Slow Cooker Pepper Steak made with thinly sliced steak (or stew meat) and colorful bell peppers. It’s an easy, set-it-and-forget-it crockpot meal that is even better than take out!

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Crockpot Pepper Steak and Rice Recipe

Pepper Steak is a favorite recipe at our house that we make regularly. Depending on our schedule for the day, we either cook this EASY crockpot pepper steak recipe, or a quick 20-minute pepper steak stir fry recipe. Both recipes are great, but on busy weeknights this is my go-to recipe. I love easy slow cooker recipes. This one has minimal meal prep, and results in a delicious meal that is ready as soon as we walk in the door.

This delicious recipe is easy to make and packed with flavor. Our whole family loves this Chinese pepper steak recipe and we have put it on the family favorite rotation list.

Serve over a bed of white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, or egg noodles. I usually serve with brown rice, and I often use my instant pot for the rice to save time. Add a side a salad, and dinner is done!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Sirloin steak, flank steak, round steak, or stew meat (Yes, stew meat. See below)
White Onion
Sweet Bell Peppers (3 total peppers. Use whatever you have on hand — green bell pepper, red bell pepper or yellow bell pepper)
Can Stewed tomatoes with liquid 14.5 ounces
Soy sauce, low sodium
Worcestershire sauce
Brown sugar
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Ginger
Red pepper flakes
Canola oil
Cornstarch
Water

How to make this slow cooker pepper steak recipe

Step 1: Prep Beef

Slice beef into small strips. If you’re having any problems making the strips thin, you can place it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This helps the meat firm up a little and makes it easier to get thin slices.
Toss the beef with the spices in a large skillet and sauté it on all sides until lightly browned. Add it to the slow cooker. This step is for flavor, and can be skipped if you’re in a hurry. However, I don’t recommend skipping it since it will add more flavor to the dish if you brown the beef first

Step 2: Slow Cook

Add beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, ginger and red pepper flakes to slow cooker. Whisk together the sauce ingredients and cornstarch in a small bowl, then pour the mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, until the beef is tender.

As a side note, the bell peppers will become quite soft during cooking; if you prefer them more crisp, wait to add them a little more than halfway through the cook time. Also, if you want a thicker sauce, you can make a cornstarch slurry and add it at the last 10 minutes of the cook time. More on that in the full recipe card.

*You won’t find “Pepper Steak” on this beef cut chart since it’s not a specific cut of beef, like sirloin on t-bone.*

What Type of Steak is Best for Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

We talk a lot about different types of beef cuts on our site. In case there’s any confusion, “pepper steak” isn’t a specific cut of beef, like sirloin or flank steak. The steak often used in pepper steak dishes is flank, sirloin, or round steak.

But, since this meal is made with a slow cooker, you have options! WIth slow cooker beef, the best cuts are usually tough cuts because the slow cooker breaks them down slowly and makes them tender, without drying them out. Chuck roast, strip steak, round roast, and stew meat are all tougher cuts of beef that are very affordable. When making this recipe as a stir fry version, we recommend flank steak or sirloin steak. When making it in the slow cooker, we also use stew meat becasue it has time to become tender as it cooks.

Can You Put Raw Steak in Slow Cooker?

Yes, you can cook raw steak in a slow cooker. In a pinch, you can even cook frozen meat if you didn’t give yourself enough time for defrosting the meat.

However, it’s REALLY important to note that if you don’t brown the beef first you will lose much of the flavor and juices of the steak. By browning the beef first, you will add a richer, bolder flavor to the meal.

What Bell Peppers are Best in Pepper Steak?

Whatever bell peppers you have on hand will work for this recipe. We like to use a variety of colors – green, red, orange and yellow. Depending on your day’s schedule, you can wait and add the red and green peppers during the last hour of cooking it so that the peppers stay crisp, or you can add them at the beginning of the recipe.

Other Beef and Bell Pepper Recipes

In our kitchen, bell peppers and beef go together like peanut butter and jelly. We are always combining them in recipes. Here are a few of our other favorite recipes with bell peppers and beef:

How to Store, Freeze and Reheat

TO STORE: Place leftover steak in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm leftovers in a large skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. You can also reheat this dish in the microwave.
TO FREEZE: Store pepper steak in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Kitchen Products We Love

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Clover Meadows Beef

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 20

Servings 6

Ingredients

2 pounds Sirloin steak, flank steak or stew meat* cut into 2 inch slices
1 Onion cut into ½-inch strips
3 Bell peppers. Any color – green, red, or yellow cored and cut into ½-inch strips
1 can Stewed tomatoes with liquid 14.5 ounces
2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
¼ cup Water
1/4 cup Soy sauce, low sodium
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Brown sugar
1/2 tsp Ground ginger
1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes optional. Add if you like dish to be a bit spicy.
1 tbsp Canola oil

Instructions

Slice beef into small strips. If you're having any problems making the strips thin, you can place it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This helps the meat firm up a little and makes it easier to get thin slices.
Place sliced beef in bowl. Sprinkle beef with garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Toss to coat.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the beef and cook on all sides until the beef is lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the beef and any cooking juices to slow cooker.
(Note: This step is for flavor, and can be skipped if you're in a hurry. However, we don't recommend skipping it since it will add more flavor to the dish if you brown the beef first)
Add tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers to slow cooker. *(See note on bell peppers below)
In a small bowl, mix water, cornstarch, soy sauce, ground ginger, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes (optional). Pour over beef and pepper mixture in crockpot.
Stir to combine.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours, until the beef is tender, or on high for 2.5-3 hours. Prior to serving, determine if you want a thicker sauce. If so, see note*
Serve hot over white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice or egg noodles

Notes

*Depending on how crisp you want your peppers, you can also wait and add the bell peppers approximately one hour before you’re ready to eat. This will allow them to be more crisp when served.

*If you would like a thicker sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to make a cornstarch slurry. Stir the slurry into the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker to HIGH and let cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes to further thicken.

TO STORE: Place leftover steak in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm leftovers in a large skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. You can also reheat this dish in the microwave.

TO FREEZE: Store pepper steak in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

ONE MORE THING!

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