Easy Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
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Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli is my go-to dinner whenever I’m craving that favorite Chinese takeout classic. Made with ground beef, it’s an incredibly easy and delicious adaptation of everyone’s favorite Beef and Broccoli recipe, ready in under 20 minutes!
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This incredibly quick and easy recipe for Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli is so good you might just skip Chinese takeout more than you thought!
If you’re looking for a quick and delicious Asian-inspired pressure cooker meal to make in your Instant Pot, you have to give this one a try. This Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli dish will cook in 4 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. Pretty good in my book!
Made with affordable ground beef, it’s so tasty cooked in a rich sauce, full of sweet and salty flavor. A bit of heat is added with red pepper flakes.
It’s a simple and easy weeknight dinner — or anytime you’re craving takeout!
Can I cook the rice in the Instant Pot?
Absolutely. You will need a 6 to 7 inch pan plus a high trivet insert for a 6 quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) so that you can cook the rice on top of the beef at the same time.
In the inserted pan, add 2 cups rinsed long grain rice, 2 1/2 cups water, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set the pan on top of the high trivet and continue with the recipe.
How should I cook the broccoli?
I prefer to steam the broccoli separately so it remains crisp. But cook it however works best for you; the microwave, stop-top or in the pressure cooker.
You could instead serve just the beef over a bowl of my Easy Fried Rice with Broccoli Cabbage Slaw for some extra veggies!
If you enjoyed this recipe on 31 Daily, you might also enjoy:
- Better Than Takeout Beef and Broccoli
- 15 minute Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
- Instant Pot Healthy Kung Pao Chicken
- Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken without Coconut Milk
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup with No Cream
- Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole with Cheese
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Instant Pot Ground Beef and Broccoli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound broccoli florets diced into bite-size pieces
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Put olive oil in the base of the Instant Pot and select the saute function. When the oil begins to sizzle, add the lean ground beef and chopped onion; cook until the onions are translucent and the ground beef is browned.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Turn off the saute function.
- Stir in the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes; stir until the sugar is dissolved and all the browned bits on the pot are scraped up. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the cooking time for 4 minutes.
- While the ground beef is cooking, cook, steam, or microwave the broccoli until tender. The microwave will take about 3 to 4 minutes with 1/4 cup of water.
- Once the ground beef has cooked, naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes before quickly releasing any remaining pressure. Once the pin drops, remove the lid.
- In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water; whisk until smooth. Select the saute function on the Instant Pot and stir the mixture into the beef. Continue to cook until it has thickened. This should take seconds. Add the steamed broccoli and serve over hot, cooked rice and garnish with sesame seeds.
Notes
To Cook Rice in the Instant Pot
Insert a high trivet over the browned meat and sauce. To a 6 to 7-inch pot, add rinsed rice, water, and salt. Then set the pan on top of the high trivet and cooked the recipe as directed.Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Can you do this with frozen ground beef?
Hi Merri! You can definitely make this recipe using frozen ground beef. Follow the directions, except don’t add the frozen ground beef while sauteing the onions. You will want to add that just before cooking. Also, increase the cooking time to 20 minutes at high pressure with a 5-minute natural release. Break up the ground beef once cooked before stirring in the cornstarch slurry. I would also definitely cook the broccoli separately.
Oh Em Jee! This was sooooooo good! I was looking for an easy instant pot lean beef recipe that didn’t require any beef broth so I was so surprised when I saw this one. I made this per the recipe for my family on a Friday night. The only change was that I used brown rice instead of white and I didn’t have the sesame seeds to top it, but I did have the sesame seed oil! My husband, like some wild animal, got to the instant pot before I could taste it and within seconds he had made him a plate and was going to town! I didn’t get to test it or tweak it or anything so I was hoping by faith that it wasn’t too this or to that. I finally made a plate and it’s just so good! Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner. Imagine heaven in the form of food. Yahtzee.
Opal! You absolutely made my day!! Nothing makes me happier than hearing that — and yes, I was giggling at your word picture as I have a husband and son who will do the same thing to me! Thank you so much for trying it. I love it too.
I made this tonight with 85% lean ground beef. I didn’t have sesame oil and I cut the olive oil to 2tsp. It was GREAT! I may add a bit less sugar next time, but it was very, very good.
Hi Megan, I’m so glad you liked the recipe. It’s one of our favorites at home too!
There are 2 instant pot settings mentioned that contradict one another.
One is 4 minutes with 10 minute pressure release, the other says 12 minutes?
Hi Don — thank you for the question! The Instant Pot should cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes before quickly releasing the remaining pressure.
The directions after the ingredients list differ slightly from the written out ones. I went with the written and pressure cooked for 4 with a natural release of 10 minutes but the directions later on numbered out after the ingredients say to pressure cook for 12 and then quick release. I don’t know why but I’m interested to see how that method turns out. My sauce didn’t thicken quite as much as expected even after adding the broccoli to soak up some of it lol but it still tasted AMAZING and I like it saucy. I didn’t even add the pepper flakes, forgot I was out..
Thanks, so good!