This Keto Beef Stir Fry is packed with broccoli and thin slices of steak tossed in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce. It’s easy to make, healthy and with only 3 net carbs per serving, this is definitely a recipe you’ll want to keep in the rotation.
Keto Beef Stir Fry
If you like an easy recipe for supper, you’re going to LOVE LOVE this recipe. Our Keto Beef Stir Fry tastes just like take-out Mongolian Beef, but without all the carbs. It’s the perfect Asian food that will help you stay on track with your keto or low carb lifestyle while our amazing keto stir-fry sauce provides the sweet and spicy flavor your craving!
This low carb stir fry is similar to our popular Sesame Chicken Stir Fry recipe, but has been tweaked for beef and broccoli. It’s so tasty, you’ll want to make this recipe at least once a week!
Ingredients needed to make Keto Beef Stir Fry
Stir Fry Ingredients
- Steak ( we used Flank Steak) – chuck roast cut into cubes is also delicious.
- Broccoli Florets – healthy and keto friendly, it’s a classic compliment for the beef.
- Green Onions – for mild onion flavor that won’t overpower the sauce.
Sauce Ingredients
- Soy Sauce (or Tamari Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos) – a staple in Asian sauce. Look for a soy sauce with no added sugar. We love this Lite Soy Sauce with 1 gram of net carbs per tablespoon.
- Minced Garlic – we love to keep a jar of our favorite organic pre-minced garlic in the fridge for convenience. You can definitely mince fresh garlic if you prefer!
- Ginger – peel and mince a finger of fresh ginger, or make cooking easy, like we try to, by keeping a tube of fresh minced ginger in the refrigerator. Most large supermarkets stock it in the produce cooler.
- Sriracha – easy to distribute just the right amount of heat throughout the sauce. If you don’t have it, substitute a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Low Carb Brown Sugar – adds sweetness to offset the natural salt in the soy sauce. A brown sugar substitute that’s soft and has tasty maple flavor like Sukrin Gold is our favorite.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – an essential for flavor and a classic ingredient in Asian cooking.
- Xanthan Gum – works like cornstarch to thicken sauces and soups, but without the carbs!
Steps for the Best Keto Beef Stir Fry
Now’s the time to steam the broccoli so it’s crisp-tender when you add it to the beef. For convenience we love to buy frozen broccoli florets that you throw in the microwave to steam in it’s own bag. Just follow the package directions. Set aside when done.
Lay your steak, in this case it’s flank steak, on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut across the grain of the meat, slicing the steak into very thin slices. If you think the steak is too wide across, also cut each thin piece in half. Pieces should be 2 – 3 inches long. Set aside.
This cutting board with a build in sharpener is amazing. It comes in lots of colors so you can have a different color for produce, raw meat and bread to eliminate cross contamination.
Next make the stir fry sauce. Stir fry is a fast process, so you’ll want to have all your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking. The best part is the sauce only take a minute or two to make! Here’s how we do it.
- To a small mixing bowl add soy sauce, garlic, ginger, low carb brown sugar and sriracha. Whisk to blend.
- Add sesame oil and xanthan gum to a separate small bowl. Stir until completely blended. Pour into soy sauce mixture and whisk to blend. Set aside.
Now you’re ready to get cooking! Over medium-high heat, heat the oil in a wok or deep fry pan. Add the meat to the pan and cook until it’s starting to brown, about 2 minutes.
Throw the green onions, (they’re also called scallions if your fancy), into the pan. Keep cooking until the meat is done, about another 2 minutes. The onions will get soft and release their flavor.
Next, while still over MED-HIGH heat, toss the broccoli into the pan with the steak. Stir to combine.
Now it’s time to pour that amazing sauce over the meat and broccoli. Toss so that everything is coated. Keep tossing and cooking until the sauce starts to thicken.
Serve Mongolian Beef Stir Fry over riced cauliflower, zoodles (zucchini noodles) or Shirataki noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or thinly sliced green onions to garnish if you like. Dinner is served!
TIPS for the Best Beef Stir Fry
- Stir-fry cooks quickly, so measure and prep all the ingredients before starting to cook.
- Use a lean cut of steak, or trim off any visible fat. A well-trimmed chuck roast, cut into cubes, is a tasty and budget-friendly alternative.
- Drain excess water from steamed broccoli well before adding to the hot pan. This will keep it from spattering water and from diluting the sauce.
- If there is excess liquid in the pan after adding the broccoli, drain off before adding the sauce.
- A low carb thickener like xanthan gum dissolves best in oil. To avoid lumps, don’t skip the step of mixing with the sesame oil before adding to the rest of the sauce ingredients.
- This recipe was cooked over MED-HIGH heat on a gas stove. If cooking on electric, you may need to increase the heat to HIGH.
Low Carb Vegetable Substitutions
If you’re not a fan of broccoli, there are lots of other choices for low carb veggies to add to beef stir-fry.
Just FYI – It’s important to note that these vegetable’s carb count are measured in net carbs, not total carbs. The net carb is total carbs minus the fiber.
- red bell pepper – one cup of chopped bell peppers has only 4 grams of carbs.
- cauliflower – one cup of chopped cauliflower has 3.2 grams of net carbs.
- red or yellow onion – 1/2 cup of sliced raw onions has 5 grams of net carbs
- zucchini – one cup chopped zucchini contains only 2.7 net grams of carbs.
- mushrooms – one cup of sliced white mushroom have 1.6 grams of net carbs.
- green beans – one cup of cooked green beans has 6 grams of net carbs.
- celery – one cup of chopped celery has 1.4 grams of net carbs.
- spinach – Spinach is one of the lowest carb vegetables out there! One cup has only .4 grams of net carbs!
How to Prep Fresh Broccoli for Stir Fry
If you’re using fresh broccoli, you’ll want to pre-cook the broccoli first. Fresh broccoli can have a bitter taste and doesn’t have enough time to get even crisp tender using the stir fry cooking method. It’s really simple to do. Bonus – works for cauliflower too! Here’s how:
Microwave Method:
- Place the fresh broccoli florets in a microwave safe bowl. The broccoli should fit the bowl with a little room left at the top. Add 6 tablespoons of water and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
- Microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes. The steam should cause the plastic wrap to rise. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave. Allow to steam to cool and deflate the plastic wrap before removing, otherwise you could get a nasty steam burn. Drain off any excess water and it’s ready for the stir fry, casseroles or any broccoli dish.
Stovetop Method:
- Fill a large pot bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water and add ice.
- Add the broccoli florets carefully to the boiling water and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes. The broccoli will be tender crisp.Transfer the broccoli to the ice water. When completely cool, drain the water and the broccoli is ready to use.
How to store Beef Stir Fry leftovers
- Allow the fully cooked stir fry to cool slightly. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days.
- To reheat, just pop in the microwave. OR transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium heat on the stove, stirring continuously, until heated thru. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the sauce has become too thick.
Keto Beef Stir Fry
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced
- 4 cups frozen broccoli florets, (16 ounce bag)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, or olive oil
- 3 stems green onions
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1/3 cup lite soy sauce
- 3 tbsp low carb brown sugar, or keto granulated sweetener
- 1 tbsp sriracha, or pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place steak on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut across the grain of meat, slicing the steak into very thin slices, 2 -3 inches long. Set aside.
- Microwave or steam broccoli to crisp-tender. Drain completely and set aside.
- To a small mixing bowl add soy sauce, garlic, ginger, low carb brown sugar and sriracha. Whisk to blend. Add sesame oil and xanthan gum to a separate small bowl. Stir until completely blended. Pour into soy sauce mixture and whisk to blend. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or deep fry pan over MED-HIGH heat. Add the meat to the pan and toss to cook until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the green onions, Keep cooking until the meat is fully done, about 2 – 3 more minutes. The onions will get soft and release their flavor.
- Toss the broccoli into the pan and stir to combine.
- Pour the sauce over the stir fry. Toss so that everything is coated. Keep tossing and cooking until the sauce starts to thicken, about 1-minute. Serve hot!
- Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
EQUIPMENT WE USED!
NOTES
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NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING
© Copyright Christine Mello for Holistic Yum. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
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