Tender Pepper Steak Recipe (Better Than Takeout)
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Step away from the delivery app – this pepper steak recipe is faster, cheaper & honestly tastes much better. You get crispy peppers and tender beef strips all coated in a sticky, garlic-ginger sauce that is just unreal. If you want to learn how to make pepper steak that is melt-in-the-mouth tender rather than chewy, I use a simple cornflour trick here that makes all the difference. And if you love a good fakeaway, you’ll definitely be into my Easy Sweet Chilli Chicken.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Tender Pepper Steak Recipe (Better Than Takeout)
🕦 Ready in: 18 minutes
🤝 Serves: 4
🧑🍳 Main ingredients: steak, red & green pepper, cornflour, soy sauce
✨ Summary: You’ll fall in love with this pepper steak recipe! It’s a budget-friendly fakeaway with a sticky ginger sauce that’s ready in just 20 mins.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Here is why this pepper steak recipe stays in my weekly rotation:
- Budget-friendly: You get to eat steak for dinner without crying at the checkout because we are using affordable flank. It keeps the wallet happy, like my Quick & Easy Boom Boom Shrimp.
- The perfect sauce: The sauce is glossy and savoury without being overpowering or overly salty. Unlike in some other pepper steak recipes, it clings to the meat perfectly rather than sliding off into a watery puddle.
- Tender meat: We’ve all had stir-fry beef that tastes like a leather boot, but we do something called velveting here to avoid that. Make this recipe for pepper steak and serve it alongside this Easy Salt and Pepper Chips Recipe for the perfect dinner.
Use up any leftover peppers sitting in the fridge drawer by making my Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers, Halloumi and Sweet Potato Tex-Mex Bowls, or Easy Vermicelli Noodles (One Pot).
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Flank steak: Flank is my go-to cut for my pepper steak recipe because it has a loose grain that grabs onto the marinade, but you can easily swap it for skirt steak or bavette. If you buy a larger pack to save money, fry up the extra steaks later in the week with my Secret Peppercorn Sauce for Steak.
- Cornflour: This is the MVP for the velveting step in any old fashioned pepper steak recipe as it helps tenderise the meat. I also use this thickener in my Chinese Beef and Broccoli Recipe to get that sticky consistency.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a heat that cuts through the savoury soy sauce so the peppered steak recipe doesn’t feel too heavy. If you buy a big piece of root ginger, grate the rest into my Simple Pork Curry with Coconut Milk later in the week.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
- Spicy pepper steak: Add a finely chopped fresh chilli in with the garlic or top with chilli flakes. This makes for the best pepper steak recipe if you like heat & would pair perfectly with my Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce.
- Protein swap: If beef isn’t in the budget this week, slice chicken breast or thighs into strips. If you are wondering how to cook pepper steak for vegetarians, you could use firm tofu – just press it first and coat it in the cornflour so it gets a nice crispy crust.
- Gluten-free: Just swap the soy sauce in this pepper steak recipe for tamari, and make sure your beef stock is gluten-free. Rocket Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes is another lovely gluten free option!
How to make Pepper Steak Recipe
Step 1: Toss the sliced beef strips with cornflour until evenly coated.
Step 2: Slice the red pepper, green pepper, and shallot into thin strips. Chop the spring onions and set aside.
Step 3: Heat oil in a large pan on high. Add beef and sear for 2 minutes without moving it, then stir briefly. Remove beef from the pan and set aside.
Step 4: In the empty pan, add the sliced peppers and shallots. Fry for 4 minutes until they start to soften.
Step 5: Add the cooked beef back into the pan. Stir in the garlic and ginger.
Step 6: Pour in the soy sauce, brown sugar, and beef stock. Simmer for 2-4 minutes until the sauce is dark, glossy, and thick. Serve immediately!
If you need more ideas for meals under 30 minutes, check out Steak Pasta with Creamy Sauce, 30-Minute Cream of Mushroom Chicken or my one-pan Easy Devilled Sausages.
Tips for the best result
- To nail this pepper steak recipe, add the cornflour to the beef before throwing it into the pan which the steak to get fully coated, and helps with tenderising & also browning.
- If you love spice, I’d add a finely chopped fresh chilli with the garlic and ginger to keep the pepper steak recipe easy but flavourful.
- Make sure you get the oil hot before adding the beef strips so you get a sear rather than accidentally steaming the meat.
- For a consistent sauce texture similar to the rich glossiness of my Chicken Katsu Curry, let the liquid reduce for the full 2-4 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
Serving Suggestions
This pepper steak recipe goes with pretty much anything. I usually stick to white rice, but if you are wondering how do you make pepper steak go further to feed a crowd, I like to add a noodle dish or serve it with extra sides.
Try it with:
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
The recipe keeps surprisingly well, though the peppers will lose a bit of their crunch the next day.
Refrigerator: Store any leftover pepper steak in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: You can freeze this pepper steak recipe for up to 3 months, just be aware the peppers might be softer once thawed.
Reheat: I prefer to reheat this in a hot pan with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, but a microwave works fine too.
Recipe FAQs
Flank steak is ideal because it’s so flavourful and affordable, and its grain structure absorbs the cornflour coating perfectly. Of course, you could use pricier cuts like sirloin or rump, but the best steak for pepper steak is often the one that absorbs the marinade best. With the velveting technique, the cheaper cuts taste just as good so save your money.
The trick is to fry the peppers over medium-high heat quickly and only add the liquid sauce components once the vegetables have some colour.
I recommend slicing the beef and veggies in the morning, but cooking it fresh so the crust on the beef stays nice and crisp. This is such an easy pepper steak recipe anyway! But you can absolutely store leftovers – see my instructions above.
Get your oil hot and let the meat sit undisturbed for the first 2 minutes so you don’t interrupt the browning process.
Definitely! If you want your peppersteak recipe a bit richer, swap half the soy sauce for oyster sauce. And for a sweeter, stickier finish, try adding a spoonful of hoisin. Just be careful with the saltiness if you start mixing sauces.
If you want to round off the meal, look at my recipes for The BEST Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe, Chocolate Protein Muffins, and Quick Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
If you tried this Pepper Steak Recipe, it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Tender Pepper Steak Recipe (Stir Fry)
Ingredients
- 350 g flank steak, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, finely grated
- Few spring onions, thinly sliced to garnish
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 200 ml beef stock
- Salt & Pepper
Method
- Coat the beef strips in cornflour. This is called velvetting and helps to tenderise the beef.
- Once coated, heat the veg oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Once hot, add the beef strips into the pan and evenly spread to promote browning. Leave undisturbed for 2 minutes.
- Now that the pieces have taken on some colour, stir and fry for a further minute, then remove from the pan.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of stock, then add the thinly sliced pepper and shallot. Season with salt & pepper and fry for around 4 minutes over a medium/high heat.
- Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further minute before adding the brown sugar, soy sauce and beef stock.
- Pop the beef back into the pan to heat through. Cook for around 2-4 minutes of until the sauce thickens nicely. Top with thinly sliced spring onion and optional chilli flakes. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you love spice, I’d add a finely chopped fresh chilli with the garlic and ginger.
- Make sure you get the oil hot before adding the beef strips so you get a sear rather than accidentally steaming the meat.
- For a consistent sauce texture, let the liquid reduce for the full 2-4 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
Nutrition
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