Crockpot Pepper Steak

Crockpot pepper steak is my go to when I want the flavor of Chinese takeout without turning on the stove. Tender sirloin steak and fresh bell peppers slow cook in a sweet and savory sauce until the beef is fall apart tender. There’s no browning and no babysitting. Just 10 minutes of prep, then the slow cooker does the rest.

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The Crockpot Recipe That Made Weeknights Easier

When I started leaning on my slow cooker for weeknight dinners, pepper steak was one of the first recipes I wanted to translate into a dump and go version, and it took a few tries to get the sauce right.

My first attempts came out too thin. I’ve tested this with less broth and more cornstarch, and that’s the combination that finally gave me a sauce thick enough to cling to the rice instead of pooling underneath it.

This is the recipe I make on nights when Thomas has soccer and I know I won’t be near the kitchen for hours. I season everything in the morning, and by dinner it’s ready. I usually serve it over my Fluffy White Rice so the sauce has something to soak into, and when I want something a little different, my Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes work just as well underneath it.

Key Ingredients to Make Crockpot Pepper Steak

All ingredients and their amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Sirloin steak: I always reach for sirloin here because it’s tender enough to stay in nice strips after four hours of cooking, but still holds its shape, unlike chuck roast or stew meat, which I’ve tried and found fall apart too easily in this sauce. Slice it thin and even so every piece cooks at the same rate.

Bell peppers and onion: I always use a mix of red, yellow, and orange peppers rather than all one color. It’s not just for looks, the yellow and orange peppers are sweeter and softer, while red holds a little more bite after four hours of cooking, so you get texture variation in every bowl. Green pepper works in a pinch, but I use it sparingly here since it’s more bitter and can throw off the sweet and savory balance of the sauce. For the onion, I reach for yellow onion over sweet onion. Sweet onion breaks down too much over a long cook time and disappears into the sauce, and I want to actually see and taste the onion in the final dish.

Pro Tip: Cut the peppers and onion into thick strips, not thin slivers. This isn’t just about texture. Peppers release a lot of liquid as they cook, and thin strips break down and water down the sauce. Thicker strips hold their shape and release liquid more slowly, which is part of what keeps this sauce thick instead of watery, one of the most common complaints I see with slow cooker pepper steak recipes.

The sauce: This is what makes the dish taste like takeout instead of plain stewed beef. Worcestershire and soy sauce bring the savory base, honey balances it with sweetness, and ground ginger adds warmth without being overpowering. I’ve made this a few times using brown sugar instead of honey, and it works, but honey gives a slightly rounder sweetness that I prefer.

How to Make Crockpot Pepper Steak

Step 1: Start by generously seasoning your cuts of beef with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Place the sliced bell peppers, onions, garlic, and seasoned beef in the slow cooker. If you like your veggies more crisp, add them in the final hour of cooking.

Note: Cooked the full time, the peppers turn soft and almost melt into the sauce, that’s normal and part of what makes this taste like a slow braised dish rather than a stir fry.

Step 3: Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until the bouillon dissolves.

Step 4: Pour the sauce into the slow cooker, give it a stir, and slow cook until the beef is tender. Serve it with white or brown rice.

Make It A Freezer Meal

Slow cooker pepper steak is a great make-ahead meal that you can freeze before or after you cook it.

To freeze it uncooked, just place your sliced steak, peppers, and onions into a freezer bag. Then, mix up the sauce and pour it over the peppers and onions. When you’re ready to cook, let the pepper steak thaw in the fridge overnight and pop it in the crockpot in the morning.

Or, you can place the cooked pepper steak in a freezer bag and freeze it for up to 3 months. Then, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

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Crockpot Pepper Steak

5 from 4 votes

Author: Olivia Ribas

ServingsServings: 6 people

Prep TimePrep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total TimeTotal Time: 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Crockpot pepper steak is my go to when I want the flavor of Chinese takeout without turning on the stove. Tender sirloin steak and fresh bell peppers slow cook in a sweet and savory sauce until the beef is fall apart tender. There's no browning and no babysitting. Just 10 minutes of prep, then the slow cooker does the rest.

Equipment

• 1 Slow Cooker This the one that I use!

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 lbs beef sirloin strips or sirloin steak cut into slices
• ▢ 3 bell peppers red, yellow and orange, sliced
• ▢ 1 large onion sliced
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves minded
• ▢ ¾ cup beef broth
• ▢ ¼ cup soy sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoon honey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 2 beef bouillon cubes
• ▢ Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions 

• Season the beef sirloin strips with salt and black pepper.
• Add the sliced bell peppers, onions, garlic, and seasoned beef to the slow cooker. However, if you prefer your vegetables more crisp, add them during the last hour of cooking.
• In a small bowl, mix the beef broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, ground ginger, cornstarch and crumble in the beef bouillon cubes. Stir until the bouillon is dissolved.
• Pour the sauce mixture over the beef and vegetables in the slow cooker. Stir to combine everything.
• Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours, until the beef is tender and the vegetables are soft.
• Once it’s cooked, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot with rice, noodles, steamed broccoli or your favorite side.

Notes

• Slice the steak and peppers into even-sized strips so everything cooks at the same rate.
• If you like spicy pepper steak feel free to add in some red pepper flakes.
• Avoid opening the slow cooker lid while it’s cooking. This will release all of the heat that’s built up and affect the cooking time.
• Store: Once the leftovers cool, place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. I typically reheat the leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop, but they’re just as good heated in the microwave.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6, Calories: 375kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 113mg, Sodium: 1009mg, Potassium: 741mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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