Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

If you love beef and broccoli takeout, this slow cooker beef and broccoli is a must try. It takes about 10 minutes to toss together, the crock pot does the rest, and the round steak comes out so tender. Even my kids who aren’t fans of broccoli gobble this up, and they don’t ask for takeout anymore since I started making it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Freezer meal friendly. Bag the beef and sauce ahead of time and you’ve got dinner ready to go on your busiest day.

10 minutes of prep. Whisk the sauce, pour it over the beef, and the crock pot does the rest.

Budget-friendly beef. We use round steak, one of the cheapest cuts at the store. It slow cooks until it’s tender, so no one can tell you saved money.

Picky eater approved. The sweet garlic soy sauce wins over kids who normally push their broccoli around the plate.

For another delicious idea, try our sweet and savory pineapple chicken.

Do You Have to Brown the Beef First?

Nope! I love that you can toss the raw steak right in the crock pot, so there’s no extra pan to wash. If you have an extra 5 minutes and want a deeper, richer flavor, you can quickly sear the beef in a hot skillet before adding it. It’s totally optional, but the dump-and-go version is the one my family eats most.

Best Beef to Use (and How to Slice It)

We use round steak because it’s one of the most affordable cuts, and the low, slow cooking makes it tender. Slice it against the grain into thin, bite-size strips about ¼ inch thick. Thin slices cook up tender in the slow cooker.

Tip: Pop the steak in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing. It firms up and is much easier to cut thin with a regular kitchen knife.

Chuck roast, sirloin, and flank steak all work too — they just cost a little more per pound.

Ingredients:

• Round Steak – It’s one of the cheapest cuts at the store, and slow cooking makes it tender. Chuck roast, sirloin, or flank steak are great substitutes, but they just cost more.
• Beef Broth – This is the base of the sauce. Regular or low-sodium both work.
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce – Low sodium keeps the sauce from getting too salty as it cooks down.
• Minced Garlic – Jarred minced garlic saves time, or use fresh cloves.
• Brown Sugar – This gives the sauce that sweet takeout flavor. If your family likes it less sweet, cut it back to ¼ cup.
• Sesame Oil – A little goes a long way and gives it that classic beef and broccoli taste. Look for it near the soy sauce at the store.
• Cornstarch and Cold Water – These are used to thicken the sauce at the end.
• Fresh Broccoli Florets – About 4 cups, or 1 large crown. Frozen works too.
• Sesame Seeds and Green Onions – These are optional and for topping only.

How to cook Beef and Broccoli in Crockpot:

• Prepare Broth Mixture – Place the steak in a slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the beef broth, soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar and sesame oil.

• Pour mixture in crockpot – Pour this mixture on top of the steak in the crock pot.

• Cook Beef in Crock Pot – Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. The beef is ready when a piece pulls apart easily with a fork. Slow cookers run hot or cool, so start checking at the low end of the time — round steak is lean and can get dry if it cooks too long.

• Prepare Cornstarch Mixture – Whisk the cornstarch and cold water together until completely smooth with no lumps, then stir it into the slow cooker.

• Add in Broccoli – Then stir in the broccoli and cook on low for about 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened and broccoli is cooked through.

• Serve and Enjoy – Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately over rice.

Sauce Too Thin?

After the cornstarch goes in, the sauce should turn glossy and coat the back of a spoon in about 30 minutes. If it’s still thin, turn the crock pot to high, whisk another 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water, and stir it in. Give it 10 to 15 more minutes to thicken.

Fresh or Frozen Broccoli: When to Add It

Fresh broccoli: Stir it in with the cornstarch mixture during the last 30 minutes of cooking. It comes out crisp-tender.

Frozen broccoli: Add it during the last 10 to 15 minutes, just long enough to heat through. Frozen broccoli is already partly cooked, so if it goes in too early, it turns mushy.

Want bright green broccoli? Steam or microwave it separately and stir it in right before serving.

Our family prefers fresh broccoli, but frozen is a great budget and time saver. I love using frozen because my picky kids like the broccoli softer and there is no chopping needed.

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli Tips:

• Prep it the night before – Put the steak and sauce in the crock pot insert, cover, and refrigerate overnight (leave the broccoli and cornstarch out). In the morning, let the insert sit out briefly so it isn’t ice cold before you turn it on (a cold stoneware insert can crack if it heats up too fast). Then cook as directed.
• Freezer Friendly – Add the raw steak and sauce to a gallon freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then cook as directed. Keep the cornstarch and broccoli out of the bag and add them at the end. See the full freezer meal directions below.

Make It a Freezer Meal

This is one of my favorite crock pot recipes to prep ahead, because the beef and sauce freeze perfectly together. Spend 10 minutes now and you’ve got dinner ready for your busiest night.

What goes in the bag

• The sliced round steak
• The beef broth, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and sesame oil

What waits until cooking day

• The cornstarch, cold water, and broccoli — these don’t freeze well in the bag and get added at the end.

How to do it

• Label a gallon freezer bag with the recipe name, the date, and “Add cornstarch + broccoli at the end.”
• Add the steak and sauce, squeeze out the air, and freeze flat for up to 3 months.
• The night before, move the bag to the fridge to thaw.
• Dump it in the crock pot and cook as directed, adding the cornstarch mixture and broccoli in the last 30 minutes.

Make two at once: Slicing extra steak takes only a few extra minutes. Cook one tonight and freeze the other.

Variation Ideas:

• Use a different beef – Round steak is our budget pick, but chuck roast, sirloin, flank steak, or stew meat all work.
• Less sweet – Cut the brown sugar down to ¼ cup if your family likes a more savory sauce.
• Soy sauce swap – Use coconut aminos for a lower-carb option, or add a splash of oyster sauce for a richer flavor.
• Add more veggies – Stir in thinly sliced carrots or snap peas with the broccoli to stretch the meal.
• Add ginger – A teaspoon of grated fresh ginger in the sauce gives it more of that takeout flavor.
• Make it spicy – Add red pepper flakes to the sauce for some heat.
• Instant Pot – Short on time? Try our Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli for dinner in under 30 minutes.

What to serve with Crockpot Beef and Broccoli?

Serving it over a big pot of rice is the easiest way to stretch this meal for a crowd. A bag of rice costs just a few dollars and turns 2 pounds of beef into dinner for the whole family.

How to Store and Reheat Beef and Broccoli:

• Fridge – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
• Freezer – Freeze cooked beef and broccoli for up to 3 months. The broccoli will be softer after thawing, so for the best texture, freeze the beef and sauce only and add fresh broccoli when you reheat.
• Reheat – Warm it in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, or in the microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring in between.

Beef and Broccoli FAQ

Try these other crock pot beef recipes:

• Easy Crock Pot Beef Tips Recipe
• 4 Ingredient Crock Pot Beef Teriyaki Recipe
• Crock pot Beef Curry Recipe
• Crock Pot Shredded Beef Recipe

Skip the takeout and make dinner at home! Find more easy crockpot beef recipes here.