Succulent beef stir-fried with colorful vegetables in a savory brown sauce. This quick and easy Asian beef vegetable stir-fry is delicious and ready in 30 minutes! A great main dish that's restaurant-quality and family-friendly.
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My beef vegetable stir-fry features juicy flank steak, red bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, onions, and garlic cooked in a glossy brown sauce.
This is a popular dish served at many Chinese restaurants or for takeout. It's best paired with white rice.
Whenever I'm craving a good beef stir-fry, I make this because I'm always looking for more ways to add fiber to my diet.
The brown sauce makes the veggies so tasty, that it doesn't feel like a chore to eat them.
If you're not a fan of beef or the vegetables in this recipe, swap them for ones you like - see Substitutes below.
Why you'll love this recipe:
- Ready in 30-minutes!
- Better-than-takeout!
- Great for meal preparation.
- Family-friendly!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements:
- Flank Steak: or substitute with skirt steak, flat iron steak, or hanger steak. Not a fan of beef? Substitute with chicken, pork shoulder, or shrimp.
- Broccoli Florets: or substitute with frozen broccoli florets, chopped cauliflower, green cabbage, green beans, asparagus, bok choy, or gai-lan.
- Red Bell Pepper: or swap with orange, green, yellow bell peppers, or celery.
- Carrots: or substitute with zucchini.
- Onion: or substitute with 1 large shallot.
- Neutral Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any low-smoke point oil.
- Water
Marinade
- Water: cold or room temperature.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos.
- Baking Soda
- Neutral Cooking Oil: see examples above.
Stir-Fry Sauce
- Garlic Cloves
- Oyster Sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir-fry sauce.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos.
- Dark Soy Sauce: or substitute with dark mushroom soy sauce or regular soy sauce.
- Shaoxing Wine: or substitute with dry sherry wine, dry white wine, or chicken broth.
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch.
- Sesame Oil: or substitute with sesame seeds.
- Water: cold or room temperature.
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- To thinly slice the beef easily, freeze it for 45-60 minutes and cut with a sharp knife.
- Slice the flank steak against the grain at a 45-degree angle for tender beef.
- Don't skip the any ingredients in the beef marinade, especially the baking soda or cornstarch or it won't be tender.
- Cut the veggies into similar-sized pieces for consistent cooking.
- Prepare the ingredients in advance as the cooking process is fast!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make beef vegetable stir-fry:
- Marinate beef: Marinate sliced flank steak with the marinade ingredients as listed above for 20-25 mins.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the stir-fry sauce ingredients as listed above until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Cook beef: Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Once oil it hot, fry beef in a single layer until cooked and slightly browned on the edges, about 2-3 minutes. Remove it from the pan.
- Cook vegetables: Reduce to medium heat. Then add onions, broccoli florets, carrots, red bell pepper, followed by water. Stir fry until the water has evaporated, about 1 minute.
- Add sauce: Add the sauce and simmer until slightly thickened.
- Add beef: Add cooked beef and toss in the sauce until evenly coated. Serve and enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
- Beef vegetable stir-fry will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge, once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
- Beef vegetable stir-fry can be frozen for up to 2-3 months in a freezer-safe bag, once cooled. To enjoy, defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
Pairing Suggestions
Beef vegetable stir-fry serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, or hot and sour soup.
- white or brown rice, or fried rice.
- chow mein, lo mein, or plain noodles.
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, Cashew Chicken, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Egg Foo Young, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
Beef vegetable stir-fry can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge, once cooled. To reheat, microwave or reheat on the stovetop until hot throughout.
The protein and vegetables can be substituted for ones you enjoy. See the above Ingredients & Substitutes section for suggestions.
To make beef vegetable stir-fry spicy, season with chili oil, red pepper or red chili flakes, or sriracha to taste.
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📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Beef Vegetable Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak or skirt steak / flat iron steak / hanger steak
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- ¾ cup red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup carrots sliced into ¼“ thick rounds
- ½ small onion diced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ cup water
Marinade
- ¼ cup water cold or room temp.
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch / tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Stir-Fry Sauce
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir-fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or dry sherry / dry white wine / chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch / tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ cup water cold or room temp.
Instructions
- Slice flank steak against the grain at a 45-degree angle into ¼-inch thick pieces. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Marinate sliced flank steak with the marinade ingredients as listed above for 20-25 mins.
- In a small bowl, combine the stir-fry sauce ingredients as listed above until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Once oil it hot, fry beef in a single layer until cooked and slightly browned on the edges, about 2-3 minutes. Remove it from the pan.
- Reduce to medium heat. Then add onions, broccoli florets, carrots, red bell pepper, followed by water. Stir fry until the water has evaporated, about 1 minute.
- Add the sauce and simmer until slightly thickened.
- Add cooked beef and toss in the sauce until evenly coated. Serve and enjoy!
Kat
Love your recipes! How would you adapt the recipe with all frozen vegetables? Would the timings or amount of water change?
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for the kind words, Kat! As for substituting with frozen vegetables, I would suggest adding half of the suggested amount of water and reduce the cooking time by 30-60 seconds or until the veggies are cooked but still crisp. Hope this helps!