Paleo Mongolian Beef stir-fry recipe. Authentic Whole30 Mongolian beef. Easy healthy Paleo Stir-Fry recipe, featured in Whole30 Fast and Easy Cookbook. Keto Paleo Whole30 friendly.
Paleo Mongolian Beef
My Paleo Mongolian Beef is also Whole30 and Keto friendly. It is one of my most beloved recipes I’ve shared with you on this blog. Paleo Mongolian Beef is the western translation for 葱爆牛肉 (Cōng bào niúròu) in Mandarin. It literally means beef with scallion and ginger stir fry.
This Paleo Mongolian Beef is packed with tons of flavor. It’s got the personality of dishes from northern China where my mother’s parents were from – full of life and character. If you love Chinese food or want to find a flavorful dish that can be done quickly with a few simple ingredients, read on. It’s simply too good to pass on.
Share this 1-minute How to Make Paleo Mongolian Beef video with your friends !
High quality grass fed meat
I used ButcherBox’s grass-fed sirloin tip for my Paleo Mongolian Beef. ButcherBox provides the highest quality of grass fed beef and organic chicken, pork, and even Whole30 friendly bacon to households across the United States.
The containers are sealed and packed in dry ice box with thick insulation form. Just defrost the meat in the fridge a night before cooking. My husband and I both feel that the meat from ButcherBox tastes even better than organic stuff from WholeFoods.
ButcherBox’s grass-fed beef comes from cattle that are only fed grass their entire lives. They live free-range in pastures and are never put into feedlots. They live longer lives because their growth isn’t accelerated by the administration of artificial hormones. As a result you get a much cleaner piece of beef and it’s the most humane beef Americans can consume.
You can choose from a variety of “boxes” to be shipped direct to you at a reasonable price. You can also choose how often to have a box delivered. It is a subscription service, but of course, you can cancel anytime if you don’t want to continue getting it.
This certainly isn’t for everyone, but if you have limited time or quality meat isn’t available (or remotely affordable) where you live, it is a great solution.
If you want to learn more about ButcherBox or to make a purchase, be sure to click this link: Iheartumami readers’ special offer and enter the discount code iheartumami to get $10 OFF + Free Bacon for your first order !
How to make Paleo Mongolian Beef Whole30 and Keto friendly
Most google searches will show you that this famous Chinese dish Mongolian Beef is covered In shining and glossy sauce with tons of starch. There are even slow-cooker versions. Hey, I’m sure whatever the version you’ve seen online should be quite tasty but I want to bring you to the next level – a simpler way to prepare, for a better taste, and with no added sugar or starch.
What do most people do wrong about this dish – Paleo Mongolian Beef
To make this dish as authentic as possible, you need to stir fry. Select a medium-high heat smoke point oil such as coconut oil, avocado oil, or ghee and heat the oil over medium high heat in a skillet/sauté pan/wok. Once the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium. You should hear a sizzling sound the moment the beef in contacts with the skillet. The heat will create a quick sear and preserve the juice of the thin sliced beef. It makes the meat juicy and creates a lovely surface texture.
If you follow my recipe below, there’s no need to use added sugar including honey or starch.
How to incorporate this Paleo Mongolian Beef to your weekly meal planning ?
Here’s what you can do –
- Thin slice the beef and marinate. Follow the recipe below.
- Portion the beef into individualized servings in ziplock bags. Squeeze out the air and keep the bags flat and store them in the freezer.
You can pre-chop the garlic and pre-slice the ginger, scallions, and red chilly peppers if you feel ambitious, or else just handle the aromatics before cooking.
Defrost the beef the night before in the fridge with a tray underneath the ziplock bag in case there’s any leaking. There’s no need to add or measure any extra seasoning because we marinated the beef in advance. Give a quick stir-fry and the dinner is good to go. How awesome is that ?!?
The first time I made this dish it was gone in a single meal. Be sure to make a bit more and if you’ve tried any of my recipes, please leave a comment and rate the recipe in the comment section below.
I sometimes write about stuff I think you’ll like. I Heart Umami has affiliate partnerships with a few very selected companies that align with the Paleo food philosophy. I may get a share of the revenue from your purchase with no extra charge to you.
This Paleo Mongolian Beef is packed with flavor, color, and texture. It's also Whole30 and Keto friendly. Be sure to follow the recipe and the notes section for make ahead meal planning tips !
- 1 lb beef sirloin tips thin sliced against the grain
- Cooking fat of your choice - ghee, coconut oil
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp Red Boat fish sauce
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 large cloves garlic finely minced
- 3-inch long thin sliced ginger, From index through ring finger quantity
- 2 red chili peppers (California fresno chili) remove seeds, slice to thin strips
- 3 bulbs scallions cut into 3-inch length. Separate white and green parts.
Thin slice 1lb. beef against the grain. Add coconut aminos, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Marinate the beef for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare ingredients listed under “aromatics”.
Heat 1 tbsp cooking fat of your choice over medium-high heat in a skillet/saute pan. When hot, lower the heat to medium. Stir-fry the beef with the marinade until it’s no longer pink. Set aside.
Add a bit more cooking oil, saute the ginger, garlic, red chili peppers, and white color part of scallions under medium to medium-high heat until fragrant. Season with a small pinch of salt.
Add beef and green color part of scallions back to the saute pan. Toss everything to combine.
For make ahead meal prep, complete Step 1. Portion the beef into individual servings in ziplock bags. Squeeze out the air and keep the bags flat and store them in the freezer.
You can pre-chop the garlic and pre-slice the ginger, scallions, and red chilli peppers and store them separately in containers in the fridge or just prepare them before cooking.
Defrost the beef a night before in the fridge with a stray underneath the ziplock bag in case there's any leaking.
There's no need to add or measure any extra seasoning because we marinated the beef in advance.
This looks perfect! Going to make it this week. Thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome, Katja !
I love the background about the Mongolian beef and what it actually means! This looks amazing! One of my kiddos is a huge beef lover – she would love this! Thank you for the detailed instructions to make it as authentic as possible!
That’s awesome. Thanks, Renee !
Tried this recipe. Absolutely love it. Simple and delicious !
Thanks so much !
I love the flavors in this this and the ease of preparation! You explain all the details so well. I will be making this often 🙂 Thanks
Thanks so much Stacey ! We love this dish very much too !
I’ve never heard of Butcher Box but I would love to give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion.
I’m so in love with your photos for this one. This looks delicious – so hearty and meaty – full of nutritious veggies with robust colors and flavors. Nice one!
This looks so delicious and flavorful! I’m adding it to the menu next week- my husband will love it!
Wow this looks amazing and I’m totally craving it now! I can’t wait to make some!
This looks like such an easy dish with amazing flavors! Another easy dinner to add to the dinner rotation!
ButcherBox has the BEST meat! This Mongolian beef looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it with my next box.
Wow! I had no idea you just posted this until after I made it. I was lucky to be in the mood for Mongolian beef after January7th, lol. It was the tastiest dinner I have made in a long time. That sauce is the best thing ever. It was the first meal I made in the wok I got for Christmas, and I cannot think of a better first meal. I couldn’t find a red chili pepper, so I used 1/4t red pepper flake, which worked out well. Keep up the good work!
You are so very welcome ! My family loves this Paleo Mongolian Beef as well ! It has become one of our regular meals on a bi-weekly if not weekly rotation ! :))
What can I use instead of fish sauce?
Hi there, you could try the following method to substitute fish sauce.
1. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in room temperature water overnight. Check out this tutorial for more info – https://iheartumami.com/shiitake-mushrooms-baby-bok-choy/
2. Use the mushrooms and the mushroom water and add 2 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 cup of water, and 1 tsp sea salt. Bring it to boil over medium heat until reduced by half. Let it cool and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
This method will give you a similar umami flavor but it still will taste different from the real fish sauce.
I just made this for dinner and it’s delicious! I’m not a fan of chilli so used a red bell pepper (extra veggie woo) and served it with cauliflower ‘rice’. Thank you for sharing!
That sounds fantastic, Kirby ! Thank you for sharing with us ! 🙂
omg that looks good
Thank you, Stacey ! Really really love this Paleo Mongolian Beef dish !
what is the serving size? I cook for 2 so that i can have leftovers
Hi Laura, it’s for 4 people. But to be honest with you this dish is ridiculously yum ! My husband finished them in one setting. :))
I just made this dish today and wow, it’s amazing! I used a red bell pepper and low sodium soy sauce in place of the chili pepper and coconut aminos. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe–I’ll certainly be making this again very soon. 🙂
That sounds lovely ! I’m hungry just thinking about this super uber delicious Paleo Mongolian Beef. Thanks for sharing with us here, Jenae ! :))
I made this for my husband and I while doing a whole 30. We both agreed that this was spicy and delicious! I used steak tips(flap meat). Thank you so much for the recipe!
What veggie do you usually pair with this delicious dish? Thanks for great recipes. You’re one of my most used and favorite blogs!
Mixed green salad ! :))
So DELICIOUS!! My husband and I made it tonight and will definitely be adding this to our rotation. Loved the flavor and better than take out! Whole30 for the win 🙌
That’s so awesome. Thank you Laura !!
You really nailed it on this one! This was my first recipe to make of yours, and it most definitely won’t be the last. I’m so stoked that I found your website-Thank you!
So lovely to meet you here too, Erin ! Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it !
Sounds divine. Could one use flank steak?
Yes. I would thin slice against the grain.
I was attracted to this recipe because it wasn’t soy sauce and brown sugar. This was my first time cooking with coco aminos and fish sauce, but definitely not my last. This dish is so simple but SO DELICIOUS. I added mushrooms and onions to stretch the dish, doubled the sauce and served over cauliflower rice. Thank you for sharing this AMAZING recipe.
So very welcome !
Great recipe, already made it twice. Would it work with chicken?
Thank you, Cathy ! Hmmm…haven’t tried chicken yet but I have a lot of chicken stir-fry recipes on my site 🙂
Would this dish work with shrimp? I recently changed my diet and I used to get Mongolian shrimp out at restaurants. I miss it and was hoping this would work out.
Hi Cassie, yes ! For shrimp, I’d skip the seasonings and keep the sauce the same. Here’s a more specific recipe written for shrimp stir-fry – https://iheartumami.com/paleo-chinese-shrimp-tomato-stir-fry/