Beef and onion stir-fry is one of those dishes that only takes ten minutes to cook up but is so fragrant and delicious it becomes a necessary staple. With really only two key ingredients (beef and onions, you guessed it!), it's impossible to mess this up. Plus, this is technically a one-pan recipe as we'll be cooking the beef and onions at separate times and combining them at the end with a sauce. The key to the flavors is the combination of our different sauces!
Jump to:
What cut of beef should I use?
I don't have a particular cut that I'm partial to. If shopping at an Asian market, it's easy to choose a cut and have the butcher slice it thinly for you. You can also purchase the thinly cut meats from the packaged sections that are specifically prepared for KBBQ or hot pot. The following will all work:
- Sirloin
- Ribeye
- Tenderloin
Again, the key is to ensure you get the meats thinly sliced at the butcher (they have all the professional equipment that gets the best pieces) so each piece cooks quickly and is perfectly coated with our sauce mixture.
Ingredients
Beef & Marinade:
- Beef sirloin, rib eye, or tenderloin: Must be thinly cut in even pieces or it won't cook evenly. As I mentioned above, the best way to have this meat prepped is to ask the butcher to slice thinly or to purchase the pre-packaged portions for hotpot and KBBQ.
- Cornstarch: Some might ask, why cornstarch when we're not frying? This ingredients helps the sauce adhere to the protein.
- Soy sauce
- Shaoxing wine: A necessary marinade in any Asian cooking. I'd recommend getting one if you haven't as you'll see it in a lot of my recipes such as my Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings and even in my Chinese Shrimp and Pork Dumplings. It's so versatile!
Sauce:
- Light soy sauce (low sodium)
- Dark soy sauce
- Oyster sauce (when I run out of oyster sauce, I'll sub with hoisin sauce)
- Granulated sugar
- Sesame oil
- White pepper powder
Rest of the dish:
- Large white onion, sliced
- Garlic
- Scallion: Instead of chopping these into small piece, slice into 2-inch pieces to place over the beef.
Instructions
- If not yet sliced, thinly slice your cut off meat so they are more bite-sized pieces.
- Marinade the beef in soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Toss to evenly coat and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat up oil in a pan on medium heat and stir-fry beef until brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Cook down the onions in the same pan. Be patient as we want the onions to get soft so this could take up to 10 minutes.
- When onions are cooked, add the cooked beef back in the pan. Add in the sauce mixture and coat the beef and onions evenly. Continue to stir-fry until beef is completely cooked, about another 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the chopped scallions and give it one last toss. Serve with a bowl of rice, and let the delicious sauces soak into the rice. Sprinkle over some optional white sesame seeds.
What can I eat this with?
Because this dish has such a rich sauce, this is perfect over a bowl of steamed rice. You'll want to make sure the rice is nicely coated with the sauce for the best experience.
However, if you're a noodle fan like me, you can easily pour this over a bowl of thin noodles and mix it up for a simple noodle "stir-fry." So many great Chinese dishes require a delicious and fragrant base sauce that's perfect over our staple grains, try other ones such as my Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (Instant Pot), Chinese Chicken and Broccoli or my Vegetarian Mapo Tofu (Vegan-Friendly) recipes.
📖 Recipe
Beef Onion Stir-Fry
Ingredients
BEEF & MARINADE:
- 1 lb beef sirloin/ribeye/tenderloin (thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (sub dry sherry)
SAUCE:
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- White pepper powder to taste
REST OF THE DISH:
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- ½ large white onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks scallion 3 inch slices
Instructions
- If not yet sliced, thinly slice your cut of meat so they are bite-sized pieces.
- Marinade the beef in soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Toss to evenly coat and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat up oil in a pan on medium heat and stir-fry beef until brown, but not fully cooked. Remove from pan and set aside in a separate bowl.
- Cook down the onions in the same pan on medium heat. Be patient as we want the onions to get soft so this could take up to 10 minutes.
- When onions are soft, add the cooked beef back in the pan. Add in the sauce mixture. Continue to stir-fry until beef is completely cooked, about another 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the chopped scallions and give it one last toss. Serve with a bowl of rice.
Chef Dennis says
This beef and onion stir-fry is making my tummy growl! I am so excited to make this and savor it.
shelby says
I am always on the look out for quick and easy dinner recipes. This one is bursting with flavor and how the flavor flows into the rice is lick the plate clean delicious!
Heather says
Hooray for quick AND tasty recipes - this one sounds like a real winner! I've never tried this beef and onion combo and cannot wait to make for a quick weeknight dinner.
Megan Ellam says
My kind of meal. Quick and easy and super tasty! Thanks so much for a great recipe.
Amanda Dixon says
This stir fry was wonderful! It was so quick and easy, and the sauce was wonderfully flavored.
Sara says
This is such a great weeknight meal when you have a million other things going on and don’t have a ton of time to spend in the kitchen. My entire family loves it, which is a nice added bonus!
Kristina says
Sometimes simple is the best. and this was amazing! My family loved every bit of it.
Anna says
This stir fry was delicious! Quick and easy to make, and so much flavour!
Audrey says
This made for a quick and easy dinner.
Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says
I love stir fry and this looks amazing - definitely worth a try very soon!
Kayla DiMaggio says
This beef and onion stir fry was so easy to make and made such a delicious dinner!
Lillian says
This is the perfect meal for my lazy nights. Easy, and packed with flavor and protein!
Amy Roskelley says
This looks so good!
Pam Greer says
Delicious stir fry! We loved it!
Jenny says
So good. Effortless but so delicious. We loved your beef and onion stir fry and will make it again and again. Thanks so much for the recipe.
NATALIA OLLER says
Incredible! Followed the recipe exactly except I used teriyaki sauce (didn't have soy sauce that day). The flavor was outstanding, the beef was some of the most tender I’ve eaten in a while. I’m going to make this again!
Leslie Sawmiller says
I love a good stir fry recipe and love mixing up different variations. This recipe is perfect!
Toni says
Such a perfect meal any night of the week!
Nicole says
Man this looks great!
Amy says
Always looking for quick and simple recipes and this was delicious! Adding it to one of our go-to recipes!
Jamie says
I love the all flavors in this dish! This is so fast and easy to make and perfect for any weeknight meal! My family loves it!
Chenée says
This looks so good! The marinade and sauce look perfect. I can't wait to try it!