This Pepper Steak recipe is a weeknight dinner dream! Who needs takeout or delivery when you can make it faster at home? And, this easy recipe is so delicious! Savory strips of steak and tender-crisp bell peppers are coated in an umami burst of flavor from onions, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. Serve it over fluffy rice and you have a scrumptiously satisfying meal that can be on the table in 30 minutes.
When our kids were small, I used to make a slow cooker version of Pepper Steak. It bubbled and cooked away all day while we home schooled and I worked a home business. It was delicious and a good solution for a different stage of my life.
But over time, I’ve come to prefer vibrant colors, bold pops of flavor and recipes I can prep quickly, even on busy weeknights. This is my Pepper Steak makeover to give me ALL of that. And yes, it can easily be gluten free. It makes enough for 8 to 10 servings, so you can feed a crowd or enjoy the leftovers for lunch, tomorrow. I hope you and your family will love it!
Enjoy!
The Ingredients
Steak: Ideally, flank steak is my favorite cut for making pepper steak. It’s unique grain and good flavor are perfect for quick searing. Top sirloin or top round can also work and be fairly tender, too, so use what you can get. For the batch in these photos, top sirloin was all I could get my hands on.
Onion: I use red onion in most of my cooking and this pepper steak with onion is no exception. I love the color of red onions and they adds a great depth of savory flavor with just a touch of caramely sweetness when they’re cooked. Use the onions you have on hand, though. Any will be delicious in this simple pepper steak and onion recipe!
Bell Peppers: The co-stars of this fabulous dish and just as important. They bring freshness, texture and vibrant color, too. Use whatever colors you can find, but I love mixing it up with one of each; red, orange, yellow and green.
Seasonings: Fresh minced garlic and ginger paste. If you need to sub in dried, I’d use one teaspoon of each.
I don’t add extra salt as I’m cooking the meat, since the soy sauce will be salty. I do use black pepper as the meat is cooking. Additional salt can be added, at the end after you taste the dish.
Sauce Ingredients: The easy sauce recipe calls for soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch. This is a savory, thickened sauce that clings to, and coats, the meat and peppers, but doesn’t leave much liquid in the pan. If you prefer a “saucier” pepper steak, you could double the sauce recipe. We prefer not to have so much sauce/liquid on the bottom of the plate.
FAQs about How to Make Pepper Steak
Flank steak is our first choice for making this pepper steak recipe. Cut across the grain and quick-seared it yields tender and flavorful bites. If you can’t find flank steak, top sirloin and top round are also good.
Yes. It definitely can be. You’ll need to use a gluten free soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos instead of regular soy sauce. All the other ingredients are naturally gluten free.
Sure. Arrowroot powder or tapioca flour would both work. And both are gluten free.
How to Make Pepper Steak
For a quick visual tutorial, watch the video in the recipe card, below.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set them aside until time to cook.
- Slice the steak into strips. It’s so important to remember, (whichever cut of steak you use), to cut the strips ACROSS the grain, not running with it. If you cut the meat in the same direction as the grain you will end up with tough and chewy steak bites. Cut across the grain for the best, tender and flavorful bites. The strips should be thin and about 1/2″ to 3/4″ wide.
- Core all the bell peppers and cut them into thin strips.
- Heat oil over medium high heat in a deep skillet, (at least 12″ in diameter).
- Add onions to the hot oil. Stir and cook them for about one minute.
- Divide the steak into two batches and add the first one to the skillet with the onions. Stir and move the steak around to separate the individual strips and get them seared.
- Move the finished steak and onions to a plate. Add a little more oil to the skillet and cook the second batch of steak strips. Then, return all the steak to the skillet.
- Add the garlic and ginger. Stir to combine and cook for about 30 seconds. Keep stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add the pepper strips and stir them to combine with the steak. Continue cooking and stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, until the peppers are heated through, tender-crisp and vibrant in color.
- When the peppers are hot, pour the soy sauce/cornstarch mixture into the skillet and stir continuously to avoid sticking. After 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, the sauce will begin to thicken, clinging to the steak and peppers. There will be very little sauce in the bottom of the skillet.
If you love rice bowls, be sure to check out my Easy Egg Roll Bowl recipe and this delicious Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken Rice Bowl recipe!
The Recipe
PrintPepper Steak
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 3/4 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos for gluten free)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the Pepper Steak:
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil, plus more as needed
- 1 red onion, small diced
- 2 lbs. thin sliced flank steak (or top sirloin or top round), cut into 1/2″ strips (across the grain, not with it)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon minced ginger/ginger paste
- 4 bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into strips (any colors)
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set them aside until time to cook.
- Slice the steak into strips. It’s so important to remember, (whichever cut of steak you use), to cut the strips ACROSS the grain, not running with it. If you cut the meat in the same direction as the grain you will end up with tough and chewy steak bites. Cut across the grain for the best, tender and flavorful bites. The strips should be thin and about 1/2″ to 3/4″ wide.
- Core all the bell peppers and cut them into thin strips.
- Over medium high heat, begin heating 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil in a deep skillet, (at least 12″ in diameter). This is a big batch and you’ll need all that space before the recipe is done.
- Add the onions to the hot oil. Stir and cook them for about one minute. They will begin to brown, slightly.
- Divide the steak into two batches and add the first one to the skillet with the onions. Stir and move the steak around to separate the individual strips and get them seared. Move cooked pieces to the outside edges of the skillet, while pulling raw strips into the center to cook.
- When the first batch is done, move the steak and onions to a plate. Add a little more oil to the skillet and cook the second batch of steak strips in the same way as the first.
- Now, that all the steak is cooked, get it all back in the skillet.
- Add the garlic and ginger. Stir to combine and cook for about 30 seconds to start cooking off the raw taste and melding the flavors. Keep stirring through this so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add the pepper strips and stir them to combine with the steak. Continue cooking and stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, until the peppers are heated through, tender-crisp and vibrant in color. (If you like the peppers softer, you can cook them longer. It’s a matter of personal preference.)
- When the peppers are hot, pour the soy sauce/cornstarch mixture into the skillet and stir continuously to avoid sticking. After 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, the sauce will begin to thicken. As you continue cooking, it will cling to the steak and peppers. There will be very little sauce in the bottom of the skillet. If you like yours with extra sauce, double the sauce recipe.
- Serve.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Main Dish, Beef, Asian
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian-American
This was a simple yet tasty dinner. Will definitely make again!
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed it, Bernice! Thank you!
Delicious pepper steak recipe! Great tips and advice too, must bookmark this one, thanks!
★★★★★