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.
My family and I absolutely love a good stir fry. It’s so much nicer to make this steak stir fry at home rather than having to get everyone together to go out and eat. We like serving it over rice or sometimes eating it by itself. Either way, it’s delicious.
OTHER BEEF RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Steak Bites with Garlic Butter
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
- Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
- Soy Marinated Flank Steak
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
Pepper Steak Stir Fry Video
Pepper Steak Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil divided use
- 1 red bell pepper cored, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 green bell pepper cored, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 1/4 pounds flank steak thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large pan.
- Add the peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Remove the peppers from the pan and place on a plate.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan. Season the flank steak with salt and pepper to taste.
- Increase heat to high. Add the steak to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Add the garlic and ginger, then cook for 30 seconds.
- Place the peppers back in the pan with the steak.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 cup water and cornstarch.
- Pour the sauce over the steak mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until sauce has just thickened, then serve.
Jae M. says
Simple, Quick & on point!! I made a few
adjustments, it turned out great! Thank you!
Keitha says
This is so good i doubled the sauce and added onion
CR says
Delicious. I also added sliced shallots and doubled the sauce.
Nick H says
Overall it was good. Next time we make it, we will probably double the amount of sauce and add more ginger and garlic. We also added onion.
Evelyn says
Easy and delicious!
Addie says
I love it! Mine came out perfect!!!!👌
Charles Miller says
This was Great!!!
Donna says
Has anyone tried using chicken instead of steak?
Sara says
I think that should be fine!
cici says
Easy and delicious! My family loved it. Next time, I might consider increasing the soy/water/sugar/ cornstartch mixture at the end for a little more sauce.
Diana says
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Sara says
Yes that should be fine!
Jay D says
Delicious recipe definitely making this one again
Karen says
It was delicious. I didn’t add cornstarch and made it have less carbs. Thanks for the recipe.
Annette says
The recipe was awesome. I decreased the sugar because my hubby is diabetic and I added thinly sliced red onions and also chili flakes cause we love spicy stuff. It was the best stir fry recipe we have had. We made this within a week apart.
Tracey says
This is the best pepper steak recipe.. so easy and quick.. Thank you
Jalisa says
Best pepper steak recipe! Thank you!
SOUTHERN girl says
I will make this again. I used brown sugar
Delicious
Rich says
FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC recipe. It’s not a dish often found in UK take aways but I had had it in CA and looked for it since. Not only a simple recipe but better than I had had in the restaurant! It’s a firm family favourite and regular on our table.
Cyndy says
I knew I was doing this all wrong for 20 years. This recipe set me straight. I had a flank steak in the freezer, but would not have thought to use that if not for this recipe. Walt is a gravy nut, so I doubled the sauce. SCORE! Basmati rice made this nice & light. I used a mix of olive oil and sesame seed oil and generously dosed the flank steak with worstershire before cooking. Thank you for fixing my mistakes!!!
Chrysty says
Delicious!!! Made this with olive oil, low sodium soy sauce, and brown sugar. The whole family enjoyed it!
Thank you for the great recipe 🙌
Becky Kremer says
Made this last night, my husband LOVES Asian food and he said it tasted authentic. We added onion, mushrooms, and some leftover cooked green beens (at the end), in addition more garlic and ginger. For meat, I used some filet mignon. We also threw in a little sesame oil as we stir fried. There was enough for 4 people, so my daughter got the leftovers. Will make again. I would use this sauce on any protein, to be honest!!!
Kara Tricarico says
Delicious and easy. I used inside skirt steak strips. Also doubled the gravy amount. I had no cornstarch so I used flour instead. HIGHLY RECOMMEND a crow pleaser for sure.