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.
Heather says
Can this be converted to a cook pot recipe?
Sara says
I believe that would work but I haven’t tested it this way!
Rick says
This was fantastic. I love Chinese pepper steak. I added chunks of onion to it. This is better than any Chinese restaurant I’ve been to.
Thank you
Rick
Karyn says
I made this recipe quite a few times already, once or twice a month and my family and myself love it especially my youngest daughter. It comes out great, I just tweak it with a little bit more and other stuff!
Rebecca W says
This is now one of my family’s favorite dishes! I double the ingredients and triple the sauce. Instead of using red pepper I use green peppers with odd numbers of lobes and I add equal parts of yellow onion. This gives the dish less sweetness but still retains just enough to allow the ginger and garlic to be the stars of the show. I season the meat with a little bit of garlic powder along with the salt and pepper. I also use fresh garlic instead of minced garlic in the jar, this makes a difference, trust me. I use ginger paste instead of fresh ginger to save on time.
I’ve made this dish over two dozen times and this has produced the best results.
Joan walter says
Great recipe! Have made it several times. Added onion and used sesame oil. So good. Thanks for this recipe!
G.o. says
I added a red onion and used round steak. It’s what I had on hand!
Tonya says
Going to try this out! What would be a good ingredient to make it spicy?
Sara says
You could add sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes!
Katie Vacek says
Do you use low sodium soy sauce ?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Kathi says
Delicious recipe! Made with sirloin strips. Only changes added 1/2 sliced yellow onion and ginger paste. Served with brown rice and sautéed spinach.
Ayla says
I am diabetic. Can I sub sugar with monk fruit? This looks really good and would really like to experience.
Sara says
I think it should be fine although I haven’t tested the recipe this way!
Ron says
I don’t see water listed in the ingredients but it’s mentioned in the directions. How much?
Thanks
Sara says
Step 7 says 1/4 cup water!
Dani Newman says
Made this dish last night. It’s delicious! Very flavorful and tastes better than my local carry out spot. I also added a chopped sweet onion to the dish and cooked the onions and peppers a little longer than the time suggested.
Jessica says
Amazing definitely doing this again thank you for sharing!!!
Marlene says
This is by far the best stir fry I have ever made. so very easy and delicious. This one is a definite keeper
Thank you for sharing. We loved it!!
MarQuita Cooper says
This recipe is so delicious!! I added onions and used ground ginger instead. I also added honey. I will definitely be adding this recipe in my stash!! 🤗🤗
Kelsey L. says
So easy and so good! I added yellow onion. I let the peppers cook for a couple minutes then added the onions since they cook a little faster. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and it was so good. After my beef cooked I was a little worried because it had worked up some juice in the pan. I was unsure if I should drain it or not but I ended up leaving it in the pan and added the soy sauce mixture right on top of it and it worked out great. The sauce was the perfect consistency. Definitely a keeper!
Shannon Cooper says
by far the best pepper steak recipe on the internet.