Paleo Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

This easy Paleo Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef is a weeknight dinner even the busiest of people can pull off.  10 minutes of prep and the slow cooker does the rest! A healthy gluten-free twist on our favorite take-out stir-fry!

Love Chinese Food in general and Pf Chang's Mongolian Beef in particular? Try this easy Paleo Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef!

I hope you are ready for this Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef aka. the best thing you will make in your slow cooker!

May I start by saying that this Mongolian Beef recipe is stupid easy. To the degree that I would even recommend it to those who don't really enjoy cooking, but DO enjoy pressing buttons. Because if you keep the sides simple, this easy Chinese restaurant dish really requires minimal actual cooking.

Your slow cooker does the job for you and you can feel a bit like cheating. Not just because you can trick your family into thinking you are treating them to take out. No, also because it will taste like hours spent in the kitchen when you really just sliced some meat and stirred together all the things and poured yourself something naughty. Does that sound like a plan to you?

Cooking Chinese take-out style meals at home is one of my favorite ways to cook.  But the nature of any authentic Asian stir fry is that they require a lot of chopping and mincing. And then everything cooks really quickly, which means you have to have every component in the recipe ready to go. Oh, and the table should probably have been laid out already.  So you see how things can STILL get stressful even though the recipe takes only a couple of minutes to cook?

This recipe, on the other hand, is so forgiving - you can mix it together whenever you have time, then either cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours.

What is Mongolian Beef and what does it taste like?

Mongolian beef! For those of you who haven't had this before: think of it as thin slices of tender, fried beef, simmered in a dark, sweet and salty garlic and ginger sauce that was reduced to the perfect thick and sticky texture, allowing it to coat the beef. A Chinese take-out classic that is usually served over rice or noodles.

Most Mongolian Beef recipes out there call for deep frying the beef in oil. But not this one - we are skipping the fat-bath and are using the slow cooker to get the meat to that perfect tenderness.

What is this Paleo Mongolian sauce made of?

Originally, Mongolian Beef Sauce is mostly sugar and salt - so no wonder we find restaurant-style Mongolian Beef (I am looking at you PF Changs) so addictive. For this healthy paleo version, we swap coconut sugar for brown sugar and use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.  Arrowroot powder stands in for cornstarch. 

Ginger and red pepper flakes are essential to get that signature Chinese take-out flavor.  And don't worry, this dish is really not spicy at all. If kids are eating this with you, skip the crushed pepper flakes.

How to make Paleo Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef?

Step 1 - Slice the meat thinly into ¼″ inch slices. (Not sure how? See cooking tips below)

Step 2 & 3 - Place the meat strips into a medium bowl, sprinkle with arrowroot and toss to coat (I like to use tongs for that).

Step 4 -  In your slow cooker, add coconut aminos, coconut sugar, oil, water, ginger, garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

Step 5 &6 - Add beef, and stir again to coat with sauce. Now, cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Stir, and serve!

What cut of beef do I need for making Mongolian beef?

To get the best results, it is important to choose the right cut of beef. Make sure to choose a type of beef that is intended for quick cooking. Think flank steak or sirloin. And yes, fancy cuts such as filet can also be used but honestly, I would say don't overspend and go for skirt or flank.  Just avoid tough cuts like stewing meat.

What to serve with Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef?

I like to serve this over cauliflower rice (or "normal" rice, to be honest!), with a side of roasted broccoli, and garnish it with green onions and sesame seeds.

Tips for making this recipe:

• When slicing the meat, make sure to cut across the grain. If you cut with the fibers the beef will be tough. Make out the long fibers in the meat and cut across those fibers for tender meat. Slice it thinly into ¼″ inch slices.
• To make slicing extra easy, place the beef in the freezer for about 20 minutes before cutting it.
• You can store your leftover for about four days in the fridge.
•  Leftover Mongolian beef will also freeze just fine. Store it in freezer bags for a quick packable office lunch. The beef can be reheated straight from the freezer using your microwave. Mongolian beef will keep for up to four month in the freezer.
• If kids are eating this with you, skip the crushed pepper flakes.

5 from 4 votes

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Paleo Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

This easy Paleo Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef is a weeknight dinner even the busiest of people can pull off.  10 minutes of prep and the slow cooker does the rest! A healthy gluten-free twist on our favorite take-out stir-fry!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Chinese

Keyword Mongolian Beef and Broccoli, Mongolian Beef Stir-fry, Pf Changs copycat beef

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 683 kcal

Author Marie

Ingredients

• 1  lb skirt steak or flank steak, sliced into thin strips - 450 g 
• ¼  cup  arrowroot
• ¾  cup  coconut aminos it’s not liquid aminos!
• ¼  cup  + 2 tbsp coconut sugar 6 tbsp
• ½  tbsp  olive oil or avocado oil
• ¾  cup  water
• 1  tsp  fresh ginger minced (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
• 3  garlic cloves minced
• a pinch of red pepper flakes optional
• ¼ cup green onions chopped, to serve

Instructions

1. Place meat strips into a medium bowl, sprinkle with arrowroot and toss to coat (I like to use tongs for that).
2. In your slow cooker, add coconut aminos, coconut sugar, oil, water, ginger, garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Add beef, and stir again to coat with sauce.
3. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Stir, and serve!

Recipe Notes

• When slicing the meat, make sure to cut across the grain. If you cut with the fibers the beef will be tough. Make out the long fibers in the meat and cut across those fibers for tender meat. Slice it thinly into ¼″ inch slices.
• To make slicing extra easy, place the beef in the freezer for about 20 minutes before cutting it.
• You can store your leftover for about four days in the fridge.
•  Leftover Mongolian beef will also freeze just fine. Store it in freezer bags for a quick packable office lunch. The beef can be reheated straight from the freezer using your microwave. Mongolian beef will keep for up to four month in the freezer.

Nutrition Facts

Paleo Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

Amount Per Serving (1 /2)

Calories 683 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Cholesterol 142mg47%

Sodium 2220mg97%

Potassium 714mg20%

Carbohydrates 72g24%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 19g21%

Protein 49g98%

Vitamin A 125IU3%

Vitamin C 3.7mg4%

Calcium 43mg4%

Iron 4.3mg24%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Paleo Slow Cooker Beef recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy Asian recipes you will love:

• Asian Slaw with Peanut Ginger Dressing
• Ground Turkey Rice Bowls 
• Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Glazed Chicken Meatballs 
• Asian Turkey Fried Rice