Flavor packed Whole30 and Paleo Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry that’s easy to make, ready in 20 minutes, uses takes one pan, and only calls for 10 ingredients!
We’ve been making this paleo beef & broccoli stir fry since my last Whole30 in April and it’s about time I’ve got it up on the blog! Super easy, flavor packed, and comes together in less than 20 minutes.
And who doesn’t love some classic Chinese food?! While this might not be the real deal you can find in Chinatown, it is pretty dang delicious and isn’t loaded with MSG, strange thickeners, and hidden flours.
Chinese was a staple for us growing up during the cooler months. My mom loves it and once the weather got cold, we would probably get it a couple times a month, either on the weekend or when she didn’t feel like cooking. I never ordered beef & broccoli though – I was more of a sweet & sour chicken kind of girl. I mean it was pretty much chicken nuggets haha.
But Michael loves beef and broccoli and introduced it to me awhile back. While it’s not something I would order out, I love making it at home! It’s packed with protein, veggies, and a savory sauce with a little kick that I want to pour all over everything. And I know exactly what is going into it.
How to make Paleo Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry (Whole30)
This Whole30 & paleo beef & broccoli calls 10 ingredients total. Beef & broccoli are obviously the main ingredients and then you need 7 other ingredients to make the sauce. It makes the whole dish super flavorful while being super easy to make. This is what you need:
- flank steak
- broccoli
- coconut aminos
- sesame seeds
- lime juice
- fresh garlic
- fresh ginger
- red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper
I tested this recipe quite a few times and there are some key factors in making the best beef & broccoli. First, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce. Next make sure you cut your beef very thin. I suggest popping it in the freezer for 10 minutes so it is easier to slice.
Then make sure to liberally season your beef with salt and pepper to give it some flavor. Since it is sliced so thin, you only need to cook it for 30 seconds or so per side. Make sure not to overcrowd it – I did mine in a few batches. It will come back in the pan at the end so keep that in mind as well. No one likes overcooked beef.
After you cook the beef and remove it from the pan, you cook the broccoli in the same juices and a little of the sauce. Once that is cooked to your preference, you thicken the sauce. This is where your patience comes in.
You need to let it reduce and simmer for 3-4 minutes. You will be able to tell when you can run a spatula through it and leaves a trail. Finally you add back all the ingredients, give it a good stir, and you have your easy and healthy beef and broccoli!
It takes a few steps, but I promise it’s worth it!
Beef & Broccoli Meal Prep
Beef & broccoli makes great for meal prep. If you have a family of 4 or want leftovers, I would suggest doubling the recipe. Michael and I can eat almost the whole recipe it’s that good.
It saves great as leftovers and makes an easy meal prep dish to prep on the weekends! I love storing it in these compartment meal prep containers with some cauliflower rice or (white rice if you aren’t doing the Whole30) to make an easy balanced meal.
More Easy Paleo Recipes
Whole30 Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Whole30 Shrimp & Butternut Squash with Curry Peanut Sauce
Sausage, Pepper, & Rice Soup (Paleo/Whole30)
Paleo Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry (Whole30)
Ingredients
- 1 pound grass fed flank steak (thinly sliced)*
- 2 heads broccoli, florets removed (7 cups/465 grams)
- 3/4 cup coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon spicy sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- optional toppings: sesame seeds, green onions
Instructions
- In a small bowl, make the sauce by combining the coconut aminos, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Liberally season the sliced steak with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and let it get hot. Add slices of beef, without overcrowding, and cook 30 seconds per side. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining beef (I had to do this in 3 batches).
- Leave the beef juices in the pan and add chopped broccoli. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce and cover with a lid. Cook for 3-5 minutes until tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add remaining sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce to medium low and cook until thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes. Add back in beef and broccoli and stir to combine and heated through, about 1 minute. Be careful not to add the liquid from the beef and broccoli as it will thin the sauce. Serve with cauliflower or white rice, top with optional toppings, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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TERRI DODGE
December 11, 2018 at 4:16 pmThis recipe is my favorite one of Kelly’s and my hubby agrees! so so delicous
Kelly
December 17, 2018 at 11:40 amIt’s one of my husband’s favorites too! So glad you guys like it!!
Kim
January 1, 2019 at 5:26 pmThis is delish! I didn’t have any sesame seed oil so subbed olive oil with sesame seeds ha somehow I think the flavor would be slightly different but it is still an awesome quick meal! I also added chicken only because I neeeded to use it up.
Kelly
January 2, 2019 at 9:52 amLove that you made it your own Kim! Thanks for trying it and glad you enjoyed!
Kari
December 27, 2018 at 7:45 pmSo simple and quick. But tons of flavor. Love the kick if the red pepper flakes. Husband cleaned his plate!
Kelly
December 31, 2018 at 11:52 amSo glad y’all liked it! I’m all about the spicy kick too! Thanks for trying Kari!
Erica
January 1, 2019 at 5:55 pmIf I don’t have fresh ginger, would ground ginger work? If so, how much would you recommend?
Kelly
January 2, 2019 at 10:05 amYes, that should work just fine! Dried herbs/spices are usually more concentrated so it’s recommended to do about 1/3 the amount. The fresh ginger is about a tablespoon, so I would use a teaspoon. Let me know how it goes!
Laura
January 4, 2019 at 9:41 amWe loved this recipe! Doubled it for lunch leftovers. I actually steam my broccoli in the microwave for 3 minutes or so, leaves it nice and crisp, just like take-out!
Kelly
January 4, 2019 at 6:21 pmOh I love that tip Laura! So glad y’all liked it, thank you for trying!!
Mandy Burt
January 8, 2019 at 6:16 pmThis was SOOO good! I did not have spicy sesame oil so I did half sesame oil / half hot sauce. I also don’t think I tolerate cauliflower all that well so I put the beef and broccoli over garlic mashed potatoes. Topped it with sesame seeds and green onions. Thanks for making Day 8 of my Whole30 darn good!
Kelly
January 9, 2019 at 9:23 amThat is a genius idea with the hot sauce! So glad you liked it and thanks for trying it Mandy!
Angie
January 23, 2019 at 12:19 pmWhere do all the carbs come from?
Kelly
January 24, 2019 at 7:48 pmThe coconut aminos have about 3g carbs per tablespoon so that adds up some. Then the broccoli contributes some.
Renee W
January 30, 2019 at 9:09 pmJust made this tonight. I have to say it was wonderful and better than what I would get for takeout. And better for me!! I was worried I wouldn’t have enough sauce but there is no need to worry. Two containers are waiting for lunches!!
Kelly
January 31, 2019 at 7:53 pmYay for leftovers for lunch! So glad you liked it Renee, thanks for trying it!
Megan
February 2, 2019 at 3:00 amThis is one of my family’s go to recipes! It’s quick, simple and absolutely delicious.
The tip about freezing the beef for a few minutes is a tots game changer!
We typically serve with cauliflower rice and double up the sauce. It reheats and freezes well
Kelly
February 3, 2019 at 8:33 amSo glad y’all love it Megan!! I’m happy to know it freezes well too! Thanks for trying it!
Ashley
February 6, 2019 at 5:33 pmThis was SO GOOD & so simple! My boyfriend also enjoyed it! It was our first time doing Whole30 & I used a lot of these recipes! Will definitely make again!
Kelly
February 8, 2019 at 10:04 amSo glad you both liked it Ashley!! Thank you for trying it!
Haley Holden
February 6, 2019 at 8:36 pmDo you think this would taste decent with ground beef instead of flank steak?
Kelly
February 8, 2019 at 10:05 amYes, I think so! The flavor would be a little different as ground beef is a little fattier, but still delicious! I would just drain some of the juice out of the pan if there is a lot from the beef. Hope that helps.
Amanda
March 1, 2019 at 4:46 pmMade this tonight. Didn’t have sesame seeds (I was out) and I barely had 1/4c aminos left. BUT- it came out amazing. I added a little water to get some more out of the sauce and reduced it a bit less and it’s still so great. Big hit!
If your family isn’t a big broccoli fan, don’t combine them at the end. Sauce the meat, plate it. Sauce the veggies after, plate it. It’ll keep everything from getting the broccoli taste. Separating them for leftovers, if you even have any, will help that too.
Kelly
March 4, 2019 at 11:16 amI love this! So glad you were able to make it work and I love those tips as well! Thank you for trying it Amanda!
Lynnae
March 11, 2019 at 11:12 amI made this for my family with young kids and they gobbled it up. I added some carrots which were a great addition. My husband hasn’t been a fan of the Whole30 recipes I have found in the past, but this one knocked it out of the park! I am looking forward to trying more on your blog. Thank you 😊
Kelly
March 12, 2019 at 11:11 amYay, so glad to hear that Lynnae! Always love when the whole family approves. Thank you so much for trying it and love that you added some more veggies!
Susan
March 13, 2019 at 8:51 amI made this last night and we absolutely loved it! Your tip
about cooking the steak in small batches and for a very
short time were appreciated! Made the steak so tender. The
sauce was amazing! Definite keeper 😋
Kelly
March 13, 2019 at 8:07 pmYes, I feel like it helps so much, just need some patience haha! Thank you so much for trying it Susan!
Arielle
March 16, 2019 at 9:18 amAmazing dinner! Next time I’m going to make 1.5x the sauce– perfect balance of sweet (from the coconut animos) and spicy.
Kelly
March 20, 2019 at 11:49 amCan never go wrong with more sauce! So glad you liked it and thanks for trying it Arielle!
Elizabeth
March 19, 2019 at 10:35 amGREAT recipe! Thank you so much. We made this for our weekly meal prep and it was a hit amongst the entire family. We amped up the red pepper a bit because we love spicy food. Other than that we followed it exactly. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. Keep up the great work!
Kelly
March 20, 2019 at 11:59 amHi Elizabeth! So glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much for trying! I love the addition of more red pepper flakes – I love anything spicy too!
Janelle
June 3, 2019 at 9:14 pmSo good and easy! My husband and 2 kids loved. Dinner was on the table in less than 30 min. Thank you!!!
Kelly
June 24, 2019 at 4:40 pmYay! So happy to hear that Janelle! Thank you for trying!!
Michael Pfaffengut
June 6, 2019 at 7:05 pm95 minutes later… 🙄 sauce took almost 20 minutes to thicken even a little bit, then added everything back in & water from broccoli & beef thinned it out again.
Kelly
June 6, 2019 at 9:14 pmHi Michael, I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ve had countless people make this recipe and love it. I know that it depends on what coconut aminos you use as I have had some people try with different brands and it doesn’t get as thick. My favorite coconut aminos is the one I linked in the recipe and have never had any trouble with the thickening up. I made a note about adding the beef back in the mixture. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you, hope it doesn’t deter you from trying another recipe.
Joanna
July 12, 2019 at 9:17 pmLove this website. Love all her meal prep ideas and how she can whip up a recipe from anything! The beef broccoli was one I always wanted to try and it was as good as she says!
Kelly
July 30, 2019 at 6:10 pmThank you Joanna, that means so much to me! Glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you following along!
Elisa Garrison
July 30, 2019 at 11:09 amThis is by far the best stir fry that I’ve ever tried! The flavors were so delicious!! Definitely a new staple for my family!
Kelly
July 31, 2019 at 8:58 amYay, so happy to hear that Elisa! Thank you for trying it and glad you enjoyed!
Rebecca Anglin
October 24, 2019 at 1:07 pmThis was SO good. I wanted to double it, but ran out of coconut aminos! We’ll be restocking and making this again tonight! If this recipe is this delightful I can’t wait to try more from the website!!
Kelly
October 24, 2019 at 2:40 pmYay, so happy to hear that Rebecca! Thanks for trying and hope you try some more recipes!
Heather
November 10, 2019 at 4:05 pmCan you use frozen broccoli?
Kelly
November 23, 2019 at 2:56 pmYes, that should work! Just make sure to drain off the excess liquid if you have some so it doesn’t add water to the sauce. Hope you try it!
Dave F.
December 16, 2019 at 8:59 pmThe flavors in the dish sound good in concept, but my God, this has got to be the absolute saltiest stir fry I’ve ever tasted. As is my habit when making a dish for the first time, I followed the recipe exactly. It’s soooooooo salty, to the point of being inedible. I should have known that it would turn out that way when I saw that it called for 3/4 cup of coconut aminos, reduced. I gave the recipe the benefit of the doubt because it was my first time making it and I have only limited experience with coconut aminos. I should have trusted my instincts. If I ever make this dish again, I’ll use only 1/4 cup of aminos and use something like chicken broth for additional liquid to replace the other half cup of aminos.
Kelly
December 18, 2019 at 4:11 pmHi Dave. I am sorry to hear you did not like the dish. Beef and broccoli can be a salty dish, but I actually find coconut aminos to be way less salty than the typical soy sauce that is commonly used. Coconut aminos are actually kind of sweet and it depends on what brand you use, which could play a factor as why yours was so salty. I’m not sure if the broth would reduce down into a thick sauce though. I’ve had plenty of people make this dish and enjoy it, but it’s hard to please everyone. I appreciate you trying it would and I hope you try something else from my site. Thanks!
Steph B
January 13, 2020 at 9:35 pmI had the same experience as Dave – the dish was SO salty that we couldn’t eat it and had to throw it all away. It smelled so good while it was cooking so it was a bummer when it was inedible. I guess it could be the coconut aminos I used, but it left a bad taste in my mouth, literally, so if I try this recipe again, it will be a while.
Kelly
January 18, 2020 at 2:05 pmI’m so sorry to hear that Steph. I haven’t experienced that, but I guess it could be personal preference. Hope you give another one of my recipes a try. Thanks!
Maria
January 17, 2020 at 8:14 pmHoly salt Batman!! I wish that I had read the comments before making it instead of while the sauce was thickening. IF we make this again I will for sure reduce the amount of aminos and just use the sauce on the beef, I’ll add steamed broccoli upon serving.
Kelly
January 18, 2020 at 2:14 pmHi Maria, I’m sorry to hear that. Appreciate you trying it and giving your honest feedback.
Maria
January 18, 2020 at 2:34 pmUPDATE! I did a little research and discovered that the liquid aminos I used has 390 mg of sodium per teaspoon while the coconut aminos that Kelly recommended only has 90 mg per teaspoon. FOR SURE USE COCONUT AMINOS, DO NOT SUBSTITUTE!!
We will for sure try this again now that I know where I went wrong. Thanks for your response Kelly!!
Kelly
January 26, 2020 at 2:49 pmThank you for letting me know Maria! I went in and added a note to the recipe card to make sure people use coconut aminos. Hope you try it!
Kristin
June 10, 2020 at 6:20 pmSuper simple and my fiancé loved it. The leftovers were great too!
Kelly
June 18, 2020 at 12:56 pmGlad everyone enjoyed Kristin! Thank you for trying!
Leandra
July 12, 2020 at 2:25 amSesame oil and sesame seeds are NOT paleo.
Kelly
July 13, 2020 at 11:36 amHi Leandra, I have never heard that. Paleo does include nuts and seeds (in moderation) so I’m not sure why sesame seeds would not be included. I have seen thousands of paleo recipes with sesame oil in it. Here is an article about it – https://www.thepaleomom.com/wiki/sesame-seed-oil/
Katie
October 11, 2020 at 7:27 pmAnother amazing easy and healthy meal from Kelly! Definitely salty, but if you’re craving Chinese takeout I think that implies you’re prepared for some salt! (My sister commented that it was salty, my dad said “well I like salty food!”) I used thrive market coconut aminos which has 160mg sodium per tsp. I also used frozen broccoli and was careful to avoid adding the liquid back in, but the sauce still thinned out a bit after recombining. I will definitely try fresh broccoli next time (my fault for being lazy and using the frozen broccoli I had). Either way it was delicious!
Kelly
October 23, 2020 at 9:36 pmHaha, yes, love that! Glad it worked out for you and you guys enjoyed! Thanks Katie!
Kristina
January 9, 2021 at 1:36 pmSO easy & SO delicious! Have made this numerous times & it always hits the spot for our Chinese food cravings. I like to marinade the sliced beef in coconut aminos for about an hour before I cook them. Soaks up even more flavor!