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This healthy beef and broccoli stir fry is better than takeout! This recipe combines thinly sliced and seared steak and crisp tender broccoli, and it’s all tossed in a super flavorful savory sauce. The entire recipe cooks up in one pan and is paleo and Whole30! Serve alone or over rice or cauliflower rice for the perfect weeknight stir fry.
Got a busy week ahead? Add this healthy beef and broccoli recipe to your meal planning list! This quick and easy asian-inspired beef and broccoli stir fry is a rendition of one of my favorite takeout dishes. It’s packed with protein, perfectly crisp-tender veggies, and is covered in a savory stir fry sauce. In fact, this recipe is even better than takeout! And best of all, you can make it quicker than the time it would take to get takeout delivered.
As a mom of two, it’s hard to find dishes that the whole family will eat. This paleo beef and broccoli recipe is one that everyone will gobble up. It’s got just the right amount of seasoning, and the sauce is a little salty, savory, and sweet.
And it’s a one-pan dish! I love when I only have one skillet to clean. With prep work, the whole thing comes together in just 30 minutes. It also fits a variety of needs, and is totally paleo, whole30, and low carb!
Better Than Takeout: Healthy Beef and Broccoli
An excellent beef and broccoli stir fry starts with the right cut of beef. While a variety of cuts can work in this dish, I’ve found flank, skirt, and sirloin work best. Thinly slice the steak against the grain into strips that are about 1/4 inch thick. If the steak is rather wide, you can cut the strips at an angle, or cut longer strips and then cut them in half so they’re about 3 inches long.
To cook the broccoli, add the broccoli, water, and just a pinch of sea salt to the pan, and cook for 4-5 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender. The water and salt helps the broccoli to cook up quickly and it will have a nice steamed (but not soggy) texture.
Once the broccoli is cooked, remove it from the pan. You can whisk all of the ingredients together for the sauce while the broccoli is cooking. It’s best to get all of the ingredients for the sauce prepped before you start cooking.
Then, you’ll sear the beef before adding the sauce, broccoli, and green onion to the pan to create the most delicious healthy beef and broccoli stir fry!
The Secret Lies in the Skillet
For the perfect golden color, make sure your pan is hot before adding the beef. When you place the beef in, you should hear a sizzling sound. Sear the beef in one layer without disturbing it for about 2 minutes, and then flip to the other side. Stay close—you want the golden color to appear, and then get it out of the pan. I highly recommend cooking the beef in two batches. This will cut down on cooking time, and allow the beef to get a nice sear without overcooking.
From my experience, this is best done in a stainless steel pan. While I typically use ceramic cookware, I have a large 12-inch stainless steel skillet for searing dishes just like this one!
Once you’ve cooked the second batch, add the first batch back and pour the sauce overtop. Stir and let the sauce simmer for 2-3 minutes. It should start to thicken up. Then, add the broccoli and green onion, and let all the flavors meld together for about a minute. I love to serve this healthy beef and broccoli stir fry over of rice or cauliflower rice. It’s better than takeout!
Serving + Storage for Paleo Beef and Broccoli
I love serving this healthy beef and broccoli recipe over rice, roasted vegetables, or rice noodles. If you want to make it a paleo beef and broccoli recipe, serve it over cauliflower rice!
This recipe cooks up in one pan, and stores great in the fridge or freezer, which makes it great for meal prep! You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. If you want to freeze this recipe for meal prep, simply store it sealable silicone storage bags. It will last in the freezer up to 4 months.
When you’re ready to eat it, just let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then, reheat it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until heated through. Serve it with fresh rice or cauliflower rice.
Cooking Tips + Tricks
- Skirt steak, flank and sirloin work best in this healthy beef and broccoli recipe.
- To make it easier to cut the steak thinly, freeze the thawed steak for 30 minutes prior to cutting the slices.
- The strips of steak should be no longer the three inches long.
- I highly recommend using avocado oil for this recipe as has a high smoke point.
- Make sure to use coconut aminos for the sauce, not liquid aminos.
- For the perfect golden color, make sure your pan is hot before adding the beef. Sear the beef in one layer without disturbing for about 2 minutes, and then flip to the other side.
- When searing the beef, don’t overcrowd the pan. Even with a larger 12-inch skillet, you’ll get better results working in two batches.
- Swap out the fresh garlic for 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
- Don’t pack in the freshly grated ginger when making your measurement. It will compact down and release water and you’ll end up overdoing it.
What I Love About This Healthy Beef and Broccoli Recipe
- I kid you not, this healthy beef and broccoli recipe tastes better than takeout!
- This recipe contains simple, nourishing ingredients. It’s packed with veggies and protein.
- While this dish is unique and flavorful, the prep work is kept to a minimum. The entire dish comes together quickly at the end.
- This is a one-pan paleo beef and broccoli recipe!
- This dish can be made with a variety of cuts of beef, so use whatever you got in the freezer!
- The recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, low carb, Whole30, and paleo.
Stocking the Pantry
I personally use Thrive Market for most of my pantry needs because it saves me some cash—especially when it comes to commonly used items like coconut aminos and Red Boat fish sauce. For a complete list of my recommend pantry items and what I use in my home, check out my Baking and Cooking Resources Page.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy Mini Meatloaf
- 15-Minute Egg Roll in A Bowl
- Sheet Pan Chicken, Broccoli, and Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Herb Aioli
- Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- Chicken Broccoli Cauliflower Rice Casserole
Healthy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry (Paleo, Whole30)
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This healthy beef and broccoli stir fry is better than takeout! This recipe combines thinly sliced and seared steak and crisp tender broccoli, and it’s all tossed in a super flavorful savory sauce. The entire recipe cooks up in one pan, and is paleo and Whole30! Serve alone, or over rice or cauliflower rice for the perfect weeknight stir fry.
Ingredients
Stir-Fry:
- 1 lb beef (sirloin, skirt, or flank steak)
- 2–3 tablespoons avocado oil (or cooking fat of choice)
- 5 cups broccoli florets
- ¼ water
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (plus more for cooking the broccoli)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 green onions, trimmed and sliced
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, for garnish
- Rice or cauliflower rice, for serving
Sauce:
- 5 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup hot water
Instructions
- Thinly slice the beef into bite-sized strips, about ¼ inch thick (see tip).
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli florets, 1/4 cup water, and a small pinch of sea salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green and slightly tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- While the broccoli is cooking, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon avocado oil to the skillet. Season the steak with the salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the steak slices to the pan in a single layer and cook until browned, about 2 minutes each side. Cook the beef in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Add more oil when doing a second batch.
- Once the steak is cooked, add all of the steak pieces back to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the sauce to the pan, stir, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Once the sauce has thickened, add the broccoli and green onion to the pan and toss to combine. Stir-fry for another minute.
- Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds over rice or cauliflower rice.
Notes
- Thinly slice the beef against the grain between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick. The stripes should be bite-sized and around three inches in length so they sear quickly and can be easily be eaten off a fork. To make slicing easy, you can freeze your thawed steak for 30 minutes prior to slicing.
- The steak only needs a quick sear! To avoid rubbery beef, make sure the strips aren’t too long, and cook the beef in two separate batches. The strips will cook up faster, and you’ll get the perfect golden color.
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What did you think about this healthy beef and broccoli stir fry? Let me know in the comments below!
Be strong,
This was a super easy recipe to make and it was delicious! My family loved it and I’m sure we will be making this more often. Thank you!
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing Andrea!! So glad you loved it!
I really like this dish. It reminds me of the dishes she cooked.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it!
This was great! Easy enough to make with 2 toddlers running around, and everyone liked it, which is rare. This is my 4th recipe of yours and all have been a family hit! Thank you.
★★★★★
Awesome!! Thank you so much for reviewing/letting me know. Love to hear it!
★★★★★
Homerun! My toddler that barely likes any food these days LOVED this and asked for seconds. This will be a keeper in our house for sure. It was absolutely delicious! Thanks Noelle!
★★★★★
Awesome to hear! Thanks for sharing—you’re the best!