Air Fryer Mongolian Beef – Copycat P.F. Changs Recipe

Air fryer Mongolian beef is the perfect weeknight dinner when you want a kid-friendly meal that is full of flavor. Crispy beef is coated in a sweet sauce, just like you’d get at an Asian restaurant, and it is ready in only 20 minutes!

This is one of my favorite items on the menu at our local P.F. Changs because the sauce is both sweet and salty with a bold flavor that complements the meat perfectly. The tender beef is a little bit crispy and is coated in an amazing sauce for a delicious Asian meal everyone will love!

Enjoy making a takeout meal at home? Try my recipes for air fryer honey garlic chicken or homemade egg rolls.

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P.F. Chang Copycat Mongolian Beef Recipe

This is a copycat recipe for P.F. Chang’s popular Mongolian beef dish. This is a Chinese-American dish that has nothing to do with Mongolian cuisine! But it makes a delicious dinner and is a popular takeout meal.

Key Ingredients for Air Fryer Mongolian Beef

For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below

Flank steak – Flank steak is the preferred cut of meat for this delicious beef dish. Cut the meat against the grain so that it is tender.

Corn starch – The cornstarch helps tenderize the meat, so it is not chewy. It also gives it a little bit of a crust as it cooks in the air fryer.

Soy sauce – This gives the dish the salty flavor that complements the sweetness. I prefer to use low sodium soy sauce, so the final dish is more sweet than salty.

Brown sugar – The brown sugar provides the sweet flavor.

Ground ginger, garlic, and oil are additional pantry staples that you will need.

How to Make Mongolian Beef in Air Fryer

1. Cook Meat

Slice the flank steak against the grain into thin strips. The thinner the piece, the better! Then toss the meat with the corn starch.

This recipe uses a lot of corn starch. It serves two purposes. First, it makes the meat’s surface more acidic, which helps keep the meat tender as it cooks. Second, it provides a light coating that will give get crispy. The result is beef that is crisp outside and tender when you bite into it.

Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 2 minutes. Then add the beef strips and spread them out to cover the basket. Set it for 12 minutes and air fry the beef strips until they are crispy.

2. Make the Mongolian Sauce

Make the sauce while the steak cooks. Combine the oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic in a bowl and stir to mix. Then put it in a saucepan and heat it over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.

Turn the heat down and let it cook for 1-2 minutes. Then set it aside while the meat finishes cooking.

Add the crispy beef to the sweet flavored sauce and stir so that it coats the meat.

How to Serve

Serve this copycat P.F. Chang Mongolian Beef over crispy noodles or white or brown rice for an Asian-inspired dinner at home! Garnish the dish with green onions and sesame seeds.

How to Store

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. Once it is mixed with the sauce is messy to reheat it in the air fryer.

I recommend using the microwave or putting it in a saucepan on the stove on low heat. It will thicken in the refrigerator, so you might need to add a little beef broth to it as you reheat.

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