Chinese Pepper Steak
by My Chinese pepper steak recipe combines perfectly tender wok-seared beef with crisp bell peppers and sweet onions in a finger-licking stir-fry sauce—ready in 30 minutes or less. This easy takeout favorite is bursting with FLAVOR!
Learn my secret tips to make the best Chinese-style pepper steak with accessible ingredients. Serve it with rice for a healthy and delicious weeknight meal. Check out my guide on how to make tender beef stir fry.
Ingredients
This pepper steak and rice recipe is an authentic Chinese takeout dish that comes together quickly at home. It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but you’ll have most on hand—and they truly make the best pepper steak stir fry to serve!
For the pepper beef:
- Beef: My favorite cuts are skirt steak or flank steak, but you can also use sirloin steak.
- Coconut aminos and fish sauce combine as a substitute for soy sauce, which you could use alternatively.
- Toasted sesame oil
- Black pepper
- Baking soda is one of the secrets to “velveting” the meat. It helps to make it very tender.
- Tapioca starch or arrowroot starch to get a good sear.
Aromatics and vegetables:
- Onion: I use yellow onion, but shallot is also yummy.
- Bell Peppers: I use green and red, but you can use any color you like. Red peppers are slightly sweeter than green.
- Cilantro: This is optional, but it gives extra aroma and brightness to the dish.
Sauce for pepper steak:
- Olive oil, Coconut aminos (or soy sauce), Garlic and ginger, Tapioca starch (or arrowroot), Ground black pepper, and Salt
Ingredient substitutions and variations
- Longhorn Chinese green pepper: Also known as cowhorn or green cayenne peppers, these can be used in addition to or in place of the bell peppers for a bit more spice and added fiber.
- Sweetener: If you like a sweeter sauce, add a bit of brown sugar or honey.
- Tangy & extra savory: Add a dash of vegan oyster sauce or Worcestershire sauce to the beef sauce for extra depth of flavor.
- Chinese Shaoxing wine or Japanese mirin: Add a teaspoon to the beef marinade. You can also see my beef stir-fry marinade article for more details.
- Starch: Potato starch or cornstarch will also work.
- With noodles: If you don’t want to serve with rice, substitute egg noodles, shirataki noodles (low carbohydrates), or rice noodles for a fun twist.
- Make extra sauce: Add a few tablespoons of chicken or beef stock to make a bigger batch of sauce and use it as gravy with rice and vegetables to give them pepper beef seasoning.
How to make Chinese pepper steak
Once you have the ingredients prepped, it’s so easy to make pepper steak with onions Chinese takeout at home! Here are the instructions for how to make pepper steak and rice in just 30-minutes or less:
- Slice the beef into thin strips by cutting against the grain. Season the beef with a quick marinade. Pro tip: If it’s difficult to cut thin slices, place the beef in the freezer for half an hour to make it more firm.
- Prepare the onion, bell peppers, and cilantro. Set the onion and bell peppers in one bowl and cilantro in another.
- Mix the pepper steak sauce and set it aside.
- Pan sear the beef in a hot wok or large skillet with oil. Once the beef is browned, remove it from the wok and set it aside.
- Stir-fry the bell peppers with onions over medium-high heat with a pinch of salt until the peppers are crisp yet tender.
- Return the beef to the pan and pour the sauce over the onions, bell peppers, and beef. Toss together. Garnish with cilantro before serving the flank steak stir-fry hot or room temp.
Best cut of beef for tender pepper steak
We can’t talk about how to cook pepper steak and onions without discussing the best cuts of meat and some common mistakes to avoid. Follow these pro tips for how to make a truly tender beef stir fry, just like you’d get from a Chinese restaurant.
What kind of steak for pepper beef
Top sirloin steak, sirloin steak, flank steak, rump or round steak are some of the best protein cuts for a tender stir fry. Skirt steak and hanger steak are also good. You want to select a meat that won’t release excess juices, drying out the meat and diluting your sauce. My Cantonese beef chow mein and Paleo beef and broccoli are two great examples.
Why is my beef stir fry tough?
Nobody wants tough or chewy steak with peppers and onions! Here are some common mistakes to avoid when cooking your beef:
- Not using a velveting technique: Using baking soda to tenderize the meat, starch to provide a seared texture, and oil to prevent the meat from drying are age-old Chinese cooking secrets. My Cumin beef stir fry is a great dish to try.
- Poor meat preparation: Using the wrong cut, forgetting to slice it against the grain, not slicing thinly enough (⅛- inch pieces), or overcooking the beef will lead to a tough stir fry.
- Pan is not hot enough or using a lid: The wok should be sizzling hot when you add the meat to stir fry. Covering the pan with a lid will “steam” the beef. Instead, use a splatter guard to allow the moisture to evaporate. You can see how I use this technique in my Thai basil beef.
How to make ahead, store, and reheat
This easy Chinese-style pepper onion steak stir fry can easily be prepared ahead for a shorter cook time, and it stores well for several days (if you don’t devour it all!)
- Make-ahead: Thinly slice the beef and toss it in the marinade. Make the sauce and prepare the vegetables. Store each separately in the fridge for 2-3 days for a shorter prep time when you’re ready to cook.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days for the best texture and flavor.
- Reheat: Quickly stir fry to heat on the stovetop or pop in the microwave on high for 1 minute.
What to serve it with
Similar to my Black pepper beef, this simple Chinese-style beef stir fry with onions and peppers is a meal on it’s own when paired with rice. If you want to turn it into a homemade Chinese food feast, serve it with a classic appetizer or a light, refreshing salad.
- Appetizers: These Paleo egg rolls with low-carb coconut wraps are a guilt-free version of the Chinese takeout classic. My crispy-yet-chewy rice paper dumplings are another great option!
- Salads: If you like some heat, try this simple spicy cucumber salad with garlic chili sauce. Or serve up this Taiwanese take on a classic Chinese smashed cucumber salad.
Umami Tips
- Slicing the beef: Thinly slice the beef against the grain. This will ensure that the beef is tender and absorbs the marinade effectively and cooks faster in the hot pan.
- Velveting the meat: Marinating the beef with soy sauce, starch, baking soda, and olive oil will help tenderize the meat and maintain moisture.
- Prepare ingredients in advance: Prepare the sauce and slice the vegetables and aromatics in advance for a quicker cooking process.
- High heat and quick cooking: Stir-frying is a cooking method that uses high heat for a short amount of time. Make sure your wok or skillet is hot before adding the ingredients. The high heat seals in the flavors and retains a crisp texture.
- Use a splatter guard: To prevent oil splatter, use a splatter guard as opposed to a lid so that the moisture can evaporate and the food does not get “steamed”.
- Use a large pan: Even if you don’t have a wok, any large (12-inch or larger) saute pan, wok pan, deep saute pan, or cast iron skillet is great for stir-frying.
- Balancing the flavors: Chinese cuisine is all about balance. Make sure your sauce has the right balance of salty (soy sauce), sweet (sugar), sour (vinegar), and hot (black pepper or chili). Adjust according to your taste.
- Extra sauce: If you prefer extra sauce to use as gravy over rice and veg, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth to the sauce and increase the starch quantity to thicken.
- Soy sauce vs. coconut aminos: Coconut aminos taste naturally sweeter than soy sauce and have less sodium. If you use soy sauce, reduce the written quantity and add a touch of sugar.
- Serving: Serve the pepper steak over steamed rice or noodles to make it a complete meal. Also, serve it immediately after cooking for the best taste and texture.
FAQs
In Asia, most people associate the dish pepper steak with a piece of steak served on a hot plate with black pepper sauce. In America, “pepper steak” refers to thinly sliced steak stir-fried with peppers and onions in a savory, garlicky, and lightly-sweetened sauce. This version is more closely related to a Fujianese dish called 青椒牛肉 or 青椒炒肉絲 (Qīngjiāo niúròu sī), meaning stir-fried shredded beef with green pepper.
Mongolian beef originated in Taiwan. Mongolian beef is made with thinly sliced beef stir-fried with red chili peppers (deseeded), ginger, garlic, and large sections of scallions. Both pepper steak and Mongolian beef use thinly sliced beef and emphasize the quick wok stir fry technique. However, Mongolian beef is less saucy than pepper steak. Mongolian beef also tastes slightly spicier, less sweet, and more pungent because of the fresh chili peppers, ginger, and scallions in the dish.
Top sirloin steak, flank steak, sirloin steak, rump or round steak. Skirt steak and hanger steak are also excellent choices for stir-fries. They have a robust flavor and are great for quick, high-heat cooking to keep it tender.
Chicken or beef broth and a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, and cornstarch. Brown sugar gives it a balanced sweet and savory flavor.
More Chinese beef stir fry recipes you might like
If you enjoyed making this classic Chinese takeout dish at home, be sure to give some of my other Chinese beef recipes a try!
Chinese pepper steak recipe
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 1 lb. skirt steak, or flank, sirloin steak
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- ½ tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2-2.5 tbsp tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch
Aromatics and veggie:
- 1.5 oz onion, thinly sliced, or shallot
- Half one whole green bell pepper, sliced to strips
- Half one whole red bell pepper, sliced to strips
- 6 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
Sauce for pepper steak:
- 0.5 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 oz garlic, grated, 7 large
- 0.5 oz ginger, grated, 4 tsp
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- Pinch coarse sea salt
Other:
- 1.5 tbsp avocado oil, divided
Instructions
- Thinly slice the beef against the grain. In a bowl, marinade the beef from coconut aminos to starch. Stir-well. Set them aside in the fridge for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.
- Prepare the onion, bell peppers, and cilantro. Set the shallot and bell peppers in one bowl and cilantro in a separate bowl.
- Mix the pepper steak sauce from olive oil to salt. Set it aside ready to use.
- In a well-heated large cast iron or skillet, add 1 tbsp avocado oil. Pan sear the beef over medium-high heat in one layer without disturbing for about 2 minutes or until the beef is in golden brown color. Use a spatula with a firm tip to flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Off heat, set the beef aside in one bowl along with the pan juices.
- You should have some oil left in the skillet, if not, add 0.5 more tbsp of oil and reheat the skill until it feels warm. Add the bell peppers and onions over medium-high heat with a pinch of salt until the peppers are crisp tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add the beef along with the juice back to the pan. Stir the sauce one more time then add it to the pan. Toss everything together for about 1 minute.
- Off heat. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot or at room temperature with rice.
Notes
- Longhorn Chinese green pepper: Also known as cowhorn or green cayenne peppers, these can be used in addition to or in place of the bell peppers for a bit more spice and added fiber.
- Sweetener: If you like a sweeter sauce, add a bit of brown sugar or honey.
- Tangy & extra savory: Add a dash of vegan oyster sauce or worcestershire sauce to the beef sauce for extra depth of flavor.
- Chinese shaoxing wine or Japanese mirin: Add a teaspoon to the beef marinade.
- Starch: Potato starch or cornstarch will also work.
- With noodles: If you don’t want to serve with rice, substitute egg noodles, shirataki noodles (low carbohydrates), or rice noodles for a fun twist.
- Make extra sauce: Add a few tablespoons of chicken or beef stock to make a bigger batch of sauce and use it as gravy with rice and vegetables to give them pepper beef seasoning.
- Make-ahead: Thinly slice the beef and toss it in the marinade. Make the sauce and prepare the vegetables. Store each separately in the fridge for 2-3 days for a shorter prep time when you’re ready to cook.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days for the best texture and flavor.
- Reheat: Quickly stir fry to heat on the stovetop or pop in the microwave on high for 1 minute.
Nutrition
Made a dish and love it? Please remember to rate the recipe and leave a comment in the comment section below! It helps my blog grow organically so I can continue sharing free and awesome content with you. Thank you!
Hi! Is it at all possible to get the original recipe that used beef stock for the sauce? I’ve been making the original recipe for years now and just noticed it changed. I’d prefer to use the original recipe rather than the updated one. Thank you!
The recipe is updated recently. You can email us to see if we still have a copy of the previous version.
Very easy to make. Everyone in the family loved it!
Thank you so much! YUM!
Did you change this recipe? I could have sworn it had worchestshire sauce and no cilantro, If so, can I get my hands on the old version? My husband doesn’t like cilantro, and while i’m sure this recipe is as awesome as all your others, I would love to make that older version again one more time. THanks!
Hey Kristin, yes the recipe is updated recently. You can definitely skip the cilantro ingredient. It will still taste very yummy.
Can you use flank or skirt steak for this recipe?
Yes! Absolutely!
I make this dish for my family and my clients (I’m a personal cook) we absolutely LOVE it!
We have a coconut allergy in our house, substitute for the coconut aminos?
Try Ocean’s Halo! I haven’t tried it but people seem to like them 🙂
This dish has become a staple in our house. It is a quick and easy dinner loved by everyone. My kids request this once a week. And trust me when I say it is way better then take out any day of the week.