Honey garlic shredded beef sandwiches can be made ahead in the slow cooker. Topped with cucumber, carrots, cilantro and sriracha mayo, they are full of flavor and simple to assemble for a weeknight dinner.
One of my favorite ways to use the slow cooker for meal prep is to cook a large batch of protein and enjoy through the week. From crock pot pulled pork to slow cooker whole chicken, it’s efficient, and can save you money on ingredients, as well!
These honey garlic shredded beef sandwiches are part of a meal prep plan where I cook a large batch of slow cooker honey garlic beef, and use it up in three meals through the week.
Putting together these sandwiches is as simple as reheating the beef and shredding a few vegetables, and you are rewarded with incredible flavor!
Reasons you’ll ♡ honey garlic shredded beef sandwiches
- they are full of flavor with fresh vegetables, sriracha mayo, and juicy honey garlic beef
- you can prep components ahead, making this a ten minute dinner
- they are kid-friendly and enjoyed by all
Recipe video
Wondering exactly how to these sandwiches arrive together? Watch this 1-minute video for step by step instructions! You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredients you’ll need
- slow cooker honey garlic beef– I recommend cooking it a few days ahead or commence it first thing in the morning. You can also cook it in the Instant Pot!
- sriracha mayo– I am fond Sir Kensington’s brand, but you can make your own by stirring some sriracha into classic mayonnaise
- burger buns– splurge for the gourmet buns, it’s worth it!
- vegetables– cucumbers, peeled into lean strips, and carrots, shredded
- cilantro– adds a kind of ‘banh mi’ feel to this sandwich, it adds a fresh, herbaceous flavor that is great to contrast the heavy beef
Recipe tips
Cook the honey garlic beef ahead
The slow cooker honey garlic beef requires a full 8 hours in the slow cooker, so you’ll want to either commence it early in the day, or cook it a few days ahead. Once cooked, the beef can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for 4 days, or in the freezer for 3 months.
To reheat the beef, add it to a nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring and flipping with tongs, for around 5 minutes, until beef is loosened up and warmed through.
Toast your buns
You’d be amazed at what a difference toasting your buns can make for the flavor and texture of your burgers and sandwiches! To toast, we add 1-2 tablespoons of butter to a frying pan, melt it, then add the buns. Toast for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown.
Veggies
Since this is a banh mi-inspired recipe, we are adding shredded carrots and thinly sliced cucumber to our shredded beef sandwiches. To slice the cucumber, you can use a vegetable peeler to make lean strips.
Of course, feel free to mix up the veggies on these sandwiches; a bagged slaw could be a great alternative and will save you some time in the kitchen!
Sriracha mayo
You can make your own, or purchase sriracha mayonnaise in the store. To make your own, stir together 1 tablespoon of sriracha with 1/2 cup mayonnaise.
Since sriracha mayo is spicy, we used regular mayonnaise for the kids, and they loved it!
Meal Prep + Storage Tips
After assembling, this sandwich must be served immediately. With that being said, you can prep components of this meal ahead of time for meal prep:
- carrots- shred up to 1 week ahead and store in the fridge
- beef- cook up to 4 days ahead and store in the fridge, or 3 months ahead stored in the freezer
More slow cooker meals
Honey Garlic Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Calories: 426kcal
Servings: 4
Honey garlic shredded beef sandwiches can be made ahead in the slow cooker. Topped with cucumber, carrots, cilantro and sriracha mayo, they are full of flavor and simple to assemble for a weeknight dinner.
Instructions
Place 2 cups of honey garlic beef into a frying pan, and cook, stirring and flipping the beef up with tongs, for 5 minutes or until heated through.
Toast buns by melting 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a pan, then placing buns in the pan and cooking for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of mayo on a bun, top with warmed beef, shredded carrot, cucumber and cilantro.
Notes
1- shredded beef could be replaced by pulled pork or shredded chicken
2- if you can’t find sriracha mayo, you can make your own by stirring together 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon sriracha
3- a vegetable peeler works great to make lean strips of cucumber
Storage
Beef sandwiches do not keep well for leftovers once assembled, however the beef can be cooked ahead:
- store in the fridge for 4 days
- store in the freezer for 3 months
Nutrition
Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 979mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g