This tasty slow cooker pepper steak cooks out to be packed with a ton of flavor and has simply amazing tender pieces of beef.
Pepper steak is traditionally a dish that is stir-fried but surprisingly works pretty well in the slow cooker. It’s the perfect dinner dish that’s super easy to prepare and have cooking hours ahead of when you need it.
This slow cooker version of pepper steak features sliced bell peppers, slices of beef and thick slices of onion. This combination is all cooked in a sauce that has soy, tomatoes, beef stock, and a combination of other ingredients. To ensure the sauce is nice and thick, we make use of some cornstarch.
Side Dishes for Pepper Steak
You can serve this dish with a ton of different sides, but for me, white rice is what I usually decide to cook. Alternatively, you can try using something like noodles, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, fresh bread, and so much more.
The pepper steak is also an excellent topping on some roast potatoes or jacket potatoes. It’s an excellent way of feeding even more people from a single batch of this recipe.
If you’re looking for another slow cooker dish to go with this, then be sure to check out the creamy scalloped potatoes.
Which Cut of Beef to Use
As I mention in the handy cooking tips at the bottom of this page, it’s best to use a tough cut of beef. This choice of meat is because we will be cooking the beef for a long time. The beef will come out nice and tender at the end of cooking.
Tougher cuts of meat tend to be cheaper, so it’s a great way to save a bit of money. So try finding a cut such as chuck, round, brisket, or even beef shanks.
The leftovers of this dish are well worth keeping. You can simply store them in the fridge or freezer. You can use leftovers for lunch the next day or as part of a meal such as nachos. You could even use it as a filling for some tacos.
If you like to see this recipe done from start to finish, then be sure to check out the video below. It takes you through all the steps to making this delicious dinner dish. If you prefer just to read, then the full written recipe is right underneath the video.
Slow Cooker Pepper Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) beef, cut into strips
- 1 red bell pepper, thick slices
- 1 green bell pepper, thick slices
- 1 onion, chopped, thick slices
Sauce
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 1 tsp garlic, crushed
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 400 g (14.1 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup boiling water
To Thicken:
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
- In a frypan over high heat, quickly brown the beef strips.
- In a small bowl, combine the boiling water and the beef bouillon cube. Stir until completely dissolved.
- Next, in the slow cooker, add the beef, bell peppers, onion, beef bouillon mix, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, black pepper, crushed tomatoes, and the brown sugar, mix slightly together.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beef is deliciously tender.
- To thicken, mix the cornstarch and the water until it forms a paste. Mix this into the slow cooker, cook for 15 minutes or until thickened.
- Serve & Enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Between the beef bouillon and the soy sauce, you should have more than enough salt in this dish. With that said, you might find the need to adjust the seasoning at the end of cooking.
- As with any beef dish for the slow cooker I highly recommend using a tough cut of meat for the best results as we will be cooking it for a long time.
- If you like your bell peppers to be slightly crisp, then don’t add them at the start of cooking. At about, the 4-5 hour mark should be an excellent time to add them.
- Browning the meat can be skipped if you’re running low on time or you don’t have access to anything that you can use to brown meat. (eg. a usable stove)
Note: I use a 5.5L (6 Quart) slow cooker for all the recipes that I have on this website unless specified. If you have a smaller or larger slow cooker, then you might need to adjust the ingredients.
Nutrition Information
The information above is an estimate generated by an online nutrition calculator.
More Slow Cooker Recipes to Try
If you like this dish and will love to try out more beef recipes in the slow cooker, then you should certainly try out the Mongolian beef. It’s super easy, and the beef comes out to be so tender it just melts in the mouth. The sauce is slightly sweet and again is just so damn good.
The Mississippi roast is yet another great excellent recipe that you should try. It’s an exciting combination of flavors but will have you going back for seconds, thirds, or even more.
I really hope that you like my pepper steak recipe for the slow cooker. If you have some feedback, tips, variations or anything else that you would like to say, then please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
I am a diabetic and carb minimalist so I used no sugar, no cornstarch, and less tomatoes. I sautéed the veggies (added mushrooms and broccoli) separately, added them to the beef, and served it over a bed of raw lettuce and spinach. Lovely!
Should I call it Pepper Steak Stir Fry?
Thank you.
Amazing recipe will make this forever and ever now! Thanks so much for sharing. My family loved it! ❤️
What cut of beef is best?
I would pick a cheap cut of beef like rump (sirloin) or brisket.
Absolutely delish! I used chuck steak and cooked it on low for five hours, we love it!
The recipe calls for 1/2 tsp of ginger, but in your video it says 1 tsp., which is it?
Either amount will be fine. I’ll update the recipe, so the amount is the same.
Lovely recipe. I like adding vegetables and just do a one-pot meal when using my slow cooker. Thanks for sharing.
Made this last weekend. Was very very good!
You add the pepper later on in cooking process? I want to make stew with potatoes and carrots, so as not to over cook them, how can I determine when to add them later in the cooking process?
The picture, videos and the instructions were visually inspiring..
I had fun double batching.
Can I cook this in a instant pot? If yes how long do you think it needs please.
Hi Bridget,
Yes it should cook fine in an Instant Pot. Roughly 10 minutes on high pressure should be long enough.
Can I cook this on high for a shorter cook time? Or would you not recommend?
Cooking on high will work out fine. Roughly two to four hours on high should be long enough.
Can I use sizzle steak?
Can pureed tomatoes be used instead of crushed tomatoes?
Yes, that should work just fine.