Slow Cooker Pepper Steak Recipe
Need another better-than-takeout option for your slow cooker? This Slow Cooker Pepper Steak Recipe uses fresh ingredients to make tender strips of beef and peppers covered in a tasty, sweet and savory sauce. Start it in the morning, and enjoy it hot and ready for dinner with a bowl of fluffy rice!
Ingredients Needed
You’ll need a handful of ingredients for this recipe to make the sauce mixture with its signature umami flavor. Once you have these ingredients in your pantry, it’s so easy to recreate Asian-inspired dishes in so many ways!
Meat and Veggies:
- Flat iron steak – Flat iron steak has enough marbling (fat) that it remains tender.
- Bell peppers – One red and one green bell pepper is the typical combination for pepper steak.
- Small yellow onion – Yellow onions tend to have a bit of sweetness to them.
Sauce:
- Tapioca flour – Tapioca flour is made from cassava root and can be used similarly to cornstarch. It works well for sauces such as this because it won’t thicken too much and creates a nice glaze-like consistency.
- Garlic and ginger pastes – Could there be a better pairing? Using a paste variety for each of these ensures easy prep and the ingredients also blend well when used for sauces.
- Soy sauce – Soy sauce is a great tenderizer when used with meat in the slow cooker. The extra sodium breaks down the muscle fibers and makes it super flavorful. If you’re looking for a gluten-free option, use tamari as a substitute.
- Beef broth – A little added beef broth provides extra flavor to the sauce.
- Honey – Honey is necessary for the sweet and savory aspect and adds to the glaze of the sauce.
- Pepper – Of course! Use coarse ground for added texture.
How To Make Slow Cooker Pepper Steak
- Thinly slice the flank steak against the grain (this usually means cutting across the width, rather than the length of the steak).
- Remove the stem top, ribs, and seeds from peppers and thinly slice into strips.
- Remove the outer layer and ends of the onion and slice it thinly or into petals.
- Add steak and veggies to the slow cooker.
- Now, for the sauce! In a small bowl, whisk tapioca flour with an equal amount of water until smooth.
- Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until combined.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the steak in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-9 hours.
- Serve pepper steak over rice or noodles, or as desired.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Pepper steak is typically a fairly simple meal with meat and veggies which allows the flavors of the sauce to really shine through. You can make simple adjustments to customize to your liking!
- Steak – You can use flat iron steak, flank steak, or skirt steak for this recipe. These meats are leaner cuts of beef so they cook well in the slow cooker and come out very tender.
- Peppers – Red and green bell peppers make a nice visual combination, but you can use any color of peppers that you prefer.
- Spice – To add extra spiciness, feel free to add 1-2 sliced jalapeno peppers into the slow cooker. Sriracha, chili paste, or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes will also add some heat!
- Garlic and ginger – I love using the tubes of garlic and ginger paste since they are so easy for recipes like this. However, you could also substitute for fresh garlic cloves and ginger, or even the dried powder versions.
- Mushrooms – These would be another great veggie addition to go with the peppers and onions.
- Tomatoes – Some pepper steak recipes include canned crushed or diced tomatoes. You can add these in, but it does change the flavor of the overall dish.
What To Serve With Pepper Steak
Slow cooker meat and veggies dishes with extra tasty sauces work so well with an easy side of rice or noodles! Make a side of brown or white rice (jasmine is a great option!) to plate with the pepper steak.
Rice noodles or ramen noodles would be another simple side to make on a busy night. You can find variations that can cook in just minutes! If you’d like some extra sides, try steamed broccoli, Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic, or Spicy Brussels Sprouts as an appetizer.
Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions if you like and enjoy your dine-out-worthy dish!
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover steak in the fridge for up to 3 days. This would be a great recipe to portion out with servings of rice for easy meal prep lunches! You can freeze the slow cooker leftovers in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 months.
Reheat in the microwave or a skillet on the stove.
This pepper steak recipe is not the best option for freezing ahead of time since the peppers don’t maintain their texture very well in the slow cooker. If you want to save a step to prep ahead, you can slice your steak ahead of time and store it in the freezer.
Slow Cooker Pepper Steak Recipe
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds flat iron steak
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- ¼ cup soy sauce tamari for gluten-free
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Thinly slice steak against the grain
- Remove top, ribs, and seeds from peppers and thinly slice
- Remove outer layer and ends of onion and slice thinly or into petals
- Add steak and veggies to slow cooker
- In a small bowl, whisk tapioca flour with an equal amount of water until smooth
- Add remaining ingredients and whisk until combined
- Pour mixture over steak in slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-9 hours
- Serve over rice or noodles or as desired
Notes
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to use an airtight container.
- Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
- Add a little extra spice by adding sliced jalapeno peppers, sriracha, chili paste, or crushed red pepper.
- Stick to the allotted cooking time and turn the slow cooker off when ready to serve to prevent overcooking the meat and veggies.
Nutrition
Pepper Steak FAQs
- What is the best cut of meat for pepper steak? For this pepper steak recipe, the best option is a thin, lean steak. You can use flat iron steak, flank steak, or skirt steak interchangeably since they are very similar cuts of meat. Flat iron steak will have the highest amount of marbling (fat content).
- What is pepper steak sauce made of? The pepper steak sauce in this recipe is a made-from-scratch mixture of garlic and ginger pastes, soy sauce, honey, beef broth, pepper, and a tapioca flour slurry for thickening.
- Is pepper steak a freezer-friendly meal? Yes, you can freeze cooked leftovers in a sealed container. However, this is not a great prep-ahead freezer meal since the peppers tend to get mushy after being frozen. You can slice your meat ahead of time and store it in the freezer until ready to cook if you like.
- Can I add other vegetables to this recipe? Add any other veggies that you like! Swap varieties of peppers, add mushrooms, or even julienned carrots or whole green snap peas.
