Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

By: Diana Posted: 9/24/24

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It’s easy to make this restaurant-worthy recipe for Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry at home using your favorite large skillet. The most tender strips of beef and broccoli florets are tossed with a flavorful savory sauce in this take-out inspired dish.

sliced beef and broccoli stir fry in a cast iron skillet, served with a large spoon.

Skip takeout for dinner tonight, and create your own delicious Chinese food meal at home!

I love making Chinese food copycat recipes like this one for many reasons.

Anything you cook at home rather than ordering out is going to be less expensive, healthier, and more delicious, and this homemade beef and broccoli recipe is no exception.

You can turn a simple and inexpensive flank steak into a gorgeous stir fry in under half an hour – that’s less time than delivery would take!

Want to try making more Chinese takeout favorites at home? You’ll love my Moo Goo Gai Pan and Egg Drop Soup recipes too.

a large cast iron pan filled with tender sliced beef and stir fried broccoli.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe Highlights

A Family Favorite – My husband is a big fan of Chinese food, and also my favorite recipe taste-tester. He gave this recipe a 10 out of 10 and went back for seconds!
Perfectly Cooked – There is a trick to making beef stir fry with tender steak that isn’t mushy, and I’ll give you all the details on exactly how to accomplish that. The key is to tenderize the steak before you cook it!
Simple Ingredients – I’m making this stir fry with ingredients that are easy to find in any grocery store and probably already exist in your pantry, so there’s no reason that you can’t pull this easy meal together tonight!

Ingredients In Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Here’s what you need to make this easy one-skillet meal:

The ingredients needed to make homemade chinese beef and broccoli including flank steak, garlic, and ginger.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Steak: Slice your flank steak lengthwise in half, then slice those pieces thinly against the grain into ⅛-inch thick slices. Cutting against the grain is key to creating tender, easy-to-eat beef stir fry.
Baking Soda: This is the secret to “velveting” the meat, just like they do in restaurants! Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer. After sitting for about 20 minutes with this treatment, you will then rinse the beef to remove any bitter flavor before cooking it.
Oil and Cornstarch: Along with the baking soda, add oil to keep the slices of steak from clumping together and cornstarch to help it brown nicely. You’ll also need oil for stir-frying.
Broccoli: Cut your broccoli into bite-sized florets that will cook quickly. You can also include other veggies in this beef stir fry if you like! Try adding canned bamboo shoots or water chestnuts.
For the Sauce: Build amazing umami flavor with soy sauce, apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar), white pepper, granulated sugar, toasted sesame oil, and fresh ginger root. If you want extra sauce, double all of these ingredients!
Garlic: In this recipe, I’m adding freshly minced garlic at the very end, rather than earlier in the process. Hitting the dish with fresh garlic at the end gives it a final burst of savory aroma and flavor!

How To Make Beef and Broccoli

very thinly sliced beef on a cutting board with a chefs knife — 1. **Slice the Beef:** Use a sharp knife to cut the flank steak into two long pieces, then slice against the grain to create thin slices.

beef strips sprinkled with corn starch in a white bowl. — 2. **Tenderize, or “Velvet” the Steak:** Sprinkle the sliced beef with baking soda and mix well. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, then rise and dry well.

beef and broccoli sauce mixed in a glass pitcher. — 3. **Mix the Sauce:** Combine water, soy sauce, vinegar, white pepper, sugar, sesame oil, and ginger in a bowl. Set aside.

beef strips dredged with corn starch in a white bowl. — 4. **Add Cornstarch:** Toss the beef with a teaspoon of oil and cornstarch and stir until it’s evenly coated.

broccoli florets stir fried in a large cast iron skillet. — 5. **Stir Fry the Broccoli:** Cook broccoli in a large skillet over high heat with a tablespoon of oil for 3-4 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Remove it from the pan.

beef strips stir fried in a cast iron skillet with tongs. — 6. **Stir Fry the Meat:** Add more oil to the pan and add the beef. Stir fry until browned.

broccoli and beef in a cast iron skillet over an electric burner. — 7. **Add the Sauce:** Pour the sauce in and deglaze the pan by scraping up any brown bits. Return the broccoli to the skillet.

minced garlic added to beef and broccoli in a pan. — 8. **Finish with Garlic:** Add the garlic to the stir fry and cook for an additional minute before serving.

Tip!

Serve this just like your favorite Chinese restaurant would, with a healthy serving of steamed Jasmine Rice on the side!

closeup of tender beef and broccoli stir fry.

Recipe Tips

Use fresh ingredients: The quality and flavor of your stir fry depends on it! It’s particularly important to use freshly grated ginger root and freshly minced garlic cloves, rather than dry or refrigerated versions.
Have everything ready: Once you get started, this stir fry will come together really quickly. It will be helpful to have all of your ingredients measured, prepped, and nearby before you even turn on the stove.
Avoid overcooking the broccoli: It really only takes a couple of minutes to cook the broccoli. Any longer than that and it will end up mushy. If you’d rather steam the broccoli, you can do that as well, in a separate pot while you stir fry the beef.
Add Flavor: The sauce is pretty perfect as-is, but if you’re feeling adventurous, add a bit of sriracha sauce or a dash of oyster sauce to the pan.
Adjust the salt: Using regular soy sauce and a bit of kosher salt will give you a flavor that closely matches your favorite restaurant’s sauces, but if you want to reduce the sodium, use low-sodium soy sauce instead.
Other veggies to include: This would be delicious with mushrooms, snap peas, or sliced carrots sauteed with the broccoli.
Like extra sauce? The amount of sauce in this recipe is the perfect amount to coat the beef and broccoli, and the cornstarch added to the steak is the perfect amount to thicken it. If you want more, double the sauce ingredients. You may need to thicken the sauce with additional cornstarch mixed with water to make a slurry.

a white shallow bowl with scalloped edges holding a serving of rice and a serving of beef and broccoli stir fry topped with sesame seeds.

Storing Tips

For best flavor and texture, I recommend eating this immediately. But, if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat on the stove: I like to reheat stir fries in a pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Heat a little bit of oil in the pan, then add the leftovers. Heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until warmed through.

To reheat in the microwave: Add the leftover stir fry to a microwave-safe bowl and cook for 30-send intervals until just heated through.

What To Serve With Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

All you really need is some white rice to finish off this meal. Jasmine rice is perfect, or try it with cauliflower rice for a lower carb option.

I love to garnish Chinese dishes with sesame seeds too. They look pretty and add a nutty crunch.

Need more ideas? Try my Instant Pot Fried Rice or Cream Cheese Rangoon as an appetizer.

beef and broccoli stir fry on a plate with white rice.

Recipe FAQs

What is the best beef for stir fry?

I really like flank steak for stir fries. It’s an inexpensive cut of beef that cooks up perfectly in this way. You can also use sirloin steak or skirt steak.

What type of oil do I use for stir frying?

Any mild-flavored oil that can stand up to fairly high temperatures will work. Vegetable oil, canola oil, light olive oil (not extra virgin), or avocado oil are all great choices.