Tangy and hearty, this gluten free beef and broccoli stir fry is perfect for all of your busy nights. All you need are a few simple ingredients and dinner is ready in under 20 minutes!
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If you thought you had to give up Chinese food when you went gluten free, I am here to make your day!
On busy school nights, it is all about quick and easy dinners like this gluten free stir fry recipe. Keep reading because I will walk you through the gluten free Asian sauce brands and more!!
If you need more quick and easy gluten free dinner ideas, your family will love this Creamy Ricotta Fettuccine Alfredo or this Baked Ziti Casserole recipe!
Why You Need To Make This Dinner Recipe:
- This beef and broccoli recipe is one of the easiest stir fry recipes to make.
- My beef and broccoli stir fry with noodles is one of my kids' favorite recipes! You can use broccoli, or any vegetables you have on-hand.
- It is a great recipe for busy weeknights.
- Best yet, it is ready in just 20 minutes!
My kids always say this is the best beef and broccoli recipe. If you love Asian foods as much as we do, you will also want to try my delicious Gluten Free Pork Fried Rice recipe.
Ingredient Notes:
- Steak - You can use any cut of beef to make this recipe. I like to buy the meat that is on sale. Because you slice it thinly, the meat tenderizes nices in the gluten free Asian sauce.
- Rice noodles - Many ask if rice noodles are gluten free. The majority of rice noodles are gluten free but it is good to always read the labels. If you can't find rice noodles, use white or brown rice.
- Leeks - Leeks have a delicious mild flavor that my kids like better than onion. You can easily use yellow onions if you don't have leeks on-hand.
- Tamari - this is very similar in flavor to gluten free soy sauce. You can use either but I recommend low sodium soy sauce. Another good substitution is coconut aminos. I use low sodium but either works well in this dinner recipe
What Asian Sauces Are Gluten Free?
Asian sauces can be tricky when you are gluten free. Here are the sauce brands I used to make the gluten free stir fry sauce in this recipe.
- Wok Mei makes delicious gluten free Asian sauces.
- Many Dynasty sauces are gluten free.
- Quite a few San J Sauces are gluten free.
- You can also make your own Hoisin Sauce Recipe.
- Tamari is a wonderful wheat-free, gluten free soy sauce that is really popular in gluten free cooking. Tamari has the same flavors as soy sauce as both are made with soy. The main difference is that tamari is made without wheat.
*NOTE DO NOT buy Lee Kum Kee Asian sauces. These contain wheat and are not safe for those who are gluten free!!
If you love this recipe, you will want to try my Gluten Free Egg Roll In A Bowl recipe too!
How To Make Gluten Free Beef and Broccoli:
Fill a medium pot with water and add a dash of sea salt. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil for the rice noodles. Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions. There are many brands and they all vary slightly.
HINT: If you are making rice, add four cups of water to the pot. When it boils add 2 cups of rice.
Step 1: Wash your broccoli. Chop it up into bite-sized florets. You can chop the broccoli stem too if you like. It softens as it cooks in the skillet or wok.
Step 2: Chop and the leek on a cutting board. Place the pieces into a colander or salad spinner to wash them. Dirt tends to get stuck in the leek while it is growing so it is good to wash it before cooking.
Substitution Note: You can use a yellow onion instead of leeks if you prefer. You can also add other fresh vegetables like carrots, snow peas, and cauliflower.
Step 3: Slice your steak into thin pieces on a dishwasher-safe cutting board. For best results, cut out and throw away any gristle in the meat
Step 4: Heat a non-stick skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add the oil and the sliced steak to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring it to cook all sides.
When the meat is almost done cooking, remove it from the heat and put it in a bowl.
Step 5: Heat oil in the same pan or wok. Add the minced garlic, sliced leeks, and broccoli. Stir fry the broccoli and leeks in a skillet for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
Step 6: In a small bowl, add the gluten free stir fry sauce ingredients. Whisk to blend them together.
Next, add the meat back to the skillet or wok. Pour the gluten free beef and broccoli sauce over the steak and vegetables. Cook on medium-low heat for 4-5 more minutes so the sauce flavors coat the meat and vegetables.
Serve the beef and broccoli hot over the noodles or rice!
More vegetable ideas:
You can add any vegetables to this healthy beef and broccoli stir-fry. Pick your child's favorites and just toss them into the pan :-). We like to use:
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
Storage:
Store the leftover gluten free Chinese food in an air-tight container. It will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat the stir fry, you can heat it in the microwave or stovetop.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ:
There are so many things you can serve with stir fry. The most common is white or brown rice but many also like quinoa. This recipe includes vermicelli rice noodles because those are my kids' favorite, but you can omit those and serve this stir-fry over rice instead.
Most stir-fries are healthy. If you are using a wok, you cook the vegetables on high heat, which seals in the nutrition and flavors. Stir-fry also includes a lot of green leafy vegetables adding to the nutrition.
I like to use avocado oil best when I make a stir-fry. If you want more flavor, you can use toasted sesame oil. You can use any oil that has a high smoke point. Avoid cheaper low-quality oils like vegetable and corn oil.
This recipe is also delicious with sliced chicken, pork, or even tofu. You can also use ground meat and vegan ground meat.
Most stir fry sauces are not gluten free. It is so easy to make a homemade Asian Gluten free stir fry sauce! The most important thing is you need to read labels to make sure your ingredients are gluten free.
If you are in a restaurant, the Chinese beef and broccoli is almost never gluten free. I recommend asking the wait staff for verification, but the majority of Chinese restaurants do not have gluten free Asian sauces.
Food Safety:
We sometimes take for granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
If you are new to gluten free living, don't forget to check out my easy Gluten Free Living Guide for tips and tricks to learning how to live and eat gluten free.
More Delicious Beef Recipe Ideas:
Recipe
Gluten Free Beef And Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef stew meat or steak *see note
- broccoli
- ¼ cup leeks
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups rice noodles
Instructions
- Fill a medium pot with water and add a dash of sea salt. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil for the rice noodles. Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions. There are many brands and they all vary slightly.
- HINT: If you are making rice, add four cups of water to the pot. When it boils add 2 cups of rice.
- Wash your broccoli. Chop it up into bite-sized florets. You can chop the broccoli stem too if you like. It softens as it cooks in the skillet or wok.
- Chop and the leek on a cutting board. Place the pieces into a colander or salad spinner to wash them. Dirt tends to get stuck in the leek while it is growing so it is good to wash it before cooking.
- Substitution Note: You can use a yellow onion instead of leeks if you prefer. You can also add other fresh vegetables like carrots, snow peas, and cauliflower.
- Slice your steak into thin pieces on a dishwasher-safe cutting board. For best results, cut out and throw away any gristle in the meat.
- Heat a non-stick skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add the oil and the sliced steak to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring it to cook all sides.
- When the meat is almost done cooking, remove it from the heat and put it in a bowl.
- Heat oil in the same pan or wok. Add the minced garlic, sliced leeks, and broccoli. Stir fry the broccoli and leeks in a skillet for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
- In a small bowl, add the gluten free stir fry sauce ingredients. Whisk to blend them together.
- Next, add the meat back to the skillet or wok. Pour the gluten free beef and broccoli sauce over the steak and vegetables. Cook on medium-low heat for 4-5 more minutes so the sauce flavors coat the meat and vegetables.
- Serve the beef and broccoli hot over the noodles or rice!
Video
Notes
- You can use any cut of beef for this recipe. You can also substitute shrimp, chicken, or pork if you don't have beef on hand.
- Tamari and gluten free soy sauce are interchangeable.
- If you can't use coconut oil, any high-heat oil is fine.
- You can serve this with rice noodles, or over rice.
- This stir fry will keep up to 4 days in the fridge in an air-tight container.
- Wok Mei makes delicious gluten free Asian sauces.
- Many Dynasty sauces are gluten free.
- Quite a few San J Sauces are gluten free.
- You can also make your own Hoisin Sauce Recipe.
- Tamari is a wonderful wheat-free, gluten free soy sauce that is really popular in gluten free cooking. Tamari has the same flavors as soy sauce as both are made with soy. The main difference is that tamari is made without wheat.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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(*This post was updated from an older post I wrote in August 2015.)
Jeannie
2 Tbl Coconut - flakes? Thank you. This looks great!
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Jeannie, sorry for the confusion. It is for coconut aminos (or you can use a gluten free soy sauce) they are both so similar.
Amanda
Beef and broccoli is my all time favorite Chinese dish. I would not have thought of using both tamari and coconut aminos. I bet that gives that extra umami quality that I have missed when I tried making this at home. I'll be looking for those sweet potato noodles, too!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you like this. The sweet potato noodles can be hard to find if you don't have an Asian market nearby. You can also use rice noodles 🙂
Joanie
My husband and I love the flavors in this dish and have made it a few times already. We don't use any noodles, we enjoy it by itself.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you like this recipe Joanie...my kids like it over rice too 🙂