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Missing Panda Express Beijing Beef? Try this homemade version, the best copycat recipe ever, with a Beijing sauce that tastes exactly like the real deal! It’s so good, easy to make, healthier, and cheaper too.
Panda Express Beijing Beef Recipe
Beijing beef is one of the most popular beef dishes at Panda Express, and I’ve received countless emails from readers asking for the secret to their delicious recipe. To crack the code, I took a special trip to Panda Express to sample the dish firsthand.
I carefully examined the ingredients and meticulously tasted the Beijing sauce to get a feel for its unique flavor profile. After a lot of tasting and testing, I’m excited to share my perfected copycat recipe with you.
My homemade copycat version of the famous Panda Express Beijing Beef recipe isn’t just a close match—it’s fresher, healthier and even more flavorful than the restaurant’s version!
With crispy beef, a tangy-sweet Beijing sauce, and vibrant bell peppers and onions, this recipe brings all the amazing flavors of the original right to your kitchen. Plus, it’s ready in under 30 minutes with just five simple steps, making it both quick and faster than takeout delivery!
Looking for more yummy Chinese takeout recipes? Check out my Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat, Orange Chicken, and Broccoli Beef recipes!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tastes just like Panda Express: It’s got that classic tangy-sweet Beijing sauce you crave, just like from the restaurant.
- Fresh and homemade: Made with fresh ingredients, it’s healthier and way more flavorful than takeout.
- Quick and easy: Ready in under 30 minutes with just 5 simple steps—perfect for a speedy meal.
- Foolproof recipe: My copycat recipe is so easy to make that it guarantees a delicious result every time, even if you’re not a cooking pro.
- Cheaper than takeout: Making this recipe at home costs way less than getting it from a restaurant, so you save money and still enjoy that tasty, takeout flavor.
Beijing Beef Ingredients
- Flank steak – Flank steak is perfect for this Panda Express Beijing beef recipe because it’s tender and soaks up all the yummy flavors.
- Yellow onion – Gives a touch of sweetness and savory depth.
- Red bell pepper – Adds color, crunch, and a mild sweetness.
- Egg – Helps tenderize the beef and gives it a crispy coating when fried.
- Corn starch – Coats the beef to make it crispy when you fry it.
Beijing Sauce
The list of ingredients for the Beijing sauce is long, but rest assured, once you taste it, you’ll want to make it again and again. It’s actually quite addictive and delicious.
The good news is that you can make the sauce in a big batch and keep it in the fridge. Whenever you’re craving it, you can even swap the beef for chicken. It’s totally up to you!
- Ketchup – Gives the sauce a sweet and tangy base.
- Hoisin sauce – Adds a rich, sweet, and savory flavor.
- Light soy sauce – Gives the sauce a salty, savory kick.
- Oyster sauce – Gives the sauce that extra umami goodness.
- Sweet chili sauce – Adds a touch of sweetness and a little spice.
- Crushed chili peppers – For an extra kick of heat.
- Water – Thins out the sauce to the right consistency.
- Sugar – Adds sweetness to balance out the tangy and savory flavors.
- Apple cider vinegar – Adds a tangy bite to balance the sweetness
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Beijing Beef
Step 1. Prepare the marinade in a bowl and mix well. Marinate the beef for 15 minutes.
Step 2. In a separate bowl, mix all the Beijing sauce ingredients and set aside.
Step 3. Place the cornstarch in a bag or bowl. Toss the marinated beef in the cornstarch, coat it well, and set aside in the refrigerator.
Step 4. Heat enough oil over high heat. Coat the beef slices with cornstarch again, making sure they are well coated. Shake off the excess cornstarch. Deep-fry the beef slices in small batches for 1-2 minutes, or until they are light golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels, then set aside.
Step 5. In a wok, heat oil over high heat. Stir-fry the onion and bell pepper until fragrant and slightly charred, then add the garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Remove them from the wok. Heat the wok again over medium-high heat, add the Beijing Sauce, and let it simmer until thickened. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add the deep-fried beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic back into the wok. Stir for 1 minute until the beef is cooked and coated with the sauce.
Cooking Tips For Home Cooks
- Let the beef marinate for at least 15 minutes. This makes it tender and packed with flavor. If you’ve got more time, marinate it longer for an even better taste.
- Make sure your oil is really hot before adding the beef. This helps it get nice and crispy without getting overcooked.
- Make sure the beef slices are fully coated with cornstarch before frying. This gives them a crispy coating.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying. Cook the beef in small batches so each piece gets crispy and doesn’t steam.
- Let the Beijing sauce simmer until it thickens up a bit. This helps it stick better to the beef.
- Stir fry the beef just long enough to heat it through and coat it with the sauce. Overcooking can make it tough.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Beijing beef has crispy beef in a tangy-sweet sauce with bell peppers and onions. On the other hand, Mongolian beef is more savory with a hint of spice and usually has green onions and a soy-based sauce. In short, the first one is sweeter and tangier, while the latter is savory and a bit spicy.
You can swap out flank steak for sirloin or beef flap. Just remember to cut it against the grain to keep it tender and juicy.
Yes, you can substitute the beef with chicken, pork, or even tofu. Just adjust the cooking times as needed for different proteins.
Add extra crushed chili peppers or a splash of hot sauce to the Beijing Sauce. You can tweak the spice level to match your taste.
Just coat the beef with cornstarch, air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 8-10 minutes, shaking halfway through. Heat the sauce separately, then toss the crispy beef with it and your veggies.
This Panda Express Beijing beef recipe is only 311 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Beijing Beef
Serve this Panda Express Beijing beef with steamed rice. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Panda Express Beijing Beef Copycat
Ingredients
- 8 oz (230g) flank steak , or sirloin or beef flap, cut against the grain into 1/4 inch (5mm) slices
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion, sliced
- 1/2 medium-sized red bell pepper, cut into pieces
- cornstarch, to dust beef for deep-frying
- salt and sugar , to taste
Marinade:
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 dash ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Beijing Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed chili peppers
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare the Marinade in a bowl and mix well. Marinate the beef for 15 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, mix all the Beijing Sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Place the cornstarch in a bag or bowl. Toss the marinated beef in the cornstarch, coat it well, and set aside in the refrigerator.
- Heat enough oil over high heat. Coat the beef slices with cornstarch again, making sure they are well coated. Shake off the excess cornstarch. Deep fry the beef slices in small batches for 1-2 minutes, or until they are light golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels, then set aside.
- In a wok, heat oil over high heat. Stir fry the onion and bell pepper until fragrant and slightly charred, then add the garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds. Remove them from the wok. Heat the wok again over medium-high heat, add the Beijing Sauce, and let it simmer until thickened. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add the deep fried beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic back into the wok. Stir for 1 minute until the beef is cooked and coated with the sauce.
Notes
- Let the beef marinate for at least 15 minutes. This makes it tender and packed with flavor. If you’ve got more time, marinate it longer for an even better taste.
- Make sure your oil is really hot before adding the beef. This helps it get nice and crispy without getting overcooked.
- Make sure the beef slices are fully coated with cornstarch before frying. This gives them a crispy coating.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying. Cook the beef in small batches so each piece gets crispy and doesn’t steam.
- Let the Beijing sauce simmer until it thickens up a bit. This helps it stick better to the beef.
- Stir fry the beef just long enough to heat it through and coat it with the sauce. Overcooking can make it tough.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is there a way to avoid deep frying? If we pan fry, do we need the marinade and cornstarch dusting?
Hi! Making this tonight and have tomato paste. Would you think it would be too tomato-tasting to sub for the ketchup?
Thanks!
Beijing beef is my favorite at Panda Express. I just made this and it is the bomb!!! Great recipe.. Thanks..
Thanks great that you love the Beijing Beef recipe.
I have been searching for this recipe. Had it tonight and the family loved it!! Thanks Rasa:)
Wow you are fast!
My hubby and I have Chinese every Thursday night so we have tried a lot of recipes! This is by far the best one we have tried! We didn’t have black vinegar I mis-read the ingredients and added a bit of black pepper LOL I am looking forward to trying it again with the vinegar!
Thanks for trying the recipe Abby!
I made this tonight for my son who is home from college for winter break. He said it was so good he may not go back!
Donna – that’s too funny I am so glad that your son loves this Beijing Beef recipe. Thank you! :)
Is this recipe similar to Beijing beef at panda express,and is this recipe in your cookbook? I also really love General Tso’s chicken, is it in your cookbook? Thank you!!
Similar to the ones in Panda Express. I have General Tso’s chicken here:
Are Beijing beef and General Tso’s chicken in your cookbook?
No.
:o) I love this dish and have looked at every version of it I could find,and I must say that your recipe is by the best by far!!! Thank you!!!
Thanks Lennis.
:o) Thank you for what you do!! I just received your cookbook in the mail yesterday,and love it!!
Thanks Lennis.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was very good! I’ve never had the Panda Express version, but my son said it tasted a lot like it, except mine wasn’t as crispy. I had the same problem as Jesse, I think. Although I tried coating each piece in cornstarch, it was so time consuming because it was sticky. Awesome recipe, though…. Thank you! I love coming to your website for Asian recipes.
Thanks and glad that you enjoyed the recipes here. :)
Hi Jesse, if you really like it really crispy, just omit the eggs marinade and dust beef with cornstarch only. Deep-fry until crispy. Make the sauce and do a quick stir-fried beef with the sauce. If you still want to use to egg marinade, make sure u coat the beef slices with cornstarch and make sure its dry before you deep-fry them. You can freeze the beef prior to frying if you wish. Hope this helps!
I’ve never had the Panda Express version but just made this and it came out great.
My beef wasn’t that crispy, how dry should it be when frying? Mine was quite wet still, so the corn starch was more of a sauce consistency than a dry coating.
The recipe looks tasty, Rasa, I’ll try making it when I pick up some steak from the butcher. Thank you.
@Jesse – here’s a few general ideas to help keep things less soggy when frying. Disclaimer though, these are general frying tips and I have not tried them with this recipe.
1. Use egg whites instead of whole eggs. The yolks are loaded with fat and that fat will react with the pot you’re using which will reduce how crispy your food will get.
2. Try limiting how long you marinate the beef for. Maybe try marinating it for no more than about 2 minutes–much longer than that and the wet and dry ingredients will form a paste which becomes almost impossible to get a perfect fry on.
3. You can try adding a little club soda (even beer) to the batter. The fizzyness (bubbles) will help create a better crunch during frying.
Or you could try using baking soda and some kind of acid. Have you ever seen what happens to baking soda when it reacts with acid? It fizzes over. You could use cornstarch and maybe a small amount of baking soda and then add some kind of acid to your wet marinade (lemon juice, any kind of vinegar, buttermilk, etc.).
4. Not sure if this will change much as far as the recipe goes, but you could try going straight from the batter to the oil. The problem with dusting cornstarch over the web marinated steak is that you’re going to create a crust around the marinated beef which blocks the hot oil from frying the wet marinate. An alternate option would be to coat the beef in cornstarch, shake off excess (important), dredge in web marinade, then into frying oil.
5. Instead of removing beef to a paper towel which will allow the beef to stay soggy, try removing them to a cookie sheet with a cross-wire cookie rack. This will allow air to circulate around the meat, thus drying all sides.
Hope that helps. I’ll give it a try next time I stop by the butcher.
Thanks Jeff for such a long comment and try to help answer my reader’s questions. MUCH appreciated. :)
Could you use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch in this recipe?
I believe so, but not very sure about the texture using arrow root.