Tender strips of beef steak are marinated in a Chinese inspired stir fry sauce and quickly cooked with lots of fresh veggies for a healthy, delicious and easy family dinner. With flavors of soy, ginger and garlic, the beef stir fry sauce takes minutes to make, and you can have a tasty meal on the table in just 20 minutes.
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This recipe was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated with an improved recipe, photos and additional tips.
Stir fry has always been on my weekly meal rotation. Fresh and healthy ingredients and super quick to prep and cook, it's a great go to after a long day and you don't want to spend hours in the kitchen.
Made from scratch, this marinated beef and vegetable stir fry is ready to serve in 20 minutes, and the stir fry sauce is lower in salt and sugar compared to the ready made sauces that you can pick up from the store.
This is a great go to recipe when you have fresh veggies that you need to use up, and it will leave you feeling full and satisfied. It's one of my favorite weeknight dinners!
Be sure to try my Eggplant Stir Fry and Ground Turkey Fried Rice too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Quick and easy: Meals made from scratch don't have to take hours! This is so quick to whip together, you'll have it on the table in no time.
- Budget friendly: This is a great recipe to make the most of fresh veggies that you've bought and reduce your food waste. You don't need to use an expensive cut of steak wither.
- Healthier: High in protein with lots of fresh veggies, this is a great well balanced and tasty meal.
- Dietary info: This marinated beef stir fry is gluten-free and dairy-free.
Ingredients
For the beef stir fry sauce
- Tamari Sauce: Tamari is a great option if you are gluten-free, or, trying to reduce your sodium intake, but if you just have soy sauce to hand then that will work just fine!
- Rice Wine Vinegar: This is a mild vinegar that helps to balance out the flavors. You can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
- Oyster Sauce: For an umami savory flavor for a richer sauce.
- Tomato Puree: Just a little helps to round the flavors.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar is less refined than white, and adds a complex sweetness. You can use white in a pinch, but you may wish to use slightly less as it is sweeter. Honey can also be used.
- Chili flakes: Just a pinch works wonders! If you re particularly sensitive to spicy food, then omit them, or, add some extra if you like things hot!
- Garlic and ginger: Use fresh for the best flavor. Dice finely or grate for the best flavor.
Beef and Vegetables
- Steak: I used a frying steak for this stir fry recipe, there's no need to buy the most expensive steak in the butchers! If you are doubling the recipe and serving more people, a flank steak would work great.
- Onion
- Bell Peppers
- Carrot
- Broccoli
- Green onion: To garnish.
How to make Marinated Beef Vegetable Stir Fry
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Mix together the ingredients for the stir fry sauce (photo 1).
- Marinate the beef strips in the stir fry sauce (photo 2).
- Stir fry the marinated beef and sauce (photo 3).
- Add in the sliced veggies. Toss and cook til tender (photo 4).
Recipe Variations
This marinated beef and vegetable stir fry is super delicious as it is, but it's easy to adapt to suit your tastes.
- Use a different protein: Don't have beef? Chicken or shrimp work great in this recipe too, or, for a vegan option, use extra firm tofu.
- Use different veggies: You can use so many different vegetables in stir fry, for best results, use firm veggies that have a crunch to them. Bean sprouts, celery, cauliflower, baby sweet corn, mane tout and asparagus are all great options.
- Make a thicker sauce: The sauce for this stir fry is thin. It lightly coats the beef and vegetables for a lighter dinner option. If you prefer a thicker sauce for your stir fry, simply stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
When I make stir fries, I do use a large skillet rather than a wok, and when you are only cooking for two, you don't need the extra surface area. If you plan on doubling this recipe for four, then I would recommend that you use a wok, as you will have a larger surface area to cook on and the meat and veggies will cook quickly and evenly.
Beef is a great meat to marinate, as it can handle some really punchy flavours, and this Marinated Beef Stir Fry is no exception. You can leave the steak to marinade for up to 24 hours, but with this dish, because you also cook with the sauce, just 10 or 20 minutes will still yield super tasty results. I often marinate it at room temperature whilst I'm prepping the veggies.
For best results, the beef and vegetables should be cut into thin long strips, also known as julienne or matchsticks. This allows all of the ingredients to cook quickly and evenly.
Serving Suggestions
This marinated beef stir fry is great served over rice, cauliflower rice, noodles or quinoa. Try it with some of these favorite sides:
Make ahead, storage and reheating
You can marinate the steak up to a day ahead of time, you can chop all the veggies several hours before and keep them covered in the fridge so that they are ready to use.
Best served as soon as you've made it, but leftovers will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days and can quickly be reheated in a wok or skillet to serve.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Place the steak in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing it. This will make it easier to cut even strips.
- Cut all of your veggies before you start cooking. Stir fries cook quickly, so have everything ready to use when you turn on the heat.
- Your wok or skillet should be as hot as it can be.
- Use a neutral high heat cooking oil like avocado, canola or vegetable. Olive oil should be avoided.
There are several reasons that stir fry has been one of my go to meals for....well, ever! It's such a quick and easy meal to put together, from the moment the vegetables hit the pan to serving it up, it's less than 5 minutes.
It's a great way of getting a bucket load of veggies into your diet as well as being packed full of flavour, and it's a great way to use up any fresh ingredients you have in your fridge!
More Easy Beef Recipes
- Ground Beef and Tomato Soup
- Beef and Potato Casserole
- Beef and Goats Cheese Pasta
- Mexican Beef Quesadillas
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Healthy Marinated Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Marinated Beef
- ¼ cup tamari sauce or soy sauce (60ml)
- ¼ cup rice vinegar (60ml)
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 pinch chilli flakes (more if you like things spicy)
- 2 garlic cloves finely diced
- 1 inch fresh ginger finely diced
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 9 ounces steak (I used a thin frying steak)
Stir fry rainbow vegetables
- 1 white onion
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1 small head of broccoli
Optional Garnish
- sliced green onion
Instructions
- Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Slice the steak into strips and add to the bowl ensuring that it is all coated. Cover and pop in the fridge while you prep the vegetables.
- Cut all of the vegetables into even strips (julienne) ready for stir frying.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in the wok (or skillet) on the highest heat. Let the oil get super hot.
- Add the onions to the wok for a minute or two to soften, keep moving them around in the wok as they cook. Add in the beef along with all of the marinade , and cook for a couple of minutes, again, keep stirring.
- Once the beef has coloured, stir in the vegetables and cook for 3 minutes until they have softened, but still crunchy
- Garnish with spring onions and some chilli slices. Serve immediately with rice or noodles
Notes
- Place the steak in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing it. This will make it easier to cut even strips.
- Cut all of your veggies before you start cooking. Stir fries cook quickly, so have everything ready to use when you turn on the heat.
- Your wok or skillet should be as hot as it can be.
- Use a neutral high heat cooking oil like avocado, canola or vegetable. Olive oil should be avoided.
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating! says
Yummm!! I love a good stir fry - I usually default to chicken, but I will have to try this sometime! My husband got me an electric wok a few years ago that I love using! They're so versatile, aren't they?