Pepper Steak and Onions

Content… What Kind of Meat Is Best? Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions What to Serve More Quick Stir-Fry Recipes to Try Watch How to Make It

What Kind of Meat Is Best for Pepper Steak?

My go-to cut of meat for pepper steak is sirloin or New York steak. I like the fine-grade texture and beefy flavor. And the sauce seeps into the meat quickly, and it’s a pretty affordable cut, too.

So, a lot of pros to sirloin. A couple of alternative cuts include flank steak or round cut. They work well, too.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Boneless Sirloin Tips are my choice for texture and flavor. Plus, it’s already chopped into bite-sized cubes, a big-time saver. 
2. Veggies – Thinly sliced green bell peppers and onions stir-fried to perfection, multi-colored bell peppers, onion, and green onion add aroma and flavor to the overall dish. Of course, red bell peppers are gorgeous too.
3. Sauce Ingredients – Chicken stock, soy sauce and oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, paprika, and Creole seasoning give you that classic pepper steak flavor (plus a little kick of heat). A dash of cornstarch thickens up the sauce.

How to Make Pepper Steak

• Prep the Sauce – In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, chicken stock, oyster sauce, and cornstarch. Stir and set aside. (Photo 1)
• Season the beef in another bowl with a little salt and pepper. Mix well. (Photo 2)
• Heat the wok or saucepan with about 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the meat, letting it rest for about 30 seconds before stirring. Cook for 2 minutes or until beef reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm. (Photos 3-4)
• Stir Fry – Stir fry the bell peppers and onion with the hot sauce for two minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, and Creole seasoning (if using) and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes. (Photos 5-6)
• Sauce – Finally, add the sauce, cooking while stirring for about 2 minutes, followed by the beef. (Photos 7-8)
• Serve – Take the wok off the heat and serve your pepper steak over rice. Enjoy!

Recipe Variations

1. Make it mild. If you aren’t into spicy foods, just leave out the Creole seasoning and the hot sauce. 
2. Add more veggies. Feel free to add broccoli, snow peas, carrots, or any other stir-fry veggies you love. The result will be more like a stir-fry than a traditional pepper steak dish, but it’s just as good. 
3. Try a vegetarian version. Replace the steak with tofu, portobello mushroom cap slices, soy curls, or any other vegetarian protein you like for a meat-free version.

Tips and Tricks

1. A wok is perfect for any meat stir fry recipe as it yields perfectly cooked meat and vegetables in no time. If you don’t have a wok, use a cast iron skillet instead. Skip the non-stick pan since they tend to result in unevenly cooked meat and veggies. Heat science is a key player in this recipe. 🤓
2. You can use just one color of bell pepper, but I highly recommend using a few different colors. The variety results in more flavorful meat and is pretty pleasing to the eyes, too. 😍
3. As for the sauce, you can adjust its thickness to your preference by controlling the amount of cornstarch you put into it.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Since it’s so saucy, this is a great make-ahead dish. Make it a day or two ahead of time, and then reheat it on the stove over medium heat. You can also freeze pepper steak for up to three months. If you plan on freezing it, slightly undercooking the veggies just a bit will keep them from turning into mush when you reheat the dish. 

Serving and Storage Instructions

Serve pepper steak piping hot over a steaming bed of rice. Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or on the stovetop.

What Goes With Pepper Steak

I always serve pepper steak with some steaming hot jasmine rice, but any rice tastes beautiful with this dish. To make it feel like a true take-out at-home meal, serve it with some crab rangoon or egg rolls. For dessert, try grilled pineapple with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 🤤

More Quick Stir-Fry Recipes to Try

1. Stir Fry Chicken and Vegetables
2. Beef Broccoli Stir Fry
3. Lomo Saltado
4. Chicken Fried Rice
5. Mongolian Beef

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video