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This keto beef and broccoli is a delicious restaurant style stir-fry that skips the carbs but keeps all the flavor! Ready in under 20 minutes and kid friendly!
The best keto broccoli beef
How do you make a Chinese stir-fry less boring? Make it taste like something you’d get at a Chinese restaurant.
As someone who LOVES Panda Express, I know their keto options are pretty much non-existent. I wanted to see if I could make their beef and broccoli keto. With a few minor changes, that is exactly what I did, and it’s been a keto dinner staple.
Now, this isn’t just any keto beef stir fry. It’s made using a delicious sauce mix using both soy sauce and apple cider vinegar to hit all the taste buds. Broccoli is added at the end and cooked until just tender- No soggy vegetables here!
Ready in under 20 minutes and using simple ingredients, this truly tastes like classic Chinese take out!
Ingredients needed
This beef and broccoli stir fry is completely customizable based on your tastes. All you need is beef, broccoli, and some key sauces and seasonings. Here are the essential ingredients:
- Flank steak. Sliced against the grain and it bite-sized pieces. I don’t recommend pre-sliced strips, as they often discard the outer portions of the steak, which gives the stir-fry so much extra flavor.
- Soy sauce OR liquid aminos. If you are gluten intolerant or have a soy allergy, use liquid aminos. It has the same flavor of soy sauce.
- Lemon juice. Adds extra acidity, that holds the flavors into the beef and broccoli florets.
- Coconut oil OR canola oil. To cook the meat in. Only a small amount will be used, as it is to balance out the sesame oil flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar. Gives the beef some extra flavor, especially when paired with the soy sauce.
- Minced garlic. Garlic from a jar is fine and is easier than mincing it yourself.
- Salt and Pepper. To taste! I always add salt AFTER stir frying everything, as adding salt to your meat before frying can reduce the sodium absorption.
- Toasted Sesame oil. The star ingredient that makes this beef and broccoli stir-fry better than any other out there! Use a very good quality sesame oil, as those have a very distinct flavor.
- Broccoli. Fresh broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces.
How to make keto beef and broccoli
Keto broccoli beef is easy to make: the only thing you’ll need to remember is if you use sirloin steak, marinate it for 30 minutes before adding it to the pan. Here is the basic idea of how to make broccoli beef (or see the recipe below for specifics):
Step 1- Season the steak
Add the sauce ingredients into a bowl and whisk together. Add the steak and mix well.
Step 2- Sear
Preheat a non-stick pan and add a tablespoon of the sesame oil. Once hot, pour the steak and half the sauce it is in, and pan fry for 4-5 minutes, until seared on both sides.
Step 3- Stir fry
Add the broccoli and stir fry into the beef mixture, for around 5 minutes, until slightly tender. Pour remaining sauce and sesame oil and reduce the heat and simmer for a further 10 minutes, or until broccoli is cooked.
Tips to make the best recipe
- Slice your beef into even slices, so that the stir fry cooks evenly throughout.
- Like the beef, it’s best for your broccoli to be chopped in similar small pieces, for quick cooking.
- If you use sirloin steak, we recommend marinating the beef for 30 minutes prior to frying.
- For the best seared beef, make sure the pan is hot before adding the meat to it.
Beef Broccoli Variations
This recipe is so versatile, you can switch up the protein and vegetables to your taste!
- Protein. Use sliced chicken breast, tofu, or even some shrimp.
- Vegetables. Add onions, peppers, cauliflower, and even some fresh spinach.
- Nuts and Seeds. Sprinkle some sesame seeds, cashews, or pumpkin seeds over the cooked stir fry.
- Spices and seasonings. Add hot sauce, chili sauce, or red pepper flakes to add a spicy kick.
Storage instructions
- To store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, in a covered container. The stir fry can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: Place the cooked and cooled stir fry in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: Microwave portions for 30-40 seconds, until hot.
More keto stir fry recipes to try
Frequently Asked Questions
There are just 3 grams of net carbs per serving.
you can’t find flank steak, you can also use sirloin or skirt steak. Like the flank steak, you want it sliced against the grain, and with visible fat removed.
I don’t recommend using leaner cuts of beef, otherwise, by the time the broccoli is cooked, your meat will be dry.
Cooked broccoli is best enjoyed crisp and tender, so pre-cooking it will result is soft and brittle broccoli. If the broccoli isn’t cooked to your liking, you can continue to let it simmer on low until your desired texture.
Keto Broccoli Beef Like Panda Express
Ingredients
- 2 lbs flank steak
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce can use liquid aminos
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups broccoli chopped
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Slice the steak against the grain, in bite sized strips. Place in a mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together your coconut oil, soy sauce, minced garlic, and apple cider vinegar and mix well. Pour over the steak to ensure the sauce covers all the meat.
- Heat a non-stick pan with one tablespoon of sesame oil. When hot, add your marinated steak and half the sauce it is in. Sear for 5 minutes, turning halfway through, for the steak to cook both sides.
- Add the second tablespoon of sesame oil and add the broccoli and the rest of the sauce. Cook for 10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender. Reduce heat to low and continue simmering until the broccoli is cooked to your desired texture.
Is there any way you could give nutritional data? Carb gr? Fat? Sugar? Calories per serving ?
Hi Rachel! I don’t count calories but if you plug the info into a nutrition calculator it should provide it for you 🙂 Enjoy!
This looks like something I would love! I’ll be giving it a try soon.
Thanks Linda! It’s so simple and easy to whip up 🙂
Back in my carnivorous days, I used to order take out chinese and it was always Beef with Broccoli. Of course, I never actually ate the beef, just the the broccoli, but I liked the flavor or maybe it was just all the salt.
Oh man, we need to bottle MSG and drink it. Shots?
Considering it is definitely a tough dish to photograph, I think that you did a fantastic job!!!
Cheers, buddy! Meat just does not photograph well but tastes bloody epic.
No way, I can’t believe someone in SF suggested Panda Express to you when you were really a stone’s throw away from Chinatown!
Where’s my bowl of rice so I can dip into this??
I KNOW.
..We ended up going to China Town for dinner to a Japanese Izakaya which was run by Chinese. Fail.
LOL at the easy, breezy, beautiful Covergirl line 😀 😀
Lolol I think you’re the only one who got it.
I haven’t had any red meat in awhile but now I am a cravinggggggggggggg – bring on the cow, I will bring my knife!
Dude. Order. Now.
I have never eaten at panda express. I don’t think I have actually even seen a panda express before. This sounds like such an easy recipe and my husband would love it!
Definitely give it a go- I promise it’s super simple and delicious!
I definitely crave sugar the more I eat sugar! I try to save sweet treats for late in the day, so there is less of the day left to crave sweets, haha.
That is wise planning, Liz!
Since I’m by myself for Christmas, I’m thinking about grabbing some Chinese takeout on my way home from work – but now I don’t have an excuse not to make it at home. We’ll see though. I do love broccoli beef! I think I’ve only eaten at Panda Express once that I can remember.
I’m by myself too (Well for half a day). Let’s eat Asian take out and pretend we’re eating turkey. OR whole foods.
Haha, I love that you have the gluten-free label on there! Really helps me out :p
But this is amazing and looks exactly like the meals that my grandma would make me as a kid… albeit healthier. Will try this one day when I’m craving something from my childhood
Definitely give it a go. #Asianpride.
i’ll take this over panda express any day. I actually fear that place now –> um, MSG laden and plus I got food poisoning. ARMAN takeout please!
Definitely. Arman Panda coming right up.
Yum! I haven’t had Asian take-out in forever, but there’s a great place near my work that I’ll go every now and then and order their beef and broccoli.
I definitely find myself craving more sugar after having sugar. I don’t eat sweets all the time, so I do notice that the second I have one cookie I suddenly want another!
YES! Well, maybe I did eat cookies for weeks but that was totally under the guise of recipe testing….