grocery store or ask the butcher. You might find it labeled “fajita steak” or something to that effect. You can just add that right into the slow cooker, no cutting required! 
• If you are cutting your own flank steak, be sure to cut across the grain. This ensures the muscle fibers are cut as short as possible, thus making the meat as tender (i.e. not chewy) as possible. 
• If you have trouble cutting your steak, you can freeze it first for up to an hour to make it easier to slice into. 
• I like to garnish this with sliced green onions or cilantro. This gives the dish a little more bite at the end.

Expert Tips and Tricks

• This dish will  keep in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheats well in the microwave.
• Occasionally I like to add sliced mushrooms to this dish as well. These are delicious but totally optional.
• I don’t recommend freezing this dish, unless you freeze it as it is cooked but only heat and add the broccoli when you’re ready to thaw and eat it.

More Recipes to Try

• Slow Cooker Beef Roast – an effortless, melt-in-your-mouth classic guaranteed to become a permanent family dinner favorite.
• Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos – the ultimate crowd-pleasing weeknight meal that will have everyone running back for seconds.
• Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili – a rich, cozy bowl of pure comfort that disappears faster than you can ladle it out.