Name: Beef and Broccoli
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3/4 pound flank steak, sliced into 1/4 inch thick strips ((Note 1)); 4 cups broccoli florets ((Note 2)); 1/2 cup beef broth; 1 tablespoon corn starch ((Note 3)); 1 tablespoon cooking oil; 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce; 3 tablespoons swerve sweetener

Summary:

This is a low carb version of the popular beef and broccoli stir fry. Tender slices of beef are briefly seared, then combined with broccoli and coated with a bold savory sauce. This flavor-packed dish pairs well with a side of plain fried cauliflower rice.

Beef and Broccoli

5 from 21 votes

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Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 25 mins

Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

▢ 3/4 pound flank steak, sliced into 1/4 inch thick strips (Note 1)
▢ 4 cups broccoli florets (Note 2)
▢ 1/2 cup beef broth
▢ 1 tablespoon corn starch (Note 3)
▢ 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Sauce:

▢ 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (Note 4)
▢ 3 tablespoons swerve sweetener (Note 5)

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown Beef: Toss sliced beef in large bowl with corn starch until well-coated; set aside. Heat oil in pan over medium heat for a few minutes or until hot. Add sliced beef and cook until browned (Note 6), less than 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer beef to plate.
Cook Broccoli: Add broccoli florets and beef broth to now-empty pan. Stirring occasionally, simmer until broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, proceed to next step to prepare sauce.
Make Sauce: Add all sauce ingredients to saucepan. Stir together over medium-low heat until starting to simmer, about 5 minutes. Keep sauce warm over low heat while waiting for broccoli to cook.
Finish & Serve: Once broccoli is tender, return beef to pan and pour sauce on top. Stir until everything is coated with sauce. Bring to simmer and cook for a few minutes. Serve (Note 7).

NUTRITION

Makes 2 Servings

Amount Per Serving:

Calories 410 (40% from fat)
Total Fat 18g	28%
Saturated Fat 5g	26%
Cholesterol 109mg	36%
Sodium 1620mg	68%
Net Carb 11.5g
Total Carb 14g (Note 8)	5%
Dietary Fiber 2.5g	9%
Sugars 5g
Protein 42g

Vitamin A 58% · Vitamin C 151% · Calcium 7% · Iron 18%

PHOTOS

step by step on making beef and broccoli

beef and broccoli in pan with wooden spoon

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Beef. Use flank steak, thinly sliced to 1/4-inch thickness or thinner. The thinner the beef, the more tender it will be, and the less time it will take to sear on the stovetop. Slice against the grain by identifying long muscle fibers and slicing perpendicular to them, which means less work for your teeth and more tender beef.

(2) Broccoli. About 7 ounces weight. You can cut florets from a head of broccoli, or you can buy a bag of pre-cut raw florets located in the refrigerated produce section of many U.S. grocery stores. I recommend cutting the florets into smaller pieces (no larger than 2 inches) so that they cook quickly. I use fresh florets, but frozen should be fine — you may need to cook them longer to simmer off excess liquid.

(3) Corn Starch. Corn starch is primarily used to tenderize the beef, and has an added effect of providing a nice glossy finish to the sauce. I don’t recommend substituting with xanthan gum, which doesn’t have the same tenderizing effect and often turns sauces into an unappetizing gooey mess. One tablespoon of corn starch has 7 grams of net carbs for the whole recipe, or 3.5 grams per serving.

(4) Soy Sauce. I use low sodium soy sauce by brands like Kikkoman or Trader Joe’s. Avoid regular soy sauce, which will be too salty. “Light soy sauce” refers to color and is not the same as “low sodium soy sauce.” If you follow a paleo, whole30, or gluten-free diet, substitute with coconut aminos.

(5) Sweetener. If you’re using Swerve or any other sweetener that measures the same as regular sugar, use 3 tablespoons granulated. If you’re using erythritol, which is less sweet, use 1/4 cup granulated. For all other sweeteners, add to taste when making the sauce.

(6) Cooking Beef. Just a quick sear is all that’s needed until they’re nicely browned; don’t overcook or else the beef will be tough.

(7) Serving. Serve beef and broccoli, drizzling sauce on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pair with cooked cauliflower rice. I use a bag of pre-riced cauliflower, available in the produce section of U.S. grocery stores, and cook it in a skillet with some oil until tender.

(8) Carbs. The nutrition calculation assumes you are using Swerve or a similar erythritol-based sweetener that uses sugar alcohols, whose carbs are non-impact and therefore not included in the nutrition estimate. Apps that count sugar alcohols will show a higher number of carbs.

(9) Instant Pot Version. If you prefer using your pressure cooker, check out Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli, which is a similar recipe that uses boneless beef chuck instead of flank steak.

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Kelly K

Added some garlic, ginger and red peppers. Delish! Thank you for this recipe!

Kathy Memcaj

We loved this recipe. Made it exactly, and the taste was great using powdered Swerve. It’s a keeper for our Keto diet!

Jenn

Loved the recipe! Wish I had doubled it!

Stacey

Does the nutrition facts include the cauliflower rice?

Julia

No, it does not. The nutrition facts only include the items listed in the Ingredients section.

Lisa

Amazing recipe my kids loved it!!!

Marie M.

Delicious! I added a sprinkle of ginger. Super easy recipe! Thank you!

Susan

I really have to watch my sodium, any suggestions? This recipe with low sodium soy sauce is still too high in sodium for me.

Most of the sodium in this recipe comes from the beef stock and the soy sauce, both of which vary A LOT from brand to brand in terms of their sodium content. The nutrition provided here is only an estimate based on the brands that I personally used, and this could be very different for you. Since sodium restriction is important to you, I suggest looking at the various brands available at your supermarket (including those for soy sauce substitutes like coconut aminos and tamari sauce) and selecting those with lowest sodium according to their nutrition labels.

Dannis

I will be making this tonight. It sounds wonderful! If I only have frozen cauliflower rice, would that work??

I haven’t tried preparing fried cauliflower rice from frozen, but I expect it would work fine. Might need to saute longer to get rid of excess moisture as it thaws and cooks.

Jessica

I made this last night and didn’t change anything. It was amazing! I love how the fried cauliflower rice tastes very similar to real rice. I couldn’t taste cauliflower at all, especially with the sauce on it. Thanks!!

Cheryl N.

This recipe was absolutely delicious!!! Whole family loved it!

Janine

How much will it affect the taste, if I leave out the artificial sweetener? I have an allergy to artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols.

Julia B

Made it tonight after seeing this recipe! I used arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch and it worked fine. My hubby loved it.( Went for seconds!) We agreed, mushrooms would be a nice addition. I am thinking pea pods would be yummy too!😊

karen Hodges

we had this for dinner last night and it was fast and it was delicious!! thank you

Claudia Claudio

Hey I want to try this recipe but don’t want to use cornstarch so it can be less carbs, have you tried Xanthan gum in place of cornstarch for this recipe?

Corn starch is mainly used in this recipe to tenderize the beef; replacing it with xanthan gum doesn’t have the same effect. You are probably thinking of cases where xanthan gum can replace corn starch to thicken a sauce, but that’s not the situation here. The problem with skipping or replacing corn starch is that you might end up with tough tasting beef.

I used xantham gum when I made it and the texture was a little gooey. The flavor was still amazing and the beef was very tender but I’ll definitely be using corn starch next time.

Ailsa

I loved it! I made a double batch and it came out a tad bit too salty so I’ll use less soy sauce next time. Thanks for the great recipe!

Are you using low or reduced sodium soy sauce (not the same as “light soy sauce”)? If you only have regular soy sauce, try mixing 50/50 regular soy sauce and water for the same effect.

Deb Ozment

I used less sweetener. I also used venison and onions. It turned out delicious!!

Michelle Erwin

Hi so instead of the erythritol because I can’t find that where I’m at can the granular swerve work ?

Yes, Swerve will work. It’s sweeter than erythritol, so add less or add to taste.

Jessica Rappaport

Hi! I tried the earlier version of this recipe that wasn’t low carb and it was amazing! I later found this recipe and I was just curious about the removal of the garlic and the cornstarch from the sauce. Is there a reason why?/how does the end result differ in this recipe. (Other recipe can be found here, https://www.savorytooth.com/beef-broccoli/ )

I removed corn starch from the sauce to reduce carbs for this low carb version. The garlic is more of a personal preference. I think the end result is pretty similar, with the original (high carb) version being a bit richer in flavor.

Karla

This is my favorite recipe since starting KETO. Thank you SO much for sharing!

Cathy

I made this tonight but used venison instead of flank steak and it was better than the chinese resturants! I will make it again, thinking about maybe adding some mushrooms. My boyfriend loved it! Thanks so much for posting it.

Adding mushrooms is a fantastic idea. Hope you get to make this again soon!

Jackie Combs

I made this last night. I added two tablespoons of garlic to the brocolli and 1 – 2 tablespoons of grated ginger the meat while cooking. Cooking the brocolli with the sauce for 10 minutes left the brocolli limp. I like my brocolli crisp for dish. Served over pan roasted grated cauliflower rice.

Thanks for the feedback! Depending on your stovetop, pan, and size of broccoli florets, you pan need to simmer longer or shorter than the time estimate in the recipe until the broccoli is tender.

Raquel P.

Loved it! I added onions and mushrooms and sesame seeds!

Michele

Delicious! Just made this. So easy. Very few ingredients. Quick and so flavorful. I was really surprised actually. I didn’t use any sweetener, artificial or otherwise. I can’t wait to make this again. Perfect!!

Thank you for your feedback, Michele! Good to know the sweetener is optional and not needed. Hope you get to make it again soon!

Jenna

YUMMY! I can’t wait to make it for the 3rd time. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Annette Felts

Hands down the best Beef and Broccoli we’ve ever had – better than any restaurant! Made it last week and my husband and I can’t stop thinking about it. Going to try the instant pot version next.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry