This slow cooker beef and broccoli is a meal prep friendly, Chinese-inspired crock pot dinner made with beef chuck, broccoli and a savoury-umami sauce. By cubing the cheaper cuts of beef, they become tender over a long cook making it a budget-friendly option for your work week lunches.
This sits in the same saucy, Asian-inspired corner as my slow cooker teriyaki chicken and teriyaki ground beef rice bowl, but the flavour is less sweet and more savoury. The oyster sauce is the main difference here. It gives the sauce more depth and that slightly darker beef-and-broccoli flavour you may find at Chinese restaurants.
I have learned the hard way that slow cooker recipes need more aromatics than you think. Garlic and ginger mellow out over hours of cooking, so if you start too timid, you end up with a pot of flavourless stew. This version is not trying to be an authentic Chinese restaurant recipe, but it is built to taste good after sitting in the fridge or frozen.
TL;DR
- Servings: 6
- Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 4 hours (high); 6 hours (low)
- Meal prep: Great for meal prep because it gives you protein from beef, vegetables from broccoli, and pairs easily with rice for carbs. The sauce also helps stop the beef from drying out when reheated.
- Fridge storage: 4-5 days (keep rice and beef mixture on opposite sides of container)
- Freezer storage: 3-6 months
- Reheating: Microwave 2-3 minutes with a drizzle of water.
- Customise: Add extra vegetables, swap the vinegar, use fresh broccoli instead of frozen, or adjust the sweetness depending on whether you want it closer to classic beef and broccoli or a slightly sweeter teriyaki-style flavour.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Slow cooker. A couple of steps at the beginning, then the slow cooker looks after the rest.
Freezer-friendly. Double your batch and have half for meal prep this week and the other half in the freezer for Plan B meals.
Fakeaway. It is not authentically Chinese, but it is Chinese-inspired like my chinese honey lemon chicken and sticky ground beef rice bowl
Frozen broccoli. Because I'm a bit lazy, I've taken an extra shortcut with this one that you'll love!
Ingredients
Beef chuck. Beef chuck is ideal for slow cooker beef and broccoli because it is a cheaper cut with enough connective tissue to become tender over a long cook, unlike lean quick-cooking steak which can dry out.
Garlic. Eight cloves might look like a lot, but slow cooker recipes need more aromatics than you originally think if you want the final meal to actually taste like something.
Ginger. Fresh ginger gives the sauce warmth and a sharper flavour that cuts through the soy and oyster sauce, and it works much better than jarred ginger here.
Broccoli. I use a full packet of frozen broccoli because it is convenient and means no chopping, but fresh broccoli also works if you prefer a firmer texture.
Oyster sauce. Oyster sauce is the main difference between this and a teriyaki-style sauce because it adds a deeper savoury flavour instead of making the dish sweeter.
Water or stock. Water keeps the sauce from getting too salty, while stock (I use a homemade chicken stock, but you could also use beef or vegetable) adds extra savoury flavour which I recommend.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and variations
Vinegar. I use white wine vinegar because I refuse to have multiple half-opened bottles of sauces that only get used twice a year, and I have found it is the most versatile. You can substitute it with rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, mirin or even a small squeeze of lime at the end if that is what you have.
Vegetables. You can bulk out this slow cooker beef and broccoli with carrot, capsicum, snow peas, green beans, mushrooms or baby corn. Add firmer vegetables earlier and quicker-cooking vegetables closer to the end so they do not collapse into the sauce.
Beef cut. Beef chuck is my first choice, but gravy beef, brisket, blade steak or casserole beef can also work because they are suited to slow cooking. Avoid lean quick-cooking cuts unless you are prepared for a different texture.
How to make slow cooker beef and broccoli
Step 1: Heat a searing slow cooker on the sauté function, or use a pan over medium heat if your slow cooker does not sear. Add the onion and sauté for about 2 minutes until it starts to soften. Then add garlic for another 2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the ginger and cubed beef chuck, then sear for about 2 minutes. The beef does not need to be fully cooked. If you've used a pan, move everything over to your slow cooker now
Step 3: Add the liquids (not the slurry) and stir everything so the beef is coated in the sauce. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
The beef should break apart really easily with a fork. If it does not, keep cooking because tough slow cooker beef usually means it needs more time, not less.
Step 4: In the last 30 minutes, stir through the frozen broccoli and cornflour slurry. If using fresh broccoli, add it in the last hour so it has enough time to soften.
If using fresh broccoli, add in the last hour.
Step 5: Taste and adjust before serving. Add a splash of soy sauce for saltiness, a little vinegar for brightness, or a small pinch of brown sugar if you want the sauce slightly sweeter
Lauren's Top Tips
Cube the beef. Thin slices make sense for a quick stir fry, but cubed beef chuck makes more sense for a slow cooker because it can handle the longer cooking time.
Do not add broccoli at the start. Broccoli cooked for 4-6 hours will turn soft, dull and sad,
Meal prepping beef and broccoli with rice
This slow cooker beef and broccoli is a strong meal prep option because it gives you protein from beef, vegetables from broccoli and carbs when served with rice. The sauce also gets better after sitting overnight, which is exactly what you want when you are making lunches ahead instead of cooking from scratch every day.
Storing
Store slow cooker beef and broccoli in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Keep the rice and saucy beef on opposite sides of the container where possible. This helps prevent the sauce from soaking into the rice and making it mushy by day three.
Lauren's Meal Prep Tip
Do not panic if the sauce looks thick after a night in the fridge. Add a splash of water or soy sauce before reheating and it will loosen back up
Reheating
Before reheating, add a drizzle of water or an ice cube to the rice before reheating to help it steam instead of drying out. Add a small drizzle of water or soy sauce to the beef and broccoli so the sauce moves around again.
Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway if your container allows. The beef should be steaming hot, the sauce should loosen, and the rice should be soft.
Freezing
Freeze the beef and broccoli for up to 3-6 months in airtight containers or freezer bags. For the best texture, freeze the beef and broccoli separately from the rice because the sauce can seep into the rice and make it soft once thawed. I like to do each of these components in my 1 cup souper cubes.
If you need to freeze it as a complete meal, place the rice on top of the beef rather than underneath it. This helps reduce how much sauce soaks into the rice, but because this is a saucy recipe, some seeping can still happen. I do this in my 2 cup souper cubes.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Slow cookers hold onto liquid, so the sauce will not reduce like it does in a pan. Use a cornflour slurry in the last 30 minutes so the sauce thickens. If it's still not thick enough, pop the lid off and cook for a further 30 minutes.
If the beef is still tough, it usually needs more time. Beef chuck breaks down slowly, so keep cooking until it pulls apart easily with a fork instead of assuming it is overcooked.
Use reduced-salt soy sauce if you are sensitive to salt or serving this to kids. If the sauce tastes too salty at the end, add a splash of water or stock and a small pinch of brown sugar to balance it out.
Other slow cooker recipes you'll like
Or, you can have a browse through my slow cooker meal preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb) beef chuck, subs note 1
- 8 cloves garlic, fresh recommended
- 2 brown onion
- 2 tablespoon ginger, fresh recommended
- 1 tablespoon cornflour + 2 tablespoon water
- 500 g (1 lb) frozen broccoli, or approx.1-2 fresh
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil, optional but recommended, or other oil
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup oyster
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar, subs note 2
- ½ cup water or stock
- 400 g (2 cups) rice, yields approx.6 cups
Instructions
Preparing
- Cut 1 kg (2 lb) beef chuck into large cubes. Finely dice 2 brown onion, mince 8 cloves garlic, and grate 2 tbsp ginger.
- In a small bowl or jug, mix ⅓ cup soy sauce, ⅓ cup oyster, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, ½ cup water or stock.
Cooking
- Heat 2 tsp sesame oil a searing slow cooker on the sauté function, or place a pan over medium heat if your slow cooker does not sear.
- Add the brown onion and sauté for about 2 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring often so it becomes fragrant without burning.
- Add the ginger and beef chuck, then sear for about 2 minutes. If using a pan, transfer the onion, garlic, ginger and beef to your slow cooker. Note - The beef does not need to be cooked through; this step is just to build flavour before slow cooking.
- Pour over the sauce mixture and stir so the beef is coated. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, or until the beef breaks apart easily with a fork. If the beef is still tough, keep cooking until tender.
- If using fresh broccoli. add it in the last hour instead so it has enough time to soften.
- If using frozen broccoli. In the last 30 minutes, stir through the 500 g (1 lb) frozen broccoli. Add in cornflour slurry (1 tbsp cornflour + 2 tablespoon water) at the same time and mix well.
- Begin preparing your 400 g (2 cups) rice at the same time. You can do this in the method that you choose or follow my tips and tricks.
- Taste before serving and adjust if needed. Add an extra splash of soy sauce for saltiness, a little more white wine vinegar for brightness, or a small pinch of brown sugar if you prefer the sauce slightly sweeter.
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