Mongolian air fryer beef with slices of air fryer flank steak and a sweet savory teriyaki sauce cooked to tender with a bit of crisp on the outside is great. Use bottled or homemade sauce in Ninja Foodi or Cosori for a tender dinner.
Beef in the air fryer turns out amazingly well. You always want a bit of crisp or sear on the outside which isn’t always possible on the stovetop. Add a 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. (affiliate links present)
Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Mongolian Beef Recipe
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?
Just slice it into thin strips like you see here and you’re good to go. To give the outside a bit of a coating you’re going to start off by tossing the protein in some cornstarch. When making as Ninja Foodi recipes, use the lid that is attached.
Use whatever brand you have on your countertop. With the Foodi you will use the air crisp button with the lid that is attached for this one. No need to pressure cook first. Since the basket is on the smaller side you may want to do two batches or the outside won’t get as crispy.
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak cut into strips
- 1/4 c cornstarch
- 1.5 ginger minced
- Minced garlic
- Soy sauce or aminos for gluten free
- Brown sugar for sweet
- Honey for the sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1/3 c beef broth
- 1 tbsp chinese 5 spice is an optional item
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. How to cook frozen beef is possible using this machine but with a different temp and timing all together.
How to cook Mongolian Beef in Ninja Foodi
- Slice flank steak into strips, against the grain.
- Toss pcs. with cornstarch or arrowroot flour until completely covered.
- Place steak strips in air fryer basket and spritz with olive oil.
- Cook 390° for 15 minutes (timing depends on how well done you want your meat to be), shake basket every 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile chop green onion and prep sauce.
- In a medium saucepan, combine ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, hoisen sauce, beef broth, chinese 5 spice and cook on medium heat until thickened, approximately 8-10 min.
- Whisk in additional cornstarch or arrowroot flour to thicken if necessary.
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.
Air Fryer Teriyaki Beef
You could make this into air fryer steak kabobs too if you wanted chunkier air fryer steak bites with veggies on skewers. Now this will take about the same timing, 12 minutes – 15 depending on how well done you want the middles to be. You want to use veggies that cook at the same rate. Small mushrooms, thick zucchini and onion chunks work well.
To make sure it is the right doneness in the middle you can use a meat thermometer. I usually just cut one and look in the middle. I like just a line of pink so I look for that. 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 this 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.
Yes but you do not want to overcook it. Just as if you were pan frying steak strips you do want to keep some pink in the middle or it will get chewy. Keep a close eye on your Ninja Foodi or Cosori air fryer since it doesn’t take long.
The cook time depends on the cut, thickness and how large your pieces are. Typically it takes less than 15 minutes to air fry strips of steak perfectly to medium so they are tender with a bit of crispy on the edges.
For whatever cut you start with you want to slice it properly and quite thin. The thicker the more chewy it will be and take longer too. Since this is beef you can cook it closer to rare or medium rare instead of well done but typically this dish is cooked quite a bit all the way thru and no longer pink.
Mongolian Air Fryer Beef
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak, cut into strips
- 1/4 c cornstarch
Mongolian Beef Sauce
- 1.5 ginger, minced
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1/3 c beef broth
- 1 tbsp chinese 5 spice, optional
Instructions
- Slice flank steak into strips, against the grain. Toss pcs. with cornstarch or arrowroot flour until completely covered. Place steak strips in air fryer basket and spritz with olive oil.
- Cook 400° for 12 minutes (timing depends on how well done you want your meat to be), shake basket every 5 minutes. Meanwhile chop green onion and prep sauce.
- In a medium saucepan, combine ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, hoisen sauce, beef broth, chinese 5 spice and cook on medium heat until thickened, approximately 8-10 min.
- Whisk in additional cornstarch or arrowroot flour to thicken if necessary. Cook ramen noodles separately according to directions. Plate noodles, beef, sauce, and top with green onion and fresh cilantro.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
