Best Pepper Steak Recipe

PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISONYields: 4 serving(s)Prep Time: 15 minsTotal Time: 30 minsCal/Serv: 393SavePrintI made it

Ready in just , pepper steak is the meal I find myself making again and again. Whether I'm feeling , craving takeout, or need something simple and reliable, it's the that always hits the spot. It's loaded with plenty of and a classic, simple sauce that brings everything together with very little effort. I think it’s perfect as is, but like most of our stir-fry recipes, this recipe is also ripe for variations and additions depending on what you have on hand. Here's what you need to know to make it the best it can be, and how to make it your own:

What People Are Saying:
“This was deeeeeelicious!! Even times were perfect for cooking. Followed recipe exactly as written. My hubby and son said it was better than restaurant! Thanks for easy and delicious recipe!” - RedBug

"I made this today for the first time and my kiddos who are picky absolutely loved it!!!!" - OrangeApple

How To Make Pepper Steak

INGREDIENTS

• Soy Sauce: This classic sauce is going to act as the base for our sauce, adding plenty of salty, umami flavor. For this recipe, I suggest using reduced-sodium soy sauce to cut down on the saltiness just a bit, but in a pinch, whatever soy sauce you have on hand will work (just be mindful when you season).
• Rice Wine Vinegar: Stir-fry needs a little bit of acidity to balance out all the rich and salty flavors, and rice wine vinegar is the perfect way to achieve this. Made from fermented rice, rice wine vinegar takes all of the starches and sugars in rice and converts them into alcohol and then an acidic vinegar. If you don’t already keep rice wine vinegar in your pantry, this is a great excuse to pick some up! It is a great staple to have on hand for sauces and pickling.
• Light Brown Sugar: Since our sauce contains salty soy sauce and acidic rice wine vinegar, the sweet, molasses-laden flavor of brown sugar helps to even the sauce out. It also does double service here in helping to thicken the sauce and give it that nice glossy finish.
• Cornstarch: We need cornstarch here to thicken the sauce. A little bit goes a long way, so I always recommend starting off small, whisking in completely, and then working up to the desired consistency. If you need to add more later, a great tip for thickening any sauce without having any sort of chalky texture is by creating a slurry of cornstarch and water and adding that into the sauce.
• Vegetable Oil: For a stir-fry, we need an oil with a high smoke point, because our skillet is going to get hot and stay hot. Any neutral oil, like vegetable, canola, or even peanut oil, will work.
• Flank Steak: is my cut of choice for pepper steak—it’s marbled with fat, full of beefy flavor, and easy to cut into thin, tender slices. That being said, flank isn’t your only option. Skirt steak will give you a very similar result, or if you’re looking for a cheaper choice, sirloin is another great option.
• Green & Red Bell Pepper: Green, yellow, orange, and red bell peppers are all actually the same vegetable, just at different points of ripeness. Green will be the least ripe and most vegetal, while red will be the sweetest and ripest. Feel free to use any combination of bell peppers based on your personal preference.
• Ginger & Garlic: This is a classic combination that makes stir-fry so easy to make again and again and again. The aroma and flavor combo these two root vegetable spices bring to any dish is sure to be a winner.
• White Rice: My choice to serve with this pepper steak stir-fry is white rice, but feel free to play around with your favorite variety of rice or even noodles. With stir-fry, the world is your oyster.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

To start this dish, we need to make the sauce first. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a medium bowl and whisk them together to combine until the sauce is completely homogenous and there are no streaks or clumps of unincorporated cornstarch.

PHOTO: CHARLIE GILLETTE

Then heat a large skillet over high heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, allowing it to heat with the skillet. Once hot, add in the steak and cook, turning occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until each piece is browned on all sides. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to do this in batches to allow each piece of steak to have enough room to cook through evenly. Once all of your steak is cooked, set it aside.

PHOTO: CHARLIE GILLETTE

Drop your heat down to medium and add in the remaining oil and bell peppers. Cook the peppers for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, then add in the garlic and ginger and stir while cooking for 1 minute more. Add the cooked steak and sauce to the skillet and stir to combine. If necessary, season with salt and pepper and stir again to mix thoroughly. Cook the mixture for another 2 minutes until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened, then remove from the heat.

PHOTO: CHARLIE GILLETTE

Prepare bowls with cooked white rice and divide the stir-fry evenly among them, being sure to give each serving a healthy amount of sauce.

PHOTO: CHARLIE GILLETTE

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Adapt the recipe to work for you. I love stir-fry recipes like this one for how easy and adaptable they are. Once you have the sauce down, you can really add whatever you want. I like to use both red and green peppers, but you can swap in whatever colors you like best. Throw in some thinly sliced onions, mushrooms, or even broccoli if you’re really missing it. Want to up the heat? Toss in a jalapeño. Not a fan of beef? This stir-fry will also work great with chicken or tofu.
• Make it in the slow cooker. If you want to make this meal more hands-off, turn to our recipe!

What To Serve With Pepper Steak

This dish is perfect served alongside a steaming bowl of , but you can also serve this stir-fry with if you prefer. Pepper steak is practically a meal all on its own, but if you’re looking for side ideas, here are a few of my favorites:

Storage

Any leftovers that you have can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. When reheating, you may want to whip up some fresh sauce, as the leftovers won’t be quite as moist as the first go around.

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Ingredients

See All Nutritional Information

• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
• 1 green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped peeled ginger
• Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

• 1. Step 1In a medium bowl, whisk soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and cornstarch until combined.
  2. Step 2In a large skillet over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Working in batches, add steak; season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer steak to a plate.
  3. Step 3In same skillet over medium heat, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Cook bell peppers, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Return beef to skillet and add sauce; season with salt and pepper, if needed. Cook, stirring, until sauce is glossy, about 2 minutes more.
  4. Step 4Divide rice among plates. Spoon steak mixture over.

I made itRate itPHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

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