Easy Beef Stir Fry With Vegetables
An easy and flavorful recipe for beef stir fry made with top sirloin beef, broccoli, snow peas, bell peppers, and carrots and on the table in under 30 minutes.
Weeknights can be so busy, from homework with kids to my evening workout sessions with Flynn, there’s not a lot of time to fuss in the kitchen. I love stir-fry dishes of all kinds. Really, just about any recipes with an Asian influence are winners in my book. I love the seasonings, sauces, and flavors in Asian cooking. It brings out the incredible umami in meats and makes fresh vegetables more interesting to eat.
How To Make Stir Fry Beef Tender
An easy way to ensure that your stir fry beef comes out tender is to sprinkle 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda on a pound of sliced beef, toss well, and let it sit for 20-30 minutes (but no longer than 30 minutes). The beef will turn a bright red color. Rinse well (this is VERY important, I rinse and drain it twice in cold water), drain thoroughly, and pat dry with paper towels. Once the beef is patted dry, it’s ready to cook as directed for your recipe. This is a great way to tenderize more economical cuts of beef for quick stir fry recipes.
The Best Beef Cuts For Stir Fry
Tender Beef Cuts
Sirloin, Ribeye, Tri-Tip, Top Loin (strip steak), Tenderloin, Shoulder Center (Ranch steak), Shoulder Top Blade (Flat Iron steak), and Shoulder Petite Center cut are all tender beef cuts that are great for stir-frying. Unless I’m using tenderloin steak, I still like to use the tenderizing method for perfect tender beef that you can easily cut with a fork.
Less Tender Cuts
Flank steak, Top Round steak, Round tip, Round Sirloin Tip center, and Round Sirloin Tip side steaks are less tender cuts that are great economical options that can be used in stir-frys utilizing the beef tenderizing method.
How To Make Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients For The Sauce:
- Low-sodium soy sauce– you can use regular soy sauce if you don’t mind the extra sodium
- Sugar– a sweetener is needed in the sauce to balance the flavors
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice– I always recommend fresh-squeezed citrus for the best flavor over citrus concentrate
- Fresh garlic cloves– garlic adds great flavor to the sauce
- Oyster sauce– Don’t skip the oyster sauce! It’s a key ingredient in stir fry sauce recipes for flavor
- Red pepper flakes– for a slight kick
Ingredients For The Stir Fry:
- Top sirloin steak– I love this cut for stir fry because it’s lean with a bold, beefy flavor. It’s also an affordable cut of meat for feeding a family
- Carrots– julienne sliced
- Fresh broccoli florets
- Snow peas
- Green or red bell pepper-very thinly sliced into strips
- Extra virgin olive oil– you can also use avocado oil or canola oil
- Optional: 2-3 Tien Tsin dried chili peppers
- Optional: sesame seeds for garnish
Stir Fry Tips
The cool thing about stir fry dishes is that they are really speedy to make, you just steam your vegetables and grab a lean protein, chopped in small pieces or thin strips, that will cook quickly in the hot wok. The key to this dish is allowing the meat to marinate in the sauce for a few minutes after the optional tenderizing step and using the remaining marinade on the vegetables while cooking. The add-in options here are endless, get creative with spices and vegetables that you enjoy. This beef stir-fry is loaded with flavor and you have a healthy meal that’s ready in under 20 minutes.
More Delicious Easy Beef Recipes
Instant Pot Mediterranean Beef– A family favorite!
Zucchini Spaghetti with Easy Beef Bolognese– A great low-carb meal option.
Easy Oven-Baked Beef Skillet Nachos– A kid favorite.
Southwest Beef Breakfast Muffins– A protein-packed hearty breakfast meal.
Beef Vegetable Stir Fry
Ingredients
- For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce can also sub Bragg's liquid aminos or coconut aminos
- 4 tsp sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- red pepper flakes to taste
- For the stir fry:
- 1 lb top sirloin cut into thin strips
- 2 carrots julienne sliced (thin slices)
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 green or red pepper sliced into thin, julienne, strips
- *you can also use 2 12 oz bags of fresh stir fry vegetables for speed and convenience
- 2 tbsp olive oil or canola oil
- *optional: 2-3 Tien Tsin dried China Chili Peppers
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk all sauce ingredients together and pour into a Ziplock bag.
- Add steak to sauce and marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Steam vegetables in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water for 4-5 minutes or until tender-crisp.
- Drain excess water and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large stir fry pan or Wok over medium-high heat.
- Add meat to the pan, reserving sauce, and cook 3-4 minutes until steak is lightly browned, stirring constantly.
- Add vegetables, chili peppers (if using) and sauce to the pan and cook for a few minutes more to mingle flavors, stirring frequently.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.
Nutrition
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dinner tonight. thank you for sharing and i am glad to see you arefeeling better. continue and smile…..
Thank you so much Anne!
20 minutes , I’m sold and what a delicious recipe thank you Amee you rock! xoxo
Thank you Beverly! You’re so kind! xo~
Thank you! This was so delicious! Lots of compliments from my family members who tend to be very picky!
I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed it!