When you need more quick and easy keto dinner recipes, look no further than an Asian-style stir fry. It’s the original one-pan meal, quickly sautéing vegetables and protein to tender perfection. Add a tangy umami sauce and you’ve got a meal everyone loves.
👉 Looking for high protein dinner recipes? Try Slow Cooker Keto Beef Tips or Loaf Pan Chicken Shawarma next.
When I need dinner on the table quickly, I rely on recipes like Keto Pad Thai or Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry. While many conventional Asian dishes have added sugar and starch, it’s surprisingly easy to make them without. They are just as flavorful and satisfying as the original versions, without the subsequent sugar spike.
This low carb Chinese Pepper Steak has all the flavor and tenderness of the classic, with a mere fraction of the carbs. My whole family adores it. I often have to double the recipe just to make sure there are enough leftovers to enjoy the next day!
What readers are saying…
“What a delicious, easy dinner. It made me look like a hero to my hubby. Plus he has leftovers for lunch. Far cheaper and easier than ordering out.” — Ginger
What I Love About This Recipe
- Tender beef: Beef can become really tough in stir-fries, but I used a technique called velveting. It takes a few extra minutes but it’s absolutely worth it!
- Fresh vegetables: Peppers are at their most flavorful when they are quickly sautéed in a touch of oil.
- Mouthwatering flavor: Make up the easy keto stir fry sauce for that classic umami flavor. A little sweet, a little sour, and a little salty!
- Weeknight ready: Even with the extra step of velveting the beef, this meal comes together in 45 minutes.
- Super nutritions: This easy dinner is packed full of protein and veggies, while still remaining low carb and keto-friendly.
Ingredient Notes
- Steak: I recommend using flank steak or top sirloin, sliced thinly against the grain.
- Baking soda: Tossing the steak with baking soda for 15 minutes or so helps tenderize it prior to stir frying. It’s a process known as “velveting” and it really works!
- Peppers: It wouldn’t be pepper steak without the peppers! I used one red and one green pepper for eye-catching color.
- Onion: Onions are surprising high in carbs so I use only 1/4 of a large onion here. Sliced thinly, it still provides plenty of flavor in this recipe.
- Tamari: Tamari is a great choice for Asian inspired keto dinners. It’s a more flavorful and entirely gluten-free kind of soy sauce. And it has more flavor and fewer carbs than things like coconut aminos.
- Chili garlic sauce: You can find this spicy condiment in the International Foods aisle of most grocery stores. Chili Garlic Sauce has zero carbs and is not the same as sweet chili sauce, so make sure you read the labels. You can also use Sriracha. It’s not quite as flavorful and does have a few carbs but it adds only 0.75g per serving.
- Sesame oil: I love to use toasted sesame oil in my keto stir fry sauces, as it adds a unique and delicious flavor.
- Glucomannan: I prefer glucomannan over xanthan gum for thickening the sauce.
- Kitchen staples: Broth, cooking oil (avocado, olive, or coconut), garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper.
How to Make Keto Pepper Steak
- Make the sauce: Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Tenderize the beef: In a large bowl, toss the steak slices with the baking soda. Let stand 15 minutes, then rinse under running water.
- Stir fry the beef: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add slices of meat in a single layer and sear quickly. Remove to a plate and repeat with more oil and more meat.
- Stir fry the veggies: Add the vegetables to the pan and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until becoming tender.
- Bring it all together: Add the meat back into the pan and stir in the sauce. Cook until thickened.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
Velveting the beef: I highly recommend this step to ensure that the beef doesn’t become tough when you sear it. Simply toss the sliced steak with some baking soda to help tenderize it, let it sit for 15 minutes, then rinse it under cold water.
Even with this step, you want to make sure to slice the steak very thinly. This is easiest to do when the steak is partially frozen. You can place it in the freezer for 45 minutes to firm it up a bit before slicing.
Sear the steak in batches. This allows for more even cooking and you can make sure each piece cooks through perfectly. Again, this takes a but more time but makes a world of difference to the texture and flavor.
If your sauce is thin after you have cooked it for a bit, push all of the meat and vegetables to one side of the pan. Whisk another quarter teaspoon of glucomannan or xanthan gum into the sauce. It should thicken up quickly.
More Asian Inspired Keto Recipes
Keto Pepper Steak Stir Fry
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/4 cup (60 g) beef broth
- 1/4 cup (58 g) tamari
- 1 1/2 tbsp (1.5 tbsp) toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce, or Sriracha
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) ground ginger
- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp (0.5 tsp) glucomannan, or 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
Stir Fry:
- 2 lb (907.18 g) steak, flank or top sirloin, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 to 3 tbsp (2 tbsp) avocado oil
- 1/4 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 large green pepper, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Sauce
- Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Pepper Steak Stir Fry
- In a large bowl, toss the steak slices with the baking soda to coat. Let stand 15 minutes to tenderize, then rinse thoroughly with water. Let drain and pat dry.
- In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add slices of meat in a single layer and sear quickly, about 1 minute on each side (depending on how thinly you sliced it).
- Remove to a plate and repeat with more oil and more meat until all the meat has been cooked to your liking.
- Add the vegetables to the pan and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until becoming tender. Add the meat and any accumulated juices back into the pan.
- Stir in the sauce and cook until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and more chili garlic sauce if you like!). Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Flank steak, top sirloin, and top round steak are great choices for this pepper steak stir fry. They are relatively inexpensive and slice nicely against the grain for thin slices.
You can tenderize beef with cornstarch or baking soda. For keto pepper steak, velveting the meat with baking soda is a lower carb option. Toss it with the sliced steak with baking soda and let sit 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse thoroughly before cooking.
Traditional pepper steak recipes often contain sugar and cornstarch and can have anywhere from 15 to 30 grams of carbs per serving. This Keto Pepper Steak recipe has only 4.7g of carbs and 1.3g of dietary fiber.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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This is a stable dinner in my house. It is so good and satisfying. Easy to make. Love it!
Thanks so much!
Fabulous recipe!
A few observations:
1). the baking soda definitely made a difference in the softness of the meat.
2). cannot overstate the importance of frying the meat in small batches and crowding the pan so the meat browns and doesn’t steam.
3). wow, that 1/4tsp of xanthan gum did a great thinking job. I was surprised how such a little amount did the trick.
Thank you!
oh.my.gosh! so good
I did make some substitutions, based on what I had in my kitchen.
chicken broth in place of beef broth, ketchup w/ hotsauce in place of chili sauce, soy sauce in place of tamari. I know that affects carb count
Another great recipe . Thank you!!
What a delicious, easy dinner. It made me look like a hero to my hubby. Plus he has leftovers for lunch. Far cheaper and easier than ordering out.
Easy, quick and SOOOO delicious! Thanks so much for all your fantabulous recipes, advice, and ideas….we are loyal fans!
Thank you!
I’ve tried many low carb Chinese recipes and none of them were right. They didn’t satisfy the craving for Chinese takeout. This is the first one I’ve LOVED! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
So great to hear!
So good.
The stir fry sauce is restaurant worthy, but without the extra carbs.
Excellent recipe. Versatile because you can change your veggies and adjust cooking time as needed. Sauce is superb! As an experienced Chinese Stir-Fry cook, I would only add that your pan or wok should be very hot when you cook the meat. The Chinese perfected the velveting technique for all meats/poultry. Sometimes egg whites are used instead of baking powder.
Thanks, Barbara! Next time I may try the egg whites. I love experimenting!
PLEASE CORRECT: baking SODA, not baking POWDER is used.!!!!
I can’t correct it but it’s okay. From the post itself and the recipe, I think people will understand! 🙂