This Szechuan beef is a spicy stir fry made with tender pieces of beef and colorful vegetables, all tossed in a sweet and savory sauce. A classic Chinese style dish that is even better than what you’d get at a restaurant!
I’m always making our favorite take out dishes at home including Kung Pao beef, pork fried rice, chicken almond ding, beef fried rice, beef lo mein, beef and broccoli stir fry, and this spicy Szechuan beef. If you love heat, you must try this recipe!
When I go to my local Chinese restaurant, I always order the Szechuan beef. It’s got the perfect blend of tender steak and veggies with sweet, savory and spicy flavors. My version uses ingredients that are available in most grocery stores which makes this recipe quick and easy!
Table of Contents
Szechuan Beef Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need vegetable oil, flank steak, corn starch, onion, red and green bell peppers, dried red chilies, sichuan peppercorns, salt, black pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and beef broth.
How Do You Make Szechuan Beef?
This Szechuan beef recipe starts with thinly sliced flank steak that is coated in cornstarch and seasonings, then pan fried in a large skillet or wok until crispy. Remove the steak slices from the pan, then add in veggies, dried red chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. While the steak and vegetables are cooking, prepare the sauce by whisking together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and beef broth. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables, then let it simmer until thickened. Serve this dish immediately over steamed rice and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Stir Fry
- Sichuan peppercorns are what gives this dish its authentic flavor. These peppercorns have a citrus flavor and also provide a tingly numbing type sensation in the mouth which contributes to the heat of this dish. I am able to find the peppercorns in larger grocery stores and in Asian markets. If you can’t find this spice, it’s fine to omit it. You can break open a few of the chili peppers and sprinkle the seeds into the dish to create more heat if you don’t have the peppercorns.
- Dried red chilies contribute a lot of the heat and a mild nutty flavor. While several types of dried red chilies can be used in Szechuan dishes, I use an Asian red chili or chiles de arbol. Chiles de arbol are small Mexican chili peppers that are commonly found in grocery stores. They add a lot of flavor and meld well with the sauce. If you can’t find whole chilies, use crushed red pepper flakes.
- This recipe uses hoisin sauce as part of the flavoring components. Hoisin sauce has a dark brown appearance and a slightly sweet and tangy flavor. Many Chinese dishes use hoisin sauce to provide depth of flavor to the dishes. You can find hoisin sauce in the Asian section of your local supermarket.
- Szechuan beef will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This a great dish for meal prep!
- I recommend serving your stir fry over steamed rice to help temper the heat. Other options include pan fried noodles, quinoa, stir fry noodles, vegetable lo mein or cauliflower rice.
Quick Tip
While I typically use flank steak because it is tender and readily available, you can use a different cut of steak such as sirloin.
Recipe FAQs
This dish is a stir fry that contains plenty of spice in the form of sichuan peppercorns and dried red chilies. Szechuan food comes from the Sichuan providence of China, which is how it got its name. Szechuan beef also typically contains vegetables such as peppers and onions, and also may contain peanuts or other nuts in some cases.
Both Szechuan beef and Hunan beef are spicy steak dishes that contain vegetables. Hunan beef gets its heat from chili paste, and Szechuan beef gets its heat from sichuan peppercorns and whole chilies. Szechuan sauce also tends to be sweeter than Hunan sauce.
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Flavor Variations
This beef stir fry dish is great as-is, but you can also change up the ingredients to customize it to your tastes.
- Protein: Instead of steak, try cubed chicken breast, chicken thighs, shrimp or tofu.
- Vegetables: While bell peppers are commonly found in this dish, I’ve also seen it served with other vegetables including mushrooms, water chestnuts, broccoli and carrots.
- Nuts: Some versions of Szechuan beef contain peanuts. Roasted cashews or sliced almonds would also be a good choice.
- Garnish: Feel free to add garnishes such as sesame seeds and green onions.
You can’t go wrong with the sweet and spicy flavors of this classic recipe. Next time you’re craving Chinese food, skip the take out and make it at home!
More Asian Inspired Recipes
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Chicken Fried Rice
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Szechuan Beef Video
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Szechuan Beef
Ingredients
For the stir fry
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil or any neutral flavored oil
- 1 pound flank steak thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1/2 cup yellow onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 25 small dried red chilies or more if desired
- 1 tablespoon sichuan peppercorns optional
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/3 cup beef broth
Instructions
- Place the steak in a bowl with the corn starch and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat.
- Place the steak in a single layer in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. You may have to do this step in batches.
- Remove the steak from the pan. Place on a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Add the onion and red and green bell peppers to the pan. Stir in the chilies and sichuan peppercorns. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the pan; cook for an additional 30 seconds. Return the beef to the pan with the vegetables.
- While the steak and vegetables are cooking, make the sauce. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
- Add the sauce to the beef mixture and bring to a boil; cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until sauce is just thickened. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Sichuan peppercorns are what gives this dish its authentic flavor. I am able to find the peppercorns in larger grocery stores and in Asian markets. If you can’t find this spice, it’s fine to omit it. You can break open a few of the chili peppers and sprinkle the seeds into the dish to create more heat if you don’t have the peppercorns.
- Dried red chilies contribute a lot of the heat and a mild nutty flavor. While several types of dried red chilies can be used in Szechuan dishes, I use an Asian red chili or chiles de arbol.
I used Sambal Olek (red chili paste) in place of the chilies and peppercorns (sìnce I decided to make this recipe about an hour before dinnertime and didn’t have time to find Sichuan peppercorns or the chilies but had everything else on hand!), and it worked nicely. Great recipe!
A perfect weeknight stir fry for the family. Love the flavors of this meal…sounds and looks delicious!
This szechuan beef is my new favorite dinner recipe! I made it last night and my whole family raved about it!
What fresh and vibrant flavors in this terrific Szechuan beef. Better than take out and perfect for my family.
Turned out so yum! just by looking at the pics I was sure, this beef is gonna be a hit and it did not disappoint!
Made this tonight. So delicious!
The sauce on this dish is amazing!
I really enjoyed this recipe, the heat level is good, I did add the dried chilies but did not eat them and the Szechuan peppercorns was a great addition to the meal. Thank you
This looks better than most of the take out I’ve seen! My oldest loves heat in his dishes, I know he’d really enjoy finding this on the table.
Ooo gimme some flava! This dish is bursting with flavor – I loved all the chilis in it. So pretty, too! Make this!!
I love how easy this is to make! So tasty too!
This Szechuan beef turned out better than take out! The whole family loved it!
I could DRINK that sauce. We love Asian inspired dinners and this one is happening this weekend! Thanks for the inspiration.
I used red szechuan peppercorns, not knowing which would be best. We each got about 3 bites into the meal and started having the *strangest* things happening in our mouths. We were actually a bit panicked until we figured out it was the peppercorns, and that electric-tingly sensations were normal. Maybe I mis-measured, or the bag I bought was extra strong, but hoo-boy!
Anyway, maybe go lightly if you’re new to these bad boys 🙂
Anyway,
Just like take out! I made this for my Szechuan food loving husband and he was really impressed! Thank you for sharing!
I do love a good beef recipe! I have to get this on my dinner menu!
Love how delicious this beef dish looks! A must try dish!
One of our favorite dinners. I made it the other night and hubby just could not get enough of it! Delicious!!
We’ve been trying to make all of our take out favorites at home for the last few months. Adding this to our list. Looks amazing!
The spiciness is perfect for this amazing dish, very tasty!