Last Updated on April 22, 2026 by Carrie Korem, FNTP
Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry is an all-time favorite in our house, and this version amps up the nutrients for you! I’ll show you how to make beef and broccoli stir-fry using simple, healthy ingredients.
I think many people are intimidated by stir-fry and they shouldn’t be. Yes, the list of ingredients is usually pretty long, but after the sauce has been whisked and the vegetables and meat chopped, a stir-fry can come together in a matter a minutes. One of my all-time favorites is Beef and Broccoli.
When I was a kid, it was a such a treat to eat at Cathy’s Wok & Grill, owned by Catherine Liu, a dear family friend. She’s the author of Chinese Cooking the American Way – a fabulous book!
My favorite dish of hers was beef and broccoli, and this is my version of this classic recipe. If it’s going to be a busy day, I’ll prep the ingredients in the morning so when I come home I can have dinner on the table in about 15 minutes.
What are the ingredients of beef and broccoli
- Sirloin
- Fermented tamari sauce or coconut aminos
- Dry sherry
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Coconut oil
- Chicken broth (homemade preferred)
- Tamari sauce or coconut aminos
- Sesame oil
- Arrowroot flour
- Honey
- Coconut oil
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Sesame seeds (optional)
What is a healthy oil to use for stir-fry?
Most stir-fry are cooked with processed PUFA oils such as canola, soy or vegetable oils. These oils are very inflammatory and should be avoided. A good alternative can be coconut oil, if cooking at a medium heat, or duck fat or palm shortening when cooking at medium-high heat.
What is the best gluten-free substitute for soy sauce?
Since soy sauce contains gluten, it often needs to be avoided for those with thyroid disease or autoimmunity. Instead, I recommend using Nama Shoyu for a great substitution. It is a truly fermented and raw tamari that contains probiotics that are healthy for the cut. Oshawa makes tamari the old-fashioned way and is what I use in my cooking at home.
Here are some more healthy stir-fry recipes for you to enjoy!
Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Inspired by Chinese Cooking the American Way (This book is out of print, but there are dozens of sellers on Amazon selling her book used for a few dollars. FYI – She calls for msg in many recipes (the book was written in the early 90’s), so I substitute the msg with sea salt, fermented tamari, or coconut aminos.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: beef and broccoli stir-fry
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
For the Steak Marinade:
- 1 1/2 pounds sirloin, sliced thin against-the-grain
- 1 tablespoon fermented tamari sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
For the Ginger and Garlic Mixture:
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
For the Garlic Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry (you can omit if needed)
- 3 tablespoons chicken broth (homemade preferred)
- 3 tablespoons fermented tamari sauce or coconut aminos
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot flour
- 1 teaspoon honey
For the Vegetables:
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 carrots, diagonally sliced into thin coins
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Toss together the sirloin, tamari and sherry in a small bowl. Let sirloin marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature. Whisk the garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon of the coconut oil in a small bowl. Whisk together sherry, chicken broth, tamari, sesame oil, garlic, arrowroot and honey in another small bowl. Pour 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and set near the stove along with a lid for your skillet. (If you don’t have a lid, use a few pieces of foil.)
- Heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to pan and swirl to coat. Place sirloin in one single layer in skillet and don’t stir (meat should sizzle – if it doesn’t the pan isn’t hot enough). Cook sirloin for about 1-2 minutes until bottom side is brown. Turn, using tongs, and cook until brown on the bottom, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer sirloin to a clean bowl.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to now empty skillet and heat until just shimmering. Add broccoli and carrots. Stir continuously for about 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of water and quickly cover skillet with lid. Leave lid on skillet for about 30 seconds. Remove lid, and let cook, stirring continuously, until all of the water has evaporated.
- Make a well in the center of the vegetables and add the ginger-and-garlic mixture. Stir ginger and garlic mixture in the middle of the pan for about 45 seconds and then combine with the rest of the vegetables. Add sirloin slices (and any accumulated juices) and garlic sauce to pan. Toss until sauce begins to thicken and ingredients are well coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 4-6
This looks yummy! So yummy that last night after seeing the picture on instagram, I changed up my menu. I already had beef in the crock pot so I steamed some carrots and broccoli, cooked some brown rice for the family and whipped up a teriyaki sauce. Rave reviews! I can’t wait to try your recipe, thanks!
This is dinner tonight!
This looks so good, I am putting it on the menu for next week.
Can anything be substituted for the sherry? Thanks!
Fish sauce might be nice or some chicken stock. If you do substitute it, it will alter the flavor of the stir-fry. I purchase a cheap bottle of sherry and have it in the cabinet for stir-fry b/c it lends such a nice flavor.
Funny, my three-year-old is usually too busy to eat dinner and would prefer to skip right to dessert. So I’m always saying, “just a few more bites.” I want to give him good eating habits, but I’m not sure how to combat his sweets obsession or get him to take interest in sitting at the dinner table for more than 2 minutes! LOL 🙂
Same issue. I have a 7 yr old that get’s “full” very quickly but then quickly wants dessert. “There’s always room for dessert – she says it fills in the cracks”. So, I want her to eat more healthy food before dessert is even an option.
I started giving my daughter just a little dessert before dinner. It worked out great. I didn’t give her enough to make her full. By the time dinner was ready she was hungry and no fuss about eating it. And she already got her dessert. 😉
I found that listening to a ‘book on tape’ helped us stay at the table longer… And the mere act of sitting at the table longer meant that my son ate more. At first, we listened to, the book and I held the hard copy… But ultimately, once we knew the stories well enough, it was enough just to listen. Our favourite? Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andrae. No question.
Is the sirloin supposed to be thinly sliced before marinating? Or marinate the whole steak and slice after cooking? I don’t see where it says in the recipe.
This looks tasty and I want to add it to my menu next week! My kids love broccoli and carrots, so maybe that will help them eat the meat!
Thanks for pointing that out. I just made the edit. 🙂 It needs to be thinly sliced before marinating.
Just made this and it was SO tasty! I made it with red, orange, and yellow carrots and we called it rainbow stir-fry!
By the way, I used dry white wine in place of the sherry and it was fine.
Good to know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Does that soy sauce have wheat in it?
I don’t any soy sauce in this recipe. I use fermented tamari or coconut aminos and neither have any wheat in them.
Would this work with chicken?
Yes! 🙂
I was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease and since most Chinese food isn’t gluten free, I have been craving it ever since. I finally decided to make my staple favorite myself and came across this recipe. Even my husband (who is not GF) loves it! It’s definitely going to become a favorite recipe in our house!
Could I use red wine in place of the sherry?
I haven’t tried that, but it might work.
Somewhat of a more general question here, but I’ve recently nailed down some of my worst GI issues as being FODMAPS related, which much to my utter dismay meant that I have had to accept that garlic is not my friend anymore. (I am in a serious state of mourning, especially since my garlic goodbye was coupled with the fact that I had to break up with onions as well) Any suggestions for a spice or spice combo with which I can sub? I know, there is absolutely no replacing my beloved… 😉
For this recipe you can omit the garlic, but I’d make sure and use fresh ginger instead of ground to bring some vibrancy to the dish. I’m sorry to hear of your GI issues. Hopefully you can heal them and add your favorite foods back to your diet one day. It’s possible! 🙂
This sounds great! Is there a good substitute for arrowroot flour? I usually have coconut and almond flour on hand, but I don’t have arrowroot.
The arrowroot will make the sauce thick in a different way than coconut flour can, so I don’t recommend substituting with coconut flour. Tapioca flour makes for a good substitute.
Hi: Just tried this recipe tonight! Excellent reviews by my husband and I loved it too! Thank you for sharing!
Tried this tonight for the family on Valentine’s Day (my wife loves Chinese). It was a huge hit. Thanks for the recipe. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
I decided to try a new recipe and was so happy to come across this. Myself, bf, and two kids loved it!! Thank you so much! We did add some mushrooms since 3/4 love them and turned out great! (And made cauliflower rice … Which my bf says it didn’t need) Def another one in the book of recipes for future meals!!
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂