Garlic Butter Steak Stir-Fry

This Steak Stir-Fry Puts Take-Out to Shame.

Fast and healthy: two of our favorite adjectives when it comes to weeknight dinners. If you’re anything like us, you’re constantly looking to mix up your weeknight meal rotation. Verdant, crisp snow peas and a fragrant garlic-butter sauce mean that this easy steak stir fry is the perfect way to welcome spring. For more garlic stir fry goodness, check out our Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry recipe.

Easy. Steak. Butter. Garlic. Do we have your attention? Let’s get started!

What Kind of Beef Do You Use for Steak Stir-Fry?

We’d like to tell you that any cut of beef works when trying to achieve a high quality stir-fry, but when it comes to making the very best steak stir-fry, it’s all about the cut. While you can use flat iron, skirt steak or sirloin, our favorite cut of beef for stir-frying will always be flank steak. Here’s why we love flank steak for stir-fries:

• It’s lean! Flank steak is made from a cow’s abdominal muscles and is therefore super lean. Perfect for stir-frying in our ultra-delicious garlicky soy sauce and butter sauce.
• It’s affordable. While flank steak is not always the cheapest cut, it is one of the more affordable cuts of beef.
• It slices easily into thin, even pieces. And thin slices are the key to perfect stir-fried beef. But more on that later.

Note: If you can’t find flank steak at your local grocery store, sirloin or skirt steak will also yield delicious results. While you’re buying sirloin, double up and make our Beef Stroganoff another night!

How Do You Make Stir-Fried Beef Tender?

There’s nothing worse than taking a bite of flavorful beef only to find that you have to chew the heck out of it because it’s tough, not tender. So, how do you make sure that your stir-fried steak is nice and tender? In addition to starting with the right cut, it’s important to slice your steak really thin. The thinner, the better! The easiest way to achieve really thin slices is to cut your beef when it is slightly frozen. If you don’t have time to freeze your beef first, then just be sure to use a sharp knife and take your time.

How-To Make the Best Steak Stir-Fry:

1. Start with a great cut of beef (see above) and slice it thin!
2. Choose your vegetables. Because it’s almost spring, we paired our steak stir-fry with vibrant green snow peas, but broccoli is also a great alternative. Be sure to adjust your cook time depending on the vegetables you choose.
3. Choose a pan that allows for really high heat. For example, a cast iron skillet, carbon steel pan, or a wok if you have one. Get the pan really hot, so that when you add the oil it sizzles and even smokes slightly.
4. Season the beef and coat it in cornstarch. This will give your stir-fried steak a glorious crispiness.
5. Add the meat to the hot pan. Work in small batches to avoid overcrowding. This ensures that your beef will have a nice crisp exterior and tender, juicy interior.
6. Once the meat is cooked—this will happen fast—remove from the pan and set it aside.
7. Add your veggies to the hot pan. Give them a quick fry while stirring.
8. Sauce time! Once the veggies are cooked, return the cooked beef to your pan along with the garlic, soy sauce and butter sauce. True, soy sauce and garlic butter is not a traditional stir-fry sauce by any means, as far as we’re concerned it should be! It’s SO delicious with the stir-fried steak and peas!

Is Steak Stir-Fry Healthy?

If you use ghee (clarified butter) or grass fed butter to make your garlic-butter stir fry sauce, then this recipe would be considered paleo, Whole30 AND Keto-approved! Seen in that light, this is one healthy meal! Flank steak is a very lean cut—in fact, it’s one of the very healthiest cuts of beef you can buy. Plus, stir-frying the veggies means that they cook quickly and lightly, thus maintaining a lot more nutrients than they would if they were steamed or boiled.

What to Serve with Steak Stir-Fry:

If you’re on a keto or any kind of low-carb diet, this beef and snow pea dish is a great stand-alone dinner. For those of you that are just looking for a quick and tasty meal full meal, we highly recommend serving this over steamed rice OR with some noodles. It would be delicious over fresh pasta, or Asian-style noodles like thick udon or even buckwheat soba noodles.

Equipment You’ll Need to Make this Steak Stir-Fry with Garlic Butter Sauce:

Good tools make for good food. These kitchen gadgets are some of our favorites and can help you achieve the best results with this steak stir-fry recipe:

• Sharp chef’s knife
• Cast iron skillet
• Wooden spoon
• Cutting board

Need More Quick Dinner Ideas? We’ve Got You Covered.

• If a quick protein and veggie combo is what you’re after this Crispy Chicken Stir-Fry with Green Beans is just as easy as it is delicious.
• Roast Chicken Over Cabbage requires about five minutes of prep. Put it in the oven and forget about it for a healthy, family-friendly dinner.
• We’re currently crushing hard on this Creamy Tomato Soup with Chicken and Vegetables.

In Love with this Steak Stir-Fry?

Did you make and LOVE this dish? Is that garlic butter sauce the current theme of all your wandering thoughts? We get it. Share your handiwork with us on Instagram by tagging @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can celebrate this food victory along with you. Happy eating!