Our copycat P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef is pan fried and coated in a delicious sweet and savory sauce. It tastes just like the Mongolian beef entree at the restaurant, but at a fraction of the price!
P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef Copycat
Mongolian Beef is one of my favorite dishes in the world! And with this recipe you can make five times the amount for the same prices as one order of Mongolian Beef from the popular restaurant. I love P.F. Chang’s but it can be a little pricey for what you actually get. Don’t get me wrong, I will be the first to tell you that I LOVE dining out at fun restaurants. It’s nice to have someone else do the cooking for me once in a while. But this dish is so easy to make from home and one that the whole family enjoys. I have been making this recipe for years now and I always get rave reviews. Most people who have it say they actually like it MORE than P.F. Chang’s. It really does taste just like P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef!
Tips for this Mongolian Beef Recipe
- You can serve it how P.F. Chang’s does by draining the excess sauce and serving it just coated in the sauce. Or you can reserve the excess sauce and spoon it over some rice.
- P.F. Chang’s Mongolian beef is thin sliced and pan fried, as is the beef in this copycat recipe. But for a lighter version we have marinated the beef in the sauce and skipped the cornstarch coating. Then just cook the beef in the sauce in a pan over the stove. It still tastes wonderful, but won’t have that crisp coating on the outside. Skipping the frying process is also a time saver.
- Add some veggies to the pan. Oftentimes after the beef is cooked, I will remove the beef from the pan, wipe clean, then saute up some broccoli, pea pods, shredded carrots, red peppers, onions or baby corn and throw the beef back in. Then I will stir the sauce in with the beef and the veggies. This is a great way to get some added vitamins and increase your vegetable intake for the day.
- Mongolian Beef freezes beautifully! I like to freeze it in the sauce, then thaw completely in the refrigerator before heating. Just heat it in a pan on the stove until hot, but not simmering, as you don’t want to risk your meat getting tough.
What to Serve with Mongolian Beef
Serve Mongolian beef alone with our Restaurant-Style Fried Rice or Panda Express Chow Mein or pair it with one or more of our favorite Asian style recipes for a huge Asian feast:
- Coconut Curry Chicken
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Panda Express Orange Chicken
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Beef Stir Fry with Noodles
- Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki
How to Make P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 4 tsp. vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. ginger minced
- 2 Tbsp. garlic minced
- 1 c. soy sauce
- 1 c. water
- 1 c. brown sugar packed
- 1 c. vegetable oil for frying *see notes above
- 2 Lb. flank steaks
- ½ c. cornstarch
- 3 large green onions
Instructions
- Make the sauce by heating 4 tsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.
- Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks.
- As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in a wok (or skillet). Heat the oil over medium heat until its hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Stir the meat around a little bit so that it cooks evenly. After a few minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour most of the oil out of the skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, add the meat back into it and stir-fry for 1 more minute. Add the sauce to the pan and stir the meat around in the sauce until it is fully coated.
- Then remove the beef from the sauce with a slotted spoon or tongs onto a plate for serving and sprinkle on some sliced green onions. You can discard the sauce (this is what P.F. Chang's does) OR save the extra sauce and serve it over rice with the beef.
Equipment
- Stove Top
- Fry Pan/Skillet
Notes
Recipe Video
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Top Secret Recipes.
Diana says
I’m soooo excited to have stumbled upon this recipe! I’m going to be making this tonight!
Sam says
I love the Mongolian beef at PF Changs! I can’t wait to try this one with my family!
Patty says
This recipe is on point! I made this last night. Added lots of broccoli, bean sprouts and a smaller mixture of carrots, cauliflower, snow peas and peppers. I gave it five stars because it was delicious and it was also approved by my husband who is an avid carnivore.
Thank you for sharing it!
Susan Todd says
First time I made this it was a hit! I made a lot and brought it to work for my employees to try, (they went crazy!) I had quite a bit of sauce left over, I had made a bit extra. I froze it and am now trying to make it again with the pre-made sauce. I will let you know how it comes out but I thought I’d ask. If the sauce needs thinning, what would you recommend? I am really going to go lite on the corn starch because I can see how thick the sauce got. I am heating the sauce now to see the consistency whisking it till it blends well. Really is a fabulous recipe. Thanks! .
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, do lighter on the cornstarch if you want it thinned out, you can also add a little beef broth to thin it as well. Glad you like the recipe!
Sue says
Have to say, I only froze the extra sauce but could not get the right consistency I added a bit more soy and water, I actually tried lots of things but it just wasn’t the same.; Tonight I am doing it from scratch again with filet mignon and shrimp, I even got a piece of fresh ginger, I usually use powder, Once again, I will let you know how it comes out. I do still w ant to know how to thin out the sauce and make it right for the next time. It seems a shame I made extra and it was so flipping good but couldn’t get it to right.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, definitely let us know how it turned out!
Kaye says
Actually, I have been making this for years now! :O I would make it w/breaded chicken pieces (it was called General Tsao’ s. But, my DH-not liking chicken too much–got kinda sick of the Gen. Tsao’ s. I was delighted to find this as it was basically the same thing with a different meat–not chicken! Thanks for posting this!! (BTW–my family loves it—including hubby????
Favorite Family Recipes says
So glad you like this recipe! We love it with the beef, too. Gives it a whole different flavor. Way good tossed with broccoli or zucchini too 😉
Chris says
I went right off stir fries because the meat never turned out the same as restaurant quality. Anyway, I found the answer and now I am a big time stir frier! Before the meat is cooked, sprinkle bi carb soda (baking soda) all over the meat and leave for around 20 minutes – then rinse the meat and do whatever you have to do, according to recipes. The meat turns out exactly the same as chinese restaurant! Awesome!
Echo says
Thank you, Chris! I’ve never tried baking soda on meat before stir-frying. I’m going to try this. Thank you for the tip!
A. J. says
Made this tonight. BIG hit!!!
Al Waznis says
Love the recipe and tips given. I will definitely be trying this as Mongolian Beef is one of our restaurant favorites. However as with all your wonderful recipes I am concerned with the nutritional values being a Diabetic 2 individual. Even the barest of nutritional information such as calories and sodium or carb content would be tremendous. Thanks for your Great recipes!!
Erica says
We would love to provide that information for all of our recipes but with almost 1,000 that would take an incredible amount of time. With just the 3 of us, we simply are unable to do it. You can definitely put our recipes in a recipe calculator like fitbit or livestrong and find that information though!
Sheila Flanagan says
I loved the recipe but made a couple changes. I added 2 tbsp cornstarch to 3/4 c. Water to add to the sauce as it never thickened. I used my wok for the meat and did it in batches as the whole point is to use less oil.
It was delicious.
Echo says
Thank you for sharing your tips!
Shehnaz manjoo says
can you please give me the recipe for the dynamite prawn starter that is served at P.F. CHANGS.
Echo says
We’ll have to work on that – we haven’t done a copycat recipe for that yet. Thanks for asking!
Moira says
Just reading through the mongolian beef recipe. What is green onions. We have white onions, spring onions or shallots?
Echo says
In this recipe, you can substitute spring onions for the green onions. Spring onions have a larger bulb and a slightly stronger flavor, but they are similar in flavor, texture, and appearance to green onions. Green onions are also referred to as scallions, if that helps.
Amber says
I tried this tonight, modified slightly because I have a soy allergy. I used a combo of Coconut Aminos and South River Miso Chickpea Tamari in place of the soy sauce. I also added broccoli because my kids love veggies.
The recipe came out well, although if I make it again I will likely cut the brown sugar in half. Using a full cup made the end result a bit too sweet for me, but the girls loved it.
Jane says
Mongolian beef!!! I’ve tried it once and fell in love with it!!! Finally there’s a recipe here! But I usually cook tasty meat in a multi cooker (mine is Redmond m90), so I think mongolian beef will taste also awesome, won’t it?
Vivi Ro says
I am not a cook… The recipe does look intimidating but actually is so easy to make… Tastes great… Loved it…
Echo says
My kids ask for this Mongolian beef all the time – they just asked for this recipe for Christmas Eve. I’m so glad you liked it!
Melissa says
Made it and ate it! So good! My two young boys loved it and my husband, who doesn’t like Asian food, said I could make it anytime. I will use .5c low sodium soy sauce and .5c of regular soy sauce next time though. We don’t eat a whole lot of salt so we could really taste (and feel) it in this one. If we were to put it over rice it may have mellowed it out though. Super good and super easy!
Ciara says
Could you do another meat instead of beef?? (Chicken or lamb)
Sandi says
Wow. This is my favorite dish @ PF Chang’s. My hubby and picky teen daughter loved it.
I used coconut oil, but only about 1/2 of the amount called for. I used leeks instead of green onions, & cooked them down with the garlic & ginger.
This is a KEEPER!
DOREEN says
My meat was tough. What happened? Flavor was delicious.
Erica says
I’m not sure! It may have been overcooked?
Melissa says
You may have cut the pieces too thin or had the oil too hot. That couple minutes frying in the oil is too much for anything thinner that suggested. The oil is supposed to be hot but “hot” is relative. Try lowering your burner by just a smidgen next time.
Jessica says
this was great! i had been trying all kinds of recipes that i found on pinterest and wasn’t too satisfied with them until i came across yours. thanks so much for sharing! i’ll definitely be making it again!
Kerry says
I LOVE Mongolian Beef
how many does this recipe serve? Does it freeze well? I would be making it for one person.
Thanks
Erica says
It probably serves 3-4. It actually does freeze well!
Amanda says
This is now one of our family staples! A friend of mine recommended it, and we absolutely love it. Thank you! Six thumbs up, from me, my husband, and our toddler!
Laura says
I made this today for my boyfriend’s birthday. This was Wonderful! Will definitely make this again, I will cut down on the sugar next time a little sweet for me, but the flavor is incredible! I might even add some red pepper flakes to spice it up a little bit. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I love your site!!
Silvia says
Yummy!!!
My family and I will try it at home. We haven’t eaten that before but sure it will be sweet. Thank you for a great work done
Courtney says
Tasted great!!!! Although a bit time consuming but worth it 🙂