Super Easy Chinese Beef with Peanuts

Let’s make Chinese beef with peanuts — an easy beef stir fry that has tons of flavor! This is a go-to meal in my house for easy weeknight dinners. I even serve it with cauliflower rice and my husband doesn’t argue (even though he prefers real rice with his stir fry). 

Why make beef with peanuts 

You’ll love this dish if you’re craving flavor with minimal effort. This is a very quick stir fry that’s nutty, sweet, herby, and spicy. It has a full flavor profile and, thanks to the steak and peanuts involved, it’s very satisfying. 

Ingredients you need for beef with peanuts 

Here’s what you need to make this simple beef stir fry: 

• Flank steak
• Soy sauce
• Fish sauce
• Kosher salt
• Fresh lime juice
• Light brown sugar
• Salted peanuts
• Shallots (coarsely chopped)
• Serrano chili peppers (stemmed and coarsely chopped, don’t remove seeds)
• Refined peanut oil
• Cilantro (coarsely chopped)
• Basil (chopped)

Substitutions

• If you don’t have flank steak, try hanger steak, skirt steak, or fajita strips instead. 
• If you don’t have soy sauce, swap in Tamari or Worcestershire sauce.
• If you don’t have fresh lime, use bottled lime juice. 
• You can use coconut sugar in lieu of brown sugar. 
• You could use almonds instead of peanuts. 
• Any chili pepper can stand in for the serrano. Choose the pepper that you enjoy most! 
• Refined peanut oil adds a nice flavor to the dish, but you could use any oil with a high smoke point. Safflower oil is a good choice. 

If you want to convert this into a Paleo recipe, you’d have to sub in almonds, almond oil, coconut sugar, and coconut aminos for the peanuts, peanut oil, brown sugar, and soy sauce. 

How to prepare beef with peanuts 

This is going to be a short read!

1. Slice and marinate your steak 

Slice your steak against the grain. Then place it in a bowl with half the soy sauce, half the fish sauce, and salt in a bowl. Stir to coat. 

• 1 lb sliced steak
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce 
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

In a different bowl, mix the rest of the soy sauce and fish sauce, along with half the lime juice. 

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce 
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce 
• 1 tablespoon lime juice 

2. Process peanuts 

Cut your shallots into big chunks and cut the stems off your chilies. Grab your food processor. Add peanuts, shallots, and chilies to the processor and pulse until the mixture has a pesto consistency. 

• 1/4 salted peanuts 
• 2 large shallots 
• 2 serrano chilies 

3. Stir fry the beef and shallots 

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the beef. Keep the beef moving with a wooden spoon so it sears on all sides. This takes about two minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate. 

Now add another 1 1/2 tablespoon of peanut oil to the skillet and turn the flame down to medium. Scoop your shallot mixture from the food processor bowl into the hot skillet. Add a few pinches of salt. Then cook, stirring until the shallots soften. This takes about two minutes. 

4. Combine and serve 

This is where it all comes together. You’ll return the beef to the skillet, along with the soy sauce mixture you made in Step 1 and half of your chopped cilantro and basil. Salt to taste. 

Serve the hot beef stir fry atop rice, with remaining cilantro, basil, and lime juice sprinkled over the top. 

What to serve with beef peanut stir-fry 

All you need on the side here is rice. If you have flavor-hungry dinner guests, give them access to extra soy sauce and red chili oil for more spice.