Our Pepper Steak recipe has tender beef strips, colorful bell peppers, and a savory sauce. Ready in 20 minutes, serve it over rice or noodles for a satisfying and easy weeknight dinner.
Easy Pepper Steak
Our Chinese Pepper Steak stir fry always cooks tender, hot, and juicy and is my favorite way to flavor my meat and veggies in this gluten-free, dairy-free dinner.
Bite-sized pieces of beef are seared in a flavorful homemade, slightly sweetened garlic and ginger soy sauce and then stir-fried with sautéed bell peppers and onions until fully coated in the thick and glossy sauce.
What makes this pepper beef stir fry so quick and easy is that there’s no need to marinate the meat and peppers in advance – the key is to slice the steak thin enough to cook fast while retaining its flavor and tenderness.
With its pretty pops of color and soft, tenderized texture, this steak and peppers recipe is cooked to perfection and requires only a fork for cutting – no knives needed!
Why We Love Pepper Steak With Onion
- Quick and easy to make in under 20 minutes.
- Uses a handful of simple, fresh ingredients.
- Budget-friendly cuts of beef come out tender and juicy in a homemade stir-fry sauce.
- Preparing a restaurant-style meal at home is a healthier option to traditional Chinese take-out.
- Family-friendly meal that’s always a huge hit!
- Deceptively simple dish to serve for dinner.
Pepper Steak Ingredients
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Dry sherry
- Granulated sugar
- Minced garlic
- Grated ginger
- Sesame oil
- London broil
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Peanut oil
- Red bell pepper
- Green bell pepper
- Yellow onion
- Sesame seeds (Optional garnish)
Substitutions and Additions
- Pick Your Peppers: You can use any combination of bell peppers you choose. I will often only use red bell peppers or sometimes a tri-color blend of bell peppers because it looks really pretty to see the different colors. Remember that the orange and red peppers will be sweeter than a green or yellow pepper.
- Spice Up The Steak: If you like a little heat to your pepper steak, add ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the marinade. You can add more or less, depending on your desired heat level.
- Vary The Veggies: Add broccoli, snow peas, carrots, snow peas, asparagus, baby corn, bamboo shoots, or even asparagus to your stir fry supper.
- Tasty Toppings: You can top your peppers and steak with toasted sesame seeds, green onions, or scallions.
- Swap The Steak: London broil is an affordable cut of beef that works well with marinades and sauces to help tenderize the meat while cooking. I used top-round roast in this recipe, but you could also use flank steak or top sirloin for other low-cost options.
Recommended Tools
- Whisk
- Mixing bowls
- Heavy-duty skillet
- Slotted spoon
How to Make Pepper Steak
- Marinate The Meat: Whisk together the soy sauce, dry sherry, sugar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Pour half of the sauce over the sliced steak, toss, and set aside.
- Thicken The Stir Fry Sauce: Add the cornstarch and water to the bowl with the remaining sauce and whisk until no lumps remain. Set aside.
- Brown The Beef: Cook the sliced beef in peanut oil for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned and cooked through. Place it onto a plate while you cook the vegetables.
Pro Tip: Use a slotted spoon to keep any excess sauce in the bowl. You can pour the extra sauce back into the small bowl with the rest of the sauce. - Sear The Vegetables: Cook the vegetables in peanut oil for 2-3 minutes or until lightly seared and softened.
Pro Tip: You want them to be slightly firm and not overly soft. - Coat And Cook: Add the beef back to the skillet, turn the heat down to medium, and stir in the reserved sauce to coat. Cook until the sauce thickens and gets glossy. Remove from the heat.
Pro Tip: You may need to give the sauce a quick whisk to reincorporate any cornstarch that may have settled to the bottom of the bowl. - Serve: Serve hot over rice and enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Pepper Steak
- This pepper steak dish is best served over white rice or cauliflower fried rice for a lower carb option.
- You should try to have all your peppers, onions, and beef slices roughly the same size. You are looking for bite-size pieces. Depending on the size of your vegetables, you are looking for ½ -¾ cup of each type of vegetable when cut into pieces.
- Make sure to cut the steak slices thin against the grain for the most tender meat. This will ensure it cooks up quickly without drying out.
- Only quick sear the steak — over-cooked steak won’t be tender and juicy.
How to Store Pepper Steak
- To Store: Leftover pepper steak can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 2 days.
- To Freeze: To freeze the pepper steak, let it cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat in a skillet on medium heat. You may need to add some water to the skillet when reheating to loosen up the sauce.
What To Do With A Large London Broil
If you bought the larger 2-pound London broil and only want to use half, you can slice up the entire thing, but place half of the sliced beef into an airtight freezer bag to save for a later date. The frozen sliced beef will keep for up to 2 months. You will want to thaw the sliced beef in the refrigerator before using it in a future recipe.
Wondering what to make with the extra meat? Check out my recipes for Asian Steak Bites, Salisbury Steak, Steak Grilled Cheese, Slow Cooker Philly Cheesecake Sliders, and so many more!
More Easy Asian-Inspired Recipes
Other Easy Dinner Recipes
- Chicken Enchilada Recipe
- Easy Marry Me Chicken Recipe with Pasta
- Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe
- Sheet Pan Steak and Veggies
- Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
- Korean BBQ Pork
- Air Fryer Steak Bites
- Cream of Mushroom Chicken
- Garlic Sesame Noodles
Pepper Steak
Serves — 4
This Pepper Steak stir-fry is a delicious meat and veggie meal made in 20 minutes with budget-friendly cuts of beef.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 pound London broil cut into ¼-inch thick by 2-inch-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil divided in half
- ½ large red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ large green bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ large yellow onion cut into 1-inch pieces
- Optional garnish – sprinkle of sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk together the low-sodium soy sauce, dry sherry, granulated sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and sesame oil in a small bowl.¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dry sherry, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon grated ginger, ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- In a large bowl with the sliced pieces of London broil beef, pour half the sauce mixture over the meat and toss to coat. Set aside.1 pound London broil
- Add the cornstarch and water to the small bowl with the remaining sauce. Whisk again to incorporate the cornstarch until no lumps remain. Set aside.1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water
- To a large, heavy-duty skillet, on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to the skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced beef in a single layer to the skillet. Be sure to use a slotted spoon to allow any excess sauce to remain in the bowl. You can pour the extra sauce back into the small bowl with the rest of the sauce.2 tablespoons peanut oil
- Cook the meat for 3-4 minutes per side or until your beef is browned and cooked through. Remove the browned meat from the skillet and place it onto a plate while you cook the vegetables.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of peanut oil and the pieces of red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and yellow onion to the hot skillet. Cook the vegetables for 2-3 minutes or until they are lightly seared and softened. You want them to still have a slight firmness and not get overly soft.2 tablespoons peanut oil, ½ large red bell pepper, ½ large green bell pepper, ½ large yellow onion
- Add the browned beef slices back to the skillet, turn the heat down to medium and add the reserved sauce. Stir to evenly coat all the beef and vegetables with the sauce. You may need to give the sauce a quick whisk to reincorporate any cornstarch that may have settled to the bottom of the bowl.
- Cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute or just until the sauce thickens and gets glossy. Remove from the heat.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: Leftover pepper steak can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 2 days.
- To Freeze: To freeze the pepper steak, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat in a skillet on medium heat. You may need to add a little additional water to the skillet when reheating to loosen up the sauce.
- This pepper steak dish is best served over white rice or cauliflower fried rice for a lower carb option.
- You should try to have all your peppers, onions, and beef slices roughly the same size. You are looking for bite-size pieces. Depending on the size of your vegetables, you are looking for ½ -¾ cup of each type of vegetable when cut into pieces.
- You can use any combination of bell peppers you choose. I will often only use red bell peppers or sometimes a tri-color blend of bell peppers because it looks really pretty to see the different colors. You will need to note that the orange and red peppers will be sweeter than a green or yellow pepper.
- You can easily double this recipe (especially if your London broil is a 2-pound-sized one). You will just need to note that the total cook time will be doubled because you will need to brown your meat in 2 batches to avoid steaming your meat in an overcrowded skillet. You will also use the whole onion, and red & green bell peppers, along with doubling your sauce ingredients.
- If you bought the larger 2-pound London broil and only want to use half, you can slice up the entire thing but place half of the sliced beef into an airtight freezer bag to save for a later date. The frozen sliced beef will keep for up to 2 months. You will want to thaw the sliced beef in the refrigerator before using it in a future recipe.
- Be sure to use a good quality dry sherry when cooking. I get mine from the liquor store, not from the vinegar aisle in the grocery store. Think of this the way you do with cooking with red or white wines; you want to cook with something good enough to drink. You can substitute the dry sherry with seasoned rice vinegar or mirin. These can both be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. Be sure to choose seasoned rice vinegar as it has added sugars, unlike standard rice vinegar.
- If you like a little heat to your pepper steak, add ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the marinade. You can add more or less, depending on your desired heat level.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 649mg | Potassium: 563mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 521IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 3mg
