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If you’re in the mood for mouthwatering Chinese food that you can have on the table in under half an hour, you’ll love this kung pao beef recipe. Kung pao is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish with cooked chicken or meat, peanuts, veggies, and chilies, along with Sichuan peppercorns. If you love those kung pao flavors but also want a change from the more traditional kung pao chicken, this beef version of the takeout classic rivals any restaurant version. Tender strips of beef are stir-fried to perfection with crisp bell peppers and onions, then tossed in a savory-sweet sauce that packs just the right amount of heat.
Discover how to make a quick and easy kung pao beef that’s packed with flavor. This 30-minute dish is perfect for a satisfying meal any night of the week.
Craving Asian flavors? Also try beef lo mein, vegan kung pao, tangerine chicken, miso ramen with chicken and tofu, or kung pao chicken.
Why You’ll Love It
Quick to make: You can have this easy kung pao beef on the table in under half an hour.
Really flavorful: Red chilies give the dish lots of spice, while mirin, soy sauce, cilantro, brown sugar, ginger, and more add plenty of flavor.
Simple to customize: You can swap out the protein, the vegetables, adjust the spice level, or make any other changes to make it perfect for your palate.
Quick and Easy Kung Pao Beef Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Flank steak: Thinly sliced across the grain (for maximum tenderness!)
Red chilies: For spice. Adjust the amount to how spicy (or not!) you like it!
Veggies: Onion and bell peppers are colorful and tasty in this dish.
Dry roasted peanuts: For crunch.
Mirin: This is a Japanese rice wine that adds umami, briny flavors to the dish.
Soy sauce: The basis of the sauce. I like to use half light soy sauce and half dark soy sauce, but you can use either.
Dark brown sugar: To add some contrasting sweetness to the dish.
Garlic and ginger: Always good in stir fry dishes.
How to Make Kung Pao Beef
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Stir fry the chilies: Stir fry them in hot oil in a skillet or wok until fragrant.
Add the vegetables: Add the onions and bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the beef: Toss the beef in salt, pepper and cornstarch, then add it to the skillet and brown.
Add the sauce: Combine the sauce ingredients and add to the skillet along with the green onions, cilantro and peanuts. Cook until the sauce thickens and then serve over boiled or steamed rice with a green onion and cilantro garnish.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, ensure your soy sauce doesn’t contain wheat flour.
Extra spicy: Add red pepper flakes too. You can also swap some (or all) of the black pepper for ground Sichuan peppercorns for an authentic kick.
Make it nut-free: Leave out the peanuts.
Make it sweeter: Add extra brown sugar or a little hoisin sauce.
Beef: Feel free to sub another protein, such as pork, chicken or extra-firm tofu. Kung pao shrimp is pretty good!
Vegetables: Add snow peas, broccoli, green bell peppers as well as the red bell pepper, carrots, zucchini, or mushrooms.
Mirin: If you don’t have mirin, sub rice wine vinegar or rice vinegar (add an extra pinch of sugar if you’re using that). Chinese black vinegar would work too.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Start your meal with cute heart-shaped potstickers or crab egg rolls. This soup is also nice.
Side dishes: Serve up this kung pao beef with basmati, coconut, jasmine, or hibachi rice. It’s also good with this Asian salad on the side.
Desserts: This 2-ingredient dragon fruit ice cream is a great way to finish the meal.
How to Store Kung Pao Beef
Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze beef kung pao in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: You can warm it back up in a skillet on the stove with a splash of soy sauce or mirin to loosen it up if needed.
Top Tips
Grating the ginger: I love to use a microplane to grate fresh ginger into the sauce (this is the one I have!)
Easy steak slicing: Put the steak in the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing. It will slice much easier when partially frozen. For tender beef, make sure you slice it against the grain.
The taste test: Taste the sauce before you add it to the stir fry. If it’s too salty, add more mirin.
Kung Pao Beef FAQs
Check the ethnic or international aisle at the grocery store or the spice aisle. You can use as many as you want in the kung pao (but more than 5 will make it pretty spice!)
Try rib-eye, flank steak, skirt steak, tri-tip, New York strip, or sirloin.
Although red chilies are a typical ingredient in kung pao recipes, you don’t have to make it very spicy if you prefer a mild chili flavor, so just use your judgement to make it work. If you want it mild, make it mild.
Easy Kung Pao Beef Recipe
Kung Pao Beef
Equipment
- Skillet or Wok, Large
- Cheese Grater or Microplane
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry:
- 1 Pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain into ¼-inch thick strips
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 dried red chiles
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 green onions, sliced
- ¼ Cup fresh cilantro
- ½ Cup roasted peanuts
- cooked rice, for serving
For the Sauce:
- ¼ Cup soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon mirin
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Teaspoon ginger, fresh grated
To Garnish (Optional):
- green onions, sliced
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- roasted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
- Add the beef strips, salt and pepper, and cornstarch to a mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a small mixing bowl.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over a high heat.
- Add the dried chiles and cook for 10 to 20 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the onions and bell peppers and cook for 2 to 4 minutes.
- Add the beef and stir fry until browned, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add the sauce, green onions, cilantro, and peanuts.
- Cook, stirring, for 1 or 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately over hot cooked rice, garnished with more peanuts, green onions and/or cilantro if desired.
Notes
Easy steak slicing: Put the steak in the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing. It will slice much easier when partially frozen. For tender beef, make sure you slice it against the grain.
The taste test: Taste the sauce before you add it to the stir fry. If it’s too salty, add more mirin.
Nutrition
Kung pao is a delicious Chinese dish. From its origins in Sichuan cuisine, the dish’s popularity has spread throughout China, spawning a number of regional variations, many of which are less spicy than the classic version. Although chicken kung pao is the typical option in China, it’s nice made with other proteins too and this beef kung pao is really good if you like beef and veggies in a rich and spicy sauce with crunchy peanuts.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Kung pao beef is a winner, my family adored it.
I made this for dinner last night, and it tasted better than takeout!