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Tender cuts of steak pair with fresh bell peppers, green beans, and a blend of savory stir-fry sauces in my easy Pepper Steak Recipe. Best of all, you can have this beef stir fry recipe ready in 30 minutes or less!
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Beef Stir Fry Recipe
If you were to ask me about my favorite quick and easy meals to make on the fly, my simple beef stir fry recipe would be near the top of the list. There is nothing quite like a good stir fry: stir-frying is a great way to use up leftovers or, better yet, make fresh in minutes for a fast dinner your family will love.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I live a fast-paced life and love to get things done, but this sometimes means I'm pressed for time when it comes to getting dinner on the table. This was even more true when my kids were growing up - it's not easy feeding a full house during a busy week of work!
But this pepper steak stir fry? A total time-saver and a life-saver if you're busy. It's easy to throw together and the flavor is the real reward! You can even do all your prep the day before or over the weekend if you like to meal plan. Let's get started!
Pepper Steak Stir Fry Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- Thinly sliced steak; use flank steak or sirloin steak
- Soy sauce; if you're gluten-free, use tamari shoyu or coconut aminos (also soy-free)
- Garlic; freshly minced, or garlic paste
- Ginger; freshly minced, or ginger paste
- Chili paste; Huy Fong brand chili paste, Thai chili paste or Korean gochujang chili paste all work
- Green beans; use fresh, trimmed green beans for best results
- Teriyaki sauce; for gluten-free, look for a gluten-free teriyaki sauce such as Kikkoman's gluten-free teriyaki
- Bell peppers
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Green onions; optional, for topping
- Basil leaves; optional, for topping
- Cooked rice; alternatively, you can also serve this stir-fry with noodles
How to Make Pepper Steak
- Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat on the stove. Once very hot, add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and chili paste to the pan, then immediately add sliced steak.
- Sear for 1 minute, then stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until mostly browned.
- Add green beans and teriyaki sauce. Cover and allow the beans to steam for 3-4 minutes until slightly tender but still crisp.
- Mix in sliced bell peppers and stir-fry 1 minute more.
- Season with sea salt and black pepper. Top with sliced green onions and shredded basil (optional).
- Serve over rice or with noodles, and enjoy!
Steak Stir Fry Recipe Tips
- Wait until the pan is sizzling hot before adding oil and cooking. To check if the pan is hot, drop a tiny amount of water into the pan (do this before adding the oil). If it's hot enough, it should sizzle up immediately.
- You don't need a wok, but woks like this wok with a lid are the best for stir-frying. Just make sure you have a cover for the pan so the green beans can steam properly.
- Pre-trimmed or frozen green beans can be used instead of fresh, untrimmed beans if you prefer. I don't recommend using canned green beans.
- You can use leftovers to make this recipe.
- Garlic and ginger paste can be used instead of freshly minced to save time.
- The beef should be very thinly sliced flank steak or sirloin steak for the best pepper steak. If you'd rather not slice it yourself, ask your butcher to put the steak through a wide mincer for thin strips.
- Follow this guide to make the perfect rice at home: How to Cook Perfect Rice.
Steak Stir Fry Marinade
Our Asian Steak Marinade is amazing and also works so well with this recipe. Try it out as a steak stir fry marinade for super tender steak.
FAQs
Pepper steak is a Chinese stir-fry recipe traditionally using thinly sliced beef, bell peppers, and bamboo shoots. The original Chinese dish it takes its inspiration from is black pepper beef, which has a much stronger taste of black pepper in the stir fry sauce.
No, you don't need a wok to make pepper steak stir fry! If you don't have a wok, you can just use your favorite large skillet to make your pepper steak stir fry. I recommend a cast-iron skillet as it will give the beef the most beautiful sear. However, any large skillet will do.
Use thinly sliced flank steak or sirloin steak for best results when making pepper steak. You can often buy this pre-packaged as "stir-fry beef".
How to Cut Flank Steak for Stir Fry
- Identify the grain of the steak. The grain is the alignment of the muscle fiber in a cut of beef. It's easy to spot - it looks like lines running through the steak!
- Always slice against the grain. Slicing against the grain will give you the most tender cuts of beef, so find the grain and slice in the opposite direction it's running.
- Cut at an angle instead of straight down, and cut thin slices. For stir-fry beef you want thin, minced slices. For best results cut it to one-fourth of an inch, and no larger than one-half of an inch.
- Freezing the beef for approximately an hour will make it easier to cut.
Asian Beef Recipes
- Grilled Sirloin Steak
- Vietnamese Beef Salad
- Instant Pot Beef Pho Recipe
- Keto Beef and Broccoli
- Try more Leftover Steak Recipes
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Pepper Steak Stir Fry Recipe
Equipment
- Skillet/wok
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound flank steak or sirloin steak sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced, or garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced, or ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon chili paste
- 1 pound green beans trimmed
- ½ cup teriyaki sauce
- 2 cups bell peppers mixed, sliced (approx. 2 bell peppers)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup basil leaves thinly sliced
- 4 cups cooked rice for serving
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until sizzling hot. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom.
- Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, and 1 tablespoon chili paste to the pan. Immediately add 1 pound sliced flank steak and sear for 1 minute, then stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes until the pink is mostly gone.
- Add 1 pound trimmed green beans and ½ cup teriyaki sauce, then cover the wok or pan.
- Allow the green beans to steam for 3 to 4 minutes or until they are slightly tender but still crisp. Mix in 2 cups sliced bell peppers and stir fry for another minute.
- Season with ¼ teaspoon each sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, or to taste. Top with ¼ cup sliced green onions and ¼ cup sliced basil leaves. Serve over rice, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Photo credit: Caroline Williams
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Morena Li Siu says
Thank you for sharing this delicious and easy to prepare dish, I like how detailed you made it, step by step. I enjoyed making it 👍
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much, Morena! We're so glad you enjoyed it!