This 15-minute Beef Stir Fry is the ideal recipe for busy weeknights and meal prep. Colorful vegetables and sliced flank steak are tossed in a gluten free stir fry sauce, leaving you with a simple, yet flavorful and healthy meal.
Stir fry is one of those magical, flexible recipes you can always turn to when you need a well-balanced meal in a hurry. Whether you make it with honey garlic shrimp or teriyaki tofu, it’s the perfect customizable meal you can make with all of your favorites. Serve over rice and enjoy!
This Beef Stir Fry recipe is no exception either. Thinly sliced flank steak is cooked in the same skillet as a medley of vegetables before they’re dressed in the homemade stir fry sauce. The entire meal is naturally gluten free and transforms into the ultimate Whole30 dinner when served over a bed of cauliflower rice.
There is no marinating or special tools required to make this gluten free beef stir fry and cleanup is a breeze. Enjoy it fresh off the stove or save the leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s a fantastic meal prep option that tastes just as savory and hearty as the fresh batch.
Recipe features
- Hello, flavor! Each bite features tender beef and colorful vegetables tossed in a naturally gluten free and Whole30 stir fry sauce.
- It’s a quick and easy 15-minute recipe that’s perfect for weeknight dinners and meal prep.
- There’s no marinating required. Simply sear the steak, sauté the veggies, toss with the sauce, and enjoy.
- Can easily be made whole30 if you serve it over cauliflower rice.
Ingredient notes:
Flank steak - Flank steak is one of the least expensive and most common cuts of steak to use in beef stir fry. It’s easy to slice into strips and absorbs flavor quickly. However, if you’re not a fan of flank steak, see the other cuts of beef you can use below.
Stir fry vegetables - Like carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli, and shiitake mushrooms. Keep scrolling to see what other kinds of vegetables go well in stir fry
Stir fry sauce - This super simple sauce is made with toasted sesame oil and coconut aminos (or use tamari, soy sauce, or gluten free soy sauce). Arrowroot powder or cornstarch is added last as a thickening agent.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Prep and sear the steak. Slice the steak into thin strips and sprinkle them with salt. Next, sear both sides of the strips in a hot skillet. Set the steak aside while you cook the veggies.
Step 2: Sauté the vegetables. In the same skillet, sauté the carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, and mushrooms until tender. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Step 3: Make the stir fry sauce. Whisk the coconut aminos (or soy sauce), sesame oil, and arrowroot (or cornstarch) together in a small bowl or jar.
Step 4: Assemble and serve. Transfer the steak back into the skillet with the vegetables. Lower the heat and pour the stir fry sauce over top. Stir to combine, then garnish the stir fry with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- Place the steak in the freezer for 15 minutes before slicing. This will make it much easier to cut.
- To cut flank steak for stir fry, trim away any muscle membrane and cut the steak against the grain into thin strips.
- If the stir fry sauce isn’t thickening, raise the heat and gently cook until it thickens. If it thickens too quickly, take the skillet off of the heat.
What cut of beef is best for stir fry?
Flank steak is one of the most popular cuts in beef stir fry. However, if you’re looking for more options, sirloin, ribeye, skirt steak, and rump steak also work well.
What vegetables go well in a beef stir fry?
Practically any vegetable can be used in stir fry. It’s a wonderful clean-out-your-fridge meal after all! Use what you have available or swap the veggies in this recipe for baby corn, celery, bok choy, water chestnuts, napa cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, red onion, snow peas, or asparagus.
Do frozen vegetables work?
Fresh vegetables are best, but frozen vegetables can be used in a pinch. For the best results, let the frozen veggies thaw completely before adding them to the hot skillet.
What goes well with beef stir fry?
Keep the meal gluten free and serve your stir fry over a bed of steamed white rice, brown rice, quinoa, or gluten free fried rice. Noodles work too! Toss udon, soba, ramen, egg, zucchini, or sweet potato noodles right in with the stir fry before serving.
Storing
If you want to save some time, you can slice the beef, make the stir fry sauce, and chop the vegetables up to 24 hours in advance. Keep everything stored separately in the fridge until it’s time to cook.
Refrigerator: The leftovers are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: They can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let the stir fry thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in a skillet or the microwave.
More healthy recipes with beef
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Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb. flank steak thinly sliced
- salt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 carrots chopped
- 1 red bell pepper sliced, seeds removed
- 2 cups broccoli
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- green onion for garnish
- sesame seeds for garnish
for the sauce:
- ½ cup coconut aminos or sub soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon arrowroot or sub cornstarch
Instructions
- Slice the steak, then sprinkle it with salt.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then sear the steak for 3-5 minutes, flipping halfway through; remove steak from the skillet and set aside.
- To that same skillet, add the oil, along with the carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, and mushrooms and sauté for 5-8 minutes until soft. Then, add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
- While the veggies are cooking, make the sauce: whisk the coconut aminos/soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and arrowroot/cornstarch together in a glass measuring cup or bowl.
- Next, add the steak back into the skillet and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low, then pour in the sauce and stir until everything is coated. If the sauce isn't thickening, turn the heat back up to medium heat. If it's thickening too quickly, remove the skillet from the heat.
- Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds and enjoy over a bowl of rice or cauliflower rice!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in March 2017. It was updated with new text and photos in August 2022.
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