How To Make Beef Stir Fry In Minutes – Healthy + Fast + Oh So Tasty

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Are thoughts of yummy stir fry dancing in your head?  Wait, then you remember how the MSG makes you feel?  I loved it but had to figure out how to make beef stir fry at home very quickly and in a way that didn’t make me regret eating it.  What I’ve learned is that you don’t need a fancy wok or rare sauce – throwing together a yummy stir fry is actually very easy! This is an accidental healthy beef stir fry recipe that can be easily modified and known as a chicken stir fry or how to make vegetable stir fry by omitting the meat.

close up of beef stir fry in the skillet

HOW TO MAKE BEEF STIR FRY BACKSTORY

I tried to figure out how to make beef stir fry on my own and failed miserably several times.  Either my meat was tough and tasteless or the entire dish lacked any flavor at all.  Oh, and I dreaded chopping all those veggies only to end up with soggy broccoli and carrots that hadn’t been cooked enough.  I basically gave up on trying to cook stir fry at home.

A few things happened though…

#1  I continued to love the flavor of chicken stir fry or beef stir fry at restaurants when the family wanted to eat at those places.

#2  Each time I would eat takeout stir fry, I would be in such discomfort (as would the rest of my family) for hours afterward that I would vow to not eat it again in my lifetime.  A couple months later, I would crave the dish and eat it again.

#3  We needed a healthy dinner ideas that consisted of lean protein and vegetables.  I thought about how healthy stir fry could be if I could infuse flavor so that it tasted great without all the negatives.

STIR FRY FAQS

How do you make stir fry vegetables?

Traditionally, stir fry is a Chinese-inspired dish in which vegetables are added to a wok of hot oil and coated with soy sauce, ginger, and sesame seeds.  Although many Asian restaurants in the U.S. use a similar method, many of us prepare this meal at home without a wok and with a variety of ingredients.

To me, this dish is still considered stir fry as long as the hot oil and veggies are cooked in the same manner and a similar sauce is used.  We are soy-free at my house so we have a few variations to make sure it is still tasty and simple.

What can you put in a stir fry?

The fun answer is that you can add whatever vegetables that you want to your stir fry and the meat that floats your boat.

My specific answer is that the thin, sirloin beef that I prefer is the tastiest and quickest meat to prepare in this dish.  You know me, if it isn’t a quick and easy dish, I’m not making it!

My go-to beef stir fry jam consists of thin cuts of steak, a bag of vegetable medley that’s already pre-chopped with broccoli, carrots, & cauliflower, and other fresh veggies I have hiding in the fridge like onions, and peppers.  When you purchase the pre-cut strips of steak and a bag of chopped veggies, you literally just pour it all it!  That’s my kind of cooking.

That’s what is so awesome about this beef stir fry recipe is that you can change it up to include your faves and experiment with others as you have confidence.

how to make beef stir fry close up of meat and veggies in a skillet

Can you use fresh or frozen veggies?

You can use either.  I prefer to use a bag full of fresh vegetables.  If the stir fry vegetables are frozen they will just take longer to cook.

Is this recipe low carb, gluten free, dairy free, and soy free?

Yes, yes, and yes.  Many folks pour lots of soy sauce (especially restaurants) that’s loaded with MSG. We found a healthier soy sauce years ago and switched to it.

We have since decided to avoid soy as much as possible, so we skip the mainstream and healthier version.  When we do want that flavor, our favorite is Bragg’s Coconut Aminos.  It tastes like soy but without the consequences associated with it.

AH-MAZING soy sauce alternative

BEEF STIR FRY INGREDIENTS

Exact measurements for this recipe are on the printable recipe card below, but here are the ingredients at a glance.

  • coconut oil
  • sirloin thin-cut beef
  • garlic salt
  • pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • raw vegetable medley

HOW TO MAKE BEEF STIR FRY STEP BY STEP

This stir fry recipe is seriously one of the quickest and easiest meals to make that just has the bonus of being super healthy as well!are so easy that you’ll be making them as a side dish all the time!

Follow these steps and tips for perfect stir fry every time, friend!You’ll find a printable recipe card below with more specifics but here are the basics of how to make beef stir fry:

  1. Warm coconut oil in the skillet on med-high
  2. Season beef strips with garlic salt and pepper while oil is warming
  3. Cook two or three minutes on each side until brown.  Don’t worry about cooking all the way through.
  4. When browned, turn burner down to medium heat
  5. Remove meat from skillet to plate and sit aside
  6. Add olive oil to skillet until hot
  7. Pour veggies into skillet and stir
  8. Stir to coat with olive oil and cook on medium, stirring often for about 4 minutes.
  9. Add the meat back in and mix together to cook for another one or two minutes until meat is done.
  10. Adjust this cooking time according to how crispy or soft you like your veggies.
  11. With this cooking time, the veggies are still crispy and firm without tasting raw.

TIPS FOR THE BEST STIR FRY

To get the best results for your easy meal, try these tips I’ve learned the hard way:

  • use a huge pan – I prefer a large skillet or huge Teflon pan
  • add more olive oil over vegetables to really pour on the flavor
  • don’t overcook the meat
  • buy cheaper cuts of beef & cut into strips yourself

YOU MAY NEED…

So the beauty of this recipe is that you can buy strips of steak and a bag of raw vegetables that are ready to go with no prep work.  However, to save money, you may want to do the slicing yourself.

If that is the case, I can’t tell you how much having a few amazing kitchen knives on hand will make your life simplified.  These are technically steak knives but they are so sharp, yet safe, and I use them for everything!!!  I’ve become such a knife snob!

my ABSOLUTE favorite kitchen knives

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Here’s your printable pound cake recipe card:

How To Make Beef Stir Fry In Minutes
 
Ingredients
  • coconut oil
  • sirloin thin-cut beef
  • garlic salt
  • pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • raw vegetable medley
Instructions
  1. Warm coconut oil in the skillet on med-high
  2. Season beef strips with garlic salt and pepper while oil is warming
  3. Cook two or three minutes on each side until brown. Don’t worry about cooking all the way through.
  4. When browned, turn burner down to medium heat
  5. Remove meat from skillet to plate and sit aside
  6. Add olive oil to skillet until hot
  7. Pour veggies into skillet and stir
  8. Stir to coat with olive oil and cook on medium, stirring often for about 4 minutes.
  9. Add the meat back in and mix together to cook for another one or two minutes until meat is done.
  10. Adjust this cooking time according to how crispy or soft you like your veggies.
  11. With this cooking time, the veggies are still crispy and firm without tasting raw.
 

Do you have any secrets you’d like to share about how to make beef stir fry?  I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

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Shan

Published on HuffPost, Okefenokee Living Magazine, and more, Shan is a Family Travel Journalist with a passion for helping women lose the overwhelm of planning family-friendly trips in the south. She shares travel reviews & insider secrets that Women REALLY want to know about Georgia, Florida, & the Carolinas vacations.

☕️ It’s THE REAL DEAL around here ☕️

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2 Comments

  1. Sabrina
    February 13, 2019 / 10:22 pm

    Thanks for sharing! This sounds easy, yummy, and healthy. Score!

    • Shan
      Author
      February 13, 2019 / 10:34 pm

      Thank you!!! We love it.

      shan

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