Crockpot Pepper Steak is a convenient, flavorful, and comforting meal that requires minimal effort. This Chinese-inspired dish is delicious when served over rice, noodles, or other accompaniments!
Crockpot Pepper Steak offers a delightful combination of savory, sweet, and flavorful tastes. This slow cooker version of the popular Chinese-American stir-fry features tender sliced beef and sweet bell peppers cooked in a rich beef sauce.
This cooking method ensures that the beef becomes incredibly tender, more so than when cooked on the stovetop. This crockpot pepper steak is both delicious and easy to prepare, making it a dish you’ll want to enjoy again and again!
Reasons to Love This Recipe
- This is a dump and go recipe, requiring no precooking of ingredients.
- The beef turns out incredibly tender and full of flavor, melting in your mouth.
- It requires minimal hands-on time and is a hassle-free cooking process with no additional ingredients added later.
- The prep time is minimal, with only 5 or 10 minutes needed to slice the vegetables!
- On busy nights when you don’t have time to cook, this slow cooker pepper steak will be a lifesaver.
MORE EASY CROCKPOT RECIPES
Ingredients
- Beef sirloin strips: sometimes called sirloin tips or beef for stir fry when precut. You can also use sirloin steaks that you cut into long slices.
- Bell peppers: my preference is a combination of green, yellow, red, and orange.
- Onion: I prefer a sweet onion but a yellow onion works too!
- Garlic cloves: go for fresh garlic but garlic powder in a pinch.
- Beef broth: substitute with water, as the recipe also uses bouillon cubes to make a concentrated beef broth.
- Beef bouillon cubes: or packets.
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Honey: can replace with agave syrup or pure maple syrup.
- Ginger: I use ground ginger but you can grate fresh ginger root too.
- Cornstarch: added to the broth as a thickener. For a thinner sauce, leave out the cornstarch.
Instructions
This easy crockpot pepper steak is made in 3 simple steps.
STEP 1: Make the sauce. Combine hot beef broth, bouillon cubes, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, honey, ground ginger, black pepper, salt, and cornstarch in a mixing glass. Stir well, crushing the bouillon cubes.
STEP 2: Place beef strips into the slow cooker. Pour sauce on top. Add peppers, onions, and garlic on top of the beef.
STEP 3: Set to LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours. If possible, stir the ingredients once halfway through.
When finished, stir well and transfer to a serving dish. Serve over rice or noodles or as a side with mashed or baked potatoes.
How To Serve Pepper Steak
While pepper steak is delicious enjoyed as is, especially for a low carb meal, here are a few suggestions for making it a complete dinner.
Serve crockpot pepper steak over:
- white rice
- brown rice
- quinoa
- Asian-style noodles, like lo mein or ramen
- couscous
- barley
- farro
Or serve with these favorite side dishes:
Variations
- Change the color of bell peppers: use all green peppers instead of a combination of colorful peppers.
- Make it spicy: add red pepper flakes or even a few jalapeno peppers to spice up the pepper steak.
How To Store
Storing: Keep pepper steak in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Is Crockpot Pepper Steak A Freezer Friendly Meal?
Yes! You can freeze pepper steak before or after cooking. To freeze it before, slice the meat, peppers, and onions and place them into a freezer-safe bag. Pour the sauce into a separate bag. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to use, cut open both bags and place the ingredients into the slow cooker while still frozen. Cook on low for 6 hours. Slow cooker pepper steak can also be frozen after cooking by placing the entire meal (including rice, if desired) into freezer-safe bags and freezing for up to 3 months (for optimal quality). Defrost overnight in the fridge.
Can I Use A Different Cut Of Beef?
Sirloin is the most traditional and tender cut of beef to use for this recipe. You can use pre-cut steak labeled as “beef for stir fry” or sirloin tips. If you can’t find pre-cut steak, use sirloin steaks and slice them into long strips about 1 inch thick.
How Long Does Pepper Steak Cook In A Crockpot?
On high, this recipe cooks for 3 hours, and on low, it cooks for 6 hours. I prefer cooking beef recipes on low for extra tenderness and flavor. However, if you’re short on time, a shorter cooking time on low is also acceptable.
How Can I Achieve Crispier Peppers?
If you prefer the peppers to be less soft, add them to the crockpot during the last hour of cook time. Keep in mind that the peppers add flavor to the sauce, so if you don’t cook them for the full 6 hours, the sauce may have less flavor.
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