Spicy Orange Beef | Instant Pot Recipe
This Spicy Orange Beef is made with flank steak, fresh orange juice and zest, and a bit of red pepper flakes for a kick. It’s a fast one-pot dinner for a weeknight that the family loves.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is a super quick one-pot beef recipe that’s full of flavor from fresh ingredients but comes together in just a few minutes on a weeknight.
This recipe has been on our site for over a decade, and it’s still in our rotation. Over the years, we’ve refined the technique for making this dish as easy and delicious as possible.
This is one of our favorite one-pot Instant Pot beef recipes for a quick dinner. If you’re looking for more easy beef dishes, be sure to try Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Beef Curry, Bone-In Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs, or Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Beef Stew.
Update: We’ve updated this recipe and post with new tips and instructions to make sure the sauce thickens up beautifully.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
Here’s what you need to make this easy Instant Pot spicy beef:
- Flank steak. Be sure to cut the steak into equal pieces for even cooking.
- Garlic. This is a must for the classic flavor of orange beef!
- Orange juice. We always use freshly squeezed orange juice, but store-bought will work in a pinch.
- Soy sauce. You can use regular or low-sodium soy sauce.
- Sesame oil. This has a strong flavor, so if you’re sensitive to sesame oil, you can use slightly less.
- Red pepper flakes. Feel free to omit these if you don’t want your orange beef to have a kick.
- Orange zest. This adds to the fresh citrus flavor.
- Cornstarch. You’ll need this to thicken up the sauce so it coats the beef.
- Green onions. Use these to add a pop of color as garnish on the dish.
How to Make Spicy Orange Beef in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Start by seasoning your beef with plenty of salt and pepper. Next, you’ll brown the beef using the Saute function on the Instant Pot. add the vegetable oil, and once it’s hot, add the beef in batches and sear on both sides until nicely browned. Transfer all of the meat to a plate.
Leave the drippings in the pressure cooking pot, then add the garlic and give it a good stir for a minute, until it’s fragrant. Next add your orange juice, red pepper flakes, and soy sauce and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Return the beef to the pot, along with any juices on the plate.
Now you’re ready to pressure cook. Lock the lid on and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. When the cooking time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release.
Remove the lid, and now it’s time to thicken up the sauce. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl into a smooth paste. Push the beef to one side of the pressure cooking pot and add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce, stirring constantly. Select Saute and bring the sauce to a boil until it’s nice and thick.
Finally, stir in your green onions. Serve the spicy beef over rice or noodles and top it with orange zest, more green onions, and more red pepper flakes if you like. Enjoy!
Important Tips for Making Spicy Orange Beef
- Seasoning the steak before you brown it will help season the entire dish, so don’t be shy!
- Browning the beef is an important first step to building rich, deep flavors in this dish. We don’t recommend skipping it, but if you’re crunched for time, you can simply go straight to the pressure cooking step.
- Be sure to use a non-metal spoon, such as a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, to stir your sauce while it thickens.
- When you add the cornstarch to the sauce after pressure cooking, make sure to bring the sauce to a full boil so it thickens and to ensure that the cornstarch is fully cooked. If your sauce still looks thin, remember it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Frequently Asked Questions about Instant Pot Orange Beef
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. You can reheat servings in the microwave or on the stove to serve.
Yes, you can leave out the red pepper flakes if you don’t want this dish to be spicy at all. Or let everyone add spice to their own dish.
We serve this saucy beef over Instant Pot white or brown rice. It’s also great over noodles!
Yes, you can make Instant Pot spicy orange chicken using this recipe. Just cut the chicken into equal bite-sized pieces and reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes at high pressure. The rest of the recipe can be kept the same!
Yes, you can use chuck roast instead of flank steak. The key is to cut the steak thinly before cooking. Check out my beef and broccoli recipe for instructions.
MORE Quick Instant Pot Beef Recipes
Here are our other favorite fast weeknight recipes made with beef in the Instant Pot:
- Beef and Broccoli Recipe has a thick slightly sweet sauce and crisp-tender broccoli
- Mongolian Beef Recipe is a savory and super tender beef dish served over fluffy white rice.
- Beef and Cheddar is a delicious sandwich-for-dinner recipe topped with a gooey, melty cheese sauce.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
Leave us a review below to tell us why!
Instant Pot Orange Beef
Ingredients
- 2 pounds flank steak cut into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus more if needed
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more for garnish, if desired
- 1 teaspoon orange zest plus more for garnish, if desired
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 bunch green onions sliced, with some reserved for garnish
- Prepared white rice or stir fry noodles
Instructions
- Season beef with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Select Saute to preheat the pressure cooking pot. When hot, add the oil and brown the meat in batches until all meat is browned: do not crowd. Transfer meat to a plate when browned.
- When all of the meat is browned, add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute.
- Add orange juice and soy sauce to the cooking pot and scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure no browned bits remain. Add the sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and orange zest, then return the browned beef to the pot, along with any accumulated juices. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 12 minutes cook time.
- When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, whisking until smooth. Use a spoon to nudge the beef to the side and add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce in the pot, stirring constantly. Select Saute and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Stir in green onions.
- Serve over rice or noodles, and garnish with additional orange zest, green onion, and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Nutrition
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I first commented on this recipe in 2016! I’ve been making it ever since. Made it last night and it never fails! Delicious! Thank you!
That’s so fun to hear you’ve been loving it since 2016. Thanks for sharing!!
just found your webpage. tell me all you know about using instant pot to pressure cook.
but first tell me why your instant pot has a browning button and mine does not?
dana
Hi Dana – glad you found me. The browning function on the Instant Pot is saute adjusted to more. Here’s a great post with tons of information https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/instant-pot-duo-and-smartcooker/ Have fun!
How does this work if you combine ingredients and freeze? If I put in the instant pot frozen what is the length of time needed to cook plus pressure release time?
Hi Janell – I haven’t done freezer meals in this Instant Pot, but here’s a post with helpful information https://tidbits-marci.com/top-15-tips-for-how-to-make-freezer-meals-for-the-instant-pot/
Can I use a crock pot instead of a pressure cooker?
Hi Renee – I haven’t tried it, but other similar recipes cook it on low for 7 – 8 hours.
This was my first recipe I used in my new pressure cooker. Turned out very good. I only had 1lb of fajita steak meat. Next time I will slice the meat up more. Meat was very tender and delicious.
Thanks Bernadette! A great pick for a first recipe. Have fun with your new pressure cooker!
Just a comment, I have found that if I want to slice my beef into thin strips it is much easier to partially freeze the meat. This makes slicing so much easier and accurate.
Thanks Phillip – great tip.
Thank you for a great recipe! I have made it twice, once with flat iron steak and today petite sirloin
was on sale, so I used that. It was delicious. This will be a regular!
Thanks Lavinia! So nice to hear. Glad to know it works well with sirloin.
Looks great! How do the cooking times change if I use chicken instead?
Just a 3 minute cook time with bite size pieces of chicken.
My family loves this recipe, I actually made it with chicken this last time it came out good, however my family does prefer the beef
Thanks Cynthia – I’ll have to try it with chicken.
I have a chuck round roast. Do you think I can substitute it in this? If so, would you suggest doing it whole, slicing like the flank stake, or cutting into larger chunks for shredding?
Hi Maeg – I used a chuck roast in my beef and broccoli recipe and it works great. No need to cook it whole, just slice it thinly https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-beef-and-broccoli/
Made this before and making again tonight… I throw in a tsp. of thai chili paste for good measure. Turned out awesome last time. I used a slow release after 12min. last time, seemed to tenderize the flank more…
Thanks for sharing your additions. Glad you enjoyed it and made it your own.
Delicious! So tender and flavorful!
I would add to Marci’s question that the meat will cook longer if it’s cold because it will take a bit longer for the pressure cooker to come to pressure so in essence the cooking time is somewhat longer but the cook doesn’t need to add any cooking time.
And while we’re talking about meat, if you put the unfrozen meat in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing it, it will be much easier to slice into those nice 1/4″ strips.
While I love flank steak it can be pricey. Flat iron steak will work just as well and at my supermarket yesterday was a fraction of the price. $6.99 vs. $12.99 per pound. Cut the flat iron steak in half longways and then each half against the grain into 1/4″ strips.
I browned the meat, sauted the garlic and then put the sauce ingredients in the pressure cooker with the meat and then placed it in the fridge to cook for dinner tomorrow night. If the meats cold, is that going to change the cooking time?
Hi Marci – love the idea of making it ahead. No, I don’t think you’ll need to change the cooking time in the recipe because the meat is cold. If it were a big roast you might, but with the small pieces it shouldn’t be a problem.
This sounds so yummy! I will try it over the weekend. I have to eat more protein I am told, so this looks perfect for me. I love that I know what is in this and not like some restaurants where they add a lot of stuff. Thanks!!
Thanks Winnie – it is great to be able to control what’s in your food. Hope you enjoy it!
I would like to try this recipe but I have a stove top pressure cooker, not an electric one. How long should I cook it at high pressure?
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michele – the cook time for a stove top pressure cooker should be the same as the electric pressure cooker. Time doesn’t start counting down until the electric pressure cooker reaches high pressure.
That looks delicious Barbara. I love making Chinese take-out at home. This looks like a dish both Bob and I will love.
Thanks Carol! Let me know what you think if you give it a try.