This easy pepper and steak stir fry recipe, comes together in just 30 minutes and it’s better than take-out! It’s got everything I look for in a meal (from both a nutrition and an enjoyment standpoint): carbs, veggies, protein, and FLAVOR! Serve up this stir fry steak with rice for a completely delicious meal.
Stir fry makes a regular dinner appearance at our house and in the Weeknight Dinner Club, because it’s a great meal for quick, easy, and delicious meals and there are so many flavors and so many ways to enjoy it.
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
- What You'll Love About Steak Stir Fry Recipes
- Steak Stir Fry Video
- Steak Stir Fry Ingredients
- How to Make Steak Stir Fry
- FAQs
- Can I add extra vegetables to this beef stir fry recipe?
- What's in pepper steak stir fry sauce?
- Can you make pepper steak stir fry without cornstarch?
- Is this pepper steak recipe healthy?
- Is beef pepper stir fry Chinese?
- Storage Instructions
- What to Serve with Beef Stir Fry
- How to Feed Stir Fry Steak to the Whole Family
- Want More?
- More Easy Stir Fry Recipes
- Let me Meal Plan for you!
What You’ll Love About Steak Stir Fry Recipes
- Delicious flavors
- Balanced meal with protein, carbs, and veggies
- Thick and glossy sauce like your favorite take out spot
- Made with simple ingredients
- A family favorite
Steak Stir Fry Video
Steak Stir Fry Ingredients
- Oil – Use a vegetable oil that can take high heat – like avocado oil, canola oil, or peanut oil.
- Bell peppers – I love the mix of colors and flavors with red and green, but you can also use yellow and orange peppers as well. I would recommend using 2 green and then 2 sweet peppers for the best balance of flavors.
- Steak – Flank steak works really well in this pepper steak stir fry, but you could also use another cut like sirloin steak or skirt steak that will stay tender if it’s cooked quickly. When you are cutting flank steak for stir fry, you want to cut it into thin strips against the grain. The flank steak from my Moink Box was perfectly tender!
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves will give the best flavor, but you could use frozen or jarred garlic for a convenient shortcut.
- Ginger – Use fresh ginger or use frozen ginger cubes for an easy alternative.
- Soy sauce – Use your favorite soy sauce, you can also use low sodium soy sauce, though you may need to adjust the seasonings. You could also use tamari instead of soy sauce to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Brown sugar – This gives a sweet flavor to the stir fry. You could also use honey or coconut sugar if you prefer.
- Corn starch – The corn starch helps create a thick and glossy sauce, but you can omit it if you prefer. You may need to cook the sauce a few extra minutes to help it thicken up.
- Rice vinegar – This helps balance the flavors of the stir fry marinade for steak. You could also use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even a white balsamic vinegar.
- Sesame oil – Use a high-quality toasted sesame oil for best flavor.
How to Make Steak Stir Fry
This is an overview on how to make steak stir fry, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
PRO TIP: Freeze steak for 30 minutes or so to make it easier to slice. Slice it against the grain.
FAQs
Can I add extra vegetables to this beef stir fry recipe?
Yes, you could virtually use any vegetable; you’ll just need to be mindful of the cooking time and cooking order if using a variety of vegetables. Carrots, broccoli, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, green beans, snow peas, and bok choy would all be delicious.
What’s in pepper steak stir fry sauce?
This recipe for pepper steak stir fry sauce is simple and made with ingredients that you probably already have:
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Cornstarch
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sesame oil
Can you make pepper steak stir fry without cornstarch?
Yes, you can omit the cornstarch if you like, the sauce will not be as thick and glossy like it is as Chinese restaurants, but will still be full of flavor.
Is this pepper steak recipe healthy?
Yes! You can read all about my disdain for the is it healthy question, but this meal has protein, veggies, carbs, and FLAVOR – everything you need in a meal. The full nutrition stats can be found below the recipe card.
Is beef pepper stir fry Chinese?
Pepper steak is a Chinese-American dish that consists of sliced beef, sliced bell peppers, bamboo shoots and a soy sauce-based sauce. It originated from Fujian cuisine, where pork was originally used and the seasonings a bit lighter. The American adaptation dates back to 1948.
Storage Instructions
Store pepper steak stir fry leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat the stir fry in the microwave, or for best results, in a hot skillet, just until heated through.
What to Serve with Beef Stir Fry
Rice is, of course the classic stir fry with steak base, but you also have some other options:
- Rice – Use a rice maker for perfect rice every time.
- Noodles – Use rice noodles, soba noodles, or even regular spaghetti noodles.
- Cauliflower rice – Add in even more veggies to this meal by serving the pepper steak stir fry recipe over a base of cauliflower rice OR combine some rice with cauliflower rice for a happy medium.
How to Feed Stir Fry Steak to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.
I like to serve this pepper steak stir fry with rice, but you can also serve it with noodles if you prefer. I would use a longer noodle like spaghetti or a flat noodle like linguine or Pad Thai noodles.
I would recommend serving small pieces of the homemade steak stir fry in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter.
More Easy Stir Fry Recipes
If you like this flank steak stir fry, you might like some of these other easy stir fry recipes:
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Pepper Steak Stir Fry Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This flavorful pepper steak stir fry recipe is ready in just 30 minutes! Quick, easy, and packed with nutritious ingredients – it’s a weeknight dinner winner!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
- 2 green bell peppers
- 2 red bell peppers
- 16 oz. flank steak
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tsp. ginger
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
Instructions
- Prep ingredients:
Prepare rice according to package instructions.
Slice bell peppers.
Slice flank steak against the grain in ¼ inch slices. **Freeze for 30 min to make this easy
Mince garlic.
Mince ginger. - Mix up sauce. Whisk together minced garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. Add peppers and ¼ teaspoon salt to skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes. Transfer peppers to a plate.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. Add steak and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes, until browned.
- Add peppers and soy sauce mixture to pan and stir occasionally, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until sauce has thickened.
- Serve peppers and steak over rice.
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include rice.
- If you like it spicy, add 1/2-1 sliced jalapeno.
Keywords: pepper steak stir fry, pepper steak stir fry recipe, recipe for pepper steak stir fry
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Molly
This was amazing! Everyone loved it: husband, teenager, 9-year-old, and me. I make stir fry pretty often and this sauce was the best I’ve made! I will make it again soon!
★★★★★
dorinda
This recipe was great,.. and i used chicken because I didn’t have beef. However I was confused about the garlic and ginger…. it says mix with soy , sugar etc, in a sauce but then later it says add garlic and ginger to peppers when cooking…not sure what it means,. but mine was all mixed together…
Emily
Oh thank you so much for catching that, I just updated it. I tested it both ways and they both work. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Rebecca
I made this tonight. It was great & full a flavor. It will now be part of the meal rotation.
★★★★★
Emily
Awesome!!! Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!