Crock Pot Asian-Style Mongolian Beef Stew

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Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef Stew is a hearty and comforting cross between savory Asian beef and a classic beef stew recipe. Quick and easy to prep, a short list of ingredients, and your crockpot does the hard work. Just come home and serve it over rice, cauliflower rice, ramen noodles, or zoodles. And yes, just the simple swap of tamari for soy sauce makes this flavor-packed dinner gluten free!

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef Stew Recipe Image with title

Originally published March 21, 2013. Updated with new photos and additional information about the recipe.

When life gets crazy, my slow-cooker and I go together like peas and carrots. On days where I know I’m going to be running around a lot or I know I won’t have enough time to prepare dinner in between after school activities and the onset of hangry children, it’s a lifesaver.

Throw together a bunch of ingredients together early in the day, then at dinnertime, the most you have to do is heat up some veggies, toss a quick salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing or Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing, or make some quick rice or pasta.

And for an added bonus, many slow cooker recipes make quite a lot or can easily be doubled. So you can freeze leftovers for when life is not just crazy – it’s double and triple crazy!

It’s so helpful to have a freezer packed with Healthy Slow Cooker Butter Chicken, the Best Chili, Slow Cooker Steak Pizzaiola, and some of this Mongolian Beef Stew all ready and waiting for me.

Using chopsticks to eat Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef Stew with rice in a white bowl

What is Mongolian Beef?

Believe it or not, Mongolian Beef did not originate in Mongolia. It is actually from Taiwan, and usually consists of sliced flank steak and onions that are stir fried in a mild brown sauce.

In the United States, beef dishes of a similar style are popular in Chinese restaurants and chain restaurants, and it is given the name to make it sound more exotic.

This dish has also been adapted into Slow-Cooker Mongolian Beef recipes so you can make your own takeout at home with minimal prep work.

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef Stew with carrots and sugar snap peas in a bowl with rice

Crock Pot Asian Beef Stew Recipe

Unlike traditional Mongolian Beef or the adaptations for Crockpot Mongolian Beef, this recipe can be made using a beef roast or stew beef cubes. By adding carrots and sugar snap peas into the mix, it makes it more like an Asian beef stew or pot roast.

Since you have your veggies covered, when it’s time for dinner, you just need to make some rice, noodles, cauliflower rice, or zucchini noodles to serve it.

What is in Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef Stew?

Need to make it GLUTEN FREE?
Check out my tips and simple swaps!

Gluten Free Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This information is solely based on my research and personal experience, and I provide it as a courtesy to my readers. Please consult your doctor or medical professional for any questions as it relates to your needs, particularly if you have celiac disease or a severe gluten allergy or intolerance. Products, manufacturing facilities, and ingredients change frequently, so you should always contact the manufacturer for the latest information. 

  • Soy sauce – most soy sauce contains wheat, so be sure to get gluten free soy sauce or tamari, if needed.
  • Mirin or rice vinegar – mirin is a sweet rice-based cooking wine. Some brands contain gluten, so be sure to buy a brand that is gluten free. You can also use plain rice vinegar. It will not add sweetness, so add a tablespoon of honey if you prefer.
  • Peanut butter – I recommend creamy peanut butter.
  • Sesame oil
  • Cornstarch
  • Garlic
  • Ginger – if you only have powdered ginger, that works just fine in this recipe. But fresh ginger or ginger paste works great too.
  • Red pepper flakes – it really doesn’t make it spicy, but you can omit this if you prefer.
  • Black pepper
  • Beef – this dish works equally well with a beef roast or stew beef cubes. If you use a roast, you’ll want to remove it from the crockpot and shred the meat after it cooks. It will more closely resemble pot roast. The cubes can be left whole for a beef stew.
  • Onion
  • Carrots – cut into thick sticks, or save prep time and use a bag of baby carrots.
  • Frozen sugar snap peas – I have used fresh sugar snap peas, and they are a little tough, especially with the strings. Frozen sugar snap peas are much more tender. You can toss them in about a half-hour before you plan to eat. If you don’t have time, they can be added at the beginning, but they will break up a bit and the peas might pop out of the pods.

How to make Crock Pot Mongolian Beef Stew:

Here is a brief overview so you can see just how easy it is to make. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full quantities and details.

  1. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in the slow cooker and whisk until combined.
  2. Add the beef, onions, and carrots, and mix everything together.
  3. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 4-6 hours.
  4. Add the sugar snap peas and cook on High for another 30 minutes or until they are tender.
  5. Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, Asian noodles, or zoodles, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced scallions, if desired.
Chop sticks picking up a piece of Asian Beef

What do you serve with Mongolian beef?

You can fill a bowl with any of the following things and spoon your Asian beef stew right over the top:

  • White or brown rice – while traditional rice cooked on the stove, or in a rice cooker or Instant Pot is the most nutritious, minute rice or those pouches that cook in the microwave a good option when you are short on time.
  • Ramen noodles – I like these Brown Rice and Quinoa Ramen noodles because they are gluten free, whole grain, not fried, and cook in just a few minutes.
  • Cauliflower rice – if you are short on time, you can find frozen cauliflower rice or even microwave pouches in most grocery stores. Also, broccoli rice is a great option that many people don’t think of.
  • Zoodles – break out the spiralizer, and then either use zucchini noodles raw, saute them quickly, or even make Sesame Zoodles.
  • Mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower – while it might not fit the Asian theme of this dish
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef Stew sprinkled with sesame seeds and white chopsticks on the side

Try these Asian slow cooker recipes…

Crockpot Mongolian Beef Stew Recipe

It takes almost no time to mix a few simple pantry ingredients together and throw it in your slow cooker. This twist on Mongolian Beef is a rich, hearty, comforting dish, with just a background of robust, Asian-inspired flavor for easy dinner you’ll want to enjoy again and again. And lucky for you, this Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef Stew recipe makes a lot or can easily be doubled so you can freeze the leftovers.

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef Stew with carrots and sugar snap peas in a bowl with rice
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Slow-Cooker Mongolian Beef Stew

Toss a few Asian-inspired ingredients into your slow-cooker and come home to a hearty and comforting Mongolian Beef Stew.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 8 hours

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
  • 1/4 cup mirin or plain rice vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dry ginger or 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger or ginger paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2-3 lb stew beef cubes or beef roast
  • 1 lb carrots (either baby carrots, or carrots cut into large sticks)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 12 oz. bag frozen sugar snap peas
  • Rice, cauliflower rice, Asian noodles, or zoodles for serving
  • Sesame seeds or scallions for garnish, if desired

Instructions

  • Add the soy sauce, mirin, peanut butter, sesame oil, corn starch, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and black pepper to the slow cooker and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the beef, onion, and carrots, and mix everything together.
  • Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
  • If you used a beef roast, remove it from the slow cooker to a plate and shred with a fork. Return it to the slow cooker.
  • Add the sugar snap peas and cook on high for another 30 minutes.
  • Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, Asian noodles, or zoodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or thinly sliced scallions, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
Slow-Cooker Mongolian Beef Stew
Amount Per Serving
Calories 260 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 70mg23%
Sodium 983mg41%
Potassium 724mg21%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 29g58%
Vitamin A 9971IU199%
Vitamin C 30mg36%
Calcium 68mg7%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Enjoy!

30 Comments
      1. Mary Smith

        Hello,
        I made this recipe last night-I put my slow cooker on low and checked it at 3 hours and saw that the sauce was getting stuck to the bottom and sides of the cooker and I knew if I didn’t add liquid it would not make it. I added 1 cup of beef broth and after cooking for 7 hours it was fine as there was a nice sauce in there. I recommend adding a cup of liquid at the start.

  1. Patricia Ramirez

    This recipe looks absolutely fantastic, but I must ask you to delete the pics of the chopsticks standing straight up in the rice! Very bad, in some Asian cultures it is bad etiquette because it resembles incense offering at funerals and in others, like Japan, this is how one offers rice at a funeral.

    1. Mippa

      I was just checking out the recipe and had to gasp at the chopsticks in the rice! As Leigh said, sticking chopsticks in the rice turns the rice into an offertory to the deceased.

      That being said, I’m very excited to try the recipe!

          1. Thank you for mentioning that. I found out long after I posted this recipe the significance, so I will have to re-photogrpah when I have a chance.

  2. You are inspiring me to join the slow cooker club, Brianne! Love that your stew includes peanut butter. Woo too!

    P.s. Sounds like you are taking very good care of you and the baby =)

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