This is the absolute best Beef Stir Fry recipe. It's a super easy 30 minute dinner that is delicious. The dish includes tender slices of flank steak and sugar snap pea pods. The Asian inspired sauce has plenty of umami and is made with beef stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar and cornstarch. This one is an all time favorite dinner recipe!
My personal chef clients love STIR FRYS and Asian dishes. Spicy Jalapeno Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry, Instant Pot Asian Beef Stew, Better Than Takeout Fried Rice, Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls are all favorites that are frequently featured on my clients' menus. My Beef and Sugar Snap Pea Stir Fry recipe is one that my clients love as it is tastier and healthier than Chinese takeout food.
I'm not going to lie. It took a lot of recipe testing to get my beef stir fry recipe just right. Either my beef was too tough and chewy, the sauce was watery and tasteless, or the vegetables were soggy. And all of these made for a disappointing beef stir fry recipe.
So I got to work in the kitchen!
To make the most delicious beef stir fry, flank steak is sliced paper thin. It only takes a couple minutes to cook in a hot, hot, hot pan.
The Asian inspired sauce is one of my favorites. The key to getting that authentic Chinese takeout food flavor is the addition of oyster sauce. The dark caramel colored sauce with a complex umami flavor that is both salty and just slightly sweet.
I love to serve this beef stir fry recipe over rice. And my recipe for fluffy rice is the perfect one to use.
Jump to:
the ingredients for beef stir fry
- flank steak ~ A flavorful and versatile cut of steak. Slice it thinly against the grain. It is lean so do not overcook it.
- baking soda ~ The ingredient for tender steak in this beef stir fry recipe.
- reduced sodium soy sauce ~ Use this low salt soy sauce so the stir fry sauce is not too salty.
- reduced sodium beef stock ~ Adds a nice beefy flavor without too much salt.
- oyster sauce ~ The key ingredient to get that takeout Chinese food taste. A thick, salty, sweet sauce with a umami rich savoriness.
- light brown sugar ~ Adds a caramelly touch of sweetness.
- cornstarch ~ The ingredient to make the sauce thick and glossy so it coats the beef and sugar snap peas beautifully.
- toasted sesame oil ~ Adds a slight nutty flavor to the cooked beef.
- sugar snap peas ~ For a bright green pop of color.
- sesame seeds ~ Adds an extra bit of flavor to the beef stir fry.
- cooked hot rice ~ my foolproof recipe for fluffy rice is perfect for soaking up the delicious sauce.
how to slice flank steak
Slicing a flank steak correctly helps to ensure that is not tough after it is cooked.
Start with a cold steak. It is easier to thinly slice steak when it is cold. Place the steak on a cutting board. Using a sharp chef's knife, slice thin pieces of steak against the grain. About ⅛ to ¼ inch slices are ideal. You want to slice the steak in the opposite direction as the long muscle fibers.
how to make my beef stir fry recipe
A 30 minute dinner recipe (including clean up)!
- Slice ~ Against the grain is the way to slice the flank steak so it is tender.
- Marinate ~ The combination of baking soda, reduced sodium soy sauce and water helps keep the steak tender when cooked.
- Blanch ~ Quickly cook the sugar snap peas in boiling water.
- Mix ~ Combine the sauce ingredients of reduced sodium soy sauce, reduced sodium beef stock, oyster sauce, light brown sugar, and cornstarch.
- Stir Fry ~ Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add toasted sesame oil and the steak. Quickly stir and fry the steak (only a few minutes) while stirring occasionally.
- Pour ~ Add the sauce into the pan with the steak and bring to a boil. Stir to coat the steak.
- Toss in ~ Add the sugar snap peas. Quickly stir to just coat the veggies with the sauce.
- Sprinkle ~ A touch of sesame seeds finishes the dish. Time to eat!
chef cooking tips for making beef stir fry
- Don't skip marinating the steak ~ It's a scientific reaction. This combination of ingredients neutralizes the acid so the steak is more alkaline. This causes the proteins in the steak not to bind and tighten up when cooked. The result is more tender beef.
- Quickly blanch the sugar snap peas ~ Only a couple minutes is needed to cook the peas. You want bright green veggies with a slight crunch to them.
- Avoid overcooking the steak ~ Cooking the steak too long will make it tough. You want to cook the beef to medium rare to medium.
- Give the sauce a stir before adding it to the cooked steak ~ The sauce can separate after sitting for a few minutes. Give it a stir to recombine all the ingredients.
more easy dinner recipes
- Everything But the Bagel Chicken Bites
- Baked Shrimp with Feta and Tomatoes
- Creamy Tomato Pasta
- Spicy Chili with Butternut Squash
just one more thing
If you make my beef stir fry recipe, I'd love hearing from you. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I'll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.
Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories, videos, cooking tips, and recipes.
Recipe
Beef and Sugar Snap Pea Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds flank steak
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce divided
- ½ cup reduced sodium beef stock
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cups sugar snap peas
- sesame seeds for serving
- 4 cups cooked hot rice
Instructions
- Place the flank steak on a cutting board and thinly slice against the grain. You want slices that are ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Place the sliced steak in a bowl and sprinkle with the baking soda, 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce and 1 tablespoon water. Toss to combine and let marinate for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of reduced sodium soy sauce, reduced sodium beef stock, oyster sauce, light brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir to dissolve the light brown sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Fill a medium sized pot with water, place of high heat and bring to a boil. When the water boils, add the sugar snap peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Drain the snap peas in a colander and set aside.
- After the steak has marinated for 15 minutes, heat a large sauté pan or wok over medium high heat. Add the toasted sesame oil. When the oil is hot (this will take less than a minute over medium high heat) add the steak. Let the steak sauté for a minute or so and then stir to cook evenly. You want the steak to just be cooked with still a few pink spots. It should be medium rare to medium. Overcooking the steak will make it tough.
- Pour the sauce into the the pan. Let come to a low boil then stir to finish cooking the steak and thicken the sauce. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the sugar snap peas and toss to coat with the sauce.
- Serve the beef stir fry over the rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- Don't skip marinating the steak ~ It's a scientific reaction. This combination of ingredients neutralizes the acid so the steak is more alkaline. This causes the proteins in the steak not to bind and tighten up when cooked. The result is more tender beef.
- Quickly blanch the sugar snap peas ~ Only a couple minutes is need to cook the peas. You want bright green veggies with a slight crunch to them.
- Avoid overcooking the steak ~ Cooking the steak too long will make it tough. You want to cook the beef to medium rare to medium.
- Give the sauce a stir before adding it to the cooked steak ~ The sauce can separate after sitting for a few minutes. Give it a stir to recombine all the ingredients.
Sarah says
I received a large amount of snap peas, which is not something we usually have. I went searching for a recipe and picked this one knowing I had skirt steak in the freezer. I double the entire recipe to use all my snap peas. It was glorious! Closest to take out I’ve ever made at home, without all the extra ingredients we don’t want. Quick and easy. Will definitely make this again!
Amy Casey says
I love to hear that Sarah! This recipe was a frequent request of my personal chef clients. And a fave in our house too.
Tammy says
This was so good. All I changed was doubling sauce due to adding more veggies.
Amy Casey says
This was one of my go to recipes for a personal chef client family that loved takeout. They said this was better than any takeout they ever had. I'm so glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Paula says
I decided to double the sauce after reading the review and also because doing so usually works well for me.
This was delicious despite problems of my own making. First I could not find skirt or flank steak so I used top round thin steaks . I could not easily see the grain so I hoped for the best when cutting .Then I accidentally put the sesame oil in the sauce. (I used more to cook the steak). The results were tender meat and perfect snap peas.
Amy Casey says
It's difficult to find skirt steak sometimes. Also try sirloin or hangar steak. I love the idea of doubling the sauce!
Rebecca says
Very nice. I added a little garlic and doubled the sauce ingredients but followed the recipe otherwise.. The meat was still a bit chewy, but I bought a pre-cut stir fry steak package, so that may have been the problem, I'll slice my own flank steak next time.
Amy Casey says
I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe Rebecca. I find that the pre-cut stir fry beef is sirloin and can sometimes be tough when cooked.