A lean beef stir fry stays tender when you slice sirloin thin against the grain, coat it in a little cornstarch and soy sauce, and sear it fast in batches before the vegetables go in. This version with broccoli, red peppers and a ginger-garlic sauce serves four at about 630 calories and 47 grams of protein per plate including rice. From cutting board to table it takes about 30 minutes, and most of that is the rice cooking.
Ingredients
Serves 4.
| Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Top sirloin steak, trimmed | 680 g | 1½ lb |
| Cornstarch | 16 g | 2 tbsp, divided |
| Reduced-sodium soy sauce | 45 ml | 3 tbsp, divided |
| Broccoli florets | 350 g | about 1 large crown |
| Red bell peppers, sliced | 250 g | 2 small |
| Canola or peanut oil | 20 ml | 4 tsp, divided |
| Fresh ginger, grated | 1 tbsp | thumb-sized piece |
| Garlic, minced | 3 cloves | 3 cloves |
| Honey | 14 g | 2 tsp |
| Rice vinegar | 15 ml | 1 tbsp |
| Green onions, sesame seeds | to garnish | to garnish |
| Jasmine or basmati rice, dry | 300 g | 1½ cups |
Method
- Start the rice according to the package; it’s the longest step.
- Slice the beef. Twenty minutes in the freezer firms it enough to slice 5 mm (¼ in) thick. Look for the lines of muscle fibre and cut across them.
- Coat the beef. Toss the slices with 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Let it sit while you prep the vegetables.
- Mix the sauce: the remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornstarch, honey, rice vinegar and 125 ml (½ cup) water.
- Sear the beef in a wok or your largest frying pan on high heat with 2 tsp oil, in two batches, 60 to 90 seconds per batch. It should brown at the edges and still be slightly pink inside. Move it to a plate.
- Cook the vegetables with the rest of the oil: broccoli first with a splash of water and a lid for 2 minutes, then peppers, ginger and garlic for 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Finish: stir the sauce, pour it in, and let it bubble until glossy, about 30 seconds. Return the beef and its juices and toss for 30 seconds. Top with green onions and sesame seeds.
Strips of steak are thin enough to cook through quickly; if you’re unsure about doneness, Health Canada lists internal temperatures for beef by cut and doneness.
Approximate macros per plate (with rice)
Totals come from standard per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central for raw lean sirloin, dry white rice, vegetables and the sauce ingredients, divided by four.
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stir fry + 75 g dry (about 1¼ cups cooked) rice | about 630 | about 47 g | about 77 g | about 14 g |
| Stir fry only | about 355 | about 42 g | about 17 g | about 13 g |
The rice is roughly 275 of the 630 calories. On a rest day or in a tighter deficit, halving the rice is the simplest adjustment.
Why this beats takeout beef and broccoli
Restaurant versions are usually cooked in more oil, with thicker, sweeter sauce and a larger rice portion, and the beef portion is often small. Making it at home lets you put more beef and broccoli on the plate and control the sauce. It’s also faster than delivery on most weeknights.
Swaps
- Flank steak: more flavour, a little more fat. Slice thinner.
- Chicken or pork: thinly sliced breast or pork loin cook in the same time.
- Vegetables: snap peas, bok choy or a 750 g bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables. Frozen veg releases water, so cook it first on high heat until the liquid evaporates.
- Noodles: rice noodles or udon instead of rice, similar calories per portion.
- Spice: a spoon of chili-garlic sauce in the sauce mix.
If you’d rather have noodles of the Italian kind, the high-protein pasta uses the same “lots of protein, measured carbs” approach. Training in the evening? This plate also works as one of the post-workout meals, and it’s a dish the whole household will eat, which matters if you’re trying to make family dinners fit your goals.
One dinner, one fewer takeout order
A stir fry like this, once you’ve made it twice, becomes a 30-minute default you can cook without a recipe. Building a handful of those defaults is a core part of monthly 1:1 coaching, along with setting the targets they’re meant to hit.
Questions people also ask
What is the best lean cut of beef for stir fry?
Top sirloin is the best balance of tenderness, price and leanness. Flank steak has more flavour and works well sliced very thin against the grain. Inside round is cheapest and leanest but needs the thinnest slicing and the cornstarch coating to stay tender.
Why is my stir-fry beef tough?
Three usual reasons: slices too thick or cut with the grain, a pan that isn't hot enough, or too much meat in the pan at once so it stews instead of searing. Cook in two batches and take the beef out before the vegetables go in.
Can I meal prep beef stir fry?
Yes. Store the stir fry and rice in separate compartments and eat within 2 to 3 days. Reheat until steaming; the beef firms up slightly on reheating, so slightly undercook it on cooking day.