This Easy Instant Pot Pepper Steak is a delicious 30-minute dinner idea packed with bell peppers, sirloin steak and a tasty soy-pepper sauce!
The Instant Pot makes this steak super tender and infuses the sauce with flavour in a fraction of the time!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Speedy & so tasty: This is a great 30-minute meal packed with delicious flavours.
- Simple & convenient: Easy cleanup and minimal effort makes for a restaurant-quality meal at home.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like canola oil or grapeseed oil.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also work.
- Sirloin steak – use any 12 oz. steak variety of your choice.
- Low-sodium soy sauce – tamari or coconut aminos are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Honey – brown sugar would also help add a hint of sweetness to this dish.
- Rice vinegar – white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar would also work.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Black pepper – if you want your pepper steak to be extra spicy, double up on the black pepper.
- Water – this is crucial to the dish and will help cook the rice.
- Jasmine rice – you can use plain white long grain rice, but make sure to double up on the amount of water if you do so.
- Green and peppers – use any combination of colour bell peppers of your choice.
- Green onions – chives or shallots would also be good as garnish or you can leave these out altogether.
- Sesame seeds – black or white sesame seeds would both work or you can leave these out.
How to make pepper steak
Step 1: Drop in the first 10 ingredients.
Put the first 10 ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
Step 2: Cook on high pressure.
Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
Step 3: Release pressure.
Do a quick release of the pressure.
Step 4: Stir in the peppers.
Add the peppers and put back the lid.
Step 5: Let it sit.
Allow the dish to sit for 5-10 minutes.
Step 6: Garnish and serve.
Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Tips and variations
Here are some ideas to make your Instant Pot pepper steak even more delicious:
- Sear steak first: A little sear can do a lot to boost the flavour and texture of the meat.
- Veggie medley: Add mushrooms, broccoli, and any of your favourite veggies to this dish – you can’t really go wrong here!
- Add beef broth: You can use broth instead of water for an ever richer flavour.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make sure my steak is tender?
You can marinate the steak in a mixture of cornstarch and baking soda (use 1 tsp of each).
Can I adjust the recipe for a thicker sauce?
A cornstarch slurry added after pressure cooking and simmered on the sauté function will thicken the sauce.
Why do I need to add the veggies in last?
One thing you’ve probably noticed is that I usually do a base of protein and starch to cook on high pressure, and I almost always wait until the end to add the veggies. I’m telling you, there’s nothing more that I hate than overcooked, soggy bell peppers. I would rather my veggies get tender from sitting in the hot rice and sauce.
What to serve on the side
This pepper steak dish is a meal all on its own with steak, rice and veggies. That being said, you can still serve some sides:
- Simple greed salad or cucumber salad
- Steamed or roasted veggies
- Crusty bread
How to store and reheat
Store: Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Freeze and reheat: Freeze this pepper steak for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat.
Meal prep tools
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus is the version I use in this recipe.
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls for your leftovers.
- I get my grass-fed beef from Butcher Box.
Easy Instant Pot Pepper Steak
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 12 oz sirloin steak, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (double it if you want it spicy!)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Add olive oil, onions, steak, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, black pepper, water and jasmine rice to the Instant Pot in that order, gently pushing rice underneath the liquid as much as possible but not stirring.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Instant Pot will take 10-15 minutes to preheat then the 3 minutes on high pressure. Do a quick release of the pressure. When safe to do so, open lid and stir in peppers, then replace lid and let sit 5-10 minutes until veggies soften.
- Serve garnished with green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Video
Comments & Reviews
Michelle says
If you want to omit the rice what modifications o you have to do?
Taylor Stinson says
Unfortunately I couldn’t tell you since I haven’t tried this method myself – my apologies!
Shari says
We loved it!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy to hear that Shari!!!
peter says
Hey,
Really excited to try this.
Question from an Instant Pot newbie. When I am stirring or when I let it sit for 5 mins, what setting should the Instant Pot be set to? Keep warm?
thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Peter! You’ll turn it off entirely after doing the quick release of pressure – just press the cancel button after it’s done cooking. Hope that helps 🙂
marina says
Are you sure about the 3 minutes. I just made this and in 3 minutes the rice was swimming in water and it looked terrible. I added the onions and peppers and put it on for another 8 minutes. Will let you know what happens.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Marina – stirring in the veggies and allowing the extra 10 minutes for everything to sit with the lid on will help with the liquid getting absorbed. I worry that changing the method like this will overcook the peppers. To troubleshoot further, did you use jasmine rice? Sometimes the rice used impacts how much liquid there is!
Sian says
We made this tonight and it tasted really good. The only thing I really questioned about it was the fact that there was a lot of liquid left over at the end. Do you think I could cut the water just a little bit?
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you liked it Sian! 🙂 Sorry to hear you got a little extra water at the end ..you could try cutting the water in half next time. I sense that different types of rice absorb water differently for some reason!
Jen says
Sorry it was a bland. I think seasoning the meat and maybe browning it first may add more flavor. But I like your ideas for quick and easy!
Taylor Stinson says
Sorry you feel that way Jen. Sometimes something as simple as adding a pinch of salt can help but browning first may be a good idea if you have the time!
desiree crowley says
Any recommendations if you want to double the recipe? is it the same amount of time?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Desiree..unfortunately I haven’t tried it myself but I’ve heard with a lot of Instant Pot recipes you keep it a similar cook time. I would add a minute or two though if I had to guess just because it would be a lot more food to cook!
Resa says
I made the Instant Pot Pepper Steak with Jasmine Rice and it was OUTRAGEOUS!!!! I shared the recipe on FB too! It was soooo easy and so good its going to be something I will make often! I printed a few more of your recipes and can’t wait to try them!
Taylor Stinson says
Aww thank you so much Resa!!! You just made my day, so happy you liked it 🙂
Kwanesia Bass says
I used already frozen peppers & precut steak (saving time). I kept everything else the same but added season salt & red peppers.
This was GREAT!! Took less than 20 minutes!!
Adding to collection.
Sam says
Were your frozen peppers added at the same time as the recipe says to, or did you put them in from the beginning?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Sam – the peppers aren’t frozen. I stir in fresh red and green bell peppers in the end and let them sit in the hot rice for 5 minutes to steam. Hope that helps!
Kwanesia Bass says
I used them at the same time they were frozen with no issues.
Priscilla says
which other types of rice could I use instead of jasmine rice?
Taylor Stinson says
Unfortunately I couldn’t give you any guaranteed substitutions Priscilla! The closest guess I have would be white rice but I’ve heard you have to reduce the liquid for white rice or extend the cook time by 2 min. Those two alternatives you could try but again, I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t guarantee it!
Priscilla says
I did substitute the recommended Jasmine rice for a white medium grain rice (rice used for Sushi) in your Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl recipe. I did 4 minutes on High Pressure (located in Midwest) so not high altitude, maybe an extra minute would have been okay. I added about 2 cups of diced onion in with the chicken, we had run out of carrots so, no root veggie in our dish. I used 1 bag (5 servings) of frozen broccoli, letting it thaw while preparing the dish. After releasing pressure, ended up letting it set 10 minutes to give the broccoli a little more time. Peppers still had a nice crunch to them. My 10 yr old didn’t know they were bell peppers and said his tomatoes were crunchy. I chuckled & asked when has he ever had a crunchy tomato? I also have the IP Duo Plus, 6 qt, made the recipe for 8 servings, very yummy & filling plus so easy this is a keeper of a recipe. We will be having this again. Next I want to try the Instant Pot Sweet & Sour Pineapple Chicken.
Christy says
I used basmati rice. Super good