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Home » Recipes » The Easiest Beef Stir Fry (2-Ingredient Sauce!)

The Easiest Beef Stir Fry (2-Ingredient Sauce!)

2/9/21

30 Minute Meals
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This is the EASIEST Beef Stir Fry recipe, with a 2-ingredient stir fry sauce. You likely already have all the ingredients you need, too!  

The Easiest Beef Stir Fry

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Ingredients in a beef stir fry

The vegetables in my opinion are really what make the flavours in this stir fry shine, so choose your favorites! I used to love baby corn as a kid so I added a can (rinsed and drained, of course), and I also love broccoli so that was a no-brainer to add. I always have carrots on hand in the fridge and a bell pepper or two kicking around so added those as well. You can feel free to add any vegetables you have on hand on the fridge – you are likely to have more of one thing than another on hand so go with your favorites.

Here are some other great vegetable add-ins below:

  • mushrooms
  • onions
  • cabbage
  • bok choy
  • cauliflower
  • water chestnuts

You can also use frozen veggies if that's all you have on hand but they won't be as crisp as using fresh veggies.

photo collage: making a beef stir fry recipe

Two-ingredient beef stir fry sauce

The great thing about this beef stir fry is that the sauce comes together with just TWO ingredients: hoisin sauce and soy sauce. If you don't have hoisin sauce already on hand at home you can substitute the same amount of oyster sauce or add 2 tbsp of honey instead. Really, it's quite versatile and there's no need to overthink it.

How to thicken the sauce

If you'd like a thicker sauce, you can feel free to add in 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and add the sauce towards the end just like you would do if you were making the recipe normally. This will make the sauce a bit thicker and have more substance if you're choosing to serve the stir fry over rice or noodles.

4 make-ahead Beef Stir Fry dinners in glass storage containers

What’s the best beef for beef stir fry?

You’ll want to use a tender of meat for this beef stir fry recipe. Stir fries cook up in about 10 minutes (the beef cooks for even less time), so you should use a cut of beef that has little to no fat or muscle fibers.

I use sirloin steak and slice it against the grain into thin bite-sized slices, but other options for a beef stir fry include:

  • tri tip
  • tenderloin
  • top loin
  • flank steak
  • rib eye
  • shoulder cuts (Ranch steak and flat iron steak)

Worst comes to worst you can just use fast fry steak for your stir fry – you can often find strips of beef already sliced up at your local grocery store so that's a good option if you're in a rush, but the beef may be a bit tougher since you don't know what cut of beef it is. Ensuring a low cooking time on high heat no matter the cut is important. You don't want your beef to be too tough to eat!

How to make stir fry beef more tender

In order to tenderize the beef ahead of time, you can add 1 tsp of baking soda and 1 tsp of cornstarch to the beef along with 2 tbsp of soy sauce. Let it all sit in a large bowl or Ziploc bag for 30 minutes before sauteing on high heat. This should result in more tender beef, especially if you're using a tougher cut of meat.

The baking soda and cornstarch will create a layer that will prevent the meat from drying out and overcooking. You don't have to do this step if you're in a hurry, but it will result in tastier, more flavourful meat and who doesn't love that?!

beef and broccoli stir fry in skillet

How do you make a beef stir fry?

Whether you’re making a stir fry with beef, chicken, shrimp, or just vegetables, the process is the same and it's super easy!

Step 1: Prep the Ingredients

So that everything cooks evenly, be sure to cut the meat and vegetables as close in size as possible. The broccoli florets should all be close to the same size, the carrots should be sliced evenly, the bell peppers sliced the same, etc.

If you’ll be serving the stir fry with rice, this is a good time to start doing that. I use a rice cooker, so it doesn’t take quite as long as making it on a stove top and it can almost cook on autopilot while I'm tending to the stir fry itself. It also eliminates a lot of mess and guesswork.

Broccoli, baby corn, red bell peppers and str fried beef in glass meal prep containers

Step 2: Make the Stir Fry Sauce

Remember, this is a 2-ingredient beef stir fry sauce – making it is SO easy! Just add soy sauce and hoisin sauce to a small bowl, whisk to combine and it’s done! You can also just add the two sauces to the pan as you're cooking to cut down on the amount of dishes you'll use. Nobody likes a ton of clean up, right?

Step 3: Cook the Beef and Vegetables

When it’s time to cook the beef stir fry, you’ll be searing the meat first. As a result, the meat will be partially cooked already when you add the vegetables. This is good because the beef doesn't take as long to cook as the vegetables.

Step 4: Add the Beef Stir Fry Sauce

For the final step, just add the stir fry sauce into the pan with the meat and vegetables. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for a minute or two, then you’ll be ready to eat!

wooden spoon stirring an easy beef stir fry dinner

How to meal prep this beef stir fry

This recipe is perfect for meal prep because it comes together in less than 30 minutes and in one skillet to boot. You can enjoy this stir fry for dinner, of course, but it also makes for amazing weekly lunches for work. Just divide everything up into glass meal prep containers and it will keep in the fridge up top 5 days.

I find that you don't get the same “leftovers” taste with beef as you do with chicken so that's always a bonus! To reheat, just pop the glass bowls into the microwave for 2-3 minutes and you've got one tasty lunch!

Can you freeze this stir fry?

I would not recommend freezing the stir fry itself because it depends heavily on the veggies you've used. Some of them can come out soggy when you reheat them, so as long as you don't mind that aspect you should be ok to freeze this stir fry. In a pinch you can freeze in glass meal prep bowls, then reheat in the microwave for 6-7 minutes.

meal prep dinners with beef, vegetables, and white rice

What to serve alongside this beef stir fry

I prefer to serve rice on the side as mentioned above (get it going in the rice cooker while you cook the stir fry), but you can feel free to get creative and serve it with just about anything! Some other favorites of mine would be ramen noodles, udon noodles, rice noodles or even spaghetti.

To make this recipe low carb, just serve on its own without the rice, or serve with some cauliflower rice.

More easy Asian-inspired recipes

If you love the idea of this beef stir fry, you're also going to love these recipes!

  • PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps
  • Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki
  • Thai Basil Chicken

Meal prep tools for this recipe

  • Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this beef stir fry into your weekly lunches
  • A Rice Cooker will automatically cook the side dish of rice for you
  • I get all my grass-fed beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen so I always have steak on hand!
  • Use these Ziploc bag holders if you're marinating the steak ahead of time

 

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The Easiest Beef Stir Fry

The Easiest Beef Stir Fry

This is the EASIEST Beef Stir Fry recipe out there - with a simple 2-ingredient sauce, you'll likely already have all the ingredients you need to make this healthy dinner idea!
4.58 from 28 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: asian, beef, broccoli, hoisin sauce, sirloin steak, stir fry
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 500kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 8 oz sirloin steak, thinly sliced against the grain
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper
  • 1 head broccoli, chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 can baby corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Stir fry sauce

  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce

Rice (optional, to serve)

  • 1 cup dry white rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tsp butter

Instructions

  • Cook rice with water and butter together in a rice cooker (if serving with stir fry).
  • Optional step for more tender beef (skip if you're in a rush): Add 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp baking soda and 2 tbsp soy sauce to sliced steak. Toss to combine and let marinate for 30 minutes in a large bowl or Ziploc bag.
  • Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add steak, garlic, salt and pepper, sauteeing for 2-3 minutes until seared. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Meanwhile, mix stir fry sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
  • Without wiping pan clean, add broccoli and carrots, then cover skillet with a lid. Cook for 3-4 minutes until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Add in baby corn and red pepper, sauteeing another 2 minutes.
  • Add steak back to pan, along with stir fry sauce, tossing well to coat. Cook 1-2 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
  • Serve overtop of rice and garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 921mg | Potassium: 1119mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 4735IU | Vitamin C: 180.3mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 3.5mg

This is the EASIEST Beef Stir Fry recipe out there - with a simple 2-ingredient sauce, you'll likely already have all the ingredients you need to make this healthy dinner idea! #beefstirfry #skilletrecipe titled photo (and shown): The Best Beef Stir Frytitled photo showing beef stir fry in glass meal prep containers

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About Taylor Stinson

Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

Comments

  1. Kerri says

    May 19, 2019 at 15:12

    5 stars
    This is so good!! I did everything you listed except for adding salt (just because the soy sauce is salty enough for me) and it came out amazing. I used the tip you gave for the baking soda, corn starch and soy sauce as a marinade and the meat came out perfect. I have it plated with rice for this weeks meal prep. This ilrecipe is a keeper for me. And my other half tried it out and said we should have it for dinner one night too so its definitely a hit! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      May 21, 2019 at 08:32

      So happy to hear that Kerri!!! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Blair says

    August 17, 2019 at 01:22

    I made it! Both my boyfriend and I *loved* it!! He said, “this is definitely a keeper!” The only suggested improvement (from him): increase the sauce. Next time, I’ll double it, just for him.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      August 19, 2019 at 07:18

      Oooooh I love that idea! So happy you enjoyed Blair 🙂

      Reply
  3. Blair says

    August 17, 2019 at 01:24

    Oh, I did the same as Kerri. I marinated the beef and left out the extra salt. The beef was *perfect*!

    Reply
  4. Sevi says

    April 4, 2020 at 02:40

    Didn’t see any mention of:
    Hoisin sauce
    White wine
    Water
    Butter
    In the instructions. They are shown in the ingredients list

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      April 4, 2020 at 16:49

      Hi Sevi – there is no white wine in this recipe, I’m wondering if you have misread something? As you can see under the headings, you use the water and butter to cook the rice, and you mix the soy sauce and hoisin sauce together to make the sauce.

      Reply
  5. Beverly Sheffield says

    April 29, 2020 at 18:52

    5 stars
    Delish! And oh so easy!

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      April 30, 2020 at 08:25

      So happy you enjoyed, Beverly!

      Reply
  6. Regina says

    May 26, 2020 at 20:34

    5 stars
    I substituted 1 small zucchini for the corn. Also, next time I would mix Less amount of dressing. But this was delicious

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      May 27, 2020 at 07:57

      I’m so happy you enjoyed, Regina!

      Reply
  7. Dorothy says

    July 27, 2020 at 12:58

    5 stars
    Loved this! Just took all the fresh veggies in the refrigerator and tada! The meat was so tender you could cut it with a fork!

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      July 27, 2020 at 15:45

      I’m so happy you enjoyed 🙂

      Reply
  8. Ene says

    October 17, 2020 at 14:04

    I made it this first time . Turned out amazing,. I did double sauce .

    Reply
  9. Frida says

    February 10, 2021 at 04:11

    Can I make this recipe in the instsntpot?

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      February 10, 2021 at 07:42

      Hi Frida – I’m sure you could but I haven’t tried it myself. Let me know if you end up trying it this way!

      Reply
  10. Diane K (foodieforpeace) says

    March 10, 2021 at 19:53

    5 stars
    I selected this recipe for the sauce. I had a 3 pack of hoisin and wanted to try some new recipes. Very tasty. Made as written with addition of sliced water chestnuts. Thanks for the Asian inspired recipe.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      March 11, 2021 at 07:54

      I’m so happy you enjoyed, thanks for leaving your review 🙂

      Reply

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