Easy Mongolian Beef on the Griddle – Crispy Asian Beef Recipe

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This easy Mongolian Beef recipe has a simple 4 ingredient homemade sauce that’s the perfect blend of sweet and savory flavor. But the real star of the show is the crispy texture on the Asian beef! Perfection!

Let me start off by saying that this Mongolian Beef recipe is not traditional. The steak itself is prepared very similarly to an authentic Mongolian beef, tossed in cornstarch and then cooked with a simple sweet and savory sauce. But since we used New York strips instead of flank steak and served the beef on top of a vegetable lo mein of sorts, then I wouldn’t consider this dish to be 100 percent authentic.

But one thing is for sure – it was dang good!

The Asian beef has a perfectly crispy texture on the outside but still remains tender and juicy on the inside, so it’s really a nice balanced bite. And the simple 4 ingredient Mongolian beef sauce is the perfect blend of sweet and savory notes – think if a teriyaki and a beef and broccoli sauce joined forces. Not too sweet, not too savory.

If you’re looking for some new Asian recipes to make on the griddle, and you want to try a crispy Asian beef that’s every bit as good (if not better!) than the Mongolian beef that you get at your favorite Chinese takeout restaurant, then give this griddle recipe a try!

What Is Mongolian Beef?

Mongolian Beef is a popular Chinese-American dish that originated in Taiwan, not Mongolia. The beef dish consists of thinly sliced steak, usually flank steak, stir-fried in a mildly-sweet and savory soy-based sauce. Of course, the actual ingredients vary from recipe to recipe, but some of the most common ingredients for the Mongolian beef sauce include soy sauce (or tamari or dark soy sauce), sugar, garlic, and ginger. The dish is often served over steamed white rice and garnished with sliced green onions.

But my favorite part of Mongolian beef is the crispy texture of the beef, achieved by tossing the sliced meat in cornstarch before cooking. This extra step is what really sets this recipe apart from other Asian dishes like beef and broccoli or beef teriyaki.

Ingredients for Asian Beef

Here’s a look at the ingredients that we used to create our Asian Beef and Noodles stir fry dish. Keep in mind that we prepared the steak similarly to a Mongolian beef, but the traditional beef dish is served over steamed white rice and doesn’t include the added vegetables.

• Steak – Flank stank is typically used for Mongolian beef, but we substituted New York Strips because they were on sale at the grocery store, and we prefer strips over flank steak because of their tenderness. Cut against the grain into 1/4″ strips.
• Cornstarch – This ingredient is key to getting your Asian beef crispy on the outside with a tender interior. The cornstarch also helps to thicken the sauce as it cooks on the griddle.
• Soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic – These are the basic ingredients for a traditional Mongolian beef sauce. I personally prefer to use the squeeze bottle of minced ginger in my Asian griddle recipes – it’s a staple ingredient in our refrigerator!
• Steamed white rice or Asian noodles – The Mongolian beef has a delicious sweet and savory sauce that’s perfect for serving over top of noodles or rice. We chose to make a simple vegetable lo mein on the griddle to go with our Asian beef.

More of a visual learner? Watch me make this delicious crispy Mongolian Beef recipe on our griddle cooking YouTube channel:

How to Make Mongolian Beef on the Griddle

• Coat the beef in cornstarch. Toss the sliced steak in a large mixing bowl with a good amount of cornstarch. It may seem like you’re using too much of the cornstarch, but you want each piece to be thoroughly coated in a thin even layer. That’s the secret to the incredibly addictive texture of the crispy beef!

• Make the Mongolian beef sauce. Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a medium bowl. Set aside so it’s ready to add to the beef on the griddle. *NOTE – The garlic in the photo below was sliced razor-thin, so I didn’t mince it. If you’re not comfortable with your knife skills, go ahead and mince the garlic.

• Add the cornstarch-coated beef to the hot griddle. Add some high-heat cooking oil to the griddle surface and spread it around with your spatula. You will need enough oil to be able to shallow fry on the griddle. Then, place the sliced steak on the griddle so that each piece has its own “landing zone” and is able to get a nice seared crust. Shallow fry the steak pieces on the griddle for about 1-2 minutes on the first side.

• Flip the beef to the second side and continue to cook. Once the first side has developed a crispy crust and a bit of color (about 1-2 minutes), flip the steak pieces to the second side and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. *Cooking times will vary based on the surface temperature of your griddle and its ability to maintain high temps after adding cold foods to the surface.

• As the beef slices finish cooking, move them to the side of the griddle. The beef will finish cooking at different times, so as the individual pieces get nicely colored and crispy, move them to the cooler side of the griddle. *TIP – If your griddle allows, keep one burner turned off or on the low heat setting to be able to get your steak off the heat when needed.

• Add the Mongolian beef sauce. With the beef still on the cooler side of the griddle, slowly add the sauce to the beef. Pour about ½ cup of sauce on the beef at a time, and use your spatula to combine the beef and sauce each time. The cornstarch from the beef and the heat of the griddle will help the sauce to thicken and reduce. If needed, move the beef over to the warmer side of the griddle to allow more sauce reduction to happen, and move back again.

• Garnish the Mongolian beef with sliced green onions and serve over rice or noodles. When the sauce has thickened to your liking and is coating the strips of beef, plate the beef over steamed rice or your favorite cooked Asian noodles. Garnish with sliced green onions, and enjoy!

Getting the perfect crispy crust…

Crust is king… and knowing how to get a nice seared crust on your griddle meats is the difference in a good griddle dinner and one that’s great (and even better than a restaurant!).

The secret to the best Mongolian beef at home is to prepare your beef so that it’s both crispy and tender. To do so, be sure to start with a hot oiled griddle and add the cornstarch-coated beef slices so that each piece is in contact with the griddle surface and not touching each other. If you were to just dump all of the beef in a pile on the griddle, then it would have more of a steaming effect rather than charring or searing.

Yes, it may be a bit more labor-intensive to flip each individual piece, but the crispy texture of the beef is well worth the effort – trust me!

What griddle temperature for Mongolian Beef?

Since Mongolian Beef is typically stir-fried in a hot wok, you want your griddle temperature to be fairly high, about 475-490°F before adding the beef. Keep in mind that when you add the cold beef slices to the griddle, some of the surface heat will get zapped away as well.

What should I serve with this Asian Beef dish?

My wife and I prefer Asian noodles to steamed white rice, so we served our Mongolian beef over simple lo mein noodles.

To make the lo mein, just boil the dry lo mein noodles per package instructions, but drain them just before they are completely cooked through – think “al dente” for pasta. Then, add the cooked noodles to the griddle with a few tablespoons of butter and a few tablespoons of crunchy garlic chili sauce. Sauté the noodles, butter, and sauce together for about 3-5 minutes.

*TIP – You can see our favorite brand of garlic chili sauce in the ingredients photo above… We HIGHLY recommend the Chef Troy’s Recipe Crunchy Garlic Chili Sauce. We tried it a few months back in another Asian dish we were making, and it’s now one of our staple ingredients for a variety of Asian noodles and stir fry recipes!

More Asian Recipes to Try on the Griddle

Here are a few more takeout-inspired recipes to try on your griddle:

Chicken Stir Fry with Noodles – This stir fry recipe includes a simple homemade teriyaki sauce and loads of vegetables!

Beef and Broccoli on the Blackstone – This beef and broccoli recipe is a great “diet dish” because it has very little added sugar and tons of fresh broccoli!

Orange Chicken on the Griddle – This Orange Chicken recipe is a favorite with our kids… even if we do sneak in a few vegetables!

*Pinterest User? Do me a favor and PIN this Mongolian Beef recipe to your griddle recipes board on Pinterest… This is a great way that you can support us!