Beef Stir Fry Recipe
Published March 22, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This quick-to-prepare tasty Beef Stir-Fry Recipe is loaded with thin slices of beef and fresh vegetables in a delicious homemade sauce. We love this recipe and make it weekly because it’s easy to make.
We love quick, Asian-Inspired weeknight meals that are jam-packed with flavor. If you do, too, then check out my General Tso’s Chicken or Chicken Fried Rice.
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 crispy, tender food. This recipe has many variations, and you can customize it to your liking by substituting different vegetables and proteins.
How to Stir Fry
This is an ancient technique in which a large pan called a wok, made of carbon steel or cast iron, is placed over a boiling open flame burner. Oil is used, and then your ingredients are added.
- To stir fry, ensure your oil is rolling smoke over high heat before adding any ingredients.
- Once the ingredients are added, hold the wok handle with one hand while holding a spoon or ladle in the other hand. The spoon or ladle is placed directly into the center of the wok, touching the bottom of the work.
- Using your hand holding the handle, move the wok backward and forwards vigorously while using your spoon hand to mix your ingredients around the work, ensuring they do not stick to the pan.
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 with 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
- Slice your beef very thin and place it in a bowl
- Mix the beef with the marinating ingredients.
- Prepare all vegetables and set aside.
- Add oil to a hot wok over high heat until it begins to roll smoke.
- Add in the beef and immediately push it outside of the pan so that each piece cooks.
- Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes
- Set the meat aside.
- Add more oil to the pan and wait till it rolls smoke.
- Add in vegetables and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour in sauce ingredients and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add in the cooked meat and mix until combined.
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.
chef notes + tips
- In place of the beef, you can use chicken, shrimp, tofu, or pork.
- Try serving this with White Rice or Stir-Fried Noodles.
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.
My first stir fry in a new wok! Actually, my first time using a wok. Great instructions. (I did overcook the veggies a little.)
The video helped. Another great recipe! Thank you chef.
thank you!
My son said this is the best meal I ever made. He is 23 so has had a lot of meals I cooked! Thanks Chef!
love it!
Great recipe. Better than the restaurant and so easy..
many thanks!
This is so delicious and so easy to make! My husband loved it and I will make this often, using your techniques and suggestions to change up the ingredients and flavors. Thank you!
Made this dish at least 3 times in the last two weeks!! It’s delish!! We will definitely be eating this again. ❤️
thank you so kindly!!
Another keeper! I made with chicken tenderloins and zucchini in place of flank steak and broccoli because that’s what I had on hand. Everything else, I followed exactly. Chef you’re making me a better cook by each recipe made! Thank you!
awesome!
Oh My Goodness!!
I made this last night!!
It was SO good!! Though I did use only half the oyster sauce.
I’m so glad you posted this recipe! I love anything stir fried especially with Jasmine rice! Definitely a keeper!! And I have leftovers! 😊
Excellent!
This was delish, even with my errors the taste is amazing!! Will make again and even better next time! The leftovers tasted even better! Definitely a keeper recipe!! Thanks Chef Billy!
I made this stir fry recipe for my family, we all love stir frys and make them often. This recipe was amazing. Thank you Chef
My pleasure
I’ve been making decent stir fry dishes for a long time but this recipe took it to another level. My husband said it was my best ever and it was! I used frozen green beans instead of broccoli and had to swap the Shaoxing wine for rice wine vinegar. Thank you Chef Billy:)
My pleasure!