This Beef Stir Fry Recipe is loaded with juicy beef and crispy vegetables coated in easy stir fry sauce. A restaurant-quality dinner ready in 30 minutes!
Serve with brown rice, quinoa or over cauliflower fried rice for a low carb meal.
Table of contents
This beef stir fry recipe is Chinese inspired take out right at home! This way you’re able to control the amount of sugar and sodium and avoid all of the MSG.
Thinly sliced pieces of tender juicy beef and crisp veggies are tossed around in a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce. A low carb, high protein meal that comes together in minutes.
This beef stir fry is one of the best healthy and quick dinners if you plan a bit ahead. Other stir fry recipes we keep on regular dinner rotation are chicken stir fry, shrimp stir fry and Korean ground beef and rice.
They’re customizable and a great way to add in veggies that everyone likes!
Ingredients and Notes
Beef stir fry recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients. Here they are:
- Beef steak: Sirloin steak, ribeye steak, tri-tip, tenderloin, flank steak, or shoulder steak can be used. Make sure to thinly slice against the grain.
- Vegetables: Sliced red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper, brown mushrooms, broccoli, and white onion.
- Beef stir fry sauce: Soy sauce or Bragg’s liquid aminos, beef broth or water, then maple syrup, honey or brown sugar. Cornstarch.
- Minced garlic and ginger: If you don’t have any fresh ginger, you can substitute it with 1 teaspoon of dried ginger instead. Or just omit.
- Oil for frying: The best oil to use is the oil with a high smoke point. The healthiest choice is avocado oil with a smoke point of 520 degrees F. You can also use toasted sesame oil to give it an awesome Asian flare!
- Garnishes: Sesame seeds for an added earthy, nutty crunch. But it also looks pretty!
Recipe Tip
It is not the end of the world if you replace maple syrup or honey with brown sugar if that’s all you have on hand. I prefer sugar to honey in beef and broccoli recipe because it makes crispy beef extra saucy, almost like deep fried.
How to Make Beef Stir Fry Recipe
Here is a quick overview how to make beef stir fry in a few simple steps. There is a full recipe card below.
To get a good sear on beef and veggies, I recommend to use a large non-stick skillet. I find a wok does not sear food well on a residential stove but rather steams it. But use what you are used to.
- Prep: Chop and dice your veggies and slice your beef. You want to get everything ready ahead of time because making a stir fry happens quickly. Whisk together ingredients for the beef stir fry sauce and set aside.
- Stir fry beef in batches: Preheat your pan until very hot and add add half of the beef. Cook uncovered until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer stir fried beef to a bowl and repeat with remaining meat.
- Stir fry the mushrooms: Return the skillet to high heat and add the mushrooms. Cook until brown. Mushrooms produce a lot of water, so cooking them on their own will help avoid the other veggies getting mushy. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Stir fry peppers and onions: Cook bell peppers and onions, stirring a couple of times. The residual brown bits from the beef, as well as the high heat, will help give the veggies a bit of a char.
- Add the beef stir fry sauce: Grab the bowl with stir fry sauce and give it a good stir because the cornstarch has settled by now. Once stirred, pour it into the skillet. Stir and let the sauce come to a boil. Cook until thickened, stirring often.
- Combine and garnish: Grab all of your cooked ingredients and add them back into the skillet. Stir everything together gently. Turn off the heat, garnish with sesame seeds and serve it nice and hot!
Tips for Best Results
This beef stir fry recipe is super easy and even more delicious. There are a few things you can do to get the best beef stir fry ever!
- Be ready: “Stir fry” means to cook small pieces of food quickly on high heat while stirring constantly. So make sure all ingredients are prepped before you light the stove.
- Avoid mushy veggies: Add stir fry sauce before vegetables look cooked to avoid mushy beef stir fry.
- Cornstarch settles: Whisk sauce once again before adding it to the wok to blend the cornstarch that has settled.
- Best veggies for stir fry: You want veggies that will cook quickly when sliced thin. Bell peppers, zucchini, snow peas, sugar snap peas, carrots, and broccoli are great. You could also try cabbage, asparagus, mushrooms, bok choy, water chestnuts, and garlic. Check out this awesome guide to Asian vegetables.
- Dark coloured sauce: If you would like dark stir fry sauce, use brown sugar. I use an organic one and alternate between maple syrup and honey.
Variations
Here are a few ways to change things up in a beef stir fry recipe using ingredients you have on hand.
- Frozen veggies: You can use a frozen veggie mix or the package labeled “stir fry blend” vegetables. I always use one for Instant Pot stir fry. Just cook until veggies are heated through and to your preferred doneness. Keep in mind frozen veggies are already somewhat “cooked” by the freezing process. They also contain a bit more water, so you might need to drain the extra liquid before adding the sauce.
- Additions: Optional add-ins for both texture and flavour could be 3/4 cup toasted cashews, sliced almonds, or bean sprouts.
- Less meat: If you’re aiming to eat less red meat, use only 1 pound of meat.
- Like a little heat? Toss in some red pepper flakes. Some might even enjoy sliced jalapeno.
- No soy sauce? Try using Bragg’s liquid aminos or coconut aminos. You may need to adjust the salt with coconut aminos because they tend to have less than soy sauce.
Serving This Beef Stir Fry Recipe
There are plenty of options to serve with a beef stir fry recipe. Instant Pot brown rice, Instant Pot quinoa, and brown rice vermicelli are just a few options.
You can also serve it over whole wheat spaghetti, steamed white rice, or cauliflower rice. To keep it light and low carb, serve all on its own or with a small side salad.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: This dish will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Beef stir fry leftovers will be just as tasty the next day.
Reheat: Simmer on the stovetop with a splash of water or broth until heated through while stirring occasionally. If you’ve packed it for lunch at work, you can also reheat it in the microwave.
FAQs
Flank steak and sirloin steak are the best cuts of beef or a beef stir fry. They are more affordable and available at many grocery stores.
No. There is a lot of flavor in the sauce to season the beef.
Be sure to select right cut of beef and cut steak against the grain.
Yes. Cut and refrigerate vegetables covered for up to 2 days. Then toss them in when you’re ready. Or to speed up dinner, buy pre-cut stir fry vegetables or a bag of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot mix.
More Stir Fry Recipes to Try
- Salmon stir fry
- Chicken and broccoli stir fry
- Buckwheat stir fry
- Broccoli mushroom stir fry
- Teriyaki chicken and cauliflower
You may also enjoy browsing through these 65 easy healthy dinner ideas.
Beef Stir Fry Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Beef Stir Fry Sauce:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce I used Bragg liquid aminos
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth or water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar, maple syrup or honey
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
Beef Stir Fry:
- 1 1/2 lbs sirloin, ribeye, tri-tip, tenderloin, flank or shoulder steak thinly sliced
- 1 large white onion thinly sliced
- 2 large bell peppers sliced
- 6 oz mushrooms sliced
- 1 lb broccoli chopped
- 2 tbsp oil for frying
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Cut the vegetables and beef. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, cornstarch, garlic and ginger. Set aside.
- Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. Add half of beef, cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned, and transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining beef. Set aside.
- Return skillet to high heat and mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes or until browned, transfer to a plate. Set aside.
- Return skillet to high heat, add remaining 1 tbsp oil, bell pepper and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice and transfer onto a plate. Set aside.
- Return skillet to medium heat, add broccoli, whisk stir fry sauce well (cornstarch settles fast at the bottom) and add to the skillet. Stir, let sauce come to a boil, then cook for a few minutes until thickened, stirring often.
- Return cooked beef, mushrooms, onion and bell peppers to the skillet. Stir gently, turn off heat and garnish beef stir fry with sesame seeds.
- Serve hot over Instant Pot quinoa, Instant Pot brown rice, brown rice vermicelli or whole wheat spaghetti.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days.
- Reheat: By simmering stir fry on the stove with a splash of water or broth until heated through. Stir occasionally.
- Be ready: “Stir fry” means to cook small pieces of food quickly on high heat and stirring constantly.
- Avoid mushy veggies: Add stir fry sauce before vegetables look cooked to avoid mushy stir fry.
- Cornstarch settles: Whisk sauce once again before adding to the wok to mix in settled at the bottom cornstarch.
- Dried ginger: If you don’t have any fresh ginger, you can substitute it with 1 tsp of dried ginger instead. Or just omit.
- Additions: Old version of recipe contained 3/4 cup toasted cashews.
- If using water: You will need to add 1 more tbsp of soy sauce.
This is probably the best stir fry recipe with very clear instructions to get nice crispy vegetables. Thank-you!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Karen!