Mongolian Air Fryer Beef

Air fryer beef slices made of air fryer flank steak with a sweet savory teriyaki sauce, cooked to tender with a bit of crisp on the outside is a great dinner. Use bottled or homemade sauce in a Ninja Foodi or Cosori for a melt in your mouth dinner.

Beef turns out amazing cooked this way because we always want a bit of crisp or sear on the outside which isn’t always possible on the stovetop. When you add this Asian sauce and it will bake right on to the outside and caramelize. Serve this easy air fryer recipe over ramen or rice and it’s a pretty inexpensive meal.

If you love Panda Express but don’t want to spend the money on it every day, this is a win. Not only is it cheaper but you also will know exactly what is in your dish. If you need a gluten free sauce that is possible too. You could use any cut too. Have steaks that need to be used up? A roast that is nearing it’s sell by date and you want a fast meal?

When making as Ninja Foodi recipes, use the lid that is attached but you can use whatever brand you have on your countertop. If your basket is on the smaller side you may want to do two batches or the outside won’t get as crispy.

Ingredient Notes

You are going to want your favorite cut of beef but if you ask me I love flank steak cut into strips is a great choice. Slice against the grain to make it less chewy and tender.

You will toss the meat in the cornstarch to kinda’ create a light coating on the outside and make it a bit crispy too which is amazing. For a gluten free option you could use arrowroot flour instead.

Then I recommend that you make this sweet and savory Asian sauce we make with ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce or aminos for gluten free, some brown sugar for sweetness and honey, hoisin sauce has a umami flavor that is thick with beef broth to thin it out a bit. Chinese 5 spice is an optional item you can sprinkle in.

You could use veri veri teri bottled sauce like we did with our air fryer teriyaki chicken though if you wanted fewer ingredients.

Can you cook frozen beef strips in an air fryer?

You are going to need fresh or defrosted meat for this one so it can be sliced. If they are already cut you’d still want to put into a freezer bag set into cool water to get softer so the sauce will permeate. Alternatively you could follow frozen steak in air fryer cooked a few minutes less, take out, slice, toss, continue to crisp and then toss with sauce at the end.

Variations

You could make this into kabobs too if you wanted chunkier air fryer steak bites with veggies on skewers. You want to use veggies that cook at the same rate. Small mushrooms, thick zucchini and onion chunks work well.

How do you know when it’s done?

To make sure it is the right doneness in the middle you can use a meat thermometer but I usually just cut one and look in the middle. I like just a line of pink to ensure that it is tender and not overdone so I look for that. It should cut easily with the side of a fork.

Leftovers and Reheating

If you do have leftovers they save quite well. Wait until it cools to room temperature and then store in a freezer bag or foil, then in the fridge.

With the Ninja Foodi machine you will use the lid that is attached, that will air fry to crisp as explained in recipe card below. As with other easy beef recipes when reheating I usually will throw it back into to air fry for a few minutes with a bit more sauce tossed on my pieces first. Add a bit of salt and pepper with freshly cooked rice and enjoy.

How to Serve

Cook ramen noodles separately according to directions if you want an Asian inspired meal all the way. Plate noodles, beef, sauce, and top with green onion and fresh cilantro. Other side dishes like vegetables work too for a lower carb option. A quick under 30 minute meal y’all will love.