Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
I genuinely believe there is an art to slow cooking. You can make flavorful, creative, and exciting dishes in your slow cooker—all without a hint of overcooked vegetables. If you’re trying to get into from-scratch cooking, I believe a great slow cooker is vital to your kitchen arsenal.
In this case, using the slow cooker results in beef that is so fall-apart tender it feels buttery (something you’d be hard-pressed to get using any other cooking method) and broccoli that is fresh, tender, and just a little bit crisp. All smothered in a silky smooth sauce. Who needs takeout?
How do you make slow cooker beef and broccoli?
Okay, here we go. Four steps to crockpot beef and broccoli:
- Cut the steak into strips and sear for a few minutes per side. You can do this on the stovetop or with the Brown/Sauté setting on your slow cooker. If it isn’t already there, move the beef to the slow cooker.
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together, and pour over the steak. Cook on low for 2-4 hours, or on high for 1-2 hours.
- In the last 30 minutes of cooking time, prepare quinoa, rice, or whatever you want to serve with your beef and broccoli.
- Whisk 1/2 cup of the sauce with cornstarch to create a slurry (this will help thicken the sauce!). Add the cornstarch slurry and the broccoli to the slow cooker and cook for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!
Can you put raw beef directly in the slow cooker?
Technically, you can, but the cooked beef won’t be as flavorful as if you brown it first.
If you’ve ever noticed all the condensation on the lid of your slow cooker after it’s been going for a while, you know that slow cooking is a very moist method of cooking. That’s great for tenderizing food and adding moisture; it isn’t so good for getting a good sear on meat.
Before you put meat in to slow cook, sear it over high heat to add lots of yummy flavors. You can do this in a skillet, but I actually do it on the Brown/Sauté setting in my Crock-Pot® 5-in-1 Multi-Cooker. Fewer dishes = happier me.
Is it OK to cook beef on high in slow cooker?
Sure is! If you need to speed up your cooking process a bit, cooking on high is just fine in the slow cooker. Your results might not be quite as fall-apart tender as it would if you had done the cooking over low, but the final dish will still be absolutely delicious!
Can you overcook meat in a slow cooker?
Yep. I know part of the appeal of a slow cooker is that you can turn it on before work and come home to dinner ready—and that really does the job for some dishes, but not all.
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Take this recipe, for example. It cooks in the slow cooker in just a few hours. Any more than that, and you’ll get shredded meat and mushy broccoli. Sometimes your slow cooker is a precision tool instead of a wrecking ball that you use to beat your dinner into submission while you’re at your office, k?
How do you thicken beef and broccoli?
Towards the end of cooking, scoop out a bit of the sauce into a small bowl and whisk it with cornstarch to create a slurry. Add the cornstarch mixture back to the slow cooker and stir it in to give the sauce a silky smooth texture.
Can I use frozen broccoli?
We love a frozen vegetable, but this is one situation where you can’t rely on the freezer. Frozen broccoli will get overly soft in the slow cooker. Stick with the fresh stuff for this recipe!
Does broccoli go soggy in the slow cooker?
It can if you cook it too long! That’s why we only add it right at the end for this beef and broccoli.
Tossing everything in the slow cooker and letting it do its thing for eight hours has its place, but if you’re really looking to elevate your slow cooking, you’ll want to play with timing. The meat will take the longest to get nice and tender. Harder veggies like potatoes and carrots can head in next. And then, right before serving, you’ll want to add things like pasta, rice, and other grains, or tender veggies like the broccoli florets in this recipe.
What do I serve with slow-cooker beef and broccoli?
I served my slow cooker beef and broccoli over fluffy quinoa. I love adding quinoa to dishes like this because it gives you the same “feeling” as standard white rice but a ton more nutrition. Quinoa is packed with protein and whole grains! If you prefer, you can serve this over white or brown rice, farro, or any other whole grain.
How do I store the leftovers?
Leftover beef and broccoli can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds steak cut into strips
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce see note for gluten-free
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 heads fresh broccoli cut into florets
- 2 cups quinoa
- 4 cups chicken broth
- Sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- Set your slow cooker to the Brown/Sauté setting (see the note below if you don’t have this option), and put the steak into the basin of the slow cooker. Sear for a few minutes per side, just until the outsides of the meat are browned.
- Whisk the beef broth, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Pour over the beef.
- Cover the crock pot, and cook for 2-4 hours on low, or 1-2 hours on high.
- Meanwhile, cook the quinoa in the chicken broth in a medium saucepan. To do so, cover and bring to a boil, then remove the lid and simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
- Scoop ½ cup of the sauce out of the slow cooker, and whisk it with the cornstarch to create a slurry.
- Add the cornstarch slurry and the broccoli to the slow cooker, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.
- Serve the beef and broccoli over the cooked quinoa. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have a slow cooker with a Brown/Sauté setting, do this to sear your meat: Heat a stainless steel or cast iron skillet over high. Add the steak to the pan in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches). Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, just so that the outside of the meat gets browned and a bit caramelized. Transfer the beef to the basin of the slow cooker.
- To keep this recipe gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for gluten-free tamari soy sauce.
Nutrition
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