Mongolian Beef Stir Fry (Whole30, Paleo, AIP)
This post contains affiliate links.
This Mongolian Beef Stir Fry is flavorful, simple, and filling! It’s soy free, paleo, whole30, and AIP compliant.
Have I shared here before that I never really ate beef until I was in my 20’s and married? Crazy, right? I had a fast food burger here and there as a kid, but I never had a steak or pot roast and maybe I had stew meat once or twice. When I first tried flank steak to make a stir fry, it basically rocked my world. Flank steak is amazing, and this Mongolian Beef is basically the perfect stir fry!
Mongolian beef is typically made with corn starch, soy sauce, and served over white rice. It’s a very savory and all around delicious meal, but it’s not a natural gluten-free or paleo dish. However, you can easily tweak the classic to be paleo, AIP, and whole30 with just a few simple swaps. And I promise… you’re not going to know the difference!
How do you make Mongolian Beef?
- Slice the beef thin and coat in the arrowroot starch.
- Heat the pan and cook the beef in avocado oil for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Remove from the pan and cook the ginger and garlic in the pan.
- Stir in the coconut aminos and chicken broth and allow the sauce to thicken.
- Add the beef back in along with green onion slices and cook for another 2 minutes and serve!
What kind of beef do you use for Mongolian beef?
I find it best to use flank steak for Mongolian beef. It has the best texture and is most often used in this dish. I’ve also seen skirt steak used before, though I haven’t tried it.
What do you eat with Mongolian beef?
This particular recipe turns Mongolian beef into a one pan wonder by also cooking broccoli in the same pan! You can also serve it with cauliflower rice.
Tips & Tricks for Delicious Mongolian Beef
- Slice the beef thin and against the grain to avoid letting all of the juice running out. This is the easiest way to
- Cook the beef in batches. Avoiding to overcrowd the pan helps to cook the steak evenly.
The Ingredients For the Mongolian Beef Stir Fry
Flank steak
Coconut aminos
Coconut aminos is a soy-free soy sauce substitute that can be found online and in health food stores.
Ginger and garlic
The garlic and ginger give this a little bit of kick without using nightshades. It’s an amazing flavor combination in stir fry!
Broccoli & cauliflower rice
Broccoli pairs well with Mongolian beef, and cauliflower rice is a great rice substitute!
You’ll also love these recipes…
PrintMongolian Beef Stir Fry (Whole30, Paleo, AIP)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Mongolian Beef Stir Fry is a flavorful and filling dish.
Ingredients
- 4–5 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tsp sea salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
- 1.5 lb flank steak
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 thumb ginger, grated
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup chicken broth (substitute water)
- 3 green onions, sliced into 1” strips
- Cauliflower rice to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Using a large deep skillet, heat 1-2 tbsp of avocado on medium heat. Add the broccoli and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the broccoli from the pan, set aside, and clean out the pan.
- Prepare the flank steak by adding salt and pepper to both sides, and using a sharp knife to slice against the grain into about 1″ bite-sized slices.
- Add the arrowroot starch to a bowl and add the steak slices, coating thoroughly.
- Using the same pan, heat 2-3 tbsp of avocado oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add half of the steak slices. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, and repeat until all of the steak is cooked. Set aside.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the coconut aminos and chicken broth, and add the steak back in and cook for another 2 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
- Add the sliced green onion and broccoli back to the pan and cook for another minute.
- Serve warm with optional cauliflower rice
Notes
All nutrition facts are estimations.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asain
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 407
- Fat: 22.8g
- Carbohydrates: 10.2g
- Fiber: 1.4g
- Protein: 39.5g
Keywords: mongolian beef
Looking soo delicious ????????????
Pingback: Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #252
Yum! Reminds me of PF Chang’s Mongolian Beef. I’d like it to be a bit more crispy, so need to work on my technique. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Is there a substitute for arrowroot starch? I can’t seem to find that and any nearby stores.
Tapioca flour functions similarly, you can give that a try
Made this tonight, and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Jess!!
Looks delicious!!
Thank you so much!!
Would this freeze well/reheat well?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be best fresh 🙂
Pingback: Whole30 Results, Thoughts, & Tips – Mary Martha Mama
Finally tried it tonight. It was fantastic! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!! Thanks, Anna!!
Great recipe!!!My family loved it!!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it, Catherine!! Thank you! 🙂
Pingback: Egg Roll In a Bowl with Ginger Cream Sauce (Whole30, Keto, AIP, Paleo) - Unbound Wellness
This was absolutely delicious and super easy! I’ll definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
Pingback: Healthy Beef & Broccoli Meal Prep (Paleo, Whole30, AIP) - Unbound Wellness
Pingback: Paleo Mongolian Chicken (Whole30, AIP) - Unbound Wellness
Pingback: May: Week 3 Meal Plan • Study In Fitness
Pingback: Ground Beef Stir Fry (Paleo, Whole30, AIP) - Unbound Wellness
Pingback: Moo Goo Gai Pan | Chinese Mushroom Chicken Stir Fry (Paleo, Whole30) - Unbound Wellness
So delicious!! My whole family loved it and it wasn’t complicated at all to make. This will definitely be added into our dinner rotation
★★★★★
Yay! Thank you so much!
Pingback: Garlic Balsamic Steak Bites & Asparagus (paleo, whole30, AIP) - Unbound Wellness
Pingback: Scallion Pancakes (Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo, AIP) - Unbound Wellness
Finally had a chance to make this, this is the best recipe ever!! Totally satisfied my feeling of missing out! THANK YOU!!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it, Lori! Thank you so much!!
This is one AIP dish that actually tastes like the real deal! So good! My cast iron definitely took the arrowroot with it so will try stainless next time! My husband is picky and really liked this dish
★★★★★
This is ridiculously good.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Tracy!!
Delicious! I added some red peppers, sesames seeds, and bamboo shoots.
My whole family loved this – thank you!
★★★★★
So glad!!
I have made this several times and it is superb. Absolutely delicious. Thank you!
★★★★★
Thank you so much!!
My husband loved it! The sauce is great and I love the coating on the steak. I made it with some grass fed steak, b ut I can’t remember what kind. It was juicy and tender. Follow the recipe exactly.
This was AMAZING! I’ve made several recipes from this site that are all really good, but this one is my favorite so far. I was so surprised by how delicious the sauce was based on not having a ton of ingredients. 5 stars all the way!
★★★★★
I’ve made this at least 10 times! Love it so much and my hunny who hates all my”diet” food loves this too.
★★★★★
Aww, thank you so much! So glad you are loving this recipe!
I made this for dinner and my partner didn’t even care it was aip and they wanted seconds soon good.
★★★★★
yay, so glad!!
I made this dish and it was amazingly delicious! I followed the steps to the tee, but used chuck roast slicked thin. My picky son even said, “Good job on the food mom.” My hubby said it was better than Chinese takeout. I love this recipe. Thank you ❤️
★★★★★