Beef Stir Fry
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Never mind going for take-out, this homemade Beef Stir Fry recipe literally takes minutes to make and rivals your favorite Chinese restaurant! Tender beef, onions, snow peas, carrots and mushrooms are tossed in a delicious stir fry sauce for a quick and satisfying meal you can enjoy any day of the week. And it’s very customizable – swap out any of the ingredients for whatever veggie or protein you already have on hand!
Another thing I love about stir-fries is their versatility. They’re not only a great way to get in your daily vegetables, they’re also a great way to use up extra veggies that are laying around, looking for ways to be used. Do you have a lonely zucchini or a stray bell pepper laying around? Throw em’ in there. Even that eggplant that you picked up at the farmer’s market because it looked so pretty but now it’s shoved back in the corner of the crisper – slice it up and add it too. And if you don’t have any beef on hand – use chicken or pork, or even shrimp. Serve it over steamed rice and you have a delicious and well-balanced meal. And if you’re looking for a low-carb option, serve it over cauliflower rice.
Here’s a super tasty, super quick beef stir-fry that takes about 5 minutes to cook and you can add or omit whatever veggies you like. It’s the perfect meal for a busy weekday or any day that you want to enjoy some good Chinese!
This beef stir fry works beautifully with a variety of vegetables such as bell peppers, baby corn, zucchini, bok choy, celery, bean sprouts, and broccoli. When I developed this recipe my garden was bursting with an abundance of snow peas, one of my favorite veggies to add to stir fries.
Feel free to swap out whatever vegetables you have on hand and you can add a greater quantity than what is called for and double up the sauce if you wish.
Beef Stir Fry Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this beef stir fry I’m using the following:
- Beef: use a lean cut of beef such as sirloin or flank steak.
- Vegetables: I’m using onions, carrots, snow peas and mushrooms. Feel free to add or substitute vegetables of your choice such as bell peppers, bean sprouts, broccoli, celery, baby corn, bok choy, eggplant or zucchini.
- Garlic and Ginger: be sure to use fresh and not dried or powdered, there is no flavor comparison.
- Oil: use an oil with a high smoke point. I like to use avocado oil.
- Soy Sauce or Tamari: this forms the salty and umami-rich base for the stir fry sauce. I prefer tamari because it has a richer, deeper flavor without being as overly salty. If you’re on a low-sodium diet you can use low sodium soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free or paleo you can substitute coconut aminos.
- Brown Sugar – for a touch of sweetness. For a sugar-free alternative you can use a brown sugar substitute.
- Hoisin Sauce – to add depth and round out the flavors. You can use store-bought or check out my recipe for homemade hoisin sauce.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – adds a fabulous flavor.
- Black Pepper – for a touch of heat and to balance out the sweetness. If you prefer your beef stir fry spicy you can add some chili oil, chili garlic sauce, or hot sauce.
- Cornstarch – to thicken the sauce.
Beef Stir Fry Recipe
Let’s get started!
Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat the wok over high until very hot and add the oil. Be sure to use high-temperature cooking oil, one that has a high smoke point. I use and recommend avocado oil.
Once hot, add the beef and stir to sear all sides, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
Add the onions and carrots and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the mushrooms, garlic and ginger and fry for another couple of minutes.
Add the snow peas and fry for another minute or two. You want the veggies to retain some “crunch” so don’t over-cook.
Return the beef to the wok and stir to combine and heat through.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Pour the sauce over the stir fry and simmer for a minute, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Enjoy!
For more delicious Chinese recipes be sure to try my:
- Chinese Beef and Broccoli
- Mongolian Chicken
- Mongolian Beef
- Egg Foo Young
- Sesame Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Orange Beef
- Orange Chicken
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Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean beef such as sirloin or flank steak , cut against the grain into thin strips
- 2 tablespoons oil (I use and recommend avocado oil for high heat cooking)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger , minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic , minced
- 1 large carrot , thinly sliced at a diagonal
- 2 cups snow peas , ends trimmed
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms , such as white button or cremini
- 1 cup bean sprouts or other vegetable of choice
- For the Sauce:
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce (GF or paleo: use coconut aminos)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- or sugar free alternative (for low sugar or paleo)
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Set aside.Heat the wok over high heat and add the oil. Once very hot, working quickly add the beef and fry, searing all sides, for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic and ginger and fry for another minute or two. Add the remaining vegetables and fry for another two minutes. Do not over-cook, you want the vegetables to retain some "crunch." Stir in the sauce and simmer for a minute until thickened and then remove from heat.Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This stir fry was amazing!! I skipped the hoisin sauce (didn’t have any) and added some of your black bean sauce and served it with noodles. I had rave reviews from my family. This was better than takeout!! I’ll definitely be making this again!!
Fantastic, Melissa, I’m so glad, thanks so much!
Discovered your recipe because my snow peas were ready to pick and I needed a simple stir-fry to suit. I found this particular combination of veggies to be very elegant and pleasing with it’s savoury flavour. It really showcases the snow peas perfectly. Personally, it was a bit sweet for me and so i’ll cut back the sugar next time to about one tsp. I had a porterhouse steak on hand, so fried it ahead in the cast iron pan, then cut it up into strips after resting. Lovely dish, thanks so much!
Fantastic, Donald, thank you!
OMG! This is the absolute best stir fry I’ve ever eaten. Amazing !
Wonderful, thanks so much, Barb!
Well That just looks delicious. I’m actually going to try and make this….but I think I’m going to add Water Chestnuts to mine.
Thanks, Janette, and happy cooking!
What cut of beef to use?
You can use any tender cut of beef and even flank steak or top round will work fine as long as you don’t cook it too long (otherwise it will toughen).
Use less brown sugar!!!
You are certainly welcome to.
Yes, please – YUM!
And ready in just 15, Sandra!
I love a good Asian stir fry too but I have to admit that it’s something I normally order for take out rather than make myself! Thanks for the delicious recipe – this is one I need to try out.
Hi Thalia! I know, I love good take-out, too, but really as insanely quick and easy as some of the most popular Chinese dishes are, it’s crazy not to make it at home. 15 minutes and it’s ready – it takes longer than that to get in the car and go order out, or to call the order in and wait for delivery!