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When you’ve got a craving for Chinese food takeout, this keto beef and broccoli stir fry recipe comes to the rescue! It’s a healthy dish full of flavor, packed with protein, and one of the easiest quick and healthy Asian recipes I make for weeknights. Serve it over cauliflower rice for a low carb takeout classic.
Why You’ll Love This Keto Beef And Broccoli Recipe
- Classic takeout flavor
- Simple ingredients
- Quick prep time — ready in 20 minutes!
- Made in one pan
- Just 8 grams net carbs per serving
- Naturally healthy, keto friendly, gluten-free, paleo, grain-free, and whole30

Is Beef And Broccoli Keto?
This beef and broccoli recipe is keto friendly. But if you are eating it from a restaurant, or using a traditional recipe, it would not be keto friendly. Cornstarch and sugar are typically found in beef and broccoli recipes, which quickly adds to many carbs.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for keto friendly beef and broccoli stir fry, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
For The Sauce:
- Coconut Aminos – This soy sauce substitute adds sweetness, flavor, and salt. Soy sauce is fine to substitute, but this is why I don’t use soy sauce.
- Fish Sauce – This helps give the stir fry great flavor. No fishy taste in the final dish!
- Ground Ginger – Ground ginger is convenient, you can also use fresh if you have it. If you opt for fresh, use 4 teaspoons fresh grated ginger in place of the 1 teaspoon ground.
- Crushed Red Pepper – Use more or less depending on how much spice you like.
- Olive Oil – Or avocado oil.
- Chicken Broth – You can also use beef broth if you like, or bone broth for a richer flavor and extra nutrition.
- Gelatin Powder – Be sure to use unflavored. It’s the perfect cornstarch substitute that helps to thicken the sauce without any flour or other starches.
For The Stir Fry:
- Olive Oil – Or avocado oil.
- Broccoli – Buy a fresh head of broccoli or broccoli florets for convenience.
- Garlic – Use fresh cloves or jarred garlic for convenience.
- Flank Steak – You can also swap it for other beef cuts, like skirt steak or flat iron steak.
Garnish Options:
This dish is already flavorful and colorful enough not to require garnishes, but if you like, you can add:
- Sesame oil – Stir this in at the end for extra flavor.
- Sesame seeds
- Green onion

How To Make Keto Beef And Broccoli
This section shows how to make this keto recipe for beef and broccoli, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Slice beef. Slice the flank steak as thinly as you can.

TIP: Freeze beef for a short time to make it easier to slice thinly.
Place the flank steak in the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing, which will make it more firm and help you slice it more thinly. The thinner, the better!
- Mix marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together coconut aminos, fish sauce, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes.
- Marinate beef. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the marinade (which will also be the stir fry sauce) to a large bowl and whisk in olive oil. Marinate beef for at least 30 minutes.


- Stir fry steak. Heat olive oil in a saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook for a few minutes, until browned. Transfer beef to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

TIP: Don’t move steak around too much.
This will help it get a nice sear.
- Stir fry broccoli. Heat more olive oil over medium heat and add broccoli. Cover with a lid and cook until tender. Transfer broccoli to the bowl with the beef.

TIP: You can steam the broccoli if needed.
If the broccoli doesn’t cook through easily by just stir frying, you can add a couple tablespoons water, cover and cook for a few minutes to steam it. If you do this, make sure you drain any remaining water afterward.


- Bloom gelatin. Whisk chicken broth and gelatin into a small bowl until smooth.
- Saute garlic. Heat the pan over medium heat again and saute garlic until fragrant.
- Make sauce. Pour the sauce mixture into the pan and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken.


- Combine. Add beef and broccoli to the skillet and toss to coat. Stir fry until hot.

Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep leftover beef and broccoli in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Meal Prep: Divide cooked cauliflower rice among your meal prep containers, top with low carb beef and broccoli, and keep in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave for an easy low carb lunch.
- Reheat: You can reheat in a hot skillet again, or the microwave, but the texture is better on the stove.
- Freeze: Store the stir fry in a heavy-duty freezer bag or airtight container in the freezer for 2-3 months.

What To Serve With Low Carb Beef and Broccoli
Traditionally, beef and broccoli would be served over rice, which is high in carbs. Here are a few low carb veggie options instead:
More Healthy Asian Recipes
If you like this keto beef and broccoli recipe, you might also like some of these other Asian recipes:
Tools To Make Keto Friendly Beef and Broccoli
- Ceramic Nonstick Wok – My go-to pan for stir fry, but a saute pan works as well.
Keto Beef And Broccoli Recipe
Keto Beef and Broccoli (20 Minutes!)
No one will know this is a keto beef and broccoli recipe! This easy, healthy beef and broccoli stir fry tastes like it came from a Chinese restaurant and takes only 20 minutes.
Recipe Video
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Sauce/marinade:
Stir Fry:
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, fish sauce, ground ginger, and crushed red pepper.
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Transfer 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the coconut aminos mixture to a large bowl – this will be the marinade. Whisk in a tablespoon of olive oil.
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Add the beef to the large bowl with the marinade and coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Heat a tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil in a saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir fry for a few minutes, until browned. Remove the beef, place in a bowl, and cover to keep warm.
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Heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the broccoli. Cover with a lid and cook for 8 to 12 minutes, lifting the lid only occasionally to stir, until crisp tender.
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Remove the broccoli, place it into the bowl with the beef, and cover again to keep warm.
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Whisk the chicken broth and gelatin into the reserved marinade/sauce in the smaller bowl, until smooth. (To prevent clumping, sprinkle the gelatin over it instead of just dumping in, and whisk immediately.)
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Heat the pan again over medium heat. If the pan is dry, add more oil as needed. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute, until fragrant.
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Pour the sauce mixture into the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until volume is reduced and it starts to thicken.
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Add the beef and broccoli to the pan, and toss to coat. Stir fry for another minute or two, until hot.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our free low carb support group, too – I’d love to see it!
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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83 Comments
Diane
0Why do you use chicken broth instead of beef broth for this beef dish?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Diane, You can also use beef broth if you like, or bone broth for a richer flavor and extra nutrition.
Kiera
0Hey there, so I see this recipe makes 4 servings at 8g carbs per serving. I am looking at the ingredient list and wondering where all the carbs are coming from! Is it mainly the broccoli or do coconut aminos and fish sauce have more sugar in them than I would have thought? Where do the majority of carbs from? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Kiera, Yes, broccoli has the majority of the carbs in this dish.
Taylor
0Really good! I used soy sauce instead of coconut aminos… it was a little too salty. But I cut the salt with a dash of lemon juice. Very delicious!! 😀
Paula
0I made this tonight and it was delicious!!
Christy
0I’m using beef stir fry pieces that came with my 1/2 cow share. Between these and the beef stew pieces, they are always so tough. I rarely use these cuts or only use when I’m desperate and trying to clean out the deep freezer. I saw online where it’s suggested to use baking soda to help tenderize the meat before using in a stir fry, but you need to rinse the meat when you are done. Do you know anything about this and when I would use it in your recipe? Would I need to use the baking soda method, rinse, then do your marinade for the meat?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Christy, I have never used the baking soda method.
Christy
0I’m going to give it a try, see how it turns out, and I’ll let you know.
Christy
0No matter how many videos on YouTube tells you baking soda is the secret ingredient to tenderize tough cuts of steak, do not believe them. It’s terrible. All 3 of us couldn’t get past the texture, and it ruined your lovely marinade.
Brenda
0Can arrowroot powder be used in place of gelatin? I would prefer not to buy several different thickeners for one time uses.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Brenda, Yes, that should work.
maryb
0Wonderful flavor.
Cate
0What a great recipe! It replicates take out so well that I had to double check my coconut aminos and fish sauce for sugar. The sauce was that luxurious.
The kids all ate it and my spouse asked to make a double recipe next weekend for lunch prep.
This is one recipe that will absolutely be added to our usual rotation.
D
0YUUUUMMMMM!! the kids went nuts over it!
pashtx
0This was absolutely delicious. Will make it again and again. Thanks!
Nancy Norris
0Can I use other cuts/kinds of steak. I have top sirloin steak in the freezer that was given to me 🙂❤️
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Nancy, Yes, you could use the top sirloin steak that you already have at home.