• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Email Series!

5 Time and Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

Free email series of my best tips!

Visit my other Site: Pancake Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Free Email Series!

    5 Time and Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

    Free email series of my best tips!

  • Visit my other Site: Pancake Recipes

Rachel Cooks®

Easy Healthy-ish Recipes

  • Recipe Index
  • Popular
    • Instant Pot Pinto Beans
    • Green Beans with Bacon
    • Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
    • Roasted Sugar Snap Peas
    • Beef Stew Seasoning
    • Chili Seasoning Recipe
    • Thousand Island Dressing
    • Poppy Seed Dressing
    • Copycat Panera Squash Soup
    • Chocolate Chip Blondies
    • Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast
    • Frosé
    • Best Chocolate Cake
    • Dill Vegetable Dip
    • Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
    • Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
  • Learn to Cook
    • All The Basics
    • Crostini
    • Delicata Squash
    • Butternut Squash
    • Kabocha Squash
    • Spaghetti Squash
    • Guacamole
    • Croutons
    • Snap Peas
    • Baked Potatoes
    • Baked Bacon
    • Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
    • Simple Syrup
    • Pickled Red Onions Recipe
    • Toasted Pine Nuts
    • Roasted bone-in Chicken Breasts
    • Poached Chicken
    • Roasted Whole Chicken
    • Easy Cheese Sauce

Dinner Made Easy:

Slow Cooker

5 Ingredients

Grilling

Make Ahead

Sheet Pan

Tacos

Pizza

Home How To
30 30 Minutes or Less OP One Pan GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy-Free

Beef Stir Fry With Vegetables

4.82
/5
36 mins
32 Comments
Jump to Recipe Video
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 09/28/2022Updated: 03/02/2023

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Beef dish, text overlay reads "easy beef stir fry."
Beef dish, text overlay reads "easy beef and vegetable stir fry."
Beef dish, text overlay reads "easy beef stir fry with vegetables."
Beef dish, text overlay reads "easy beef stir fry with vegetables."
Stir-fry is easy to make once you learn the basics. Start with this easy Beef and Vegetable stir-fry recipe and you'll gain confidence quickly. Get the recipe on RachelCooks.com!

Stir fry is easy to make once you learn the basics. Start with this delicious beef stir fry with vegetables and you’ll gain confidence quickly.

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Stir fry meals are fast, healthy, and so flavorful! Perfect for weeknight meals.

How long it takes: just over a half hour, depending on how fast you are with a knife
Equipment you’ll need: sharp knife, cutting board, measuring utensil, large skillet or wok
Servings: 4

Beef stir fry with vegetables served on top of rice.
Table of Contents
open
  • 1 Recipe Overview
  • 2 What You’ll Need For a Stir Fry
  • 3 Don’t Have A Wok?
  • 4 How To Make This Stir Fry
  • 5 FAQs
  • 6 Make-Ahead Ideas
  • 7 Storage & Reheating Tips
  • 8 More Stir-Fry Recipes
  • 9 Get the Recipe: Beef Stir Fry With Vegetables

Making stir fry is something I think every cook should know how to do. Why?

  • Easy: Once you know the basics, making a stir fry is easy.
  • Fast: Everything cooks very quickly in a stir fry, making it a perfect choice for weeknight dinner. The veggies and the sauce can be prepped ahead of time.
  • Healthy: Lean protein + tons of veggies + rice = balanced and healthy meal. Choose brown rice if you can resist the sweet fragrance of jasmine rice. Stir fries can be served with noodles, too. For something different, try coconut rice. Classic white rice always works, too.
  • Versatile: You can use up any veggies in your fridge with any kind of meat you have on hand. 

Once you know the basic formula, it is so easy to throw together a quick stir-fry. Easy as pie. Or, easy as stir fry? ‘Cause pie is hard to make. Easy to eat though.

Looking for more Chinese restaurant favorites? Try air fryer egg rolls or air fryer crab Rangoon. Try making your own orange chicken or bourbon chicken. These spicy Asian chicken wings are finger-lickin’ good.

Beef and vegetable stir fry filling the frame.

What You’ll Need For a Stir Fry

Protein

  • Beef: Use a lean cut such as flank steak. Cut against the grain. This recipe calls for beef but any protein can easily be substituted.
  • Chicken: Boneless dark meat or white meat, cut into bite-sized pieces, thinly sliced, or even ground meat.
  • Pork: thinly sliced or ground. Try egg roll in a bowl, a variation of a stir fry, that is made with ground pork or chicken.
  • Shrimp: Use fresh or frozen shrimp (thawed).
  • Crispy tofu: For crispy cubes, try air fryer tofu or all purpose baked tofu. Either method is easy to make and can be done ahead of time.

Vegetables

The possibilities for vegetables really are endless. Here’s a list of some of the most popular vegetables used for stir fries: carrots, broccoli, onions (yellow, red, green onions), sugar snap peas or snow peas, green beans, celery, mushrooms, cauliflower, kale (thinly shredded), bean sprouts, eggplant, and so on.

Sauce

This recipe includes a tangy brown sauce made with soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and ginger. Sauces are pretty much interchangeable in stir fry recipes so don’t be afraid to mix and match sauces.

Enhance the flavor of your stir fry and/or sauce by adding grated ginger or minced garlic. To make your stir fry spicy, add red pepper flakes to taste.

Cornstarch is essential to thicken the sauce so that the sauce really coats everything. Arrowroot starch is a good gluten-free alternative.

If you’re in a hurry or are a beginner, buy your favorite pre-made sauce from the store. I prefer homemade but there are lots of great options on the store shelves.

Overhead view of ingredients needed including beef.

Don’t Have A Wok?

No problem! Any large skillet or frying pan will work. A pan with curved sides works better than a straight-sided skillet.

How To Make This Stir Fry

After perusing the above list, I bet you’re coming up with ideas for all sorts of fantastic stir fries. I’d encourage you to try this recipe; I modestly think it’s the best beef stir fry. There are more of my stir fry recipes listed below.

Begin by assembling all the ingredients you’ll need. It’s important to have everything prepped and ready before you turn the pan on. Once you begin cooking your stir fry, things proceed at a rapid pace.

If you want to serve rice, get that started right away. Don’t worry if the rice happens to get done before your stir fry does. Leave the cover on the pan and let it steam. It will be perfectly fine.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the sauce ingredients: soy sauce, dark brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger (grated), red pepper flakes, minced garlic, and cornstarch. Set that aside for now.

Sauce in a small glass bowl.

Slice the beef thinly against the grain. In a medium sized bowl, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with salt and pepper. Add the beef slices and toss until the beef is coated with the cornstarch mixture. This little trick helps seal in the juices and gives the meat a crisp brown exterior. Set the meat aside while you prep the vegetables.

Beef slices being tossed with cornstarch mixture.

Peel and slice the carrots and onion. Wash the broccoli and cut it into bite size florets. Wash and trim the peas, removing any tough strings. If you are garnishing with green onions, prep those too.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. When it’s hot, add a tablespoon of oil. I usually use olive oil but avocado, sesame, peanut, or grapeseed oils are good choices too. Add the beef to the pan. Cook, stirring the beef frequently, until it’s done, about five minutes. Dump the meat out of the pan into a bowl or on a plate.

Beef being cooked in a wok.

Put the pan back on the heat, and add the onions and carrots. They should sizzle when they hit the pan.

Carrots and onions in wok.

Stir fry them for just a couple of minutes; then add the broccoli. Again, you should see some sizzle! If you don’t, turn up the heat or wait a bit longer before adding anything else. Stir fry the broccoli for a few minutes.

Broccoli in pan with carrots and onions.

Give the sauce a quick stir to make sure the cornstarch hasn’t settled to the bottom. Add the sauce to the pan, stirring constantly, along with the peas and the beef, and any accumulated juices.

Beef and peas added to pan.

The sauce will cook very quickly. It will bubble and turn clear in just a minute or two.

Stir fry in black wok.

Your stir fry is ready to serve! Wasn’t that fast? Serve the beef and vegetables over a mound of steaming jasmine rice. Sprinkle sliced green onions on top for a garnish.

Stir fry in a bowl with rice.

FAQs

How do you make stir-fry meat tender?

Slice the meat very thinly against the grain. Make sure your pan is sizzling hot, add the meat, stirring constantly, and remove it from the pan the instant it’s done. Cooking the meat first and removing it from the pan before adding the other ingredients will help ensure that the meat isn’t overcooked. Stir the meat in right before serving.
Marinating the meat first can tenderize it; another process called velveting is often used in Chinese restaurants. For a more in-depth explanation, check out The Woks Of Life.

What is the best meat for beef stir-fry?

Use a tender lean cut such as flank steak, flat iron steak, sirloin, or tenderloin. Cut the meat very thinly against the grain. Click here for a 30 second video explaining how to do this.

What is the secret to a great stir-fry?

There are a few tips to remember.
-Make sure everything is prepped, and ready to go before you turn your pan on. Stir fry moves quickly so you’ll want to have everything ready. That includes your sauce ingredients.
-Have your pan sizzling hot! Keep the heat high so that every ingredient gets cooked at a high temperature.
-Cook items with similar cooking times together; don’t throw everything in the pan all at once. For example, in this recipe, I start with the beef and remove it when it’s cooked, then I add the carrots and onions, which take a little longer to cook, then the broccoli, stir the quick-cooking peas, and the beef in at the very end.

Stir fry on a black fork.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Prep your vegetables and meat up to a day ahead and store in covered bowls or zip top bags. Remember to keep the vegetables separated according to when you’ll add them to the stir-fry, i.e. longer cooking vegetables together, fast cooking vegetables together. Stir together the sauce ingredients up to a day ahead and store in the refrigerator.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Promptly refrigerate leftover stir fry in a covered container. It will keep for three to four days. Stir fry can be frozen in a freezer safe container or bag for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge for best results.

To reheat, microwave individual portions until heated through. Try not to overheat the mixture.

More Stir-Fry Recipes

  • Sweet chili chicken stir-fry
  • Chicken stir fry with ginger and basil
  • Sweet and sour chicken stir fry
  • Shrimp and vegetable stir fry with lemon and garlic
  • Sesame beef and vegetables
  • Shrimp and broccoli stir fry
  • Egg roll in a bowl — a different type of stir fry!

Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan (#4). You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week!

We’ll be adding a new meal plan weekly. If you’re interested, browse all of our meal plans.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Beef and vegetable stir fry in a black wok.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Beef Stir Fry With Vegetables

4.82 from 11 votes
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 21 mins
Total Time: 36 mins
4 servings
Print Rate Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Stir fry is easy to make once you learn the basics. Start with this delicious beef stir fry with vegetables and you'll gain confidence quickly.

Ingredients

Sauce:

  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more to taste)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Stir Fry:

  • 1 pound flank or flat iron steak, cut into very thin slices against the grain
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup thinly sliced carrots, cut diagonally
  • 1 small red onion, sliced vertically, or about 1 cup
  • 2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
  • 1 ½ cups sugar snap or snow peas
  • 4 cups cooked rice, for serving
  • 2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced, for serving

Instructions

  • In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
  • Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with salt and pepper. Toss sliced beef with cornstarch mixture; set aside while you prep the vegetables.
  • Heat oil in a wok or large pan over high heat. Tilt pan and swirl to coat the sides. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or desired doneness is achieved. Remove beef from pan and place on a plate.
  • Return pan to high heat and add the onions and carrots; stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli; stir fry for 3 more minutes. Stir in sauce mixture (stir sauce mixture well before adding), beef and any accumulated juices, and snow peas; cook for another 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened and peas are cooked to desired doneness.
  • Serve over rice and garnish with sliced green onions.

Notes

  • You can use whatever meat or vegetable you like. This recipe is very versatile. Cooking times will vary, however.
  • Recipe card updated 5/5/2022.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 538kcal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 974mg, Potassium: 905mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 6127IU, Vitamin C: 68mg, Calcium: 119mg, Iron: 4mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
Did You Make This?Be sure to upload a photo & tag me at @RachelCooksBlog. I love seeing what you made!
Share A Photo! Tag on Insta Rate It
Free email series

5 Time & Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

Free email series of my best tips!

FREE BONUS!

You May Also Like...

  • Chicken stir fry in stainless steel skillet.
    Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry - Easy Recipe
  • Overhead view of a white plate filled with white rice, chicken, sugar snap peas, carrots, and red onions in stir fry form. It is garnished with fresh basil ribbons.
    Chicken Stir-Fry with Ginger and Basil
  • Sweet and sour chicken stir fry on a plate with rice.
    Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry
  • A bowl filled with rice, beef, vegetables, and topped with sesame seeds. Chopsticks also visible.
    Sesame Beef and Vegetables
No knead whole wheat bread sliced on a cutting board.
Previous Post
No Knead Whole Wheat Bread
Granola on a wooden spoon, more in background.
Next Post
Best Granola Recipe – make it your own!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




The maximum upload file size: 1 MB. You can upload: image. Drop files here

  1. Brian says

    February 16, 2023 at 8:12 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent stir fry. Will do again

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      February 20, 2023 at 7:31 am

      Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!

      Reply
  2. Stacy says

    February 16, 2023 at 6:08 pm

    5 stars
    My daughter said this was the best stir fry I’ve ever made. I used half beef and half chicken breast (I was short on beef) and added water chestnuts in with the snap peas at the end. This is a good one!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      February 20, 2023 at 7:31 am

      Oh I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, it really means so much to me!

      Reply
  3. Diane says

    February 7, 2023 at 1:23 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today for lunch with a couple of substitutions for what I had on hand ( mushrooms instead of snow peas and sliced sweet onions instead of adding green onions at the end ) and family loved it! Easy and flavorful! Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      February 8, 2023 at 10:56 am

      So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for leaving a review!

      Reply
  4. Char says

    November 30, 2022 at 10:39 am

    5 stars
    Made this last night, family loved it! Even the little ones. This recipe is a keeper!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      December 5, 2022 at 7:00 am

      So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review – it means so much to me.

      Reply
  5. Meredith In Sock Monkey Slippers says

    January 22, 2014 at 9:21 am

    Looks like a fabulous and easy dinner!

    Reply
  6. Jeanne says

    January 21, 2014 at 9:49 am

    I would make the stir fry (above) that I just copied ! It sounds SO delicious. TFS

    Reply
  7. Dani H says

    January 21, 2014 at 1:03 am

    I make a chicken & vegetable teriyaki stir fry with brown rice a couple of times a month. If there are any leftovers, they make a great fried rice the next day.

    Thanks for a chance at the giveaway!

    Reply
  8. Paula – bell’alimento says

    January 20, 2014 at 11:44 pm

    An easy, but full of flavor, weeknight meal! Love stir fry! Thanks, Rachel!

    Reply
  9. Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain says

    January 20, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Um, totally loving this recipe! Definitely adding it to the weekly menu rotation!!

    Reply
  10. Happy Valley Chow says

    January 20, 2014 at 2:11 pm

    Mmm I love a good stir fry, it always seems to hit the spot. Great recipe!

    Happy Blogging!

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Rachel! Life can be complicated, cooking shouldn't be! I believe that you can put a delicious meal on the table without stressing. It's possible, and I'm here to help. Have a seat at my table...let's chat, eat, and have fun! Read more...

Air Fryer Instant Pot 30 Minutes One Pan Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Slow Cooker Vegetarian 5 Ingredients

Trending

Cooked salmon fillet on a grey-toned plate with cooked asparagus spears. The salmon is being flaked with a fork.

Air Fryer Salmon – easy and delicious!

Pizza pasta being scooped from a pan with a wooden spoon.

Pizza Pasta – 1 pan, 20 minutes

Image of a giant bowl of spaghetti with turkey meatballs.

Baked Turkey Meatballs

Asparagus Panzanella Salad

Seasonal

Beef and vegetable stir fry in a black wok.

Beef Stir Fry With Vegetables

Hot honey chicken sheet pan dinner with honey being drizzled on.

Hot Honey Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Sweet and sour shrimp lettuce wrap garnished with green onion.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

BBQ Chicken burrito bowl with avocado and sour cream.

BBQ Chicken Bowl

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
Free Bonus!

5 Cooking Secrets to Save Time & Stress

Free email series of my best tips and recipes!

Featured On:

Back to Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Work with Me
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility
© 2023 Rachel Cooks®
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled