There really is something wonderful about making some seriously amazing Chinese-American cuisine right in your own Instant Pot that rivals even the best of Chinese restaurants. And that’s exactly what you’re going to get with my Black Pepper Beef!
Richard’s go-to whenever we get Chinese, this dish is LOADED with a rich, savory flavor with just a hint of sweet and has JUST the right amount of bite to it without it being overly spicy while remaining oh so satisfying.
This wonderful dish is also one of the easiest you’ll make in your Instant Pot so once you serve it, be prepared to hear requests of those who’s tried it begging you to make it again…and again…and again!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Since this is Black Pepper Beef, we’re gonna start off with some whole black peppercorns…
…add them to a mortar and pestle…
…and crush until nice and coarse in size.
Take a white onion…
…and slice it up into large pieces.
Take a green bell pepper…
…and do the same.
Now let’s go to the Instant Pot add some vegetable oil…
…and sesame oil and heat them up.
Once heated, add in the peppers and onions…
…and cook for a few minutes until the onions are a bit browned in places.
That’s your cue to add in some garlic…
..and sauté for another few moments. (Note: If you want your veggies to be more prominent and have more of a crunch, remove them with a slotted spoon now and set them aside. See the “Jeffrey Sez” section of the recipe for more details).
Now add in some beef broth…
…soy sauce (low-sodium is a good idea)…
…oyster sauce…
…hoisin sauce…
…and, of course, beef round or flank steak (and nope – we aren’t sautéing it ahead of time!)
Stir it up in the pot.
And lastly, let’s add in our crushed black peppercorns…
..and a little bit of white pepper.
Give everything a final stir, secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
While the beef’s cooking in the pot, take equal parts cornstarch…
…and water…
…and mix together to form a cornstarch slurry (this is a thickening agent four the sauce).
Once the pot’s done cooking, remove the lid and, using a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the pot…
…and place it in a serving bowl.
Now let’s make the liquid into a thick, fantastic sauce. Give the pot some heat until it bubbles…
…add in the cornstarch slurry…
…stir immediately and let bubble for a minute.
When done, turn the pot off and let the bubbles die down a bit as the sauce will have thickened significantly.
And now pour the sauce over the beef…
…and stir so it coats all of the beef (if you removed the vegetables before pressure cooking, add them back in now and mix).
Place in a bowl and serve with over white rice, brown rice or my famous hibachi rice!
I’n telling you – RIVALS THE BEST OF CHINESE RESTAURANTS!
Enjoy!
Instant Pot Black Pepper Beef
My partner Richard's favorite thing to eat when we get Chinese is Black Pepper Beef. We're talking a spicy and savory sauce to perfectly coat some seriously tender meat.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp of black peppercorns, freshly cracked with a mortar and pestle
- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- 1 white onion, cut into strands
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp of sliced garlic
- 1.5 pounds of beef round or flank steak, cut into 1/4” strips
- 3/4 cup of beef broth (I used 1 tsp of Beef Better Than Bouillon + 3/4 cup of water)
- 3/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of Oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp of Hoisin sauce
- 1/4 tsp of white pepper
- 2 tbsp of a cornstarch + 2 tbsp of water combined to form a slurry
Instructions
- Crush the whole peppercorns using a mortar and pestle
- Add the vegetable oil and sesame oil to the Instant Pot, hit “Sauté” and “Adjust” so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. When it reads “Hot,” add the onions and bell pepper and sauté in the oil for 8 mins until onions are a mix of browned and white. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more (see the “Jeffrey Sez” section of the recipe if you want your veggies to have more volume at the end)
- Then, add everything else to the pot (with the beef being added after the liquids) EXCEPT FOR the cornstarch slurry. Stir well
- Secure the lid, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 7 minutes. When done, allow a natural release for 3 minutes (display should read “L0:03” or “00:03”) and follow with a quick release
- Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and place in a serving bowl (it’s okay if the veggies transfer with it)
- Hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Sauté” and “Adjust” so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. When the sauce bubbles, add in the cornstarch slurry, stir immediately and let boil for 1 minute and then turn the pot off. The bubbles will die down and the sauce will thicken up nicely
- Pour the sauce over beef and toss & coat until all the beef is covered. Serve in bowl over white rice, brown rice or my famous hibachi rice
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
If you want your vegetables to be crunchier and more substantial as opposed to blending into the sauce, remove them with a slotted spoon after sautéing in Step 1 and set aside. Add them at the very end when coating in Step 6.
If you want more veggies, add in another onion and pepper and just double the oil.
You can definitely double the beef up to 3 pounds and the cooking time will remain the same. But because the sauce makes a lot as it is, instead of doubling the sauce, only add in an additional 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of beef broth, 2 tbsp of oyster sauce, 1 tbsp of hoisin sauce and 2 tsp more crushed black peppercorns and 1/4 tsp of white pepper.
Want it spicier? Add another 1-2 tsp of the black peppercorns to crush and another 1/4 tsp of white pepper
Want it VERY mild? Only use 1 tsp of the black peppercorns
Rachael S
I’ve just made this and my family is in awe of my cooking skills! I added a chopped Serrano pepper (we like it hot). I read the directions wrong and didn’t take the beef out before adding cornstarch slurry but it turned out great. Served with steamed broccoli and white rice. We are now fighting over the leftovers! Thanks again ❤️
Melissa F
Hands down one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes and so easy! I like to add in two green peppers since we both really like them. My boyfriend prefers this served over egg noodles since he doesn’t like rice, but I still make brown rice for myself.
This recipe makes great leftovers, so I always make it with about 2.5lbs of beef.
*Tip: If you don’t have a mortar and pestle (I don’t), I just loosen the lid on my pepper grinder so the pepper comes out thicker. Saw this on a cooking show and works just as well.
Lawrence
How can I use this recipe if I don’t have an Instant Pot. How about a LeCruset pot, what adjustments are made?
DDM
Stir-fry. See Sue and Gambo web site or their YouTube Videos. Find a similar dish there and you can figure out how to do this recipe.
Bill Checco
Any options to avoid using 3/4 cups of soy sauce to avoid all the sodium?
Kw
Use low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos.
Jb
Use low sodium soy sauce
Ellyn
Can I use beef stew meat? And if so how long do I cook
Dava Esman
I used low sodium soy sauce but this still came out a bit too salty for my taste. Any suggestions?
Shannon Chin
Use less?
Mary
Unsalted beef broth
Jb
Try Tamari
Susan Green
I made this today,,,,,OUTSTANDING!!!…Hubby asked for mushroom to be added next time…..so good, as is everything I have made of yours. You are my new go to…Give Richard and Banjo a big hug for me.
Susan Green
I made this today, OUTSTANDING!!!!….Hubby asked for mushroom to be added next time. You are my new go to!!..Everything I have made of yours always turns out amazing. Give Richard and Banjo a huge hug for me.
Susan Green
I made this today,,,OUTSTANDING!!!!….Hubby asked for mushrooms to be added next time. Everything I make of yours is amazing. You are my go to guy from now on. Give Richard and Banjo a big hug for me.
Maxine
This looks delicious but we are supposed to eat much less red meat. Could you please modify this to make yummy black pepper chicken? PleaseEEEEEEE!
Rochelle
Please. I can’t eat beef because of high cholesterol.
Brenda
Easy afterwork meal! Made some rice in my 3 quart. Dinner on the table! Easy clean up too!
Blake
If I wanted to substitute chicken breast cut in strips, would I need to adjust the cooking time any?
Rochelle
I would like to know also.
Scott
I made this last night and it looked just like the picture. But it is way too spicy for us. I think using one teaspoon of black peppercorns and eliminating the white pepper would have helped. Probably not going to make this one again.
Jeffrey
Well, it IS black pepper beef 😉 But I’m honored you tried it and it came out like the photo promised!