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This pepper steak stir fry features colorful bell peppers and tender flank steak tossed in a savory sauce of garlic and ginger. Simple yet so satisfying!

Pepper Steak Stir Fry in a pan

There are fewer meals that are as easy and delicious as this pepper steak stir fry. With a minimal ingredient list and some no-nonsense prep, I’m confident that you’ll appreciate how crazy easy it is to pull it together in a pinch!

Best Steak Cuts for Stir Fry

When it comes to stir fry, many wonder what kind of beef is best. For this particular recipe, our choice cut of beef is flank steak. It’s perfect for cooking over high heat, affordable, and easy to work with. That said, if you can’t get your hands on flank several other cuts that will work just as well.

  • Top Sirloin Steak – Boneless, lean, and budget-friendly
  • Skirt Steak – Super beef-y flavor and light marbling
  • Sirloin Tip Steak – Boneless, lean and budget-friendly
  • Ribeye – Super fatty, tender, and on the pricier side (great for a “treat yourself” kind of night)
Ingredients for pepper steak

How to Make Pepper Steak Stir Fry

Making this pepper steak stir fry recipe only requires a handful of simple ingredients and a few crazy easy steps. Below, find a rundown of the recipe before you dive in.

  • Make the Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the pressed garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch together. Set the sauce aside.
  • Cook the Peppers: In a wok or large skillet, stir fry the bell pepper until golden brown over medium heat. Remove the peppers from the pan and set them aside.
  • Cook the Beef: Next, turn the heat up to medium-high heat and stir fry the beef strips until golden brown. Then, add the peppers back into the pan.
  • Add the Sauce: Finally, pour the sauce over the steak and veggies, stir-frying the entire mixture for a couple of more minutes. Remove from heat and enjoy!

What does cutting meat across the grain mean? When slicing beef for stir fry, you must cut it against the grain (or against the muscle fibers versus alongside them). This results in a more tender piece of meat that’s volumes easier to chew.

Sauce ingredients in a bowl
Pepper sliced in a wok
Raw steak in a wok
Wok with Pepper Steak Stir Fry

3 Tips for Making the Tastiest Steak Stir Fry

Below, find 3 pro tips that will help you make the tastiest steak stir fry possible.

  • Thin out the sauce with a little water. If the sauce is a little too thick, add in a couple of tablespoons of water to thin it out.
  • Freeze the steak for 20 minutes before slicing it. To make it that much easier to slice your steak, pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes before slicing. This will firm up the beef and help you slice into it more smoothly.
  • Experiment with different vegetables. This pepper steak stir fry is super versatile, so get creative with the veggies and use whichever you like best. Broccoli florets, onions, carrots, asparagus, snow peas, snap peas, zucchini, cabbage, and baby corn all work especially well.

Obsessed with stir fry? You need solid knives! I love this set of knives and have been using it for years to slice and dice all the ingredients for my favorite stir fry recipes.

Pepper Steak Stir Fry in a pan

Serving Steak Stir Fry

If you’re watching your carbohydrates, serve the pepper steak stir-fry as-is or on top of a bed of cauliflower rice (you can find it frozen at Trader Joe’s or easily whip it up by popping cauliflower in a food processor and pan-frying it in butter or oil until lightly crisped). Otherwise, serve it atop some steamed white rice or quinoa, or tossed into your favorite rice noodles.

Best Way to Store Your Leftovers

To keep pepper steak stir fry on hand for up to 5 days, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. This will keep the beef from drying out and will also help it to continue marinating in itself – making for some pretty incredible leftovers.

Reheating Tip: Reheat leftover pepper steak stir fry in the microwave for a couple of minutes or until warmed through. Avoid reheating it in the skillet, as it’s super easy to overcook the steak and turn it rubbery.

FAQ

Should you marinate beef for stir fry?

Unless you want the extra punch of flavor, there’s no need to marinate the beef for your stir fry. What makes this dish so incredible is that you don’t have to prep the meat ahead of time to get a delicious outcome.

How do you cut a steak for stir fry?

Always cut the steak against the grain into similar-sized thin strips for stir fry. This will promote even cooking and also yield the most tender texture.

Why is your steak tough and chewy?

Your steak turned out tough and chewy for a couple of different reasons: 1) you overcooked it, 2) you didn’t slice it against the grain, and/or 3) you didn’t cut the strips into similar-sized pieces.

How long does it take to cook the steak for stir fry?

It should take no more than about 5 minutes to cook the steak for stir fry. The key is to slice the steak thinly enough that it will cook quickly over high heat without losing its tenderness.

Can you freeze this steak stir fry?

It’s not recommended that you freeze this pepper steak stir fry. In general, cooked veggies don’t tend to thaw well and turn into mush.

More Crazy Easy Stir Fry Recipes

Recipe

Pepper Steak Stir Fry in a pan

30-Minute Pepper Steak Stir Fry

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Servings
6 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
This steak stir fry recipe features juicy flank steak and sweet sautéed bell peppers. Perfect over steamed rice or tossed into rice noodles!

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil olive, avocado or vegetable
  • 1 large red bell pepper cut into thin strips
  • 1 large green bell pepper cut into thin strips
  • 2 lbs flank steak cut into thin strips

Stir Fry Sauce

  • 2 garlic cloves pressed
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
US Units – Metric

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
    Sauce ingredients in a bowl
  • Preheat a wok or large skillet with oil over medium heat. Add in the sliced bell pepper and cook until golden brown (about 3 minutes). Remove the peppers from the pan and set them aside.
    Pepper sliced in a wok
  • Turn the heat up to high and add the beef strips to the pan. Cook the beef until it's golden brown.
    Cooked Steak in a wok
  • Add the bell peppers back to the pan. Pour the sauce over the steak and veggies. Cook for an additional 2-4 minutes.
    Pepper and sauce added to the steak
  • Remove from heat and enjoy alongside your favorite grain or noodle!
    Wok with Pepper Steak Stir Fry
Nutrition Facts
30-Minute Pepper Steak Stir Fry
Amount Per Serving
Calories 268 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 91mg30%
Sodium 803mg33%
Potassium 634mg18%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 694IU14%
Vitamin C 42mg51%
Calcium 43mg4%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Updated October 5, 2023

About Author

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Natalya founded Momsdish to demonstrate that placing a homemade meal on the table is not hard at all. Natalya makes cooking easier and approachable, by simplifying the ingredients, while still producing the same great taste.