Slow Cooker Sesame Ginger Beef Recipe
There are some dinners that technically qualify as easy, and then there are dinners where you dump everything into the slow cooker, walk away, and come back to actual dinner.
This slow cooker sesame ginger beef is the second kind.
Tender pieces of beef cook slowly in a savory sesame ginger sauce made with soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, a little honey, and rice vinegar. Broccoli goes directly into the slow cooker at the end, so you don’t need to make a separate vegetable unless you want to.
Spoon the whole thing over rice, add green onions and sesame seeds, and you have a complete dinner that feels a lot more exciting than the amount of work you put into it.
It also happens to be a naturally high-protein dinner, with the beef doing most of the heavy lifting. And unlike a lot of sesame beef recipes, this version doesn’t need a huge amount of added sugar to get that sweet-savory flavor.
If cooking is not your favorite part of the day — mine either, most nights — this is exactly the kind of recipe worth keeping. It belongs in the same category as the rest of my dinners for when you hate cooking: you do fifteen minutes of work in the morning, and dinner happens without you.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Sesame Ginger Beef
The biggest selling point here is obvious: the slow cooker does most of the work.
There’s no searing the beef in batches, no standing over a
A few more reasons to make it:
- Minimal prep: Cut the beef if needed, whisk together the sauce, and turn on the slow cooker.
- High in protein: Beef makes this an easy protein-forward dinner.
- Broccoli is built in: It cooks right alongside the beef at the end.
- Less added sugar: A few tablespoons of honey balance the salty soy sauce without turning the sauce into syrup.
- Great for leftovers: The beef and sauce reheat especially well for lunch the next day.
- Flexible: Serve it with white rice, brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice depending on what you already have.
If you like sesame beef but don’t particularly enjoy making a stir-fry after a long day, this is the version to keep around. It’s also one of the easier takeout orders to recreate at home, which is a big part of how I stopped eating fast food without giving up the food I actually wanted.
Ingredients For Sesame Ginger Beef
The ingredient list is fairly short, and most of the sauce ingredients are worth keeping in the pantry anyway. Buy them once and you can make this on repeat.
Beef
You’ll need about 2 pounds of beef stew meat or boneless chuck roast.
Pre-cut stew meat is the easiest option because there’s essentially nothing left to do. If you’re using a chuck roast, trim away any large pieces of excess fat and cut it into roughly 1½-inch chunks.
Low-sodium soy sauce
Soy sauce gives the sauce most of its salty, savory flavor.
I prefer low-sodium soy sauce here because the liquid reduces and concentrates as the beef cooks. You can always add a little more salt at the end, but you can’t take it out.
Tamari can also work if you need a gluten-free option; just confirm the brand you’re using is certified gluten-free.
Beef broth
A little beef broth creates enough liquid for the meat to cook in without diluting the sesame ginger flavor.
Use low-sodium beef broth if possible, especially since we’re already using soy sauce.
Honey
Instead of using ⅓ cup or more of brown sugar, this recipe uses 3 tablespoons of honey.
You still get that slightly sticky sweet-savory sauce you want with sesame beef, but the sweetness doesn’t overpower the ginger, garlic, and sesame.
Fresh ginger
Don’t skip the fresh ginger.
Ground ginger is convenient, but fresh ginger gives this recipe a brighter, sharper flavor that makes a big difference in such a simple sauce.
A microplane grater makes quick work of it and means you don’t end up with large pieces of ginger in the finished sauce. It’s the one tool I’d actually buy for this recipe, and it earns its drawer space on garlic, citrus, and parmesan too.
Garlic
Four cloves of fresh garlic balance the ginger and add plenty of savory flavor.
Jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch, but fresh is better here if you have it.
Toasted sesame oil
You only need a tablespoon.
Toasted sesame oil is potent, so more isn’t necessarily better. It should make the finished beef taste distinctly sesame-y without overwhelming everything else.
Rice vinegar
Rice vinegar adds acidity and keeps a sweet-and-savory sauce from tasting flat.
If your bottle is labeled seasoned rice vinegar, keep in mind that it may contain added sugar and salt. Plain rice vinegar gives you more control over the final flavor.
Broccoli
Use about 4 cups of broccoli florets.
The trick is not adding them at the beginning. Broccoli needs considerably less cooking time than beef, so it goes in during the final portion of cooking.
That gives you tender broccoli that still looks and tastes like broccoli instead of disappearing into the sauce. I learned that one the hard way, with a batch of very sad olive-green florets I had to scoop out before serving.
What Is the Best Beef For Slow Cooker Sesame Ginger Beef?
Chuck roast is my first choice if you’re buying a larger piece of beef to cut yourself.
Chuck has enough connective tissue and fat to become tender during a long, slow cook without requiring an expensive cut of meat.
For pure convenience, though, beef stew meat wins.
It’s already cut into chunks and ready to dump into the slow cooker, which fits the entire point of this recipe.
This isn’t the place for an expensive steak. Save sirloin, strip steak, or flank steak for quick cooking methods where their texture matters more — like an easy steak salad, where the cut is the whole point.
How To Make Slow Cooker Sesame Ginger Beef
This is intentionally a no-sear recipe.
1. Add the beef
Place the beef in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. (This is the 6-quart Crock-Pot I use for almost everything — it’s the size that fits a full batch without crowding.)
If there are very large pieces mixed into your stew meat, cut them down so the chunks are relatively similar in size.
2. Make the sesame ginger sauce
In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together:
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Beef broth
- Honey
- Rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
- Fresh ginger
- Garlic
- Red pepper flakes
Pour the mixture over the beef and toss everything together.
3. Let the slow cooker do its thing
Cover and cook until the beef is tender.
Plan on approximately 6 to 7 hours on Low or 3 to 4 hours on High.
Slow cookers vary quite a bit, so use the texture of the beef rather than the clock as your final test. It should be fork-tender.
4. Thicken the sauce
Whisk together cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry.
Pour it into the hot slow cooker and stir well.
This turns the cooking liquid into the glossy sauce that coats the beef instead of simply pooling underneath it.
5. Add the broccoli
Add the broccoli florets during the final 20 to 30 minutes, turn the slow cooker to High if it isn’t already, and replace the lid.
You want the broccoli tender but still bright and intact.
6. Finish and serve
Taste the sauce before serving.
Add a little extra soy sauce if you want more salt or a splash of rice vinegar if you want more acidity.
Serve the sesame ginger beef and broccoli over rice and finish it with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
That’s dinner.
If this is your kind of cooking, crockpot shredded chicken works the same way and gives you a week of protein with about five minutes of effort.
What To Serve With Sesame Ginger Beef
My first choice is steamed jasmine rice because it soaks up the sauce and requires almost no thought.
You could also serve it with:
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Cauliflower rice
- Rice noodles
- Stir-fried or steamed vegetables
Because broccoli is already included in the recipe, you don’t really need another side. But if you want something cold and crunchy on the plate, an Asian cucumber salad or a 5-minute broccoli slaw both come together while the rice cooks.
For meal prep, portion rice into individual containers and spoon the beef, broccoli, and extra sauce over the top. Glass containers are worth it here — the sauce doesn’t stain them and they go straight into the microwave.
Can You Make Sesame Ginger Beef Ahead Of Time?
Absolutely.
In fact, this is one of those meals that may be even more useful on day two.
Store leftover beef and broccoli in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
I like to store the rice separately when possible so it doesn’t absorb all of the sauce while sitting in the refrigerator.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave until hot, adding a small splash of water or beef broth if the sauce has thickened too much.
If you’re building out a few reliable weeknight defaults, this one pairs well with 15-minute honey garlic chicken and cottage cheese alfredo with broccoli pasta — three dinners, three different proteins, almost no thinking required.
Can You Freeze It?
The beef and sauce freeze well, but broccoli tends to soften after freezing and reheating.
If you’re specifically making this for the freezer, I’d consider freezing the cooked sesame ginger beef without the broccoli and adding fresh broccoli when you reheat it.
Store the cooled beef and sauce in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to about 3 months. Silicone freezer trays make this easier if you want single portions instead of one large block you have to thaw all at once.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Easy Substitutions
One reason I like this recipe is that nothing about it is especially fussy.
No honey? Brown sugar or maple syrup can work. Start with slightly less and adjust the sweetness at the end.
No broccoli? Try sugar snap peas. Add them near the end just as you would the broccoli.
Need it gluten-free? Use certified gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce and confirm your broth is gluten-free.
Want it spicy? Increase the red pepper flakes or finish the bowls with chili crisp. (And, if you end up with a jar in the fridge, chili oil pasta is the fastest way to use the rest of it.)
Want more vegetables? Thinly sliced red bell pepper can go in with the broccoli during the final part of cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to brown the beef first?
No.
Browning can add another layer of flavor, but the entire appeal of this recipe is that you don’t need to dirty a
If you have extra time and really want to sear the beef, you certainly can. It just isn’t necessary for the recipe to work.
Can I put frozen beef directly into the slow cooker?
I wouldn’t.
Thaw the beef completely in the refrigerator before adding it to the slow cooker so it cooks safely and evenly.
Why do you add the broccoli at the end?
Because broccoli cooks much faster than beef.
If you add it at the beginning of a six-hour cook time, it will become extremely soft. Adding it during the final 20 to 30 minutes keeps the texture much better.
Can I use frozen broccoli?
Fresh broccoli is preferable because it’s easier to control the texture.
If frozen is what you have, thaw it first and add it very close to the end just long enough to heat through. Frozen broccoli has already been blanched and can become soft quickly.
Is sesame ginger beef spicy?
Not particularly.
The small amount of red pepper flakes adds background heat rather than making the dish truly spicy. Leave them out completely if you’re cooking for someone sensitive to spice.
Can I make sesame ginger beef in an Instant Pot instead?
You can, though this recipe is written and tested for the slow cooker.
If pressure cooking is more your speed, here’s why an Instant Pot is worth having — and Instant Pot shredded chicken is a good place to start.
PrintSlow Cooker Sesame Ginger Beef Recipe
This easy slow cooker sesame ginger beef combines fork-tender beef with broccoli and a glossy sweet-savory sauce made with fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil. Serve it over rice for an easy high-protein dinner with almost no hands-on cooking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 to 7 hours on Low or 3 to 4 hours on High
- Total Time: 7 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings, about 1 heaping cup of beef and broccoli each before rice
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Crockpot, Slow Cooking
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat or boneless chuck roast, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup low-sodium beef broth
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1½ tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced, for serving
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for serving
- Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Add the beef. Place the beef in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, beef broth, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Slow cook. Pour the sauce over the beef and stir to coat. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours or High for 3 to 4 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.
- Make the cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water until completely smooth.
- Thicken the sauce. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the liquid in the slow cooker.
- Add the broccoli. Add the broccoli florets and stir gently. If the slow cooker is set to Low, switch it to High. Cover and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the broccoli is tender-crisp.
- Taste and finish. Taste and adjust with additional soy sauce or rice vinegar if needed.
- Serve. Spoon the sesame ginger beef and broccoli over warm rice. Top with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- Beef: Pre-cut stew meat is the easiest option. Chuck roast is also excellent; trim excess fat and cut it into chunks before cooking.
- Broccoli: Cut the florets into relatively similar sizes so they finish cooking at the same time.
- Sauce: The sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools. If it becomes too thick, stir in a splash of beef broth or water.
- For more heat: Increase the red pepper flakes or add chili crisp when serving.
- Gluten-free: Replace soy sauce with certified gluten-free tamari and use gluten-free beef broth.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing: For the best texture, freeze the beef and sauce without the broccoli for up to 3 months and add fresh broccoli when reheating.
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