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Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli: Whole30, Paleo and 30 Minutes!

W GF DF <30
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I’m combining two of my favorite things today. My instant pot and Chinese food! This Whole30 instant pot beef and broccoli is about a million times healthier than the beef and broccoli you would normally get in your takeout order. It also happens to be a quicker option too, with only 30 minutes needed to put this on the dinner table! Got your attention now didn’t I? Thought so!

Whole30 Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli is a simple 30 minute meal that's family friendly and on the table in just a few minutes! It's a delicious paleo beef recipe for a busy weeknight or great for Whole30 meal prep #whole30beef #paleobeef #whole30instantpot #lowcarbinstantpot via @paleobailey

I remember when I first got my instant pot this summer and was terrified of it. I remember writing in the first recipe I posted here about how it looked like a spaceship (haha!) and that I was so nervous to use it. Compared to my slow cooker that has two buttons for low and high, this contraption felt like I needed an engineering degree to figure out. But, alas, I managed, and now I couldn’t imagine life without it. Bonus: my kitchen hasn’t exploded (yet).

Whole30 Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli is a simple 30 minute meal that's family friendly and on the table in just a few minutes! It's a delicious paleo beef recipe for a busy weeknight or great for Whole30 meal prep #whole30beef #paleobeef #whole30instantpot #lowcarbinstantpot via @paleobailey
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If you’ve been hesitating on getting one for yourself, I’m here to tell you it’s worth it. Not only for easy 30 minute meals from start to finish, like this beef and broccoli or my chicken taco soup, but even for batch cooking! I love using it at the beginning of the week to cook a bunch of chicken breasts to dice or shred, pork, taco meat or roasts so I have a go-to protein for the week.

whole30 instant pot beef and broccoli

For this instant pot beef and broccoli, you can use flank steak or a beef chuck roast. If you use a chuck roast, make sure to trim any extra fat prior to cooking. Those cuts of beef typically are a bit fattier, but they’re also cheaper so it’s a good budget option!

Instead of a typical soy sauce (Paleo = no soy), I use coconut aminos. You can pretty much get coconut aminos anywhere nowadays. Target and Walmart even. My favorite brands are Big Tree Farms and just the Thrive Market brand because it’s way cheaper and I go through this stuff like water sometimes. I DID tell you I was a huge fan of Chinese food at the beginning of this, remember?

Thrive Market sells your favorite organic and non-gmo brands for up to 50% off retail.

I did link to Big Tree Farms on Amazon, but just to show you what I’m yappin’ about. It’s way cheaper on Thrive Market per bottle (like half the price) so just a heads up there. Thrive Market gives you 20% off your first 3 orders as well, so you can maximize your savings there too.

whole30 instant pot beef and broccoli

The other ingredients used in this simple Whole30 instant pot beef and broccoli recipe are sesame oil, which is a staple for creating the well known Asian flavor in dishes. Along with using arrowroot flour as the thickener instead of cornstarch. Some other options for thickening sauces are tapioca starch, coconut flour or gelatin.

For my tips on cooking with gelatin, check out this post!

This Whole30 instant pot beef and broccoli is great served with cauliflower rice, broccoli rice or just on it’s own! You can make it for a quick weeknight dinner, or use it for your next meal prep. It makes plenty of servings to get you some delicious lunches for the week! Enjoy!

Instant Pot Beef & Broccoli Tutorial Video

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Korean Beef Meal Prep Bowls

Sesame Chicken Chopped Salad

Sheet Pan Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli: Whole30, Paleo and 30 Minutes!

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Asian
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whole30 instant pot beef broccoli
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★★★★★ 4.9 from 76 reviews

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
  • 2–3 crowns broccoli broken into florets
  • 3/4 cup beef broth
  • 1/2 cup coconut aminos
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil (I use Primal Kitchen) or olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • Sesame seeds to garnish
  • Chopped green onions to garnish

Instructions

  1. Turn instant pot onto “sauté” mode and add avocado or olive oil.
  2. Once oil is sizzling, sear sliced beef (about 30 seconds-1 minute on each side) in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd or over cook. Transfer to a plate once browned
  3. Once all beef is browned and on the plate, add minced garlic to the instant pot and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute
  4. Add in the beef broth, ginger, coconut aminos, sesame oil, onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add beef and juices from plate to the instant pot, close the lid, and set to “sealing”
  5. Select manual and set the time for 10 minutes
  6. While beef and sauce is cooking, place broccoli florets in a microwave safe dish filled 3/4th’s with water. Microwave for 3 minutes until lightly steamed for al dente broccoli. Drain water and set aside. Mix in with the beef after cooking. *See notes for additional way to cook the broccoli
  7. Once beef is done, do a quick release, and put the instant pot back into “sauté” mode
  8. Slowly add in arrowroot flour, using a fork to whisk into the liquid as you add it. Add in broccoli and continue stirring as the sauce thickens
  9. Remove beef and broccoli with a slotted spoon and arrange in a large serving dish or meal prep containers. Allow the remaining liquid to continue simmering and thickening
  10. Once it’s thick and bubbling, pour sauce over beef and broccoli
  11. Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions or additional red pepper flakes

Notes

Optional way to cook broccoli: Once done the beef is done, do a quick release, remove lid, place in broccoli. Close the lid again, set to 0:00 on manual, and set to “sealing” to steam broccoli. This will cook the broccoli more thoroughly as opposed to lightly steaming it for more fork tender broccoli. Then continue with step 7.

Nutrition Facts:

  • Calories: 418
  • Sugar: 5
  • Fat: 23
  • Carbohydrates: 10
  • Protein: 38
Whole30 Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli is a simple 30 minute meal that's family friendly and on the table in just a few minutes! It's a delicious paleo beef recipe for a busy weeknight or great for Whole30 meal prep #whole30beef #paleobeef #whole30instantpot #lowcarbinstantpot via @paleobailey
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Reader Interactions

Reader Reviews & Comments

  2. Have made this recipe a few times with beef and it’s always great! For a lower calorie option this time we did chicken and served it over cauliflower rice. We did still use beef stock even though we used chicken and it was great.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • I’m so glad you enjoy it!! Making it with chicken sounds awesome – I’ll have to try that next time, too! Thank you!!

      Reply

  3. Bailey we absolutely loved this recipe! When I saw it, I ran out and bought an instapot!
    It’s so scary, as you said,to start using the “spaceship”!
    What my husband and I both struggled with was how to change the setting from sauté to “sealing”.
    Does it stay on sauté when you push the vent button in?
    It’s stayed on sauté so we pushed the stew button without knowing what else to do LOL

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
      The saute button is on the front of the instant pot where the settings are. To “seal” the instant pot, there’s a toggle on the lid that can be moved to seal or vent. The toggle has to be moved into the sealing position so that the instant pot will come up to pressure. Then to release the pressure at the end of cooking, you flip the toggle to the venting position.

      To change the settings from sauting to pressure cooking, you press cancel first, and then I just press manual high pressure and adjust the time. I think the stew setting is 35 minutes, but even if you use any of those options, you can always adjust the time up or down still!

      Hope that helps! It does get easier and more instinctual to use!!

      <3 - B

      Reply

  4. Love love love this!! By far, the most requested meal by my guys, including a teenager!!! 😳🤣😂 So yummy and easy to make and the taste is fantastic.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Oh wow! I’m so happy it’s a hit with your family! Thank you so much, I really appreciate your feedback!! <3 - B

      Reply

  5. Winner winner beef and broccoli dinner! Takeout fake-out at its finest! It comes together quicker than I can call in and pickup real takeout. The flavors are spot on. We’ll be fighting for the leftovers tomorrow. This has a solid spot in our dinner rotation from here on out!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  6. we make this *every* week and it’s always sooo good. easily a big enough portion for two people to eat from twice. i love the broccoli cooking suggestion of throwing it on top and letting the IP do its magic! perfect every time and we love this meal.

    ★★★★★

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  7. Thank you so much for this one! This meal is in constant rotation at our house, and our go to for food drop off or having friends over for dinner. Everyone loves it!

    Definitely do the broccoli separately, it comes out much better when not mushy from the instantpot (imo).

    Here’s all you really need to know – we can’t order this dish at restaurants anymore. It tastes SO much better and we know how much better it is for us!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Wow!! This is SO great to hear! Thank you so much, Courtney!! It’s one of our favorites too, so I’m so, so glad you love it as well! <3 - B

      Reply

  8. This recipe is SO. GOOD. it’s become a staple in our dinner rotation! It comes together relatively quickly and the leftovers (if you have any- we usually don’t) they are even better the next day. Bailey is my go to for healthy recipes that come together easily and taste amazing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  9. My favorite beef and broccoli recipe! Love the tenderness of the meat that the IP provides. Have tried broccoli in IP and steamed separately both options are great just depends if you want firmer or softer broccoli. Flavor is amazing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • I’m so glad to hear this, and so appreciate your feedback! It’s one of our favorites too, so I’m happy you enjoy it as much as we do 🙂 Thank you, Christi! <3 - B

      Reply

  12. Hi Bailey- we love your recipes and find them easy to execute and VERY delicious! I love to cook so I can do complicated, but when something is simple and good, that’s my favorite. This is your sweet spot!

    This specific recipe was better than any Chinese restaurant and was cooked by my husband nonetheless, with very little experience in the kitchen. We did roast the broccoli in the oven and then added it after everything was done. It was still crunchy, our preference is I eat the yummy veggie!

    This is going to be a keeper for us and on our rotation at least monthly. It’s also a great option when coming home from work because it comes together pretty quickly! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Oh thank you SO much! This is so great to hear! And thank you so much for taking the time to let me know what you think – it’s so appreciated! 🙂 – B

      Reply

  16. ANOTHER killer recipe from yours. Thank you. The sauce for this recipe was so packed with flavour. My husband and kids all asked me to double the recipe next time. There was definitely no left overs!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  17. Hi! The video says to add vinegar, but I can’t find that in the ingredient list. Can you please clarify? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hey, Tamara! Thanks so much for pointing that out! It’s a typo on the video. I think it was supposed to say “spices and aminos”. Sorry for the confusion!!

      Reply

  18. I made this for my family of 4 tonight, even though I’m the only one following Whole30. They loved it! I did add cashews for some crunch. The meat was super tender. I’ll definitely add this to my recipe book so I remember it in the future. Thank you for the recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  19. I’ve just got to say, I’ve NEVER cooked a paleo meal that my entire family would eat.. my oldest is on the autism spectrum so textures are a huge deal. He LOVED this meal! I gave them rice on the side while I had cauliflower rice, and my husband, our 9yr old, 6 yr old, 2yr old devoured this meal! Im still in shock haha! Thank you!

    Reply

  20. Love this recipe. My daughter is on an AIP diet and, being that this recipe is already Whole 30, I can make it for her with just a few adaptations. Quick, easy, and it tastes better than our local Chinese restaurant’s. The tip about the broccoli for 0:00 at the end really makes it INCREDIBLY easy.

    Reply

  22. This is an awesome recipe, very salty so I halved the aminos. Cooked the broccoli in the IP on 00.00 on low pressure and immediately depressurize, and cooked the beef for only 5 minutes as ours was pretty thin. We did not use the sauce afterwards to cut down on salty taste.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  25. OMG this was so delicious. I can’t wait to make this again. My whole family loved it! It tasted better than in the Chinese restaurants! I’m so glad I found your site and can’t wait to try more recipients on your site!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Oh I’m so glad to hear this, Cindy! Thank you so much for giving it a try and for taking the time to come back and let me know! I really appreciate it! <3 - B

      Reply

    • Instant pots work by cooking food under heat and intense pressure, so by adding the broccoli and then bringing the instant pot up to pressure, and then releasing it, the broccoli gets tender and “steamed” while the pressure is building, without overcooking it and pressurizing it to mush like it would if you pressure cooked it for the entire time. There are other options for steaming it written out if you don’t want to do that.

      Reply

  27. For the duo evo plus, I don’t have a “manual” setting – do you know if the equivalent is “pressure cooker”? Also the default “saute” seemed really high – do you have to change the temperature setting? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Yes it would be the same as pressure cook 🙂 And I’m not sure about changing that. I don’t have that model, sorry!!

      Reply

      • Thats OK! Do you know the saute setting/temp for the model you use? I can figure out how to change it, just not sure what it should be to cook this correctly. I was worried about burning it/overcooking the meat and broccoli, so the sauce didn’t really thicken, and I wasn’t sure how to fix that. It still tasted great even with thinner sauce! haha!

        Reply

        • I’m not sure. I can’t find the temp of what they cook at on saute on online. I don’t think you’d burn anything though. It would only be on saute to thicken the sauce for a few minutes, and you could stir it while it thickens to prevent anything like that. Another option would be to use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and broccoli, and then thicken it and then just pour the sauce over the beef and broccoli 🙂 And good!! I’m glad you liked it! :))

          Reply

  28. This is one of my favorite whole 30 recipes! Super easy and love that it can be made in the Instant Pot. The beef is extra tender. I put the broccoli in after the pressure cooking part and the broccoli is always fork tender. Highly recommend

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • I’m SO happy to hear this! Thank you so very much for taking the time to come back and let me know! <3 – B

      Reply

  29. Best Whole30 recipe ever. I make this at least once a month. We used to order chinese delivery 1 friday a month and now we make this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  31. Best Whole30 recipe I’ve ever had! Make it at least once a month even not on Whole30. So quick and easy. I also prep marinade and meat and freeze it ahead of time for an easy meal to have on hand.

    Reply

    • Oh this is so awesome!! Thank you so, so much for taking the time to let me know, and for making my recipes! <3 - B

      Reply

  32. This was my first recipe using my new instant pot. It tasted better than our favorite beef and broccoli take out. My family couldn’t believe it! Thanks for the great recipe and for giving me the courage to use my instant pot.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • This is so amazing!! Thank you SO much for the feedback and for coming back and letting me know! The IP used to freak me out too haha! Thanks again <3 - B

      Reply

  33. Omg! Amazing!! So quick, so easy and came out PERFECT. Next time I’ll add even more veggies because the I would eat this sauce in anything!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  34. Have you ever used frozen pre-chopped broccoli? Any recommendations/accommodations I should make for frozen vs fresh? With two littles always under my feet, the less prep time the better, even if it is just 10 minutes worth of chopping ! 😉

    Reply

    • Hey there! I haven’t, but I would just take it out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter from the start of when you begin cooking the beef, and then at the end dump it in and put it on saute mode to let it cook / heat in the sauce. You MAY need to add more thickener for the sauce, being frozen broccoli can sometimes hold a bit more excess liquid than fresh but it’s no biggie and would still totally work!

      Reply

  36. BEST BEST BEST Whole30 recipe.. and I’ve done 6 rounds so I know haha! We just love this recipe, thank you so much!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  37. Really good. On repeat for months now. I do like to add a little extra spice. Sometimes that’s even a bit of hot sauce after cooking.

    ★★★★★

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  38. I messed a lot of steps up and thought I’d surely ruined it but it still turned out to be the best food I’ve ever made. My boyfriend said, “Is this even Whole30 approved?? It’s POPPIN!” Lol. Thank you so much for this!!!

    ★★★★★

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  40. love love this recipe! It was quiet at dinner because the kids were too busy licking their plates clean for once to bicker! Yes! haha!

    ★★★★★

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  41. Love this recipe because it’s so easy and very flavorful with just the right amount of spice. I put this over asian sweet potato noodles and everyone loves it. I’m making it again today. I think I’ll double the sauce ingredients.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  42. This recipe is EXCELLENT! We love it and make it monthly so wanted to finally tell you how great it is!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  43. This was amazing! It has a wonderful flavor without anything being too overpowering. The fresh ginger was my favorite part to add because I love the smell. 🙂 I was worried the meat was going to be tough but it turned out very tender, so I must have sautéed it in the IP the right amount of time! (I tend to over-cook things in general. lol) Thanks for sharing this and it definitely is added to our rotation!

    Reply

    • Hi Jenny!! So sorry for the late reply here! Somehow your comment got missed, I apologize! But I’m so happy to hear this and I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and giving me your feedback! Thank you! <3 - B

      Reply

  44. Made this last night for dinner. This is fantastic! Hubby said it was better than take out which is a huge compliment!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  45. This was a hit for everyone in our family and we are mood eaters…I didn’t have to beg them to try it because the house smelled so delicious that they were ready to dig in. All the flavors with a bit of heat was a wonderful (less than 45 min start to finish) meal!
    Thank you for this recipe and I’m positive Beef Brocolli will be requested by my family very soon!
    IP Asian Fans,
    Mom, Dad, Teen and 8 yr old

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Oh this is so wonderful to hear. Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know. It’s so appreciated! <3 - B

      Reply

  47. Hi, I am meal prepping and wanted to make 2x the servings for this. Do you think making the 8 servings at once is okay? Or should I do it twice? Thank you!

    Reply

  48. I should have read thru. I was frustrated with my instapot. By the time I got to the end, I pulled the meal without reducing the sauce as instructed. I do think the instapot could be more user friendly imho.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  49. I made this for a second time this evening and my family couldn’t get enough of it! It was super delicious! I ran out of broth this time so I just added water and was still delicious. I sauté my broccoli with fresh garlic for about 1 minute then add approximately 2 tbs of water, cover the pan and simmer it for about 5 minutes on low heat. I served it with cauliflower rice. Super yummy!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for letting me know, I really appreciate the feedback! <3 - B

      Reply

  50. Seriously- my FAVORITE whole 30 meal so far!! Thank you so much for sharing this! My husband and I were fighting over the leftovers… keep the fabulous recipes coming! People like you make the journey to healthy eating fun and oh-so tasty 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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