Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli - Set and Forget

You need ten ingredients and four hours. That is the whole deal here. Toss beef, broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and brown sugar into the slow cooker in the morning, and dinner is waiting when you get home.

The broccoli goes in late, not early. Thirty minutes before you eat, you stir in a cornstarch slurry and the florets together. The sauce thickens and the broccoli comes out bright green and still a little snappy instead of gray and soft.

Serve it over warm white rice. The sauce is the best part, so you want something underneath to catch it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Whisk the sauce

In the slow cooker insert, stir together the beef broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. No need to heat anything first.

2. Add the beef

Add the sliced beef and toss it with your hands or a spoon so every piece is coated. Spread the pieces out into a mostly even layer.

3. Cook on low

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. The beef should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork, and the sauce will look dark and glossy.

4. Make the slurry

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour it into the slow cooker and stir gently.

5. Add the broccoli

Scatter the broccoli florets over the top and give everything one gentle stir. Cover and cook 30 minutes more. The broccoli should be bright green and tender with a little bite, and the sauce should coat the back of a spoon.

6. Serve

Spoon the beef, broccoli and sauce over warm white rice. Serve right away.

Tips & Tricks

• Slice the beef against the grain and keep pieces thin. Thick chunks take longer than four hours and come out chewy.
• Whisk the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until there are no lumps before adding it. Lumps won't cook out once they're in the pot.
• Add the broccoli on top rather than stirring it deep into the sauce. It steams better and doesn't get crushed.
• If your slow cooker runs hot, check the beef at 3 1/2 hours. It should pull apart with light pressure from a fork.
• Taste the sauce before serving. If it's too salty, a pinch of brown sugar balances it. If it's too sweet, a splash of soy sauce or broth does the trick.

Variations

• Add sliced carrots and thin onion wedges with the broccoli for extra vegetables. They need the same 30 minutes.
• Swap the white rice for brown rice, noodles or cauliflower rice.
• Use tamari instead of soy sauce for a gluten-free version. Check your broth label too.
• For a thicker, richer sauce, stir in a tablespoon of hoisin with the slurry.

How to Store Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

Frequently Asked Questions

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli – Set and Forget

Tender beef simmered in a garlicky soy and sesame sauce, with broccoli stirred in at the end. Ten ingredients, four hours, one pot.

15 minPrep time270 minCook time285 minTotal4Servings

Print RecipePin Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lb sirloin steak (or boneless beef chuck roast, sliced thin)
• 1 cup beef broth
• ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 head broccoli (cut into florets)
• white rice (cooked, for serving)

Instructions

1. 1Whisk the sauce — In the slow cooker insert, stir together the beef broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. No need to heat anything first.
2. 2Add the beef — Add the sliced beef and toss it with your hands or a spoon so every piece is coated. Spread the pieces out into a mostly even layer.
3. 3Cook on low — Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. The beef should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork, and the sauce will look dark and glossy.
4. 4Make the slurry — In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour it into the slow cooker and stir gently.
5. 5Add the broccoli — Scatter the broccoli florets over the top and give everything one gentle stir. Cover and cook 30 minutes more. The broccoli should be bright green and tender with a little bite, and the sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
6. 6Serve — Spoon the beef, broccoli and sauce over warm white rice. Serve right away.

Cook's note: Slice the beef thin and against the grain. That one step does more for tenderness than anything else in this recipe.

Servings: 4

Cuisine: American

Course: Main Course

RecipesCooker15 minutes270 minutes285 minutes

Written by Marta Kowalczyk
Muffins & quick breads are my whole kitchen philosophy: one bowl, a whisk, and a batter that goes from counter to oven before the coffee cools. I write for cooks who want banana bread and blueberry muffins that work on a Tuesday, with ingredient swaps and bake times tested in an ordinary home oven. My angle is making quick breads forgiving, so a slightly overripe fruit or a forgotten timer still ends in something worth slicing.