Chinese Pepper Steak with Onions

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If you love restaurant-style Chinese Pepper Steak with onions, you’ll love this quick and easy steak stir-fry recipe! Featuring tender slices of beef stir-fried in a sticky, rich garlic pepper sauce with onions, bell peppers, and plenty of delicious flavor. It’s a simple 30-minute weeknight dinner that’s sure to impress!

About this Chinese pepper steak

One of the meals I turn to time and again when life gets crazy are stir-fries. There’s a sort of zen to prepping the ingredients and getting them ready for your wok. Then, once you turn on the heat, the magic happens. In addition to being super speedy, this beef and pepper stir fry is also so flavorful and colorful, which always puts a smile on my face.

If you love tender, juicy steaks, check out these fan-favorite recipes next: steaks in slow cooker, learn how to slow cook a steak in the oven,  fajita skirt steak, and steaks with chimichurri.

Why you’ll love this Chinese pepper steak recipe

This steak stir fry is:

• Quick & Easy. Once all of your items are prepped, this peppered beef comes together in a flash.
• Amazing taste. This peppery beef with onions and bell peppers is deliciously flavorful!
• Wholesome & Healthy. Made with all real foods that are easy to pronounce, no artificial preservatives in sight.
• Budget-Friendly. Make enough for your whole family for the cost of one portion of black pepper beef takeout!

What is Chinese Pepper Steak with onions?

If you love Chinese food, chances are you’ve had at least one encounter with this Chinese beef dish. It features tender steak, pungent onions, and sweet bell peppers tossed in a sweet and spicy black pepper sauce.

Ingredients for pepper steak with onions

Despite what you may think, you don’t need a ton of specialty items to make this delicious black pepper beef at home. That said, there are a few ingredients you might need to get from your local international grocer or swap for something more familiar. Here’s what to grab:

Chinese steak

• Low-Sodium Soy Sauce – For all that umami bliss.
  • Substitution: You can swap in regular soy sauce, but you’ll want to watch the kosher salt. For a gluten-free option, try Tamari. For a soy-free option, use either coconut aminos (GF) or Bragg’s liquid aminos (not GF) instead.
• Mirin – This sweetened Japanese rice wine is easy to find on the grocery store shelves.
  • Substitution: Try swapping in Sake (rice wine), sherry, white wine, sweet vermouth, or rice vinegar with about ½ teaspoon of sugar.
• Cornstarch – You’ll need a tablespoon of corn starch to thicken the stir fry sauce.
  • Substitution: If corn is off the table, try using an equal amount of potato starch. You can also use twice as much AP flour (though your sauce will look a little cloudy) or twice as much tapioca starch. Alternatively, you can use about ¼ as much xanthan gum which has a lot of thickening power, but if you have a corn allergy, beware: it’s often derived from cornstarch.
• Steak – You can use any cut of beef that’s suitable for stir-frying. I typically use sirloin as it’s the most economical option. However, tenderloin, NY strip and flank steak work well too! 

Pepper sauce ingredients

• Beef Broth –  I recommend low sodium or no sodium to make your pepper sauce dreams come true.
  • Substitution: Feel free to swap in no-sodium chicken or veggie stock here, or a bouillon cube and water.
• Honey – For sweetness.
  • Substitution: Use maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup instead. If you don’t have any liquid sweeteners on hand, you can also use brown sugar.
• Oyster Sauce – For a bold, umami-sweet, and complex flavor boost.
  • Substitution: Swap in an equal amount of fish sauce (but you’ll need to add a little extra honey to balance it out), kecap manis (the Indonesian sweet soy sauce), hoisin sauce (with a splash of fish sauce to balance it out), a blend of Worcestershire sauce + soy sauce + sugar, or twice as much teriyaki sauce as called for in the recipe. 
• Shaoxing Wine – Salty, sweet, and super boozy, Chinese Cooking Wine is not a glass of something you’d want to sip on for fun!
  • Substitution: Swap in more Mirin (but cut back on the sugar if you do), sake, dry sherry, dry white wine, or dry vermouth.
• Coarsely Ground Black Pepper & Kosher Salt – For seasoning.

Stir fry ingredients

• Peanut Oil – For stir-frying.
  • Substitution: Any neutral oil with a high smoke point will work here. Consider grapeseed oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil, or corn oil instead.
• White Onion – For veggie crunch and an allium bite.
  • Substitution: Milder yellow or red onion works as well.
• Bell Pepper – For sweetness. Feel free to use any color you prefer! Remember that green bell pepper will be less sweet and more earthy compared to sweet yellow, orange, or red bell pepper varieties. I typically use one green pepper and one red pepper.
• Garlic – I prefer the bite of fresh cloves in my stir-fries.
  • Substitution: In a pinch, use ¼-½ teaspoon of garlic powder for each clove called for.
• Ginger – Did you know the easiest way to peel fresh ginger is with a spoon? Seriously!
  • Substitution: Feel free to use about ½ as much ground ginger or an equal amount of ginger paste.

Peppered steak variations

• Scallions & Sesame Seeds – While entirely optional, they add great flavor and texture to your homemade Chinese take out.
• To make gluten-free Chinese pepper steak: Use tamari or coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce and swap in fish sauce plus an extra bit of sweetener for the oyster sauce.
• To make extra spicy black peppered steak: Add some de-seeded and vertically sliced jalapeños in with the bell pepper and onion. You can also top it with a hot sauce like sriracha or sambal oelek.

How to make recipe for Chinese pepper steak

This black pepper beef is so simple to prepare! Here’s how it’s done:

1. Marinate steak: In a non-reactive bowl, combine the soy sauce, mirin, and cornstarch. Pat the pieces of beef dry and add them to bowl. Gently stir to completely coat the beef in the marinade. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
2. Mix stir-fry sauce: In a glass measure or small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the pepper sauce. Set aside.
3. Cook steak: Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. When the oil is shimmering, add the steak to the pan in an even, single layer. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately remove the beef from the pan and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
4. Cook veggies with aromatics: Return the pan to the stove top and heat the remaining oil. Add the onions and peppers to the pan. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir fry the vegetables until soft. Then, add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
5.  Add the sauce: Give your stir-fry sauce a good whisk and then add it to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, or until sauce is thick.
6. Add beef: Add the pepper steak back to the pan, along with any juices on the plate. Quickly stir-fry to coat the steak in the sauce, about 30 seconds.
7. Serve: Immediately transfer Chinese pepper steak with onions to a large serving platter or individual plates. Top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve with rice or noodles. Enjoy immediately!

Tips for the best chinese steak

This pepper steak recipe is super easy – requiring just 10 minutes of total cooking. It’s the perfect fast dinner to keep you and your family well-fed all year!

• Mis en Place: I recommend reading this recipe for Chinese pepper steak with onions all the way through before cooking. Stir fry recipes are very fast moving, so you’ll want to have everything prepped and ready. Heads up – you need to marinate the steak for at least 10 minutes in step 1!
• Cutting steaks: It’s easiest to cut cold meat. I like to transfer my steaks from the refrigerator to the freezer for 30-45 minutes before slicing to make my life easier. Just don’t forget the steaks in the freezer!!
• Ground Pepper: The size of your pepper grinds matter in this black pepper beef recipe! If using regular ground black pepper from a tin, you will need to reduce the pepper by half (3/4 tsp). The measurement of black pepper in this steak recipe is for coarsely ground black pepper (like from a pepper mill).
• Don’t crowd skillet: Cook the beef in two batches if necessary, but do not crowd the pan. Crowding will cause the beef to steam, instead of stir-fry.
• Carefully cook steak: Do not overcook the beef! If anything, I highly recommend undercooking it in the third step of this recipe. You will be adding the steak back to the pan during a later step, so you can cook it further if need be.

FAQs: black pepper beef

Is Mongolian beef the same as Chinese pepper steak?

While the two are indeed quite similar and use some of the same ingredients, the sauce for pepper steak is decidedly more savory than Mongolian beef, which leans a bit sweeter.

What kind of steak is used in Chinese food?

I’d say the most popular cut is probably flank steak. I personally use sirloin because it’s quite economical, but you can also use NY strip steak, skirt steak, or tenderloin with excellent results.

Why is my pepper steak tough?

Ooops! Sounds like you either didn’t cut your meat against the grain (perpendicular to the fibers in the meat), or you may have chosen the wrong cut of meat for the job. Stick with sirloin, top round, flank steak, skirt steak, NY strip, or tenderloin for your stir-fry needs and you should always end up with a tender result.

Serving this pepper steak recipe

The great thing about stir-fries is you don’t need much to serve them. Simply scoop your black pepper beef with saucy onions and peppers over a bowl of steamed white sticky rice or riced zucchini and call it a day! But, if you’re feeling fancy, I also like to add some thinly sliced green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds to add a bit of pop on the plate. And if you’re looking for a side dish, this pepper and onion steak tastes great with this asian cabbage recipe.

Storing your Chinese steak

Once made, allow Chinese pepper steak to cool completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. Then, store your leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or transferred to the freezer for up to 3 months. 

To reheat, defrost steak and onions overnight in the fridge, then sauté or microwave until heated through, adding a splash of water if needed.

Please note that extra special care should be taken with any leftover steamed rice. Cool the rice as quickly as possible by spreading it out on a clean plate before transferring it to the fridge. Once refrigerated, consume within 3 days and only reheat it once. Here’s why. 

Wok on, party people! I’m so excited for you to try this tasty fake-out take-out recipe for Chinese pepper steak at home. If you do, let me know how it turned out by giving it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and commenting below. Plus, you can also always tag me in your social media posts (@nospoonnecessary) so I can cheer you on!

Until next time, friends! Cheers!

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More beef stir fry dinners!

• Ground Beef Stir Fry
• Beef with Orange Sauce
• Steak Zucchini Stir Fry

Recipe for stir-fry steak with onions👇

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