Authentic Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe Like PF Chang's (2024)

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This copycat Mongolian Beef recipe is simply amazing! Nobody will believe this Mongolian Beef is homemade – it tastes exactly like the one from Chinese restaurant!

Authentic Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe Like PF Chang's (1)

This delicious recipe makes authentic Mongolian beef that tastes exactly like the Mongolian beef from your favorite Chinese restaurant. This dish is a copycat version of Mongolian beef served by PF Chang’s. Thinly sliced pieces of beef are cooked in the delicious sweet and salty sauce, and garnished with sliced green onions. Once you taste this amazing Mongolian beef recipe, you won’t be able to tell the difference between this homemade version and the PF Chang’s!

If you are reading it and thinking that “Authentic” and “PF Chang’s” shouldn’t be used in the same sentence, here’s some background on Mongolian beef. Mongolian beef recipe in the form that we know didn’t originate in Mongolia or China. According to Wikipedia, it is a Chinese-American creation by the Chinese restaurants in the US. In China, they have numerous dishes of stir-fried beef with green onions and other vegetables, but they don’t use the same sauce and don’t have the same taste as what we in the US know as a classic “Mongolian beef”.

So my goal is to recreate the recipe of Mongolian beef that we, as Americans, perceive as authentic – the taste of Mongolian beef that comes to our mind when we are craving one. And PF Chang’s version of Mongolian beef hits the spot :)

Authentic Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe Like PF Chang's (2)

Ever wondered how to achieve that unique flavor of Mongolian beef sauce? That sauce tastes mysteriously deep even though it’s not spicy, so what is the secret ingredient? If you thought it’s MSG, it is not :) This recipe doesn’t include MSG, but has the amazing and complete flavor you are looking for. The Mongolian beef sauce ingredients are soy sauce, garlic, fresh ginger, water and dark brown sugar – the ingredients that aren’t very unique on their own, but work wonders when combined together in the right proportions.

Authentic Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe Like PF Chang's (3)

Making Mongolian beef at home is pretty easy – you just combine the sauce ingredients in a blender, stir-fry the beef and add the sauce. From start to finish this recipe takes less than 20 minutes – that’s faster than getting a Chinese takeout. Not to mention that it will cost you a fraction of the restaurant meal!

Serve Mongolian beef over rice (I always cook rice in my rice cooker, so it will be ready by the time I’m ready to serve the Mongolian beef). Feel free to double the portion, as Mongolian beef reheats very well and makes great leftovers! We need to have leftovers to truly replicate the Chinese restaurant experience :)

Authentic Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe Like PF Chang's (4)

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This easy Mongolian beef recipe tastes exactly like the version served in a popular Chinese restaurant PF Chang's - amazing!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time7 minutes mins

Total Time12 minutes mins

Course: Beef

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 servings

Author: MelanieCooks.com

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Slice the beef across the grain as thinly as you can.

  • Put the beef in the bowl and add cornstarch to it. Toss beef and cornstarch with your hands until all beef pieces are covered in cornstarch.

  • Slice the green onions and set aside in a separate bowl.

  • Combine soy sauce, water, garlic, ginger and brown sugar in a blender (or a food processor bowl fitted with a steel blade). Process for 1 minute or until smooth.

  • Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.

  • Add the beef to the frying pan and cook, stirring every 30 seconds, for 4 minutes.

  • Add the sauce mixture to the beef in the frying pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

  • Add the green onions and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

  • Remove Mongolian beef from heat and serve over rice.

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Authentic Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe Like PF Chang's (2024)

FAQs

What is PF Chang's Mongolian sauce? ›

Deep and flavorful, our Mongolian Style BBQ Sauce can attribute its flavor profile to smoked black pepper, sweet molasses, soy sauce and garlic making this sauce versatile for marinades and as a finishing sauce.

What is Mongolian Beef sauce made of? ›

Making the Mongolian Beef Sauce

Whisk the Mongolian Beef Sauce ingredients together consisting of soy sauce, water, brown sugar, Asian sweet chili sauce, rice wine, hoisin, pepper, sriracha and cornstarch.

Why is Mongolian Beef so tender? ›

Cornstarch and egg white is a very common technique in Chinese cuisine. It gives a lot of moisture to the beef and creates a starchy layer to lock the juiciness inside the meat. So the beef will turn out super tender and juicy.

What is the difference between Szechuan beef and Mongolian Beef? ›

Szechuan Beef vs Mongolian Beef

Szechuan Beef has a sweet and spicy flavor with added chili peppers and Szechuan peppercorns. The Szechuan peppercorns has a distinctive tingly numbing sensation when eaten. Mongolian beef has a mild and much simpler taste, making it a kids' favorite, outside of broccoli beef.

What is in PF Chang's sauce? ›

'WATER, BROWN SUGAR, SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT, ETHYL ALCOHOL), SUGAR, CORN STARCH, DISTILLED VINEGAR, TOASTED SESAME OIL, SALT, WHITE WINE, LESS THAN 2% OF: TOASTED SESAME SEEDS, OYSTER SAUCE (WATER, SUGAR, SALT, OYSTER EXTRACTIVES [OYSTER, WATER, SALT], MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CARAMEL COLOR), GARLIC PUREE ...

What is Chang's sauce? ›

Chang's Original Oyster Sauce (280ml)

Black bean sauce is an essential ingredient in the Cantonese dish “Beef in Black bean sauce”. It adds a unique flavour to stir-fry beef, pork casserole and steamed fish.

What is the secret ingredient in stir fry beef? ›

Velvet the beef: The velveting technique involves tenderizing, marinating, and a quick searing of the meat. To tenderize: Sprinkle with baking soda (the secret Chinese meat tenderizer). To marinate (a quick marinade): Add basic beef marinade and mix to coat evenly. Let marinate for 15 minutes or up to overnight.

What makes Mongolian beef Mongolian? ›

Despite its name, the dish has nothing to do with Mongolian cuisine. Mongolian beef is among the meat dishes developed in Taiwan where Mongolian barbecue restaurants first appeared. Thus, none of the ingredients or the preparation methods are drawn from traditional Mongolian cuisine but rather from Chinese cuisine.

How to make beef tender like Chinese restaurants? ›

There are a few methods, but this is the easiest way:
  1. Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts.
  2. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes.
  3. Rinse, pat off excess water.
  4. Proceed with stir fry recipe. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain.
Feb 23, 2019

What ethnicity is Mongolian beef? ›

Mongolian beef is a Taiwan meal comprised of sliced beef, often flank steak, and onions. It's a basic stir fry of thin slices of beef cooked in a sauce of soy, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger.

How to velvet beef for Mongolian beef? ›

Combine the sliced beef with the marinade ingredients (the neutral oil, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, cornstarch, water, and baking soda. Marinate for 1 hour. The beef should still be quite moist after it has marinated. If it looks too dry, add a tablespoon of water to it.

What is another name for Mongolian beef? ›

Stir-Fried Spicy Beef (Previously: Mongolian Beef)

Sliced beef marinated in soy and then stir-fried with peppers and onions.

Is Mongolian beef healthy for you? ›

It's a good source of protein, iron, zinc, and various vitamins and minerals. By using lean cuts of beef and adding plenty of vegetables, you can make Mongolian beef a part of a healthy and balanced diet.

Why is Chinese takeout beef so tender? ›

Velveting is a Chinese method of marinating which keeps delicate meat and seafood moist and tender during cooking.

Is Mongolian spicier than Szechuan? ›

Spices. Szechuan tends to be differing types of hot such as “hot and sweet” or “hot and sour.” The hotness also has a different tingly sensation due to the Szechuan peppercorn used. Mongolian tends to be mild and rarely uses spices. It is also has a lot more actual sauce typically than Szechuan.

How spicy is Mongolian food? ›

Mongolian food is heavy in meat but because they do not have lots of spices this food qualifies for light spicy food.

What does PF Chang's kung pao sauce taste like? ›

Spicy yet balanced, our Kung Pao Sauce is anything but ordinary thanks to bold ingredients like fermented chili bean sauce and chili flakes, which are complemented with sweet and tangy flavors from apple juice concentrate and vinegar.

Is Mongolian cuisine spicy? ›

Mongolian food is traditionally heavy, extremely meaty, and fairly bland. The cuisine revolves around meat, especially mutton, milk products, and dough. Boiling and roasting are the main cooking methods and spices or sauces are not much in evidence.

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