Instant Pot Chinese Pepper Steak. The Chinese-American restaurant classic as a hands-off pressure cooker dinner.
Pepper Steak is a classic of Chinese-American restaurants, usually found between General Tso's chicken and Crab Rangoon on the menu of your local takeout place.
Calling this recipe "Chinese-American" is not a value judgment. My first question about a meal is not "Is it authentic?" but "How does it taste?" Chinese American cooking is one of the first fusion cuisines, where immigrants merged their old and new homelands to create something delicious. There's a reason the classics of Chinese American restaurants are classics - they are just good recipes.
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And here's where I take a few liberties. I'm not stir-frying; I'm using my pressure cooker. It makes this a quick meal for a busy weeknight, and it's hands-off once I lock the lid. I prefer flat iron steak - after all, steak is in the recipe's name - but it will work with any chuck roast cut. (Flat iron is the chuck blade roast cut into a steak and is one of my favorite cheap cuts of beef.)
I finish the recipe with a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. (Thanks to the sealed cooking environment, there is no evaporation in a pressure cooker.) The sauce needs some help, and the cornstarch turns it into a glossy coating for the meat. Serve over rice, and dinner is ready.
If you’ve tried one of my Instant Pot Thai curries, you will recognize this technique - it is the same idea, used with a different flavor profile.
Ingredients
Peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
Garlic
Fresh ginger
Green onions (aka scallions)
Flat iron steak (or chuck blade steak or boneless chuck roast)
Fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
Onion
Green bell pepper
Red bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
Water
Soy sauce
Hoisin sauce
Toasted sesame oil
Cornstarch
Garnish and Sides
Minced green onions (scallions)
White Rice
How to Make Instant Pot Chinese Pepper Steak
Fry the garlic, ginger, and green onion
Heat the peanut oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode adjusted to high until the oil starts to shimmer. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop pressure cooker). Stir in the garlic, ginger, and green onion, and fry until you smell the garlic, about 30 seconds.
Everything in the pot
Sprinkle the beef with the ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the beef, onions, and bell peppers to the pot, and stir to coat with the garlic/ginger/scallion oil. Pour in the water and soy sauce, then stir in the hoisin sauce to coat the beef.
Pressure cook for 12 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release
Lock the lid on the pot. Pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC or for 8 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (After 15 minutes of natural release, you can quick release the remaining pressure if you are in a hurry).
Finish the beef
Remove the lid from the pressure cooker, and stir in the toasted sesame oil. Whisk the cold water and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir into the pot to thicken the sauce. Serve over white rice or noodles, sprinkling with minced green onions for garnish. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Pre-cut steaks make prep easier: I recommend a flat iron steak instead of a chuck roast, even though they're similar cuts. Why? Because the steak is the right thickness for the beef strips used in this recipe, which takes a lot of the work out of prepping the meat.
- Thicken with cornstarch: The cornstarch slurry I whisk in at the end thickens up the sauce and gives it that glossy look that makes me think of Chinese restaurants. It's not essential, but the sauce is thin without it. (Most pressure cooker sauces are thin - there's no evaporation in the sealed pressure cooker pot.)
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
Different cuts of beef: Flat iron steak is cut from the chuck roast, so any other cut from the chuck, like blade steaks, chuck eye, or chuck steaks, will also work. Other cuts that work in Instant Pot Pepper Steak are cuts that stand up to pressure cooking. Bottom round, top round, or flank steak are good choices.
Garlic and ginger: If you don't have fresh garlic and ginger, you can sprinkle the beef with a teaspoon of garlic powder and a teaspoon of powdered ginger.
Hoisin Sauce: The key flavor ingredient is the Hoisin sauce. It adds sweet, salty, and five-spice-powder flavors to the recipe. It's available in the international aisle in most grocery stores. If you can't find it, you can substitute plum sauce or brown sugar as recommended in the ingredients list.
Toasted sesame oil: Many Chinese recipes are finished with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, which adds a nutty flavor to the dish. You can skip the toasted sesame oil if you don't have any.
Equipment
Scaling
This recipe doubles easily in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Cut all the ingredients in half, and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same time to cook each piece of beef, no matter how many are in the pot.
Storing Leftovers
Instant Pot Pepper Steak will keep in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months. I store it in airtight 2-cup containers, which make the perfect size for a leftover lunch from the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of steak is best for pepper steak?
Flat iron steak is the best cut for pepper steak. It's cut from the chuck shoulder of the cow, has excellent flavor, and stands up to pressure cooking.
How do you make pepper steak not tough?
How? By pressure cooking flat iron steak or any other cut from the chuck or shoulder. Flat iron steak has a lot of fat and connective tissue, which break down in the heat of the pressure cooker, going from tough and chewy to tender and juicy.
Do you wash pepper steak before cooking?
No! Please do not wash pepper steak, or any meat, before cooking. USDA researched this, and found that "washing or rinsing meat or poultry increases the risk for cross-contamination in the kitchen." Washing doesn't rinse away any bacteria; it just splashes it around the kitchen. Please don't do it!
Print
Instant Pot Pepper Steak Recipe
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Chinese Pepper Steak. The Chinese-American restaurant classic as a hands-off pressure cooker dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 2 green onions (aka scallions), trimmed and sliced thin
- 2 pounds flat iron steak (or chuck blade steak or boneless chuck roast), cut into 2-inch by ½-inch thick strips
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch squares
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch squares
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch squares
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 2-inch squares
- ½ cup water (or chicken broth)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup Hoisin sauce (or substitute 2 tablespoons brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
Garnish and Sides
- Minced green onions (scallions) for garnish
- White Rice
Instructions
- Fry the garlic, ginger, and green onion: Heat the peanut oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode adjusted to high until the oil starts to shimmer. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop pressure cooker). Stir in the garlic, ginger, and green onion, and fry until you smell the garlic, about 30 seconds.
- Everything in the pot: Sprinkle the beef with the ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the beef, onions, and peppers to the pot, and stir to coat with the garlic/ginger/scallion oil. Pour in the water and soy sauce, then stir in the hoisin sauce to coat the beef.
- Pressure cook for 12 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release: Lock the lid on the pot. Pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC or for 8 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes if you are in a hurry).
- Thicken and serve: Remove the lid from the pressure cooker, and stir in the toasted sesame oil. Whisk the cold water and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir into the pot to thicken the sauce. Serve over white rice or noodles, sprinkling with minced green onions for garnish. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Chinese
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What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Chinese Pork with Dried Plum Sauce
Pressure Cooker Korean Braised Short Ribs
Pressure Cooker Thai Red Beef Curry
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Kim Buswell says
Definitely a keeper!! The meat was so tender it almost melts in your mouth. I am not a huge fan of peppers so I used a bag of tri-pepper/onion blend. They were small enough and soft enough that I didn’t mind them at all. Served over basmati rice. Delicious!!! 😋
Nancy says
Have made this twice! We love it! I use London broil. I don’t put the peppers and onions in with the meat as we like it less done. After cooking the meat I add the peppers and onions in on saute until desired doneness. Then thicken. We have added fresh mushrooms to this.
Darlene says
My boyfriend and I liked it. I did not think it was bland. I added asparagus and carrots. I will make it again!
Rhonda Wingate says
OMG, my first try at the instapot and this was what I wanted to do. It came out perfect, I can’t stop eating it. Thank you.
Jim Harpet says
This turned out very good. The meat was much more tender than I expected.
The only downnside was the peppers were over cooked (mushy) for my taste.
Bonita says
Just made this for dinner. It was great. I made it in a 3qt mini instant pot. (There’s only 2of us). Cut back on the amount of beef. Made the rest just like the recipe. Served over steamed white rice. I used just a little corn starch to slightly thicken the sauce. Husband liked it. It’s a keeper:)
Hatedmom says
Making this tonight. Using beef round tip steak. Tough cut, but it's what I have. Going to poke some tenderize into it. My son brought green peppers and jalapeños yesterday so I will incorporate them (seeded and sliced very thin.) pretty new at it.
But where is the black pepper?
PS. I enjoy your help with using the IP!
Alhana says
Hi Mike! If I halve the no.of servings (there are just 2 of us at home), do I have to adjust the cooking time? Thanks!
Mike Vrobel says
No, it takes the same amount of time to cook.
Jessica says
Made this last night using venison steak, which always benefits from pressure cooking. This was easy to put together and my husband and I both liked it. The peppers were a little on the mushy side and it was a little bit bland, but we eat a lot of peppers and have a lot of venison, so we might make it again and add some spice next time. Thanks for a better than average starting point!
TAM says
Great recipe! My husband loved it. Thank you for posting.
Leesa says
Hi there! We tried this recipe tonight and loved it, but the instructions don't say what to do with the onion. We threw it in with the beef and peppers, but our dish came out quite soupy, so we weren't sure if that was right.
Mike Vrobel says
Whoops - fixed - added the onion to the instructions. You did the right thing, adding it with the peppers. The sauce is thin in this recipe - it is just soy sauce thickened with cornstarch.
Amanda says
I just made this tonight for dinner and it was super easy, really good, and kid approved!! The only reason I gave 4 stars and not 5 was because it was a little on the bland side but I will make this again.
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks!
Cary Hill says
Mike, the video was great. As previously mentioned, I'm definitely going to try this. So, I don't have to go and buy yet another cut of beef, do you think some flank steak would substitute? Thanks
Mike Vrobel says
Cary, sorry for the late response, just noticed this comment. Flank steak cooks differently than chuck steak. If you use it, it will take longer to cook - I'm still working on the timings - but I'd go 15 to 20 minutes under pressure to start, as a guess.
Cary Hill says
Mike. The recipe looks great and I will be making it. Just wanted you to know the video is not working.
Mike Vrobel says
Whoops! Should be fixed now. Thank you!