The sweet pepper steak recipe is a nice meal that you can make easily. The main ingredient is beefsteak, which combines tasty sweetness with great tenderness and natural juiciness. The basic components are thin slices of meat, oil, garlic and sweet pepper. I recommend to use red pepper as it has more flavor and much more Vitamin C than green pepper or orange peppers. This recipe requires a bit of preparation, but the taste is worth it.
Best-Ever Pepper Steak
We’re huge fans of homemade beef and broccoli, but no matter how hard they try, some people can’t seem to convert to the church of broccoli (but we’ll keep trying). This is the broccoli-free version of your favorite stir-fry and has quickly become one of our favorites. We like to use both red and green peppers (because they make the dish so dang pretty!), but you can swap in whatever colors you like best. You could even toss in a jalapeño if you like things spicy! Serve with rice and you’ve got yourself a delicious dinner on the table in no time.
Tried making this awesome dish? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
YIELDS:4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME:0 HOURS 15 MINS
TOTAL TIME:0 HOURS 30 MINS
INGREDIENTS
1/4 c.
low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp.
rice wine vinegar
4 tsp.
packed brown sugar
1 tbsp.
cornstarch
2 tbsp.
vegetable oil, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb.
flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1
red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1
green bell pepper, thinly sliced
3
cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp.
freshly minced ginger
Cooked white rice, for serving
DIRECTIONS
- Make sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk the soy sauce with the vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add flank steak, season with salt, and cook until cooked through and seared on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove steak to a plate.
- Add 1 tablespoon remaining oil and red and green bell peppers to the skillet. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook stirring until fragrant. Return the beef to the skillet and pour over prepared sauce. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is glossy about 2 minutes more.
- Serve with rice.
Pepper Steak
This Pepper Steak is an easy stir fry recipe with savory sauce that you can serve with rice or noodles! It’s easy to customize and comes together fast.
Bonus: Leftovers make a great freezer meal!
Pepper Steak
When it comes to easy dinner recipes, it doesn’t get much better than classic Pepper Steak. My mom made this all the time growing up, although I think I’ve enhanced the sauce a tad! It has the best flavor combinations and enhancers that really made this pop! (More on that below!)
Serve this on a bed of rice, or toss in some cooked stir fry noodles. BONUS: Leftovers freeze well! Read on for everything you need to know.
About The Sauce
This savory pepper steak sauce has a combination of beef and chicken broth which adds depth of flavor. Soy sauce and hot sauce enhance the other flavors in the dish, and just a touch of hot sauce is used, which doesn’t make it spicy. Honey offsets the savory flavors, leaving us with a balanced sauce that is still savory. A little bit of garlic and ground ginger rounds everything out, and a cornstarch slurry thickens up the sauce at the end. Leaving us with a restaurant quality meal that doesn’t take long to make!
BONUS: You probably have all of these sauce ingredients at home already! Nothing fancy here, just great flavors!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Tenderize the steak with a meat mallet and cut into thin strips. Pat dry and sprinkle with seasoning, toss to coat. (Pro Tip: Cut away areas of excess fat. Set aside and fry them with the peppers for added flavor, then use kitchen tongs to remove and discard.)
Heat olive oil and sear the meat in batches for 3-4 minutes. Remove and let it rest. Deglaze the pan with white wine (or chicken broth) and let it reduce by half. Add the onions and peppers and let them soften for 4 minutes.
Add the sauce. Bring it to a gentle boil and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch slurry. Reduce to low once desired thickness is obtained.
Add the steak back. Stir to combine and heat through, then serve with rice.
PRO TIPS
- Be sure to slice the meat against the grain for the most tender results. Tenderizing the meat with a meat mallet also makes a huge difference.
- To control the sodium in this recipe: Consider using low sodium soy sauce and/or broth.
- Hot Sauce: The hot sauce in this recipe doesn’t make it hot/spicy, it’s just a small amount that is used to enhance the other flavors.
- White Wine: Chardonnay and Pinto Grigio are great wine options to deglaze the pan with. An equal amount of chicken broth may be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- 7 oz. of stir fry noodles or thin spaghetti can be added to the sauce at the end instead of serving with rice if preferred.
- While it may seem counterintuitive to use both chicken and beef broth in this recipe, it actually adds a really nice depth of flavor. If preferred, all beef broth can be used.
- To control the sodium in this recipe: Consider using low sodium soy sauce and/or broth.
- Mushrooms make a nice addition to this recipe as well. They can be sautéed separately and stirred in at the end, (that’s the best method), but they can also be added when the onions/peppers are added.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
PEPPER STEAK STIR FRY
This pepper steak stir fry is thinly sliced flank steak cooked with red and green bell peppers in a savory sauce. A quick and easy meal that tastes even better than take out!
I always order pepper steak at my local Chinese restaurant, it’s one of my favorite dishes. This homemade version is ready in minutes and has that same great restaurant flavor.
There’s nothing better than a delicious Asian dish that’s not only easy to make, but also better than takeout. This pepper steak stir fry is a restaurant quality meal made in the comfort of your own home!
HOW DO YOU MAKE PEPPER STEAK STIR FRY?
This dish is a combination of sauteed bell peppers, browned steak and a savory sauce. The recipe starts by cooking the sliced peppers until tender. The next step is to add the thinly sliced flank steak into the pan. The finishing touch is the 2 minute sauce which gets poured over the meat and vegetables and then simmered until thickened. Add a bowl of steamed rice and dinner is ready!
I used red and green bell peppers in my Chinese pepper steak because that’s what I had on hand. However, any color of bell pepper is perfectly fine. Some bell peppers are sweeter than others. Red, yellow and orange peppers are typically sweeter than green peppers. Some pepper steak recipes call for tomatoes or onions, feel free to add those into the mix if you like.
To make your steak easier to slice, you can place it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Partially freezing the meat firms it up and makes it easier to get super thin slices. I typically use flank steak for this recipe as it’s readily available and super flavorful. However, sirloin goes great in place of the flank steak, if it’s preferred or if you have easier access to it.
WHAT KIND OF MEAT IS PEPPER STEAK?
Pepper steak isn’t an actual type of meat. The title can make it appear to be a specific type of steak but it’s just the name of the dish because it contains peppers and steak. The steak often used in pepper steak dishes is flank, sirloin, or round steak.
CAN THE STEAK BE COOKED IN THE OVEN?
If you would like to cook the steak in the oven, that’s perfectly fine to do, although you won’t get that seared brown crust. Simply make sure you don’t leave the meat in the oven for too long so that it dries out and becomes tough. You can place your steak in an oven proof pan and bake it for up to 15 minutes, depending on how well-done you like your steak. Be sure to stir it halfway through the cook time.
Easy Pepper Steak
This classic pepper steak recipe brings a takeout menu favorite to your kitchen!
Strips of tender steak are marinated in a homemade sauce and stir-fried with sautéed bell peppers and onions. Quick, easy, and so delicious!
Serve this meal over rice with a side of steamed broccoli.
Pepper Steak
This delicious Pepper Steak recipe is a classic Chinese American dish that you can easily make at home in just 30 minutes or less.
Perfectly Peppered Steak
- Cook and serve this hot and hearty main dish from one pan in less than 30 minutes!
- Budget-friendly cuts of beef come out tender and juicy in a homemade marinade that also becomes a sauce!
- We love this easy recipe and think it the taste is even better when homemade!
- Add your own favorite veggies to make a new family favorite.
Ingredients and Variations
BEEF: Top round, flank steak, and sirloin steak are favorites in this recipe. Prepare the meat for cooking by slicing it against the grain in order to break down the fibers and help tenderize it.
VEGGIES: Green and red bell peppers give a pop of color, but any peppers will work! Yellow, white, or even red onion slices add some crunch & flavor.
SAUCE: Spring for fresh ginger and garlic for the best flavor! Soy sauce, Worcestershire, Mirin, and honey or sugar for sweetness round out the sauce. Low-sodium soy sauce can be used in this recipe.
VARIATIONS: Try asparagus, baby corn, snap peas, or sliced carrots. Add additional garlic cloves, a splash of rice vinegar, or some chili paste or sriracha if you’d like. Substitute honey for brown sugar.
How to Make Pepper Steak
Turn some round steak into a peppery and juicy main dish for dinner.
- Whisk sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
- Stir fry onion & peppers in a large skillet until tender. Transfer to a plate.
- Sear the beef strips (as per the recipe below) and cook just until browned.
- Add onion & peppers back to the skillet along with the sauce. Cook until thickened.
PRO TIP: Marinating the beef strips in the sauce (without the corn starch added) for up to 24 hours will tenderize the meat and intensify the flavor. Remove beef from the marinade and pour it into a bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch.
30-Minute Pepper Steak Stir Fry
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!
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!
EASY Buttermilk Waffles
These are the Best and Easiest to make Buttermilk Waffles. They are Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. And, they do freeze amazingly!
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)
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.
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.
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.