Crockpot Beef & Broccoli takes your favorite takeout classic and turns it into an easy, hands-off slow cooker dinner. Thin slices of beef simmer for hours in a savory-sweet soy, garlic, and brown sugar sauce until they’re melt-in-your-mouth tender, then broccoli gets stirred in at the end so it stays bright and crisp-tender. Ladled over a bowl of hot rice, it’s glossy, saucy, and comforting, with all the flavor of a restaurant beef and broccoli and almost none of the effort.
Because everything comes together right in the crockpot, this is a perfect “dump and go” meal for busy days. You’ll whisk a simple sauce, pour it over the beef, let it cook low and slow, then thicken it with a quick cornstarch slurry and toss in the broccoli before serving. It’s family-friendly, easy to double, and great for meal prep—exactly the kind of slow cooker recipe that earns a permanent spot in the weeknight rotation.
Equipment
- 4–6 quart slow cooker (crockpot)
- Small mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk or fork
- Cutting board and sharp knife
Ingredients
- 1½–2 pounds beef chuck roast or sirloin, sliced thin against the grain
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tablespoon minced garlic)
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (optional but delicious)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 3–4 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
- Cooked white or jasmine rice, for serving
- Sesame seeds and sliced green onions, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
To make Crockpot Beef & Broccoli, start by preparing the beef. Trim any excess hard fat from the roast or steaks and slice the meat thinly against the grain into bite-size strips.
Cutting against the grain means slicing perpendicular to the visible muscle lines in the meat, which helps the fibers break down more easily during cooking and gives you that tender, restaurant-style texture. Place the sliced beef into the insert of your slow cooker, spreading it out into an even layer as much as possible so the sauce can coat everything.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger if you’re using it, and black pepper. Whisk until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the garlic and ginger are evenly suspended in the liquid.
This mixture is your cooking sauce and will do double duty: it flavors the beef as it cooks and becomes the glossy sauce that coats the meat and broccoli at the end. Pour this sauce over the beef in the slow cooker, using a spoon or tongs to gently stir and make sure all of the slices are submerged or at least well coated.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook the beef on low for about 4–5 hours, or on high for about 2½–3 hours, depending on your crockpot and how thinly you sliced the meat.
Thinner slices and more tender cuts like sirloin will be done closer to the lower end of the time range, while thicker cuts or chuck roast may need a bit longer to become fully tender. You’re looking for the beef to be very soft when pinched or pressed with the back of a spoon, but still in pieces rather than completely shredded.
About 30–45 minutes before you want to serve, it’s time to thicken the sauce and add the broccoli. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cold water together until completely smooth with no lumps; this simple slurry will help the sauce cling to the beef and vegetables instead of staying thin and runny.
Remove the lid from the slow cooker, ladle out a small amount of the hot cooking liquid if you like to temper the cornstarch, then pour the slurry directly into the crockpot and stir well to combine it with the rest of the sauce and beef. The heat from the slow cooker will activate the cornstarch as it continues to cook.
Add the broccoli florets to the slow cooker, stirring them into the saucy beef mixture so they’re mostly tucked down into the liquid. If you’re using fresh broccoli, cut it into small, uniform florets so it cooks evenly and quickly; if you’re using frozen, you can add it straight from the freezer.
Cover the slow cooker again and let it cook on high for another 20–30 minutes, or until the broccoli is crisp-tender and the sauce has thickened into a glossy coating. Stir once halfway through to make sure all the broccoli gets a chance to soak in some sauce.
Once the broccoli is cooked to your liking and the sauce looks thick and shiny, taste and adjust the seasoning. Depending on your soy sauce and broth, you may want a pinch more brown sugar for sweetness, a splash of soy sauce for saltiness, or a drizzle of sesame oil at the end for extra nutty aroma. Turn off the slow cooker or switch it to the “keep warm” setting while you get your rice and garnishes ready.
To serve, spoon hot cooked rice into bowls and ladle the beef and broccoli over the top, making sure to get plenty of sauce in each portion. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions if you’re using them for a little crunch and color. The beef should be tender and flavorful, the broccoli just cooked through but still bright green, and the sauce thick enough to cling to everything while still generous enough to soak into the rice underneath.
Tips & Variations
Using the right cut and slicing technique makes a big difference in the final texture. Chuck roast is inexpensive and becomes very tender with a long cook time, but because it’s a bit fattier, taking a moment to trim large chunks of fat before slicing keeps the sauce from getting greasy.
Sirloin or flank steak are leaner and more naturally tender, and while they cost a bit more, they can be a good choice if you want a shorter cook time or a slightly more “steak-like” bite. Always slice thinly and against the grain; if your slices are thick or with the grain, they can stay chewy even after hours of slow cooking.
The broccoli can be cooked in a few different ways depending on your preference. Adding it straight to the crockpot for the last 20–30 minutes is the easiest one-pan method and gives you nicely sauced florets.
If you like your broccoli on the crisper side, you can steam or microwave it separately until just tender and then stir it into the finished beef and sauce right before serving. This keeps the florets brighter and a little firmer while still letting them take on the flavor of the sauce in the bowl.
You can also tweak the sauce to match your taste or what you have in the pantry. Brown sugar gives a rounded sweetness that’s very similar to many takeout sauces, but honey can stand in if needed.
A splash of rice vinegar or a squeeze of lime at the end adds a bit of tang that wakes up the flavors, and a pinch of red pepper flakes or a drizzle of sriracha can introduce some gentle heat. For a slightly richer, silkier sauce, a spoonful of hoisin sauce or oyster sauce can be whisked into the broth-soy mixture at the start.
If you want to build a little more nutrition or variety into the dish, you can add other vegetables in addition to the broccoli. Thinly sliced carrots or bell peppers can go into the crockpot with the beef and cook the whole time, becoming very soft and sweet, while snap peas or baby corn can be stirred in closer to the end with the broccoli so they stay a bit more crisp.
Just keep in mind that watery vegetables will add a bit of liquid to the pot, so you may need a touch more cornstarch to maintain a thick sauce.
Serving & Storage
Crockpot Beef & Broccoli is made to be served over a bed of rice that soaks up all that savory sauce. Steamed white rice, jasmine rice, or even brown rice all work well, and cauliflower rice can be used if you’re looking for a lower-carb option.
It also pairs nicely with simple sides like egg rolls, potstickers, or a crunchy Asian-style slaw if you’re turning it into more of a takeout-style spread at home. Garnishes like sesame seeds and green onions are optional but bring a nice finishing touch that makes the bowl feel fresher and more vibrant.
Leftovers are excellent for meal prep and pack easily for lunches. Allow the beef and broccoli to cool, then transfer to airtight containers with rice if you’re making ready-to-heat bowls, or store the meat and broccoli separately from the rice to keep textures better.
Refrigerate for up to three or four days. To reheat, microwave in short bursts, stirring in between, until everything is hot; if the sauce has thickened too much in the fridge, a small splash of water or broth stirred in before reheating will bring it back to a nice consistency.
This dish also freezes fairly well, especially if you freeze the beef and sauce without the broccoli and add freshly cooked broccoli later for the best texture. Cool the beef and sauce completely, portion into freezer-safe containers or bags, and freeze for up to a couple of months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding steamed or microwaved broccoli florets at the end. With a batch in the freezer and a crockpot on your counter, Crockpot Beef & Broccoli becomes an easy, reliable way to get a comforting, takeout-style dinner on the table with almost no last-minute work.
