PF Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat

Name: PF Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds flank steak (sliced against the grain into 1/4 inch strips. Trim fat off); 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; ½ cup low sodium soy sauce; ¼ cup cornstarch; ¼ cup water; ½ cup brown sugar; 1 teaspoon minced ginger; 3 cloves garlic (minced); ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; Green onions sliced for garnish; Sesame seeds sprinkled to garnish

This PF Chang’s Mongolian Beef tastes just like the dish served at the restaurant! It’s a homemade copycat recipe that is so easy to make. Flank steak with some heat! Once you try this Mongolian Beef recipe you won’t want to order it out again!

Mongolian beef on a white plate with green onion cut on top.

pf chang’s mongolian beef recipe

I don’t know about you, but I love to figure out how to make popular restaurant dishes at home like this easy Mongolian beef. I mean, don’t get me wrong – we love to eat out, but when you realize you can make a similar dish at home-it’s a win right? Stay home and still get to have a delicious dinner. Sounds good to me!

PF Chang’s Mongolian beef is one of my favorite copycat recipes – it’s quick and easy to make and you don’t need any hard-to-find ingredients. If you’ve never had it, it is basically tender beef cooked in a savory sauce that’s sweet, salty, and a little spicy. The nice thing about making copycat takeout at home is that you can control how sweet and how spicy you want it. Don’t leave the house when you can make it at home!

ingredients in Mongolian beef laid out on a white counter.

How to Make Mongolian Beef

Flank Steak: If you can’t find flank steak you can substitute skirt steak which is another lean cut that is great for stir-fry recipes like Mongolian beef.
Vegetable Oil for cooking
Soy Sauce: I use low sodium!
Brown Sugar: Adds the best sweetness!
Ginger and Garlic add tons of flavor – be sure to mince them and grate the ginger on a microplane.
Red Pepper Flakes: Adds the spice!

process shot of Mongolian beef being made.

How to make MONGOLIAN BEEF

Combine steak and cornstarch in a large plastic sealable bag or a plastic container. Toss cornstarch mixture with steak. Heat a large skillet with vegetable oil to high heat.
Once hot, add the steak in an even single layer in the skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes on each side then remove the steak and put on a plate
In a small to medium mixing bowl add the brown sugar, water, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes and ginger.
Add the sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the steak back into the skillet and let the sauce thicken for 2-4 minutes.

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EXPERT TIPS

You can easily adjust the sweetness and spiciness of this Mongolian beef sauce! For a less sweet sauce reduce the amount of sugar by up to half. If you want spicy Mongolian beef be generous with the red pepper flakes! Or reduce the amount for a milder version.
To make it easy to slice the raw beef, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. It’s a lot easier to slice when it’s cold!
Once you’ve sliced the beef, place it in a resealable bag with cornstarch and toss it around to coat the beef evenly.
You will need to thinly slice the beef against the grain. You should see the grains running lengthwise down the flank steak – cutting against them will ensure your beef is nice and tender once it’s cooked.

FAQs

How do you store this recipe?

Store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 weeks in the freezer.