This Paleo and Whole30 Beef and Broccoli stir fry is perfect for weeknight dinners! Thinly sliced flank steak in a tasty garlic sauce with crisp tender broccoli that’s ready in 30 minutes. You can serve this alone or over cauliflower rice to keep it low in carbs. Gluten free, paleo, Whole30 and kid approved!
Beef with broccoli – this was my standard Chinese takeout order since I was about 13 and finally outgrew my chicken lo-mein cravings.
Nothing against lo-mein – it’s deee-lish, but beef & broccoli with pork fried rice was my go-to at least once a week for probably 10 years, maybe longer.
This recipe is actually my second version of beef with broccoli, based on a marriage of my first version with my newer chicken and broccoli stir fry that my family can’t get enough of.
The sauce is a little bit thicker, tastier, and the entire recipe is easier to make, in my opinion! Plus the broccoli is perfectly cooked – and not a touch over – if you follow my instructions!
What You Need to Make This Paleo Beef and Broccoli
The ingredients are simple and give this meal so much flavor!
If you’re not familiar with coconut aminos, it’s very similar to soy sauce but derived from coconut. It has no coconut flavor and has less sodium than soy sauce, plus it’s gluten free and paleo friendly.
Here’s everything you need to prepare the stir fry:
Beef & Broccoli:
- flank steak
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- coconut aminos
- arrowroot flour, or tapioca
- olive oil
- broccoli florets
Stir Fry and Sauce:
- coconut aminos
- sesame oil
- broth or water
- rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- arrowroot flour, or tapioca flour
- scallions
- fresh garlic
- fresh ginger
How to Make this Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Place the sliced beef in a large bowl, season all over with sea salt and black pepper and toss with with the 1 tablespoon coconut aminos. Cover and allow to marinate while you prep the other ingredients.
I like to blanch the broccoli in the microwave because it saves time and avoids overcooking. Place the florets in a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir and heat again for another minute or until they are slightly tender, then set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the first 5 sauce ingredients. Toss the marinated beef with the 2 teaspoons arrowroot to coat.
Heat a large, preferably nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the beef in a single layer to fry – I did this in 2 batches.
Allow it to cook about 60-90 seconds on each side, then remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining beef.
Add the second tablespoon of olive oil and lower the heat to medium. Cook the white parts of the scallions with the garlic and ginger for about 1 minute, then give the sauce a whisk and add it to the skillet, whisking to combine.
Stir in the cooked beef and broccoli and stir to coat with the sauce, which should be thickened. Serve garnished with thinly sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Tips for a Successful Stir Fry
My biggest tip for a successful stir fry (nothing overcooked) is PREP!
Before turning on the heat, make sure you have everything ready to go – chopped, minced, blanched, etc.
Make sure your ingredients are within arms reach because stir frying requires moving fast.
I find that this is especially true for the beef, which cooked very quickly since it’s sliced so thinly.
Anticipate that you’ll have to move fast and don’t let the finished stir fry sit over heat to avoid overcooking!
I love to serve my beef and broccoli over simple sautéed cauliflower rice. Since you have a great sauce, you don’t even have to sauté it – just heating it from frozen is fine.
And yes – frozen cauliflower rice is the way to go for convenience! It heats in a minute or two and pairs well with so many of my recipes.
I hope you’re ready for a meal that you’ll want on repeat in your house! Grab your ingredients and your favorite skillet because it’s time to cook – let’s go!
Beef & Broccoli Easy Stir Fry {Whole30 & Paleo}
Paleo Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry {Whole30, Keto}
Ingredients
Beef & Broccoli:
- 1.5 lbs flank steak thinly sliced against the grain
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot flour or tapioca
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 7 cups broccoli florets about 1 large stalk
Stir Fry and Sauce:
- 6 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 6 tablespoons broth or water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot flour or tapioca flour
- 3 scallions white and green parts separated, white part thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
To Serve:
- Green part of the scallions thinly sliced
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Sautéed cauliflower rice to serve over
Instructions
-
Place the sliced beef in a large bowl, season all over with sea salt and black pepper and toss with with the 1 tablespoon coconut aminos. Cover and allow to marinate while you prep the other ingredients.
-
I like to blanch the broccoli in the microwave because it saves time and avoids overcooking. Place the florets in a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir and heat again for another minute or until they are slightly tender, then set aside.
-
In a separate bowl, whisk together the first 5 sauce ingredients. Toss the marinated beef with the 2 teaspoons arrowroot to coat. Heat a large, preferably nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the beef in a single layer to fry - I did this in 2 batches. Allow it to cook about 60-90 seconds on each side, then remove to a plate and set aside. Repeat with remaining beef as needed.
-
Add the second tablespoon of olive oil and lower the heat to medium. Cook the white parts of the scallions with the garlic and ginger for about 1 minute, then give the sauce a whisk and add it to the skillet, whisking to combine.
-
Add in the cooked beef and broccoli and stir to coat with the sauce, which should be thickened. Remove from heat and serve garnished with thinly sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Want more Asian Inspired Whole30 dinner ideas? Try one of these!
Egg Roll in a Bowl with Chicken
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Delicious; Super easy and completely satisfying!
Awesome!
I love simple meals and broccoli is one of my favorite veggies. What time is dinner? 🙂
I think you’ll love this then 🙂
Ummm – I just made this and am eating it right now and this is one of the best paleo/whole 30 recipes I’ve made to date!! Thank you so much!!
So happy you like it!
This looks delicious and super nutrient dense too.
Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
Delicious!! No leftovers, will be making this again. We loved it.
Unfortunately, I really didn’t like this. Marinating the meat in apple vinegar did not appeal to me at all.
Sorry it didn’t work out!
what if you don’t have the fish sauce? is there anything else you would use?
I just skip it. Tastes great without
Omg so good! I’m on day 4 of whole30 and struggling. This hit the spot!
Oh that’s great to hear! Hope you try a few more and enjoy – you’ve got this!
Fantastic. Wouldn’t change a thing.
We loved this! My preschoolers ate all their broccoli. So flavorful. We ate this over cauliflower rice. I bought precut broccoli and frozen cauliflower rice and it made this dinner such an easy one.
Do you think this could be done in the crock pot? Am in love with this recipe! Was trying to make it for people at work but we don’t have a stove!
This is a fantastic recipe. I think it’s one of my favorites of all time!
One thing to add though, accidentally sliced up too much ginger root one time before mincing and realized halfway through that I had way overdone it. I decided to just roll with it, and it actually turned out really well! So if you’re looking for even more flavor I don’t see a reason not to add more ginger than originally prescribed.
Do you think I can make this in the instant pot ?
Yes, I’d say so! Not sure of the timing though.
It was a 5 star with the hubby… sad it wont let me sace to Pinterest tho??
Just started trying to eat more paleo friendly everything and this was AMAZING!!! My family loved it also. I didn’t care for the fish sauce smell but other than that it turned out PERFECT, we loved it. Thank you for all your recipes!!
Yum! Another great recipe. This is going in regular rotation!
Amazing recipe, thanks for sharing1
This was absolutely delicious! The sauce is perfect. The only thing I did differently is I cooked the flank steak whole in the oven and then sliced it up afterwards. It was so good!
So so good! I made this with sliced sirloin tips and it was so good!
This is a family favorite! We love it!
Really interested in this recipe – kept seeing links to it for whole 30, but there doesn’t actually seem to be any info on this page – just pics? Is there recipe still available?
https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/beef-broccoli-stir-fry-whole30-paleo/
I cooked this for my husband the other night and it was delicious! Will def be a staple. I recently starting looking for recipes on your site, when looking for something specific because everything I’ve made, by you, has been great!
I love this. My husband had something else for dinner. I had this done and he went to the kitchen and snuck a bite. He said oh make sure I get this in my lunch tomorrow it is really good.
Yum!
Have made this several times and not just for my picky eaters. It’s def a favorite. Have given your website out to so many friends and associates as they are realizing how important it is to eat cleaner. Love every recipe of yours so far. Have been cooking with you for a couple of years now. Poor hubby didn’t realize he was eating Paleo for a few months until I finally told him. Your recipes are that good!
Love this Paleo Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, this one seems super delicious and amazing . Super excited to try this unique recipe. Thanks for sharing this one with us .