Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
This gluten-free slow cooker Mongolian beef is done in under 3 hours! All you need is thinly sliced steak, vegetables, and a simple sauce.
Why you’ll love this slow cooker Mongolian beef
Mongolian beef has always been one of my favorites! The tender steak, the flavorful sauce, it’s just perfect. I make recipes like my orange beef all the time, but sometimes I want something even easier. I lean on the slow cooker to avoid heating up my kitchen with recipes like my slow cooker chicken and broccoli, and this has been a perfect addition to my rotation.
This slow cooker gluten-free Mongolian beef is the perfect easy meal when you want flavor, protein, and veggies, but in no time at all! Here’s why you’ll love it too…
- Quick and easy! From start to finish, this recipe takes 2-3 hours (plus minimal prep time), and it’s totally hands-off. No standing over a stove!
- Gluten- and soy-free. Traditional Mongolian beef uses soy sauce, which isn’t gluten-free. There’s no need to modify this recipe to make it gluten-free; it’s made with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
Recipe Ingredients
- Flank steak. I always think this is the best cut of beef for Mongolian beef. You can often buy this pre-sliced at the butcher’s counter, but it’s also very easy to slice at home. You can also swap it out for sirloin steak!
- Carrots. This adds some veggies to the dish. You can julienne the carrots yourself, or buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots.
- Coconut aminos. This is a soy sauce substitute that keeps the meal gluten- and soy-free.
- Beef broth. You can also use chicken broth, but I recommend beef broth for more flavor.
- Arrowroot starch. This helps to thicken the sauce. You can also use cornstarch.
Let’s Make Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make this recipe. Find full instructions in the recipe card.
Step one. Season the beef well and toss in arrowroot starch to thoroughly coat. Add to the bottom of the slow cooker along with the carrots, coconut sugar, coconut aminos, broth and seasonings.
Step two. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4 hours. Stir in the green onion at the end.
How to turn this into a freezer meal
This recipe was originally part of my own postpartum freezer meal prep, which turned into a list of 20 easy and healthy freezer meals! Here’s all you have to do…
- Add all of the ingredients to a freezer bag.
- Freeze flat in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When ready to cook, transfer to the fridge and place it in a large container (like a casserole dish or a large bowl in case it leaks at all) to defrost.
- Once the meat is totally thawed, cook as directed.
A few safety & texture tips on freezer meals
- Never refreeze previously frozen food.
- Always wait until the meat is totally thawed before putting it in the slow cooker.
Michelle’s Tips & Tricks
- Thicken the sauce further if desired. The process of cooking does reduce the sauce, but if you’d like the sauce to be thicker, combine about 2 tsp of arrowroot starch with an equal amount of water and whisk well. Add to the crockpot and stir to thicken the sauce further.
- Give it a stir and check about an hour in. If you’re cooking on high, the slow cooker may cook it faster than you expect! Stir and check in about an hour in to ensure that you don’t overcook the meat.
If you tried this Slow cooker Mongolian beef or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
What to serve as a side with this recipe
- Cauliflower rice. Always a good
- Regular rice.
- Steamed or sauteed broccoli.
More Gluten Free Asian Inspired Recipes to Try
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb flank steak, sub sirloin steak
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
- ½ cup shredded carrots,
- ½ cup coconut aminos
- ½ cup beef broth,
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp coconut sugar,
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small thumb ginger, grated
- 3-4 green onions, sliced into 1" pieces
- 2 tsp sesame oil
Equipment
Instructions
- Slice the steak thin against the grain and season with salt and pepper. Toss with arrowroot starch.
- Add the steak to the base of the slow cooker and pour the broth, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, carrots, garlic and ginger over top. Lightly stir to combine coat the steak and veggies in the sauce.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours (you can also cook on low for 4-5 hours).
- About 10 minutes before the cooking time is up, add the green onion and stir well. Cover and allow to soften.
- Add the sesame oil and stir well before removing from the slow cooker.
- Serve with a side of rice, noodles, or extra vegetables.
Notes
I thought the flavor was excellent! I’m not sure what went wrong with the cooking time for me. It looks like I sliced it similarly to what’s pictured. I checked it after only 2 hours on low and it was already pretty overdone and falling apart (no longer in slices). Again, very tasty but I almost wish I had used the sauce with a ground beef or something since the steak was pricey! Any suggestion on what went wrong?
Huh sorry that happened, maybe it was sliced too thin? I haven’t had that happen personally so not sure!
The flavor was really good! I was testing this as a freezer meal and prepped everything in a Ziploc and then threw it in the Instant Pot on slow. The texture was wayyyy off. I might have sliced it too thin for a slow cooker though so more than likely my fault. The last hour I added fresh broccoli and had it with brown jasmine rice and it was delish! I’ll make it again but try slicing thicker.
Thank you!!
This looks great. I don’t do well with coconut sugar.. any recommendations on a substitute ?
Will
Cornstarch work just as well if I can’t get arrowroot… can you add broccoli if freezer meal or will it be mushy after crockpot
Cornstarch should work, but the amount will likely be different and it obviously won’t be grain free anymore. I’d recommend cooking the broccoli separately!
Bought the ingredients and am trying this tomorrow. We can’t find Arrowroot & can’t use corn or tapioca, can you let us know what the Arrowroot does to the beef? Could we use a gluten free flour? Also we never cooked flank steak, due to everyone saying it’s so tough, Is the meat tender when done? Thank you!
The arrowroot helps make the exterior crisp and thickens the sauce 🙂 I’m not sure if a GF flour would have the same texture. Flank steak will be tender if it’s sliced super thin like in this recipe.
Great recipe for the whole family!
Love the ease of this slow cooker version, all the flavor of the stovetop Mongolian beef without the splatter and mess! Making it again tonight 🙂
Thank you so much, Renea!! So happy it was a hit!
I’ve never made Mongolian beef before and this was soooo good and super easy! I am so glad I tried this. Will definitely be making this regularly.
Thank you so much!!