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Ultra flavorful pepper steak stir fry tastes even better than your favorite take-out! This is a great recipe that you can meal prep for the week or throw together for dinner!
Garlic Lovers unite!
This pepper steak stir fry recipe has been in the works for some time. It’s definitely in the running for the most delicious stir fry recipe I’ve ever shared with you. Not to mention that it’s a million times healthier than the stuff you get from a restaurant! Hands down tastes better than your favorite takeout joint and is ready in mins!
There are so many reasons why I love this recipe. My pepper steak recipe is healthy, loaded with protein, colorful from peppers, and pretty simple to make at home. Marinate the meat right before making it or on Sunday to get a jump start on Monday night dinner. Then enjoy leftovers because they get even more garlicky as they hang out in the fridge.
How to make pepper steak:
Ingredients to make the best pepper steak:
- Beef:You can use a few different cuts for this. Thinly sliced top sirloin steak, flank steak, top round steak, or skirt steak will all work here. I suggest slicing the meat into thin beef strips, on the bias against the grain to help make it tender and cook up super quick without drying out.
- Veggies:a couple of red bell pepper or green bell peppers, cut into cubes, and an onion, cut into thick slices. The peppers add a natural sweetness to the dish that works beautifully with the other ingredients.
- Aromatics:grated ginger or paste and a handful of garlic cloves. You can always cut back on the garlic if you aren’t a huge fan. Go with 1-3 cloves if you’re cooking for a date!
- Sauces + Stock:You’ll need stock (or broth) soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil for this recipe. You can find all of these sauces in most mainstream grocery stores. Keep in mind that since we’re using two different sodium-rich sauces and stock for this recipe, I suggest using low-sodiumsoy sauce and low-sodium broth here. I found the recipe to be too salty if I used the regular versions here.
- Seasonings:Nothing out of the ordinary here! You’ll need sugar, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes to season the pepper steak stir fry.
- Rice for serving:I like to serve this recipe with fluffy white rice cooked in myfavorite rice cooker. You can serve this on its own, with brown rice, or with wok-fried noodles!
How to makethis easy pepper steak recipe:
- The sauce/marinade.Here’s where it all starts. We’re going to prep the sauce in a small bowl. Add low sodium soy sauce, chicken or beef broth, oyster sauce, water, brown sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch and whisk to combine. Use a little bit of this to marinate the beef, and then add the ginger and garlic to the remaining sauce. Allow the beef to marinate in the mixture for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. The longer it sits, the more flavor the beef will develop.
- Sear the beef.When you’re ready to cook, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ½ of the beef and do a quick sear on both sides. This should only take about a minute or so. Remove the meat to a dish and then repeat with the remaining beef. When the beef is cooked, we’re going to saute the veggies. Add the onions and give them a 1-minute head start before adding the peppers and sauteing. Keep in mind we want to do this at high heat, so the peppers remain crunchy but get that blistered char on the outside. Add the seared meat back to the skillet. Then pour the remaining marinade into the pan and stir to combine. The cornstarch will cause the sauce to thicken nearly instantly, so stir here to coat all the meat and veggies.
- Serve immediately.Top the pepper steak with sesame seeds and serve warm!
FAQs about pepper steak
How can I make a tougher cut of meat more tender?
Adding a pinch of baking soda to the meatacts as a natural tenderizer by raising the pH in this recipe. It is my secret ingredient for take-out recipes as it gives the beef (or chicken) a tender texture even if you marinate it for a short 15-20 minutes. This will help the meat become more tender and stay moist during cooking. It’s an ingredient that I commonly use for myMongolian Beefrecipe.
Can I toss in other vegetables?
Feel free to play around with the veggies. I personally like pepper steak to just be peppers and onions, but snap peas, or asparagus are just some of the additions readers have made.
Can I meal prep this for later? How long will it last?
You can! This will last for about 4 days in the refrigerator. For reheating, just pop it in the microwave until it’s warmed through.
Can you marinate and freeze the meat?
You can! I suggest freezing this as soon as you combine the ingredients with the beef. That way, as the beef defrosts, it will marinate.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Hibachi Fried Rice
- Best Broccoli Beef Stir Fry
- 20 Minute Teriyaki Chicken
- Garlic Lovers Thai Basil Chicken
- Light Orange Chicken
- Super Saucy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
Yield: 4-6 servings
Garlic Lovers Pepper Steak
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Ultra flavorful pepper steak stir fry tastes even better than your favorite take out! This is a great recipe that you can meal prep for the week or throw together for dinner!
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 6 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken or beef broth
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch(scant)
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
stir fry:
- 1 - 1½ pounds flank, skirt or top sirloin steak cut into pieces on the biased
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger (or paste)
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 bell peppers, cut into cubes (any color you like)
- 1 medium onion, cut into thick slices
- oil, for cooking
Instructions
- MARINADE:combine the ingredients for the marinade along with ¼ cup of water in a measuring cup or mason jar.
- PREP EVERYTHING:Place the meat in a medium bowl and drizzle in 3 tablespoons of the prepared marinade; mix with a spoon. Cover the meat and set aside for 30 minutes - overnight. Stir the grated ginger and minced garlic into the remaining marinade. Cover and refrigerate if using later.
- STIR FRY:when ready to cook, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add ½ of the prepared beef and cook until it is well seared on both sides, roughly 1 minute. Remove to a plate. Continue cooking the remaining meat (and remove). Add the onions along with 2 teaspoons of oil (if needed) and stir them around so to pick up the flavors. Cook for 1 minute before adding the peppers, stir to combine. Add the meat back to the skillet. Stir remaining marinade as the cornstarch may have settled. Pour into the skillet and quickly toss everything so that it all gets coated with the sauce, about 30-45 seconds or so. Top with sesame seeds if desired and serve with rice or a salad.
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Beef By Diet Dinner Meal Prep Under 500 caloriesasian take out beef and peppers beef pepper steak beef stir fry easy stir fry pepper steak quick stir fry stir fry take out fake out
originally published on Jul 26, 2021 (last updated Jan 3, 2024)
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43 comments on “Garlic Lovers Pepper Steak”
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Mary W. — Reply
I made this for our Chinese New Year dinner. It was so good I can’t wait to make it again. I followed the directions exactly but next time I think I will add some snow peas and maybe water chestnuts. This is the 2nd recipe I have tried so far and can’t wait to try another one. Thanks again!!
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Cori S. — Reply
This was so delicious! My 3 and 5 year old had a second helping, so right there tells you how good it was. Will definitely be making this again.
5
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C T — Reply
I love this recipe, quick and easy.
5
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Alisa — Reply
Delicious!!! I eliminated the ginger only because I didn’t have any on hand….it was still amazing!
4.5
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Paul Shamburger — Reply
It was amazing and so delicious! Love your website!
5
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Shel — Reply
I’ll let my boyfriend’s comments be my review: “honey, this was by FAR, THE best steak stir fry recipe you’ve EVER made…bar none! Even better than the whatchamacallit that I order from the Chinese joint”
There ya go! It was amazing. I never leave reviews either, so taking the time to do this is saying something itself. LOL
I made it as written, with one exception: I didn’t have oyster sauce so I substituted with hoisin. I know, I know..”how can you review a recipe when you changed it?” Blah blah…it was a minor change, besides it only required a tablespoon-ful. This one’s a keeper! Thanks for the recipe. I’m sure I’ll be using the marinade slash sauce for chicken too!5
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Mi-Mi — Reply
I made this for dinner tonight! Absolutely phenomenal dish. The whole family loved it. I didn’t have fresh ginger on hand so I used ground ginger seasoning. I also added mushrooms. I triple the marinade ingredients because I love no LOVE sauce. It was delicious. I think I’ll add bean sprouts next time. Thanks for a wonderful dish! Hey guys I made Chinese Food! ?
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Chrissy — Reply
Absolutely delicious!!!
I stumbled across this recipe from google images as i wanted to cook a simple beef stir fry, as I’m trying to find some inspiration I found your delicious recipe!!Thank god I did because my partner and I LOVE THIS!!!
theirs a bit of prep but its just so worth it with the amount of flavors!!! just amazing!!
thank you!
4.5
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Sarah Neau — Reply
I made this with a few substitutes and added a can of sliced mushrooms but OMG that was best home made stir fry I’ve had in a long time. It tasted like I had picked it up from the local Chinese place. Thank you. I am looking forward to trying some other recipes from you.
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Mi-Mi — Reply
Ok, so I consider myself a Chinese Food Connoisseur! :O) Well maybe I’m just a foodie. Anywho, I made this dish and the whole Fam loved it. I too tripled the sauce part of the receipe. I was expecting mediocre. Then BOOM burst of flavor. I will definitely put this in the rotation. Thanks for a real winner!
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Nancy Velez — Reply
This is the second time I make this recipe. Very good!!!
5
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Jae — Reply
I have never left a comment on a recipe ever, but I had to because I made this last night. I love pepper steak at my Chinese restaurant, I wanted to make it instead of paying $15 dollars. I doubled the recipe because I love sauce and it was I think better then the one I buy and didn’t change a thing just doubled everything. So I can’t thank you enough for this great recipe!
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Myrna McKee — Reply
This was sooooo good! Don’t wait; make it now.
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Octavia Wicker — Reply
Could this be made in a slow cooker or instapot?
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Rebecca — Reply
I made this dish tonight and it was absolutely fabulous! I followed the recipe exactly…no tweaking needed. My foodie partner said it was the best Asian inspired dish I’ve ever made and that there isn’t a single place he could get a dish this good.
5
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Patty — Reply
I was planning to make a “stuffed pepper casserole” with the bell pepper strips that I had to freeze when I went on an extended trip. I was perusing Pinterest and ran across this recipe. My friend had told me what pepper steak is but I had never had it. I’ve always wanted to make a good Chinese dish other than egg rolls or fried rice and we LOVE garlic. I switched gears and made this dish. I didn’t have steak or oyster sauce so I made mini meat balls and used Hoisin sauce. Served it over brown rice. Next time I’ll have to double the sauce. THIS WAS SO GOOD! THANK YOU for sharing!
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Telsa Jones — Reply
This was AMAZING! I have tried many of your recipes, and they are all delish! Thank you…
5
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Amercy Gray — Reply
Loved this! Didn’t have enough onions so I added about 6-8 scallions and it worked great! Loved the marinade/sauce. Would use that again elsewhere. So easy too.
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Aimee Burnett — Reply
Does anyone have the nutritional information on hand for this recipe?
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Alicia — Reply
Could I use stir fry vegetables instead of peppers for this?
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Marzia — Reply
Yeah, I think that could work, Alicia!
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Dana — Reply
Made this last night and it was amazing. I used filet mignon for the beef instead only because I like a more tender meat, but the seasoning was spot on. Love it!
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Marzia — Reply
Happy to hear it worked with filet mignon as well! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment!
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Patti in Texas — Reply
Better than Chinese restaurant! I followed recipe but doubled everything. I added matchstick carrots and baby broccoli to get more veggies in. Very versatile recipe. Sauce was delicious! Served over white rice. Will be making this one again!
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Jo — Reply
This was delish! I air fried fresh broccoli to include and velveted my steak with a bit of corn starch and Chinese five spice before cooking. I also substituted brown sugar and added a dash of hoisin to the sauce. Served it with cauliflower rice for me and brown rice for the fiancé. Rave reviews from the man – his only complaint was I didn’t make more!! 🙂
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Linda — Reply
I will never use my other pepper steak recipe again! This is way better!
5
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Linda! That’s awesome; so glad to hear that! Appreciate you circling back to leave a review 🙂
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Lynn — Reply
Just curious can you use fish sauce instead of oyster without ruining the recipe? And if so how much would you use?
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Sheneka — Reply
Omg!! So good! I was skeptical because the smell of the sesame oil was so over powering but once cooked you even taste it. My niece is a picky eater and she even like it. Now I’m dying to try steak and broccoli
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Sheneka! I’m so glad to hear you tried it out and enjoyed it. Thank you for circling back to leave a review! 🙂
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MrsA9291 — Reply
Fantastic dish! Easy to make and once it’s marinated, super fast to cook! I just wish my sense of smell would come back b/c I feel this would have smelled amazing as well ( hubs said it did!) Will definitely keep this one in my rotation!
5
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Victoria — Reply
Absolutely delicious! Better than takeout any day. So quick and easy too!
5
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Charlotte — Reply
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! I have added it to my regular rotation – it’s simple and fairly quick for a stir fry and always turns out amazing.
5
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Nicole Harpster — Reply
Made this a I had been eyeing the recipe for some time. It’s definitely a make again!!!! Full of flavor and so easy to make.
5
