Make take-out in your own kitchen with our Orange Beef – Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe! Unlike most take-out, this recipe can work for low-carb, keto, Atkins, diabetic, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and Banting diets. 

Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe served on a plate with oranges in a bowl.

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Our recipe for orange beef will satisfy that craving for Chinese take-out, without adding loads of carbs to your diet. Even though it’s made from scratch, it doesn’t take long to make at all–In less than thirty minutes you have an awesome meal.

Working on a recipe for low-carb Chinese food was not an easy undertaking. Many recipes take lots of preprepared ingredients which are loaded with sugars, MSG and other additives. I did find this recipe for Mongolian Beef which, while not low-carb, used real ingredients. Using this recipe as a starting point, I took out the carbs where I could and over several trials transformed it into my recipe for orange beef. 

Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe overhead image.

The final recipe turned out better than I had even hoped for. Deliciously browned steak is coated with a thick, sticky sauce. The sauce has that sweet, but savory flavor. Soy sauce, ginger and garlic compliment the sweetness of the orange sauce. A bit of red pepper flakes adds a kick to make this recipe one your family will ask for again and again.

As with any tasty Chinese take-out, one thing that makes this sauce addictive is its saltiness. I love salt. I also am recovering from adrenal fatigue, so I find a good dose of salt makes me feel better. The salt in this recipe comes from the salt level in the soy sauce. I don’t use any additional salt.

Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe served on a plate.

I know that not everyone likes salt quite as much as I do. I also know that some have been told by their doctors to stay away from salt. If you’re one of those people, consider yourself warned. To decrease the saltiness, feel free to decrease the low-sodium soy sauce to 3 tablespoons and increase the water an extra tablespoon. This should lower the salt level without decreasing the flavor too much.

Our Orange Beef – Low Carb Chinese Food Recipe makes a delicious low-carb alternative to Chinese take-out. Serve it with cauliflower rice sautéed in a bit of butter or our Easy Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe. It would also be perfectly fine to serve it over steamed broccoli or simply with a side salad. I hope you love this dish as much as my family does! Enjoy!

Annissa

Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe on a plate with orange slice garnish.
5 from 3 votes
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Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe

Make take-out in your own kitchen with our Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe! Unlike most take-out, this recipe can work for low-carb, keto, Atkins, diabetic, gluten-free, grain-free and Banting diets.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese, low-carb
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Author Annissa Slusher

Ingredients

  • 1 pound beef top sirloin cut into thin strips across the grain
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium gluten-free soy sauce or Tamari sauce (coconut aminos may be substituted for Paleo)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon granulated stevia/erythritol blend (honey may be substituted for Paleo)
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons butter quantity separated (coconut oil may be substituted for Paleo)
  • 2 medium green onions thinly sliced, with white and green parts separated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest cut into thin strips
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Instructions

  1. Place beef strips in a single layer on a paper towel. Cover with another paper towel and pat to dry thoroughly. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, water, sweetener and red pepper flakes. 

    Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe-dissolving sweetener in soy sauce.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add one tablespoon butter (reserving the second tablespoon of butter for later). When butter has melted and stopped foaming, 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.

    Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe-browning the beef.
  3. Continuing over medium high heat, melt reserved butter in the same skillet used for the beef. When melted, stir in the white part of the green onions, ginger root, and orange zest. Cook a few minutes, until fragrant. Stir in garlic and xanthan gum. Cook for about 30 seconds more.

    Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe-sauteeing the green onions, ginger and orange zest.
  4. 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.

  5. Simmer mixture, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Stir in beef and heat through.

    Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe-adding beef back into the pan.
  6. Mix in green portion of the green onions just before serving

    Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe with green onion stirred in.

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1/4 of the recipe (about 4 ounces)

Per serving:

Calories: 337

Fat (g): 20

Carbs (g): 4

Fiber (g): 1

Protein (g): 32

Net carbs (g): 3

Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe served on a plate with chopsticks.

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