Name: Panda Express Broccoli Beef Copycat
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 43 min
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 pound flank or skirt steak, thinly sliced against the grain (453g); 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce; 1 teaspoon Shoaxing wine or dry sherry; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 3 tablespoons oyster sauce (45 ml); 3 tablespoons brown sugar (38g); 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (30 ml); 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (30 ml); 1/4 cup reduced sodium chicken stock (60 ml); 1 tablespoon sesame oil (15 ml); 3/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 2 tablespoons high smoke point oil (30 ml); 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon ginger, minced; 1 pound broccoli florets, rinsed (453g); 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, for garnish

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Are you craving Chinese take out for supper tonight? Learn how to make our Panda Express broccoli beef copycat recipe at home. It's absolutely delicious, healthy, and cooks in only 13 minutes. If this classic is your favorite Chinese dish, you owe it to yourself to try it soon. You'll be so glad you did!

person holding a piece of beef with chopsticks

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Ingredients
Questions
How to Make
Variations
Pro Tips
Recipe

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Ingredients

Our copycat recipe for this classic broccoli beef uses basic ingredients that can easily be found in most groceries stores in the U.S. The oyster sauce and the sesame oil can be found in the Asian or International section. Shoaxing wine can be found online or in larger Asian markets. You can also sub it out with dry cooking sherry if that's all you can find.

Meat: We used skirt steak for this photo shoot, but flank steak is more popular.
Aromatics: We used fresh garlic and ginger minced with a sharp chef's knife.
Vegetables: You will need roughly 3 to 4 heads of fresh broccoli.
Oil: Use a high smoke oil to stir fry the beef and sesame oil for the ginger soy sauce.
Thickener: We used cornstarch in the marinade and the sauce.
Spices: The spice you need is freshly crushed black pepper.
Vinegar: Rice vinegar was used in the sauce.
Soy sauce: This is used in the marinade and the sauce. If needed swap it out with liquid aminos or tamari.
Sweetener: We used brown sugar in the sauce, but use the sweetener of your choice if you have diet restrictions.
Wine: You can use Shoaxing wine or substitute with cooking sherry like we did for this photo shoot.
Asian condiments: Oyster sauce is the key ingredient to the sauce, so don't leave it out.
Dry Pantry Staples: Baking soda is the key ingredient to help tenderize the beef, so it needs to be used - no swaps.

Questions

What is Broccoli Beef from Panda Express?

Panda Express explains it best from their website, "A classic favorite. Tender beef and fresh broccoli in a ginger soy sauce."

Is the Panda Express broccoli beef healthy?

This entree is one of the healthiest entrees on Panda Express' menu because it is fairly low in saturated fat and sodium, and has the lowest sugar option in the beef category. For a serving size of 5.4 ounces, there is 150 calories, 13g carbs, 7g fat, 7g sugar, and 9g protein.

In our copycat recipe, for a one cup serving size there is 230 calories, 18.8g of carbs, 11.3g of fat, 6.1g sugar, and 19.3g protein. Please scroll to the end of the recipe card, to get more nutritional information.

Remember, when you make it at home, you can control the amount of oil and the quality and quantity of the ingredients.

How much is this entree?

If you order a large, which is roughly 4 cups, it will be around $10.00 plus tax. If you choose to make this at home, you'll get way more food for less money. Plus, you can customize it, to your families' tastes and dietary needs.

How to Make

Gather all the ingredients for the marinade, then whisk it together.

person whisking the stir fry sauce in a glass measuring cup

To prepare the beef, first cut the meat into three large sections (planks) with the grain, then angle a sharp chef's knife and cut against the grain in thin tiles. (If you need to, freeze the meat for 30 minutes to make it easier to slice.)

Place the sliced beef in a large bowl and sprinkle and pour the marinade ingredients over top. Mix with tongs or your hands until the marinade is well distributed throughout the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

person mixing sliced raw beef with the marinade

Gather the ingredients for the ginger soy sauce.

bowls of ingredients for the broccoli beef sauce

Whisk all the ingredients together, except the cornstarch, in a bowl or 2 cup measuring cup. In a small bowl, mix equal amounts of cornstarch with chicken stock, then add it to the sauce and mix.

Next, gather all the ingredients for the stir fry.

Steam the broccoli by placing the florets in a large bowl and pouring ½ cup of water inside. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Be careful when removing the plastic wrap, as hot steam will escape. (You might want to use tongs. ) Drain the broccoli in a colander.

steamed broccoli florets in a glass bowl

In a large wok, heat up the high smoke point oil until wisps of smoke start, then stir fry half of the beef on high heat until it's 50 to 75% done. Make sure to constantly move the beef around so it doesn't stick. This should take about a minute or two.

Remove the beef from the wok and place it on a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef.

Over medium high heat, stir fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.

person stirring minced garlic and ginger in a wok

Pour in the the ginger soy sauce. Stir constantly for a minute until the sauce thickens, then add the beef back in and stir to coat.

person cooking the stir fry sauce in a wok

Add the steamed broccoli into the wok and stir fry for a minute or two to heat everything through. You'll want the broccoli to be bright green and a still a little bit crisp.

beef and broccoli in a large wok with a stirring spoon

Serve hot with other Panda Express sides like steamed or fried rice or chow mein. If you're on a diet, serve the beef broccoli with quinoa, zooddles or cauliflower rice.

person holding a bowl of Panda Express broccoli beef

Variations

Need this gluten free? Use liquid aminos or tamari instead of soy and arrowroot instead of cornstarch.
Need want to add other vegetables? Try bias cut carrots, snow peas, bell pepper, mushrooms and baby corn.
Want other meat? Use chicken or shrimp.
Want this vegan? Use tofu cubes, cauliflower florets, or shiitake mushrooms and vegan oyster sauce.
Need this keto friendly? Use monkfruit for the sweetener and replace the cornstarch with ½ teaspoon xantham gum.

Pro Tips

Buy the right cut of beef: flank or skirt.
Freeze the meat for 30 minutes to help slice it thin. (Optional)
Cut the tender beef against the grain in thin tiles.
Marinade the beef with baking soda and other ingredients.
Have all the other ingredients ready, as this stir fry goes very fast.
Steam the broccoli until deep green.

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