Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

My answer to an easy and delicious weeknight meal = Slow Cooker Pepper Steak.  It combines tender strips of beef that simmers in a slow cooker with onion, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes, then served over rice or your favorite side!

I’ve been making Pepper Steak for years.  I used to make it on the stove, but I created this Slow Cooker Pepper Steak to make life a little easier. 

You get all the great flavors of pepper steak, but it’s conveniently made in the slow cooker, so it’s hands-off cooking!

What is Pepper Steak?

Pepper Steak is an Asian-inspired meal consisting of sliced beef, onions, garlic, and peppers in a beefy tomato/soy sauce.

It’s a meal that most people are familiar with, yet if 10 different people made it, it would turn out 10 different ways.

Everyone has their idea of what pepper steak should be and while it has some traditional elements that make it what it is, it’s very adaptable to personal preference. 

I’ve had pepper steak that didn’t have any ginger at all.  I’ve had a very tomatoey pepper steak (not my husband’s favorite), and I’ve also eaten it with various cuts of meat. 

I happen to like them all, so I combined everything I love about pepper steak into this wonderful, easy-to-make, slow cooker version that’s perfect for busy weeknights.

I’ve experimented with this Slow Cooker Pepper Steak recipe multiple times and loved it, but when I took a page from some of my favorite Peruvian/Argentinian dishes by adding some red wine vinegar to the recipe, it went from good to REALLY good.

Ingredients needed for this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):

• Bell peppers 
• Onion
• Garlic 
• Bay leaf
• Round steak
• Flour
• Tomatoes
• Ginger – ginger paste or grated fresh ginger
• Soy sauce
• Red wine vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce
• Seasonings – salt, black pepper, white pepper

How to make Slow Cooker Pepper Steak:

1. Slice your meat and toss it around in some all-purpose flour and then throw it in the slow cooker with onion, garlic, ginger, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, spices, and liquids. 
2. I like to cook this on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, but if you want to help keep the texture of the peppers more firm, add the bell peppers in the last hour.  
3. Regardless of which method you use, you’ll have strips of super tender meat swimming in a bath of delicious juices from soy sauce, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and ginger that’s just screaming to be absorbed by your favorite starchy side.

What type of steak is good for Slow Cooker Pepper Steak?

I typically use round steak or London broil for this recipe because you want a cut of steak that is going to hold its shape and not fall apart like chuck roast. 

Sirloin steak is delicious and very tender, but too expensive for a slow cooker meal.

Do I have to brown the meat first?

This recipe has been tested by coating the meat in flour and browning it in a pan, and also by just coating the meat in flour and throwing it right in the slow cooker. 

Each version was really good, but I didn’t notice a big difference in flavor from browning the meat, so I started skipping that extra step and it still turns out fantastic each time!

The flour acts as a sauce thickener, so I wouldn’t skip that step.

How long is pepper steak good for?

Leftovers can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.

Looking for more slow cooker recipes?  Here are some favorites:

• Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo 
• Easy Slow Cooker Chile Colorado 
• Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli
• Slow Cooker Beef Braciole (pictured below)
• Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

NOTES: 

• If you love bell peppers, feel free to add yellow or orange bell peppers to the red and green ones.
• If you want to keep the texture of the peppers more firm, add them at the last hour of cooking.
• I like to serve Slow Cooker Pepper Steak over Herbed Butter Garlic Rice, but mashed potatoes are a great vehicle for the sauce too!

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Flavorful Eats

My answer to an easy and delicious weeknight meal = Slow Cooker Pepper Steak.  It combines tender strips of beef that simmers in a slow cooker with onion, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes, then served over rice or your favorite side!

5 from 12 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

0 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 -5

Equipment

• 5-quart or larger slow cooker

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 lbs round steak or London broil cut into strips
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 yellow onion sliced
• 1 green bell pepper sliced
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 2-3 Roma tomatoes chopped
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Add sliced meat to slow cooker. Season meat with salt & black pepper, then sprinkle flour on the meat and stir to coat evenly. Add the onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, water, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and white pepper.
• Cook on high for 3 hours or until meat is tender, or on low for 6 hours. Taste for needed salt or pepper and serve over rice or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
• *For more firm vegetables, add them at the last hour of cooking.*

Keyword Beef, Bell Peppers, Peppers, Slow Cooker

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