Easy Chinese Pepper Steak will quickly become a family stir-fry favorite. This quick take-out fake-out dinner is ready in just 15 minutes!
This American rendition of the classic Chinese Pepper Steak is super tasty and comes together in just 15 minutes. It’s a simple stir-fry style dish of onions, peppers, and steak cooked in a wok with a yummy garlic ginger sauce. Cooking with a wok is fun and allows you to cook faster, at high heats. This dish is a life saver on a busy night and a crown pleaser all the while!
Can I use coconut oil in a stir fry?
Yes, but keep in mind that unrefined coconut oil smokes at high temperatures. Vegetable oil and refined coconut oil have a higher smoke point. It is still okay to cook with unrefined coconut oil, just expect some smoke with recipes like this one where the food is cooked on a higher heat.
Can I use a different cut of meat?
Yes. A flank steak or skirt steak also works well with this recipe. Be sure to cut your meat against the grain as doing so will ensure that the meat is more tender.
What can I use instead of a wok?
You can definitely make this dish in a frying pan. Woks are a great tool in the kitchen for stir fry style dishes and for cooking mixed vegetables. If you don’t have one, don’t skip the meal, but consider trying a wok some time—you will probably love it!
PRO TIP: Woks need to be seasoned just like a cast iron pan needs seasoning. It should come with a set of instructions on how to do so. It should go something like first, boil water in the wok. Rinse it off and coat it in oil then heat it up. Repeat the oil and heat several times. You also don’t wash it with soap. Let salt and heat do all the germ killing.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments or in a skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through.
If you like this recipe, you may also be interested in these other quick and easy takeout style recipes:
- Spicy Szechuan Shrimp and Broccoli
- 15 Minute Mongolian Beef
- Easy Kung Pao Chicken
- Chinese Takeout Orange Chicken
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
I am an older person who is beginning to cook main meals. I get an idea and do the best I can. For the most part this was a good recipe — Asian Stir Fry. Whether the recipe or me the sauce was a little strong for my taste. I would have preferred a little sweeter. The vegetables were the best part. they were cooked just right for me. Will experiment little next time. Getting there.
I am also older & learning to cook, & enjoying it! I had a little less sirloin, & used only 2 tsp of rice vinegar & a couple shakes of black pepper, & about 3/4 of the garlic & ginger. Used way less cooking oil, also. It came out delicious! Go with your intuition!
Horror of horrors, I used ground beef instead of steak, and it was wonderful…no chewy meat to worry about, and no removing the meat from the wok, before adding the veggies…It’s a delicious recipe,and I even added in some leftover spaghetti…Lovely dish!
Mix all the sauce ingredients in a measuring cup, and Voila; it goes together in a flash! Thanks, Rachel
I have been making an authentic chinese pepper steak dish for 40 years, and black pepper is not an main ingredient….I have always believed it is pepper steak, because of the bell peppers. This is a very good recipe, but I use pepper as I normally would. Thank you, Rachel!
Agreed! I, only once, in years of ordering it in Chinese restaurants, had it with too much black pepper~& it was awful. I used just a couple shakes in this recipe, & it was delicious!
Do you have a video of the pepper steak stir fry recipe
scroll upwards…it’s there to watch
I made this tonight and wish I had read the comments first. Way too much black pepper and I only used a little more than a teaspoon. I should have known better and questioned it in my mind when I read it. Other than that sauce was delicious! I used flank steak and marinated it for about an hour in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, sesame oil and soy sauce. I always do this and find it tenderizes and flavors the meat. Because I didn’t have fresh ginger I used about a 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and added some halved grape tomatoes with the sauce. Came together beautifully and served over steamed jasmine rice with crunchy noodles. Will make again with only half a teaspoon of black pepper.
I’ve never made an Asian dish before and I made this and it was awesome.
You actually don’t need to many ingredients to make some great Asian food at home. Also, take the time to learn about some of the Chinese cooking techniques as they are very helpful.
This was delicious. I used flank steak instead and added noodles. But I agree, less pepper next time and I only used 1tsp. Hubby just went back for seconds.
Ugh, auto correct. I added ZOODLES!
Love pepper steak will make it tonight thank you
I made this today DELICIOUS . the only change I would make is decrease the amount of pepper and add a little more broth.
Exactly! Less pepper and more broth. It was very good!!
Delicious just finished making this and found it surprisingly easy. The prep was the longest but worth it.