Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (2024)

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By Karly Campbell on | Updated | 18 Comments

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This EASY MONGOLIAN BEEF RECIPE is made in the air fryer to save cooking time and clean up time! No hot grease to deal with, but you still get crispy beef coated in a sweet and savory sauce!

Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (1)

Asian inspired cuisine is one of my favorite things to cook. Big, bold flavors are my jam!

One of my go to orders when we get take out is Mongolian beef – that crispy beef, that sweet savory sauce…yum!

We have had so much success with our air fryer, that we decided to try and make a few Asian inspired dishes in it. One of those was this Mongolian beef recipe.

If you’ve ever made Mongolian beef on the stove top, you know that it’s a bit of a process to fry all those individual strips of beef until they’re nice and crisp.

It is SO EASY with the air fryer! I didn’t even bother to work in batches – just tossed all the coated beef right in my air fryer basket and made sure to shake every few minutes.

Table of Contents

How to make Mongolian beef:

Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (2)
  • Slice your flank steak into thin strips, 1/4-1/2 inch is good.
  • Put your steak in a large bowl with corn starch and toss to coat. Let the starch soak into the meat for 5 minutes.
  • Spritz the steak with oil and cook in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes.
  • Shake the basket every few minutes so that the beef crisps up all the way around.
Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (3)

How to make the Mongolian sauce:

  • Heat oil in a large deep skillet, and add garlic and ginger. Cook this for 30 seconds.
  • Add the low sodium soy sauce, water, and brown sugar to the skillet and stir well.
  • Boil this for 6-7 minutes and stir occasionally until the sauce has thickened.
  • Carefully add the cooked meat to the sauce, without splashing, and toss the beef. Allow it to cook for 1-2 more minutes.
Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (4)

Soy Sauce:

Be sure to use low sodium soy sauce! The sauce boils down and reduces a bit which means the flavors concentrate.

This is a good thing for a bold flavored sauce, but if you are starting with something that’s already quite salty and then you reduce it down, you’ll end up with an overly salty, inedible sauce.

Low sodium soy sauce can be found in most any grocery store, so keep an eye out.

Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (5)

Common Air Fryer Questions:

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You should not use non-stick spray from an aerosol can. It can damage the air fryer. Instead, just use an oil mister filled with your vegetable oil. My go to is avocado oil.

We use and love the OMORC 6 qt air fryer and it works great. It’s a nice price, it has a large basket, and it’s lasted me for nearly 2 years now. I absolutely love it! Plus it has over 2k 5 star reviews on Amazon!

Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (6)

More recipes you might like:

  • This crispy cauliflower is great with a ranch dip!
  • Homemade orange chicken finishes in just 20 minutes!
  • Another quick and easy recipe is to cook frozen tater tots in the air fryer!
  • A classic grilled cheese has never tasted better than when cooked by an air fryer.
  • Crispy, air fryer egg rolls with a sausage filling.
Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (7)

Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (8)

Air Fryer Mongolian Beef

Created by: Karly Campbell


4

This Mongolian beef recipe starts with crispy air fried strips of beef. The beef is tender on the inside with a fabulously crispy outside. The sauce is simple to make but packs in loads of sweet and savory flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound flank steak
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 green onions chopped

Instructions

  • Slice the steak into thin strips, cutting against the grain for the most tenderness, and place into a large bowl.

  • Add the cornstarch to the steak and toss to coat. Let set in the cornstarch for 5 minutes.

  • Heat the air fryer to 400 degrees.

  • Add the steak to the air fryer basket and spritz generously with oil.

  • Air fry for 8-10 minutes, shaking the basket every couple of minutes.Spritz with more oil halfway through cooking.

  • While the steak is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet on the stove. Add the garlic and ginger and cook in the oil for 30 seconds.

  • Add the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar to the skillet and stir well.

  • Bring to a boil and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened.

  • Carefully add the cooked beef to the sauce and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, tossing the beef in the sauce.

  • Sprinkle chopped green onions over the top before serving.

Notes

Be sure to use low sodium soy sauce or the sauce will be so salty that it will be inedible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1221mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. alex says

    400 calories per 1 gram, wow!

    Reply

    • Karly says

      Haha, our recipe card automatically adds that gram there. The nutrition info is per serving.

      Reply

  2. Kim says

    Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (9)
    Wow this is outstanding! I had to add more cornstarch to meat but other than that , I was extremely pleased! Make extra sauce😋

    Reply

  3. Lee says

    Want to try this recipe. Do I cut the flank steak with or against the grain for most tenderness?

    Reply

    • Karly says

      You’ll want to cut it against the grain. Great question – I’ll add that to the recipe.

      Reply

  4. Carrie says

    Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (10)
    This dish is absolutely AMAZING! My entire family enjoys it and now it is one of the top requested dishes. I now have to double the recipe because everyone wants leftovers.

    I use my air fryer all of the time and this is possibly the best dish I have made using it.

    Reply

    • Karly says

      Oh gosh, I love to hear that!! This recipe gets buried by newer ones and I’m happy to see it getting some love, because we love it so much too! Thank you for the review!

      Reply

  5. Monika says

    Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (11)
    This is one of the best things I’ve ever made! I’m kicking myself for not buying an air fryer sooner.

    Reply

    • Karly says

      Ah, so glad you gave it a try, Monika! 🙂

      Reply

    • Aeil says

      Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (12)
      Recipe are awesome
      I’m happy you make
      It simple to duplicate
      Thanks

      Reply

      • Karly says

        Thank you!

  6. Cat says

    Please make it so that we can print without the picture… wastes too much ink! Thanks!

    Reply

    • Karly says

      Hi Cat! If you want to print without the image, you can copy and paste into a word doc and print from there. 🙂

      Reply

      • Cat says

        Yes thanks, that’s what I ended up doing… but I’d rather be able to just print… 🙂

      • Karly says

        Yeah, sorry. Most people like the photo. 🙂

      • Ann Fisher says

        I like seeing photos. Thanks for the recipe looks amazing.

  7. rick reed says

    I don’t have an Air Fryer . Can I make in oven or frying pan? Whats the best type of air frying to puchase?

    Reply

    • Karly says

      Hi Rick! I linked to our preferred air fryer above. You could make this on the stove by frying the strips of beef in batches.

      Reply

Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe in the Air Fryer! | AirFried.com (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook raw beef in the air fryer? ›

Preheat the air fryer on meat setting for 3 minutes. Crumble ground beef in the tray or basket, then cook beef on meat setting for 5 minutes. Stir and crumble more if desired, then cook an additional 3-5 minutes until beef is cooked through.

What cut of beef is Mongolian beef made from? ›

What's the best cut of beef for making Mongolian Beef? Restaurants often slice up flank steak for this type of stir-fry. It's also a great choice for beginner cooks, because the grain on flank steak is really, really obvious, which makes it easy to make sure that you're slicing against the grain.

How long to cook meat in air fryer? ›

Air-Fryer Cooking Chart
FOODTEMPERATUREAIR-FRYER TIME
Burgers350°F8-10 minutes
Chicken Breast375°F22-23 minutes
Chicken Tenders400°F14-16 minutes
Chicken Thighs400°F25 minutes
42 more rows
Mar 2, 2022

Why is Mongolian beef so tender? ›

The science behind using baking soda to marinate Mongolian Beef: The alkalinity of baking soda raises the pH of the meat, causing the proteins to move further apart, and that makes it more tender and easier for us to chew or bite into.

Do you oil meat before air frying? ›

The Perfect Crust

One of the advantages of air frying steak is the possibility of getting a crispy exterior while the interior stays juicy and tender. To achieve a crust, spray or brush the steak with a little bit of oil before cooking.

What temperature do you cook raw meat in an air fryer? ›

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Prepare the steaks by rubbing olive oil on each side. Rub the Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper on each side.

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 the difference between Mongolian beef and Chinese beef? ›

Szechuan beef vs Mongolian beef, what's the difference? Szechuan beef has a sweet and spicy flavor, and Mongolian beef has a mild taste. Szechuan beef hails from the Sichuan Province in southwestern China. Its main ingredients are chili peppers, garlic, and Szechuan peppercorn.

What do Chinese use to make beef tender? ›

While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. You may also include two to three tablespoons of water. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing. Additional seasonings are optional and vary from recipe to recipe.

Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer? ›

Foil is safe to use in an air fryer so long as you follow three basic rules: never let foil touch the heating element; make sure the foil is weighted so it doesn't blow around the basket; and avoid contact with acidic ingredients, which can cause the foil to leach onto your food.

Should I flip meat in Airfryer? ›

You don't rotate your proteins while they're cooking.

Another common air-fryer mistake is not rotating your proteins, said Zuccarello. Flipping your protein halfway through cooking will give you an evenly cooked final dish.

How do you keep meat moist in an air fryer? ›

Using oil in an air fryer is perfectly fine and helps the meat to remain moist and come out looking golden brown. However, a little oil in an air fryer does go a long way. With most cuts of pork, simply rubbing some oil into the meat will be all you need. You can use either regular olive oil or a spray oil.

Does soy sauce tenderize meat? ›

Why It Works. Salt and soy sauce tenderize meat, help it retain moisture, and increase its savoriness. Sugar helps browning characteristics. Oil helps distribute fat-soluble aromatic compounds over the meat.

Do you need to rinse baking soda off meat? ›

Just as you would with dry brining, rinse your meat until it's (mostly) free of all the baking soda.

How long to cook raw beef? ›

On most stove tops, browning a pound of ground beef takes approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Remember, it's important to continue stirring and breaking the pieces into the same size with the wooden spoon or heatproof spatula so the ground beef cooks evenly.

How do you cook a steak in an air fryer without it drying out? ›

The best way to ensure a juicy steak is to use high heat to cook the steak quickly, which will bring it to the proper temperature without drying it out. Remember to rest your steak after air frying to allow the meat to reabsorb juices and complete its cooking time without direct heat.

Do you have to flip meat in air fryer? ›

Do You Need to Flip Steak in an Air Fryer? Because of the air fryer's trademark ability to circulate intensely hot air evenly around food as it cooks, you don't need to flip steak in the air fryer. If you prefer to flip your steaks, that works too! Flip the steak halfway through the required cook time.

How do you cook meat in an air fryer without making a mess? ›

"Put a slice of bread on the bottom of your air fryer," Kang said. "It's a green alternative to foil for catching grease and drips for easier clean-up." In order to minimize food waste, you may want to only use this technique when cooking especially greasy foods (like bacon), and also use bread slices that are stale.

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