Beef Stir Fry Recipe
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This quick and easy Beef Stir-Fry recipe is packed with thin slices of beef and fresh vegetables tossed in a homemade sauce. I love that I can have it ready to serve my family on a busy weekday in less than 30 minutes.
In my house we love Asian-inspired weeknight meals that are loaded with flavor, and this beef stir fry is one of our family favorites. Before we jump in, you have to check out my General Tso’s chicken or my chicken fried rice recipe, both ready in under an hour and perfect for busy days.
Beef Stir Fry
Beef stir fry is a simple Asian-inspired dish of thin slices of beef quickly fried in a wok using the “stir-fry” method with vegetables and then finished with a savory and salty sauce. The result is tender, flavorful, and always satisfying. I love that this recipe has so many variations, and I often switch up the vegetables or even the protein depending on what I have on hand.
Today, I will show you how to stir fry like a pro. This ancient cooking technique uses a large pan called a wok, made of carbon steel or cast iron, placed over a hot open flame.
Mastering the Stir Fry Technique at Home
- First, ensure your oil is smoking over high heat before adding any ingredients. That quick blast of heat is what makes a stir fry taste so good.
- Once the ingredients are added, hold the wok handle with one hand and a spoon or ladle in the other. Place the spoon or ladle directly in the center of the wok, touching the bottom.
- With the hand holding the handle, move the wok back and forth vigorously while using the spoon in your other hand to stir the ingredients around the wok, making sure they do not stick to the pan. Note: If you are new to cooking, I highly recommend watching my video below.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Steak – I used flank steak in this stir fry, but you could also use filet mignon, strip steak, sirloin, or ribeye.
Onion – You can use a red, white, yellow, or sweet onion. In addition, you’ll need some fresh whole garlic cloves.
Ginger – The beef marinade uses freshly grated ginger. You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of ground dry ginger.
Soy – Any good shoyu or tamari soy sauce will work. If you are soy-free, you can substitute coconut aminos.
Egg – Chilled or room temperature large eggs will work.
Corn Starch – This is mixed with water and used as a slurry to thicken the stir fry sauce.
Oil – Any high-smoke point neutral flavored oil like avocado is good.
Vegetables – I used a combination of bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli. Other vegetables you could use are zucchini, squash (yellow, butternut, or spaghetti), bok choy, cabbage, snow peas, sugar snaps, green beans, bamboo shoots, sprouts, or baby corn.
Mushrooms – I use either shiitake or oyster mushrooms. However, any mushroom is good to use in this dish.
Oyster Sauce – This will add some exceptional flavors. While oysters are an ingredient, they are masked behind everything else, so don’t worry. You can use a vegan oyster sauce as a substitute.
Sugar – You can use granulated or brown sugar.
Sherry – The sauce uses regular dry sherry. You can also use Shaoxing wine or dry vermouth. For an alcohol-free substitute, try mixing equal parts apple cider vinegar with water.
How to Make Beef Stir Fry
Prep the beef: I slice the beef very thin and place it in a bowl.
Marinate: I add the marinating ingredients to the bowl with the beef. Then, I mix everything together until the slices are well coated.
Prepare the vegetables: I slice and chop all the vegetables for the stir fry. Then, I set them aside so they are ready to go when it is time to cook.
Heat the oil: I add oil to a hot wok over high heat and wait until it begins to smoke. This is the key to getting that authentic stir fry flavor.
Cook: I add the beef to the hot wok and immediately push it up the sides of the pan. This way each piece cooks evenly without clumping together.
Stir fry the beef: I cook the beef for 2 to 3 minutes while stirring, then remove it from the wok and set it aside.
Cook the vegetables: I add a little more oil to the pan and wait until it starts to smoke. Then, I toss in the vegetables and stir fry them for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the sauce: I pour the oyster sauce, sherry, sugar, and soy sauce into the wok with the vegetables. Then, I stir constantly and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until everything is coated.
Cook the broccoli and carrots: I place the broccoli and carrots in a large pot of boiling water and cook them for 1 to 2 minutes. Then, I strain and add them straight into the wok with the meat and vegetables.
Serve the stir fry: I spoon the beef stir fry over jasmine rice and finish with optional garnishes of sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
chef tip + notes
The most important tip I would give for making beef stir fry a success every time is to have all your ingredients prepped before you start cooking. Stir fry moves fast, and once the oil is hot there is no time to stop and chop. If everything is sliced, measured, and ready to go, even someone new to cooking can keep up with the heat of the wok and end up with tender beef, crisp vegetables, and a flavorful sauce every time.
- Slice the beef thin: I always slice the beef as thin as possible, sometimes even placing it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to make slicing easier. I also cut on a bias and against the grain so the meat stays tender and not chewy, which is exactly what we want.
- Keep the wok hot: Stir fry is all about high heat. I make sure the oil is smoking before adding anything so the meat and vegetables sear quickly without steaming.
- Do not overcrowd: I cook the beef in batches if needed. Overcrowding the wok lowers the heat and keeps the beef from getting that nice sear.
- Use fresh vegetables: Crisp, colorful veggies not only look great but also add amazing texture and flavor to the dish.
- Versatile dish: In place of beef, I sometimes use chicken, shrimp, tofu, or pork. It is an easy way to change up the recipe while keeping it just as delicious.
Serving Suggestions
I usually keep it classic when serving this beef stir fry because it is exactly how my family loves it. Most of the time I make plain white rice or my delicious coconut rice, which happens to be my daughter’s favorite and something I often cook ahead so it is ready on busy days when we all come home hungry. I also like adding a few extra veggies on the side, and sesame garlic snap peas are one of my favorite Asian-inspired dishes to serve with it.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This is meant to be eaten when it’s done cooking.
How to Store: Cover it and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It does not freeze well as it will turn your vegetables to mush.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of stir-fry to a hot wok with a little oil and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until hot.
More Beef Recipes
Video
Beef Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
For the Beef:
- 1 pound thinly sliced flank steak
- 3 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon peeled finely grated fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
For the Vegetables and Sauce:
- 2 seeded and thickly sliced red bell peppers
- 1 cup julienned shiitake mushrooms
- ½ peeled thinly sliced yellow onion
- 4 green onions cut into 2” long pieces
- 2 heads of trimmed broccoli
- ½ cup matchstick carrots
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry wine
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice
Instructions
- Add the sliced beef, salt and pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, egg, and corn starch to a bowl and mix until completely combined.
- Next, add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to a large wok over high heat.
- Once it begins to roll smoke add in the beef and immediately move it up the sides of the pan so that it doesn’t clump, and all of the pieces can get cooked.
- Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes and set aside.
- Add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to the wok and return it to the burner over high heat until it rolls smoke again.
- Add in the bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and green onions and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until a light sear has been created.
- Pour the oyster sauce, sherry, sugar and soy sauce to the wok with stir-fried vegetables and cook for 1 to 2 minutes stirring constantly.
- Add the broccoli and carrots to a separate large pot of boiling water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Strain and add it to the wok with the other ingredients.
- Serve the beef stir fry with jasmine rice and add optional garnishes of sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
I made this for dinner tonight. Although there was a lot of chopping, it went pretty smoothly. When my husband tasted it, he said it was delicious. I said “it’s the Parisi Effect”. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Fantastic! Thank you!
Perfection! So delicious I cant stop eating it! Thanks for the video reference too, its really helpful!
Fantastic! Thanks for giving it a try!
Second time making this recipe, so delicious and very easy as long as all your veggies are prepped, Thanks Chef for sharing this, love it!!!
My pleasure!
Excellent recipe! It was tasty and the portions are perfect!
Amazing!
I made this last night for dinner and oh my goodness, it tasted like I got it from a restaurant!!! Plus, I got to clean out all the bits of veggies from the fridge!! I will definitely be putting this in my rotation of meals. Thanks for another great recipe!!
My pleasure. Thanks for giving this one a shot!
Cannot wait to make this your recipes are so good. I enjoy them all. Love watch you on TV too.
I added crushed red pepper for more spice but very easy and tasty. Family loved it. Will make again
Excellent!
I made the beef stir fry and the orange chicken on Wednesday. They both were delicious!
Amazing!
Quick question, Chef: can the meat marinate for a few hours or should it be done just before cooking? Although it’s common to marinate meat for up to 24 hours, the addition of cornstarch and egg makes me think that is not the case here.
You could try it, may get a little too thick.
Great recipe whole Family loved it Thank you Chef
my pleasure!