Easy Tender Beef Stir Fry
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This Chinese restaurant-inspired easy beef stir fry teaches you all the secrets to getting perfectly tender and juicy beef strips. We’ll be cutting the beef against the grain, marinating it, and using the velveting process.
Why We Love This Easy Tender Beef Stir Fry Recipe
This recipe teaches you how to make tender beef stir fry that tastes even better than takeout. The beef is perfectly tender and silky smooth on the outside thanks to the velveting process.
It’s much healthier than ordering in because you get to control the amount of oil, sugar, and sodium. You can also increase the amount of vegetables if you wish to make this dish super healthy.
The stir-fry sauce tastes amazing – it’s perfectly savory, gingery, garlicky, umami, and just the right amount of sweet. I love eating this tender beef stir fry over a bed of rice or noodles.
This easy beef stir fry with soy sauce is fool-proof. Most of the work is prepping the beef, but the tender and smooth beef strips are worth the effort. The stir-fry itself comes together in less than 10 minutes.
What Do I Need For This Easy Beef Stir Fry Recipe?
To make a succulent tender beef stir fry, you need lots of good quality beef. You can choose which vegetables to add. I’ve gone with some of the classics.
Ingredients for the stir-fry:
- 10.5 oz beef
- ¼ cup cornstarch (for velveting)
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- 1 package of fresh baby corn
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup broccoli florets
Beef marinade:
- 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 tsp. cornstarch (or another starch)
- ½ tsp. neutral oil
Stir fry sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp. ginger, minced
- 3 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
- 3 Tbsp. water
- 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
- ½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
- ½ Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 ½ Tbsp. water
How To Make Tender Beef Stir Fry
Step 1: Prepare the beef strips
Cut off any large fat bits or pieces of connective tissue around the beef.
Then cut the beef against the grain in thin strips about ¼ inch thick and transfer to a bowl (see our tutorial for cutting the beef below).
Step 2: Marinate the beef
Add all the beef marinade ingredients and massage them into the meat by hand. Let the beef marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3: Velveting the beef
Place cornstarch in a deep tray and coat the beef strips on all sides, shaking any excess starch off.
Step 4: Cook the Beef in Batches
In a pan or wok, fry the beef in batches on medium-high in about 3 tablespoons of oil for 15 seconds on each side. The beef should be about 50% done, it’ll finish cooking with the stir-fry. Set aside.
Step 5: Make the stir-fry
Add all the vegetables to the same pan on medium-high heat and cook them until tender, but still crisp (about 3-4 minutes). Transfer them aside with the beef.
Step 6: Mix Stir-Fry Sauce Ingredients in a Bowl
In a small bowl, combine all the stir-fry sauce ingredients except the cornstarch and water, and mix them. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the sauce to the pan, bringing it to a simmer.
Step 7: Add Cornstarch Slurry to Stir-Fry Sauce and Whisk
Make a cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch and water, then whisk it into the sauce.
Step 8: Add Vegetables & Beef to the Pan
Add the vegetables and beef back into the pan, stir to coat in the sauce, and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce thicken for about 2 minutes.
Step 9: Serve Beef Stir-Fry with Rice or Noodles
Serve the tender beef stir-fry with fresh rice or noodles, or next to fried rice.
How To Make Tender Beef For Stir Fry
- Cooking tender stir fry beef is what can make or break your stir fry, so it’s important to follow these steps and tips below to ensure a flawless result.
- First, to achieve tender beef stir fry strips, you need to cut the meat against the grain:
- Find the direction of the grain – you can turn the profile of the meat to see it better.
- Cut against it – I like to cut ¼-inch thick strips.
- Why does cutting against the grain work in keeping the beef tender and soft? Because each beef slice has shorter strands of meat, which causes them to fall apart more easily in our mouths when we chew them.
- Next, you want to marinate the beef before preparing the stir-fry. A good marinade not only gives flavor but also helps the beef stay moist with a mini brine of water and soy sauce.
- The water in the marinade gets absorbed into the meat, making it cook slower and thus, harder to overcook. Combining water with soy sauce creates a brine which gives it another level of hydration. Let the beef marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Last but not least, we need to apply the velveting method to the beef. This method is popular in Chinese cooking and it’s what will take your stir fry to the next level.
- Velveting is essentially coating the meat slices with a thin layer of starch (typically cornstarch) and then flash-frying them. This creates a thin gelatinous coating of starch that seals in the beef juices, making them extra tender, and giving them a velvety mouthfeel.
- There are several velveting methods out there, I’ll be sharing the traditional one and an easier and less messy method as well (yay to less clean-up!).
- The traditional method of velveting involves coating the marinated meat in cornstarch and then deep-frying the strips until they’re about 50% cooked (about 30 seconds). I like to reserve deep-frying for special occasions since it’s super messy, makes the whole house smell of oil, and it doesn’t help my waistline.
- I prefer the easier velveting method using much less oil. Instead of enough oil to submerge the meat strips, simply use about 1-2 tablespoons more than you normally would for a stir-fry.
- Same as the traditional method, you cook the meat until it’s about 50% done (for about 15 seconds on each side in hot oil). You’ll finish cooking it later when making the stir-fry.
- The quick and easy velveting method uses less oil, so some of the starch on the beef will stick to the pan and it won’t get evenly cooked. But you’ll still get deliciously tender beef for your stir-fry, and you won’t need to drain all that excess oil.
Notes & Tips
- Don’t overcrowd the beef strips when pre-frying them. Overcrowding causes the beef to steam instead of fry and will make it soggy instead of crisp and tender.
- Cook the vegetables in hot oil in a pan or wok for no more than 5 minutes. They should still be crunchy because you’ll finish cooking them in the sauce.
- Trim away any big fat pieces or connective tissue around the beef so that you have perfectly tender bites. Otherwise, the meat can be too cartilage-like.
- In Chinese cooking, cornstarch is the most popular option, but you can replace it with any other starch. Tapioca, potato starch, or even rice flour work well.
What Is The Most Tender Beef For Stir Fry?
The most tender beef cuts that are perfect for stir-frying are tenderloin, flank steak, sirloin, tri-tip, and top loin (strip). You can also use the shoulder center (Ranch Steak), shoulder petite tender, and shoulder top blade (Flat Iron).
Choosing a good cut of meat is important, but the way you cut it is paramount. Make sure you cut the meat against the grain. This goes for beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and any meat. Check our instructions on how to prepare the most tender beef for stir-fry below.
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz beef
- ¼ cup cornstarch for velveting
- 1 medium carrot julienned
- 1 package of fresh baby corn
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup broccoli florets
Beef marinade:
- 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 tsp. cornstarch or another starch
- ½ tsp. neutral oil
Stir fry sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp. ginger minced
- 3 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
- 3 Tbsp. water
- 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
- ½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
- ½ Tbsp. cornstarch and 1 ½ Tbsp. water
Instructions
- Cut the beef against the grain into thin strips and transfer to a bowl.
- Add all the beef marinade ingredients and mix by hand. Let sit 30 minutes.
- Coat the beef strips in cornstarch. Shake any excess off. Pan-fry in batches on medium-high in some oil for about 15 seconds on each side. Set aside.
- Add vegetables to the same pan and cook until tender-crisp (about 3-4 minutes). Transfer to the same dish as the beef.
- Combine all the stir-fry sauce ingredients except the cornstarch and water.
- Turn the heat to medium-high and add the sauce, bringing it to a simmer. Make a cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch and water, then whisk it into the sauce. Add vegetables and beef back into the pan, stir to coat, and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce thicken for about 2 minutes.
- Serve with fresh rice or noodles, or next to fried rice.
