Beef Stir Fry Recipe with Mushrooms
My family devours this beef stir fry recipe with tender beef, mushrooms, ginger, sesame seeds, and orange zest. Quick and easy, check out the video!
I didn’t grow up eating a lot of stir fry or really any Asian food to speak of. My grandma would throw a can of water chestnuts into a casserole and that was her version of “Chinese” food.
My kids however? Well, stir fry is a lifesaver in our house. Stir fries are the answer to fast, budget-friendly meals when I can use the odds and ends that are floating around the veggie drawer, plus some sauce and protein, perfect. It is the best sort of cooking, especially when everyone leaves the table full and happy.
This beef stir fry is one that’s evolved over time. I’ve come back again and again to this mushroom and skirt steak combo, even though it is not the most photogenic. It is hearty and satisfying.
There are lots of ingredients in the sauce but they are all pantry staples like sriracha, red wine vinegar, and oyster sauce. Keep them stocked in your pantry so you can make it any night of the week.
Beef Stir Fry Recipe Ingredients
- Skirt steak or flank steaks or you could even use thinly sliced chuck steak or sirloin steak
- Crimini mushrooms or shiitake if you fancy
- Cornstarch this helps the beef brown and thickens the sauce
- Soy sauce
- White sesame seeds
- Orange you will use the zest and juice
- Red wine vinegar
- Shaoxing cooking wine or dry vermouth
- Sriracha sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Peanut oil has great flavor for frying but you could also use vegetable oil
- Toasted sesame oil
- Fresh ginger
- Garlic
- Green onions
How To Make It
step one
Prep beef and mushrooms. Thinly slice steak against the grain. To do this, lay your piece of meat on a cutting board. There are visible lines that go in one direction down the length of the meat. Thinly slice the meat across those lines, not in the same direction. Slice the mushrooms in 1/2-inch thick slices. Combine in a large bowl and toss with cornstarch, soy sauce and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Set aside.
step two
Toast sesame seeds. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and toast, stirring constantly until they just start to turn golden. Remove from heat and set toasted sesame seeds aside. Keep stirring occasionally as they cool to prevent from burning.
step three
Make sauce. Combine orange zest and juice, vinegar, wine, sriracha, and oyster sauce in a medium bowl. Whisk well and set near the stove.
step four
Brown the beef. Heat the largest frying pan you own over high heat. Add half the peanut and sesame oils. Once oil is shimmering, add half the beef and mushroom mixture—be careful of overcrowding the pan. Let cook undisturbed until one side of the beef and mushrooms are well browned, about 3 minutes. Stir and brown the other side. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining half of oils, beef and mushrooms.
step five
Stir fry. Return the first batch of beef and mushrooms to the pan. Add ginger and garlic and let cook until fragrant. Add sauce and stir, scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Once it starts to boil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions and remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
step six
Serve. Spoon stir fry over rice and serve with sautéed spinach or bok choy.
What Makes This The Best Beef Stir Fry Recipe?
- Loads of flavor! Juicy beef, earthy mushrooms, not to mention the outstanding orange sauce. This stir fry hits all the right notes.
- Full of protein and iron to fuel those hectic weeknights when you are hangry.
- This punchy stir-fry sauce is great for any protein and veg combo. Try it with shrimp, chicken, tofu, broccoli, whatever happens to be in your fridge!
- Makes fantastic meal prep. Make for dinner then pack up the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Beef Stir Fry FAQ’s
Can I add other veggies? Of course! In addition to the mushrooms, add quick-cooking vegetables like sliced red bell pepper or snow peas when you add the ginger and garlic.
What’s the best cut of beef to use? Flank steak or skirt steak are the best cuts they have excellent flavor but also good structure to hold up and not fall apart when stir frying.
What do I serve with it? Steamed rice is key for soaking up all that sauce. If you want to add something green try this Broccolini recipe or some quick sautéed broccoli. Don’t forget to shower the top with sliced scallions.
More Beef Recipes You’ll Love
- Best-Ever Pan Fried Steak
- Beer-Braised Beef Barbacoa (from our sister site, ¡Hola! Jalapeño)
- Chipotle Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole (again from HJ)
- Shredded Beef for Tacos (another HJ favorite)
- Crispy Beef Flautas with Zucchini
Add The Beef
But leave out the baby corn 🙂 Whatever you do, just make this stir fry! You are in for a hearty and deeply comforting treat. When you try it, let me know how it goes by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @katesbestrecipes so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)!
Beef Stir Fry with Mushrooms
Equipment
- 1 large frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds flank steak thinly sliced against the grain
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms sliced
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice from 2 large oranges
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing Chinese cooking wine or dry vermouth
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bunch scallions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Place steak and mushrooms in a large bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch, soy sauce and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Toss to coat and set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes, or in the fridge for up to 5 hours.
- Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet until golden brown, shaking pan frequently to prevent burning. Remove from heat right when they become fragrant but haven't gotten to brown yet. Let cool in pan and finish toasting continuing to stir every once in a while.
- Combine orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, sherry, sriracha, and oyster sauce in a medium bowl and mix well.
- Heat half of the peanut and sesame oils in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Once shimmering add half of the meat-mushroom mixture. Spread in an even layer and let cook, undisturbed until lightly browned. Give a stir and let brown on other side. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining oils and beef mixture.
- Return first batch of beef to the pan and add ginger and garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until ginger is beginning to brown. Add sauce to pan and cook, stirring, until sauce starts to boil.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions over top and serve with steamed rice and sauteed bok choy or spinach.
Video
In support of this small business, Kate’s Best Recipes earns revenue through an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and Kate’s Best Recipes (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!
