My husband requested Mongolian Beef recently and I thought, hmm…I am going to try and make a Whole30 approved version. I am crazy about how this Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry turned out, absolutely DELICIOUS.
We all grew up eating it, and it’s universally just a delicious dish. Beef stir-fried in a savory and sweet sauce that will make your taste buds sing!! To add some veggies to this classic Chinese take-out dish, I just quickly pan-seared some baby bok choy. It’s packed with nutrients and I adore this little veggie so much! You can eat it alone, or serve with cauliflower rice to keep it Whole30!
I hope you enjoy this Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry recipe as much as my husband and I. It’s one I am pretty sure he will ask for regularly now!
Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Mongolian Beef:
- 1.5 pounds skirt or flank steak
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- 4 tablespoons avocado or extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 6 green onions sliced into 1.5-inch pieces (white and green parts)
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos (I like Big Tree Farm Brand)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoons fish sauce I like Red Boat
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds for serving
- Seared Baby Bok Choy recipe follows, for serving
For the Seared Baby Bok Choy:
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 heads baby bok choy, rinsed, dried, and halved lengthwise
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the Mongolian Beef:
- Place the flank steak on a cutting board and using a meat mallet or the back of a skillet, tenderize the meat, pounding the steak until it is [1/2] inch thick. Remove and discard the parchment paper, then slice the steak against the grain into [1/4]-inch-thin pieces. Add the steak to a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and arrowroot starch. Toss to coat.
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, add the steak in a single layer. Sear the steak until it forms a deep brown crust, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked steak to a plate and set aside. Repeat until all the steak is cooked and all of the meat is set aside.
- Add the garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for about 2 minutes and use the back of a spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the pan.
- Return the steak to the skillet. Stir in the green onions, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and fish sauce and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Spoon the stir fry over the Cauliflower Rice and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve with the Seared Baby Bok Choy.
Make the Bok Choy:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the avocado oil. Sear the bok choy until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add the fish sauce and season with pepper to taste.
32 Comments
Amber
February 4, 2022 at 5:56 pmI received your first cookbook as a Christmas gift and have been working my way through some recipes. This one was AMAZING! The flavor was great and the hubby loved it! I will say it was a tad salty, but that was my fault for using regular beef broth that I had on hand, rather than the low sodium version that the recipe calls for. This will definitely be in our normal rotation now!
Meagan
October 15, 2021 at 6:28 pmThis is delicious, but far too oily as written! I’d either half the initial oil quantity or remove the remaining oil after frying the beef (perhaps even both?). The oil content was so high it separated into large clear oil puddles on reheat. With that modification, a lovely recipe we’ll be making again!
Jacqueline Waters
November 17, 2021 at 10:53 pmEntirely too salty. I have a major salt tolerance just way too much.
Brooke
August 12, 2021 at 2:34 amALEX! This is SO good! My husband said several times “This tastes like takeout!” and “Never make another stir fry again. You’ve found the perfect one.” Only tweak was that I added a little Whole30 Yellowbird Sriracha because we love spice. Thank you so much for bringing yummy Whole30 asian-y food into our lives! And the best part – I don’t feel like crap after I eat it haha.
Toni
June 2, 2021 at 11:57 pmI need nutrition breakdown-am I missing it?
Christina
May 16, 2021 at 1:34 amThis was absolutely amazing! The flavors are restaurant quality and I’m so happy I stumbled across your site. Yay! One thing we added was a sliced onion, which I let sweat down and added to the sauce before the meat. All delicious! Thank you!
Alex
May 16, 2021 at 1:10 pmFantastic!! Thank you so much, Christina! I am glad you found my site, too!! xoxo
Lucie
January 5, 2021 at 5:54 pmIf we aren’t doing W30 is soy sauce a good sub for coconut aminos?
Alex
January 5, 2021 at 10:37 pmyes– but just omit the fish sauce (as it will be too salty with both)
Christina
October 17, 2021 at 4:05 pmCould you sub a different cut of beef?
Whole30 Week 1 review (Meal Plan Monday) - re:focused me
July 11, 2017 at 2:25 am[…] Mongolian Beef with stir fry veggies and cauliflower […]
Lizzie
June 20, 2017 at 1:54 amMade this tonight — it was so delicious! Love your blog!
Alex
June 20, 2017 at 6:45 pmYAY! Thanks, Lizzie 🙂
Christine
May 31, 2017 at 2:41 pmThis was so incredibly yummy! I’m just starting my first Whole 30 and this will definitely be a staple in the rotation.
Alex
May 31, 2017 at 8:02 pmYAY! I am so glad! Good luck with your Whole30!
Katie
March 9, 2022 at 9:30 pmSo yummy! Even my kids are obsessed!
Melissa
May 23, 2017 at 3:55 amThis was absolutely delicious! Did not change anything!! My boyfriend loved it!!
Alex
May 23, 2017 at 12:38 pmYay!! it’s a favorite of mine, and such a man pleaser too! 🙂
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May 17, 2017 at 1:32 pm[…] cooking Whole30 + paleo. I use it regularly when thickening up my asian stir fry dishes (like my Mongolian Beef) and when making creamy, delicious “gravy” like sauces (like my skillet chicken […]
Sara
May 8, 2017 at 10:45 pmDoing Whole30 and noticed that my fish sauce has sugar in it. I will use lemon juice instead as you mentioned in your comments. Hopefully turns out well because I doubled the recipe!
Alex
May 8, 2017 at 11:59 pmIt’ll still be great!! Don’t worry. With this recipe lemon juice will be a great substitute. 🙂
Sarah
April 28, 2017 at 3:38 amI made this tonight and it was delicious – thank you! I was wondering about the 4 tbsp of oil that you say to put in the pan to fry the steak because it’s not in the ingredient list that way. It seems like a LOT. I used all of it but then I soaked some up with a paper towel thinking that it would all feel too oily. In the end, it was perfect.
Alex
May 1, 2017 at 1:26 amI do the 4 tbsp. of olive oil because the steak with the arrowroot is so sticky and sticks the pan so easily, so the extra oil helps prevent that from happening. After your steak is browned, if you prefer to remove some oil, that is just fine like you mentioned 🙂 glad you liked it in the end!
Jaime
April 15, 2017 at 9:04 pmDo you have a good sub for fish sauce? My husband is allergic and I’ve notice a lot of whole30 recipes call for it. This looks delish!
Alex
April 16, 2017 at 1:18 pmWhen something calls for fish sauce, try subbing in lime or lemon juice instead and see what you think! 🙂
Zeenie
April 9, 2017 at 3:28 pmI meant not doing Whole30
Zeenie
April 9, 2017 at 3:27 pmI was looking for a good Mongolia beef recipe and this sounds delicious. I am doing Whole30 so instead of using 1 tablespoon arrowroot can I use 1 tablespoon cornstarch? I don’t have arrowroot.
Alex
April 9, 2017 at 7:55 pmYes! If not Whole30, Cornstarch is the perfect substitute! 🙂 Enjoy!!!
Kristi Smart
February 25, 2017 at 1:16 amMade this tonight and it is AMAZING! Going to be a permanent in our meal rotation. Thank you!!!!!
Lois Chisum Hudson
February 23, 2017 at 2:09 amI just have to tell you that this was sooooo good! I made this for my family tonight and everyone (including my 4 kids) really loved it. My husband is so picky about “healthy” recipes being changed from just the normal ingredients. He said that this mongolian beef was better than Pei Wei. Great job!
Sincerely, a fellow DFW mom (: