Ginger Beef Stir Fry

Warm, spicy ginger, lime, and coconut milk give this Ginger Beef Stir Fry recipe an insanely delicious, zesty flavor. Serve it over rice with a side of vegetables for a complete meal everyone will love!

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I feel like I say it all the time, but I love recipes with big flavors and this Ginger Beef Stir Fry definitely brings it all to the table.

Thin strips of tender beef are left to marinate in a combination of ginger, lime, and coconut for a few hours to overnight. Half of the marinade is set aside to use as a sauce to add even more flavor after cooking. 

If you like this recipe, you may also want to try these recipes for Chicken Peanut Stir Fry and 30-Minute Vegetable Stir Fry.

Why This Recipe Works

This is a pretty easy recipe to make. You can leave the beef to marinate all day or overnight, which saves a lot of time when it’s time to cook.

The flavor is intense! If you love ginger, lime, and coconut, you will absolutely love this recipe!

This recipe is versatile. If you don’t care for sugar snap peas or bell peppers, you can swap them out for other veggies such as broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, baby corn, or whatever you prefer.  

Step-By-Step Instructions

Ingredients

• 1/2 coconut milk: I prefer to use full fat, but light can be used.
• 1/2 lime juice: fresh squeezed from 3-4 large, juicy limes
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ginger (minced or grated)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 pounds beef (sliced thin): I prefer to use flank, but skirt or chuck roast work well too. You can buy pre-cut strips from the store, but in my experience they are usually pretty tough.
• 8 ounces sugar snap peas
• 2 green onions (sliced thin, white and green portions separated)
• 1 red bell pepper (cut into thin strips)
• sesame seeds (optional, garnish)

The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.

Prep!

Before making the marinade, you will need to juice your limes until you have 1/2 cup, grate the ginger, and mince the garlic. If you are unable to find pre-sliced beef strips, you will need to slice your own as well.

Tip: use fresh lime juice for the best flavor. Bottle juice can be used in a pinch, but I find it doesn’t have the same strength flavor as fresh.

Create!

Whisk together the coconut milk, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil, garlic and chili powder.

Add half of the marinade and beef strips to a large bowl (or resealable plastic bag). Mix well to coat the beef, then cover and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.

Cover and reserve the remaining marinade for later use.

When you are ready to cook, drain and discard the marinade from the beef strips.

Heat a large skillet over medium high and add the beef strips.

Cook, stirring often, until the beef is no longer pink. Remove to a plate or bowl and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add the sugar snap peas, white portion of the green onions, and red bell pepper strips to the skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved marinade.

Cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Stir back in the beef and remaining marinade and cook another minute or two to warm through.

Present!

Serve, as desired.

Garnish with the green portion of the green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

This stir fry is especially delicious over Ginger Rice, Garlic Rice or even cauliflower rice (you can reference this post on How to Rice Cauliflower and this one on How to Cook Cauliflower if needed). If you’d like to try something other than rice, noodles or quinoa work well. 

Tips and Techniques

• You can buy pre-cut beef strips to save time. Store cut strips may not be as tender as buying a better cut of beef and slicing it yourself.
• Fresh ginger and lime juice will give you the best flavor, by far.
• To make this recipe low carb and keto-friendly, substitute a brown sugar substitute, like Swerve, for the brown sugar. Serve over cauliflower rice. If you are avoiding soy, you can use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 3 days.

FAQ’s

Is Ginger Beef Stir Fry Spicy?

Ginger beef stir fry is not spicy, however, if you’d like it to be spicier you can add crushed red pepper flakes to the marinade.

Is Ginger Beef Sir Fry Low Carb?

Yes! Simply swap out the brown sugar for a brown sugar substitute like Swerve and serve it over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles.

What Do You Serve With Ginger Beef Stir Fry?

You can serve Ginger Beef over rice, noodles, or cauliflower rice. It pairs great with vegetables like green beans, broccoli, carrots, and peppers. 

More Asian-Inspired Beef Recipes 

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This recipe was originally posted on August 26, 2019. It was updated with an improved recipe, new images, tips, techniques and FAQ’s in April 2024.