Crispy Sticky Beef
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A Crispy Sticky Beef recipe that’s incredibly quick and easy to make, with the perfect balance of sweet and savory. This dish is ready in under 30 minutes, making this dish perfect for busy weeknights.
Easy Crispy Sticky Beef Recipe
We’ve got crispy strips of beef in a sweet and sticky stir fry sauce made with soy sauce, brown sugar and red chili flakes for some heat ready in just 22 minutes! That’s got to be faster than most takeout! Talk about easy and quick!
This is a perfect quick and easy beef recipe that you can serve along some rice and your favorite steamed or sautéd veggies! This beef is so good, I even like it cold, snacking on it like candy! The great thing about this beef recipe is that it’s also quite customizable, make it as spicy as you like, as sweet as you like, or even throw in some veggies.
Why We Love This Crispy Sticky Beef
- Deliciously Sweet And Savory! A great sauce that’s ready in a couple minutes, perfectly sweet and salty!
- Incredibly Crispy! That beef is so crispy, but with that sweet, sticky sauce it’s like eating candy!
- Quick And Easy! This dish comes together in just 22 minutes, start to finish!
- Very Versatile! Feel free to add your favorite veggies to this dish like broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, etc.
- Beef – I used a ribeye steak, cut in thin strips. Other cut of beef you can use are top sirloin, flank steak or tenderloin. If your ribeye steak has a lot of fat on it, especially around the edges, I recommend to trim some of that fat.
- Soy Sauce (Low Sodium) – Regular soy sauce will work just as well as gluten-free tamari.
- Dark Soy Sauce – Thicker than regular soy sauce with a more intense flavor. If you can’t find any just use regular soy sauce with a pinch of sugar. I usually like to add it to give my sauces a darker color, so if you can’t find it simply sub it with regular soy sauce.
- Sweet Soy Sauce – A naturally thick sauce made from reducing soy sauce and sugar together. Sub with dark soy sauce or hoisin sauce.
- Cornstarch – Provides a coating that protects the beef from the high temperature of the pan helping to ensure that it cooks up tender and crispy.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is best.
- Brown Sugar – Creates a syrupy base with deep color for the sauce that will really stick to the beef. If you want the sauce less sweet, use less brown sugar.
- Oyster Sauce – Yes, there is oyster in the sauce! It’s a great way to add some deep umami flavors. But be sure to avoid using it if you have any allergies to shellfish.
- Shaoxing Wine – A type of Chinese rice wine very similar in taste to dry sherry, which can be used as a substitution.
- Rice Vinegar – Or regular white vinegar will work just fine.
- Red Pepper Flakes – For a bit of heat, use as much or as little as you like.
- Prepare the beef. In a small bowl, toss together the beef strips with the tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce, minced garlic and cornstarch. Let the beef rest for 5 minutes while heating the oil.
- Heat the oil. Heat a non-stick skillet with about 1 inch of vegetable oil over high heat until it reaches 325°F.
- Fry the beef strips. Shake off any excess cornstarch from the beef as you’re adding them to the skillet and fry over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Transfer the beef to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining beef.
- Make the sauce and toss with beef. Heat a clean wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add all the sauce ingredients and simmer for about 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves and it thickens slightly. Add the beef and toss everything together until the beef is evenly coated. Remove from heat.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions and serve.
What Makes This Beef Crispy?
The use of all that cornstarch! Make sure to use all the cornstarch as instructed in the recipe. You want each piece of beef strip to be fully coated in cornstarch. Also, you want to make sure the oil is hot before adding the beef to it. To easily check if it’s hot enough, add a beef strip to the hot oil and if it sizzles, it’s ready to go.
How Do You Serve This Sweet And Sticky Beef?
I love serving this with some cooked Jasmine rice, sprinkled with green onions and sesame seeds. You can also serve it over noodles along with your favorite steamed or sautéd vegetables.
Leftovers
This crispy sticky beef can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze in single portions in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months. Just reheat in the microwave or oven straight from the freezer.
Expert Tips
- To easily slice the steak, place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes before slicing. This will make it so much easier to slice it as thinly as possible. Always slice the beef against the grain.
- After you toss the beef with cornstarch let it sit for 5 minutes before searing, while you’re heating up the oil. This is known as velveting and you’ll end up with very tender and crispy meat. Do not use flour, the results will not be the same.
- For even more tender beef, you can marinate the beef after slicing in some baking soda for a few minutes. Rinse and continue with the recipe as instructed.
- Don’t overcrowd the beef when frying. Do it in 2 or 3 batches.
Other Quick And Easy Asian Recipes To Try
- Beef Lo Mein
- Chicken Mushroom Stir Fry
- Asian Steak Bites
- Moo Goo Gai Pan
- Mongolian Beef
- Moo Shu Pork
- Yakisoba
- Asian Style Pepper Steak
- Beef Chow Fun
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Crispy Sticky Beef
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound ribeye steak (or sirloin, cut into thin strips)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup cornstarch
Stir Fry Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 teaspoon sweet dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoons red chili flakes
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)
- 1 green onion (thinly sliced)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prepare the beef. In a small bowl, toss together the beef strips with the tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce, minced garlic and cornstarch. Let the beef rest for 5 minutes while heating the oil.
- Heat the oil. Heat a non-stick skillet with about 1 inch of vegetable oil over high heat until it reaches 325°F.
- Fry the beef strips. Shake off any excess cornstarch from the beef as you're adding them to the skillet and fry over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Transfer the beef to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining beef.
- Make the sauce and toss with beef. Heat a clean wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add all the sauce ingredients and simmer for about 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves and it thickens slightly. Add the beef and toss everything together until the beef is evenly coated. Remove from heat.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions and serve.
Notes
- To easily slice the steak, place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes before slicing. This will make it so much easier to slice it as thinly as possible. Always slice the beef against the grain.
- After you toss the beef with cornstarch let it sit for 5 minutes before searing, while you’re heating up the oil. This is known as velveting and you’ll end up with very tender and crispy meat. Do not use flour, the results will not be the same.
- For even more tender beef, you can marinate the beef after slicing in some baking soda for a few minutes. Rinse and continue with the recipe as instructed.
- Don’t overcrowd the beef when frying. Do it in 2 or 3 batches.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
