Family-favourite, easy Beijing beef recipe made with tender beef and crispy fried beef strips tossed in a sweet and spicy Panda-Express-style sauce. This homemade version is budget-friendly and tastes even better than takeout!
Follow our simple step-by-step instructions, and you're guaranteed to impress your whole family!
Crispy beef recipes are always a great hit on our website and socials. If you enjoy crispy Chinese takeaway-style beef dishes, check out our other popular crispy beef recipes.
- Crispy Chilli Beef ( UK Chinese restaurants and takeaway favourite chilli beef recipe. )
- Crispy Shredded Beef ( Fried shredded beef steak tossed in sweet and savoury sauce. )
- Salt & Pepper Beef ( Crispy fried beef strips tossed with Chinese salt and pepper seasonings. )
Panda Express Copycat Beijing Beef at Home
Beijing Beef is a popular American-Chinese dish made with crispy battered beef slices, stir-fried with colourful bell peppers and onions, then coated in a sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce.
You might also hear it is called Peking Beef in the UK, as “Peking” was the former name of Beijing.
I’ve tried and tested this recipe in my own kitchen to achieve that perfect crispy coating and balanced sauce, and it turned out absolutely delicious. My son loved it so much he asked for seconds, and my family finished it in one sitting.
Ingredients You'll Need
Beef and Marinade
What type of beef: Most steak cuts work well for this recipe; we usually use flank steak, ribeye, rump or sirloin steak.
Beef Marinade: Marinate it with soy sauce, white pepper powder, sugar, sesame oil, and baking soda.
For the Coating: Egg white and cornstarch
Sauces and Veggies
Beijing Beef Sauce:
- Tomato ketchup
- sweet chilli sauce
- hoisin sauce
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- sugar
- cornstarch
- water
Veggies:
- Onions
- Garlic
- Bell peppers
- Chillies
How to Make Beijing Beef at Home
1. Marinate the Beef
Slice the beef thinly against the grain. Marinate with soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, and baking soda for 15-20 minutes.
2. Prep the Veg & Sauce
Dice the onion and bell pepper, and slice the red chilli. In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
3. Coat the Beef
Mix one egg into the marinated beef. Dredge each piece in cornflour, making sure they’re well coated and separated. Shake off any excess.
4. Fry Until Crispy
Heat oil to 350°F (180°C). Fry the beef in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel or rack.
5. Stir-Fry & Sauce
In a wok or large pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic for a few seconds, then add onion and bell pepper. Stir fry briefly, pour in the sauce, and cook until slightly thickened.
6. Toss & Serve
Add the crispy beef and chilli slices to the pan. Toss quickly to coat, then transfer to a serving plate. Serve immediately with rice or noodles.
Khin’s Beef Frying Tips
- Velvet your beef with baking soda - it helps keep the meat tender and melt-in-your-mouth. Just don’t over-marinate, or the texture can turn mushy.
- Use a high smoke point oil for frying to achieve a perfect golden crispy texture.
- Fry in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan to keep the coating crunchy.
- Add the sauce at the very end and toss quickly so the beef stays crispy and evenly coated.
- Ideal oil temperature is around 170-180°C (340-350°F). If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small piece of batter in the oil. It should sizzle and float to the top immediately.
Swaps and Substitutes You Can Try
You can easily tweak this recipe to suit your family's taste!
- Swap regular soy sauce for tamari and use gluten-free hoisin sauce so everyone can enjoy it.
- If you are not a deep-frying fan, you can shallow-fry the beef in a little oil and still get a nice, crispy coating.
- You can reduce sugar and use honey or a natural sweetener in the sauce for a lighter version that’s still deliciously sticky.
- Bell peppers and onions are classic, but you can toss in carrots, snap peas, or broccoli, whatever you have on hand.
How We Make Ahead and Store Leftovers
Beijing beef tastes best when freshly cooked, but you can make it ahead for your dinner or parties. Marinate the beef and prepare the veggies and sauce in advance. Keep them in the fridge. Fry and toss with the sauce just before serving.
If you have leftovers, store the fried beef and sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. When ready to eat, reheat the beef in a hot skillet or air fryer for a few minutes to bring back crispy coating, then toss with the warmed sauce.
You can reheat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until hot, but the coating might soften slightly.
Most Asked FAQs
Can I use chicken instead of beef?
Yes! You can swap in chicken strips, just need to adjust the cooking time so the chicken stays juicy and the coating stays crispy.
Why isn’t my beef crispy?
Make sure your oil is hot enough (around 170-180°C / 340-350°F) and do not overcrowd the pan. Frying in batches is key to keeping the coating crunchy.
Can I bake or use an air fryer instead of deep-frying?
Yes! For a lighter option, air-fry or bake the coated beef. It won’t be quite as deep-fried and crispy, but it’s still delicious.
Why do you add egg white to the coating?
Egg white prevents the beef slices from becoming soft and tender, even though the cornstarch coating remains crispy on the outside.
Always cut beef against the grain to improve tenderness, and marinate beef slices before deep-frying to prevent them from becoming tough and dry.
How to serve this dish
You can have on it's own with your favourite drink or serve it up with steamed rice, egg fried rice or simple stir fry noodles. Pair it with Hot and Sour Soup, Crispy Fried Wonton, or Chicken Fried Rice and make it a wholesome Chinese banquet dinner. Your dinner guests will definitely amazed by your Chinese cooking skills.
If you enjoy our recipe, please leave a comment and give us a rating! If you’ve tried this recipe, tag me on social media, I would love to see your creations! Follow me on social media Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest updates.
📖 Recipe
Beijing Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 9 oz Beef steak about 250 g, cut think slices ( flank, rump, sirloin or ribeye steak )
- ½ Bell pepper cut in small squares
- ½ Onion cut small cubes
- 1 Red chilli pepper cut thin slices ( or red crushed chilli flakes )
- 1 tsp Garlic chopped
- 1 cup Corn starch or potato starch
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 Egg white
- Vegetable oil for frying ( or neutral flavour oil, sunflower, canola, grapeseed, etc )
Beef Marinade
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce light soy sauce or all-purpose soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp White pepper powder
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Sauce
- 2 tbsp Ketchup
- 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce or Oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp Sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp Rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp Water
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Corn starch
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
Instructions
- First cut the beef steak into thin slices or strips, against the grain. Marinade with soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil and baking soda. Set aside for 15-20 minutes.
- Prepare the vegetables by cut the onion and bell pepper in small cubes. Cut re chilli into thin slices.
- In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients and set it aside.
- Break one egg into the marinated beef mix it well. Then dredge the beef slices in the corn starch. Make sure each beef slices are separated and coated well. Toss the excess flour out before frying.
- To deep fry the beef, heat the oil into high-heat about 350° F. Fry the coated beef slices for 2-3 minutes, until the coating is crispy. Remove from oil and transfer to paper towel or cooling rack.
- In a large wok or pan, add 1 tablespoon oil, heat the pan to medium heat, add chopped garlic and stir for few seconds. Follow with the onion and bell pepper and stir fry for 1 minutes.
- Pour the sauce mixture in and stir well until the sauce starts to get thicken. Place the fried beef and chilli slices in. Toss well to combine the beef and sauce evenly.
- Transfer to serving plate and serve immediately with plain rice, egg fried rice or stir fry noodles.
Nutrition
Holly says
Amazing recipe, my family loved it.
Khin says
Thanks, Holly. Glad that you enjoyed it.
Erika says
My boys are HUGE Panda Express fans and Beijing Beef is one of their favorite dishes along with Orange Chicken. I happened to stumble on this recipe when they told me they wanted me to make Beijing Beef as we are no longer residing in the states. Let’s just say it’s a HUGE hit with even the big kid (dad). I make this dish at least once a week. It’s simple and absolutely DELICIOUS!!! The longest part of making the dish is going to be frying up the meat. You can precut veggies and have sauce made for when meat is done to have everything come together quickly. I definitely recommend this recipe. I always make 1 1/2 x the sauce so there’s extra sauce for their noodles (egg noodles) that I make to go with it. YUMMY!!! 😋
Khin says
So happy to hear it Erika. This dish is one of our family's favorite crispy beef recipe too! Thanks for trying out and sharing feedback with us.
Miss T says
Hi, what is the egg white used for in this recipe?
Khin says
Hi Miss T, egg white keeps the meat most and tender when you deep fry it.
Jean says
Not sure what baking soda is. Bicarbonate soda or baking powder. Thanks
Khin says
Hi Jean
It's Bicarbonate soda. Thank you for reaching out.
Jame says
One of my favourite beef dish from Panda Express. Now I can make at home. Thank you.
Khin says
My pleasure, Jame. Hope you enjoy our Beijing Beef recipe!
John says
I love Beijing beef. Thanks for sharing easy recipe. My son doesn’t like hoisin sauce. What can I substitute?
Khin says
Hi John, you can add oyster sauce instead of hoisin sauce for this recipe. Thank you so much for trying out.