This stir-fry recipe for Keto-Friendly, Low-Carb Beef and Broccoli lets you make Chinese inspired take-out at home! This recipe is loaded with the flavors of ginger and garlic making this dish a recipe your family will enjoy again and again. Best of all, it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free.
Our Low-Carb Beef and Broccoli is loaded with the flavors of ginger and garlic. This is a recipe your family will ask for again and again.
What Chinese foods are low in carbs and keto-friendly?
Navigating a menu at a Chinese restaurant when you live a low-carb or keto lifestyle can be like walking through a mine field. It’s hard to know where carbs are hiding unless you actually make the recipe yourself.
Americanized Chinese food restaurants often serve meats that their chefs dip in carb-loaded batter, then deep fry and cover with a sweet, sugar-laden sauce.
Even if you order a menu item that isn’t deep fried, you might find that the sauce is thickened with wheat flour, corn starch or potato starch.
Many of the sauces are also very sweet due to the added sugars.
In addition, if you need to eat gluten-free, remember that most soy sauce contains gluten and chefs in Chinese-inspired restaurants lavishly use this tasty sauce.
If you must eat at a Chinese restaurant, ask if they can prepare a steamed version of the veggies or look for grilled meats and these are some of the better choices. Be sure to share any food sensitivities with your waiter.
It goes without saying that you need to pass on the rice, if you want to stay low-carb.
Personally, I find it easier to prepare my own versions of keto-friendly Chinese foods, like this low-carb beef and broccoli recipe, at home.
Disclaimer: We partner with Amazon and some of the links on this site are affiliate links which means we make a small commission from any sales to help keep the recipes coming! You do not pay any more. Thank you for your support.
How to make Keto-Friendly, Low-Carb Beef and Broccoli
This recipe is very easy to make. I steam the broccoli first to soften it. A steamer works great for this purpose.
The next step is to mix together the sauce ingredients. I stir together the soy sauce, water, sweetener, and red pepper flakes and set them aside so they are ready for later.
Next, I toss the beef strips in a bit of glucomannan. Glucomannan is a keto-friendly thickener that works great to thicken sauces. If you don’t have glucomannan, skip this step and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum over the garlic and ginger before adding the sauce mixture to the pan.
After coating the beef strips, it’s time to get the pan nice and hot. I use a nice heavy stainless steel pan for this. When the pan is hot, I add the avocado oil.
When the avocado oil is hot, I brown the beef strips in batches. Be sure you don’t overcrowd the pan, or the beef won’t brown. When each set of beef is done, I put it on a plate for later, then brown the next batch.
After all of the beef is browned, I cook the garlic and ginger until it becomes fragrant, then add the rice wine vinegar to the pan and scrape up all of the browned bits. Once the vinegar has almost evaporated, I add the sauce mixture.
I bring the sauce mixture to a simmer, and continue to scrape up any leftover browned bits. I simmer the sauce until it starts to thicken. Once it thickens a bit, stir in the browned beef, along with any juices on the plate. Add the steamed broccoli as well. I stir and simmer until the sauce reaches the desired consistency and the beef and broccoli is hot.
What goes well with Keto-Friendly, Low-Carb Beef and Broccoli?
I like to serve this keto beef and broccoli with my cauliflower fried rice. You’ll be surprised at how much this low-carb fried rice alternative tastes like the real thing!
If you enjoy a salad with your Chinese inspired dinner, I recommend drizzling some of my Low-Carb Sesame Ginger Dressing on top. Another low-carb salad option is our Low-Carb Seaweed Salad Recipe. This salad has flavors that will complement the beef and broccoli perfectly.
How to make this fast and easy recipe for Keto Beef and Broccoli even faster and easier
In a rush? No worries! You can cut a few corners with this recipe. One tip to cut the prep time is to use frozen ginger and garlic cubes. I find that the flavor of these cubes is very similar to fresh, but no chopping is required.
Another tip is to use frozen broccoli florets. Since these florets are already cut, you can skip a step. If you really need to save time, you can forgo steaming the broccoli. Instead, add the broccoli to the pan when you add the sauce mixture. While the broccoli won’t be as green and beautiful as it does when you add it at the end, it will still be delicious.
What is Glucomannan?
Glucomannan is a fiber from the Konjac root. It is the same fiber found in shirataki noodles which are often used as a pasta substitute in low-carb diets.
This powder makes an excellent low-carb and keto-friendly thickener. I find that it has very little taste and creates a better texture than some other low-carb thickeners.
At first glance, it may appear that this recipe has too many carbohydrates to be keto-friendly. However, almost all of the carbohydrates in this recipe are fiber from the glucomannan and the broccoli and so they are not absorbed and will not cause an elevation in blood sugar. In fact, the net carbohydrates per serving is only three grams.
Other keto-friendly Chinese food recipes
If you love Americanized Chinese food, you might want to also check out our recipe for Low-Carb Sesame Chicken, our recipe for Low-Carb Orange Beef, this Kung Pao Chicken from Life made Keto, or this General Tsao’s Chicken from Headbanger’s kitchen.
Our Low-Carb Beef and Broccoli is loaded with the flavors of ginger and garlic. This is a recipe your family will ask for again and again.
Low-Carb Beef and Broccoli
This stir-fry recipe for Keto-Friendly, Low-Carb Beef and Broccoli lets you make Chinese inspired take-out at home! This recipe is loaded with the flavors of ginger and garlic making this dish a recipe your family will enjoy again and again. Best of all, it's gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free.
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
- 1 pound beef top sirloin or flank steak cut into thin strips across the grain
- 1 tablespoon glucomannan*
- ⅓ cup low-sodium gluten-free soy sauce or Tamari sauce (coconut aminos may be substituted for Paleo)
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoon Besti Brown Monk Fruit/Allulose Blend (1 tablespoon Pyure baking blend may be substituted)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (coconut oil may be substituted for Paleo)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root minced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
Steam broccoli until crisp-tender.
Toss the beef strips with the glucomannan.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, water, sweetener and red pepper flakes.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the avocado oil. When the oil is hot, add part of the beef in one layer. Do not let pieces touch. Brown on the first side, then turn and cook through. Remove to a plate and repeat for the rest of the the beef.
After beef is browned and removed from the pan, add the garlic and ginger (and xanthan gum if using instead of the glucomannan). Cook, while stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add rice vinegar to the pan. Stir, scraping up browned bits. Cook until almost evaporated, then stir in the soy sauce, sweetener, water and red pepper flake mixture.
Simmer mixture, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Stir in beef and broccoli and heat through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.
Recipe Notes
*1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum may be used instead. If using xanthan gum, stir it in the oil in the pan after cooking the garlic and ginger.
This sauce is amazing, one of my favorites! Thanks for sharing a healthy version of it!
I think homemade versions are often better whether you’re looking for low carb or not, and this looks like a tasty mix.
Looks so delicious and tasty! My family is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to give this a try!
This beef and broccoli was so good! So much better than take out and I have left overs.
I love beef and broccoli – so comforting. Great for a weekend fakeaway too.
Husband loved it (and I enjoyed it also.) There was nothing left! Thank you for the easy recipe.