Sticky, sweet, crispy, and tangy, this orange beef recipe is full of complex flavors that pack a punch and wonderful textures. Made with fresh everyday ingredients, you can make this recipe at home in a few simple steps. Tender pieces of sliced beef shallow fried and then coated in a sticky and flavorful sauce, it’ll disappear quickly from the dinner table!
I love making take-out inspired recipes at home. This recipe comes together much faster than driving out to pick up the take-out, and you get to enjoy the orange beef while it’s still hot and crispy. Try my sweet and sour shrimp recipe or Instant Pot cashew chicken recipe if you're craving more Chinese-inspired takeout recipes at home.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Beef — I use flank steak, but you can also use sirloin steaks, strip steak, or ribeye.
- Cornstarch — coating the beef in cornstarch helps gives it a crispy exterior when it fries. It also helps prevent the steak from cooking too quickly and overcooking.
- Sauce ingredients — you’ll need orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar for the sauce for orange beef.
- Garlic and ginger — using fresh garlic and ginger makes all the difference in this recipe! It adds so much flavor to the dish. They are much more flavorful and aromatic than dried garlic and ginger powder.
How to Make Orange Beef
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add the beef and cornstarch, and toss to coat. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar to make the sauce.
Step 3: Add the vegetable oil to a large work (or deep pan) over medium heat.
Step 4: Fry the beef in batches until it has turned golden and crispy. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 5: In the same pan, add garlic and ginger. Saute only until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 6: Mix a ¼ tsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp of the sauce mixture in a small bowl and whisk until smooth to make the thickener. Add the sauce mixture to the pan and cook until it has reduced by half. Slowly whisk in the slurry thickener. Add the beef to the pan and toss to combine. Serve with steamed white rice and broccoli, and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
Tips For This Recipe
- Make sure to slice the steak against the grain, so the beef stays tender.
- Careful not to overcook the steak in the oil as it’ll become tough.
- When frying the beef, do not overcrowd the pan. If you add too much meat to the skillet, it’ll steam and end up gummy instead of crisping up.
- Add some heat to the orange beef by mixing some red pepper flakes or sliced bird's eye chili into the sauce.
- If you are having difficulties slicing the beef thinly, place the steak in the freezer for a few minutes to help firm it up for slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover orange beef in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. You can reheat the beef in the microwave, but you can keep it crispy if you reheat it in an air fryer or toaster oven.
I like to keep dinner simple by serving the beef with broccoli and rice, but you can also serve it with my air fryer brussels sprouts, mushroom rice, and air fryer green beans.
You can use bottled orange juice without pulp if you prefer. However, this recipe requires orange zest (which adds a ton of flavor), so you’ll need a fresh orange anyways.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this Orange Beef Recipe, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Orange Beef
Ingredients
- ½ lb flank steak cut into strips about 2” long
- 2 tsp corn starch
- ¼ orange juice fresh squeezed
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or avocado oil for frying
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
To Garnish:
- sliced green onions
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the beef and cornstarch, toss to coat. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- While the beef is in the refrigerator, make the sauce: whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar.
- Add the vegetable oil to a large work (or deep pan) over medium heat.
- Fry the beef in batches until it has turned golden and crispy. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
- In the same pan add the garlic and ginger. Saute only until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- To make a slurry (to help thicken the sauce), in a small bowl mix a ¼ tsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp of the sauce mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Add the sauce mixture to the pan and cook until it has reduced by half. Slowly whisk in the slurry thickener. Add the beef to the pan and toss to combine.
- Serve with steamed white rice and broccoli, garnish scallions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Make sure to slice the steak against the grain, so the beef stays tender.
- Careful not to overcook the steak in the oil as it’ll become tough.
- When frying the beef, do not overcrowd the pan. If you add too much meat to the skillet, it’ll steam and end up gummy instead of crisping up.
- Add some heat to the recipe by mixing some red pepper flakes or sliced bird's eye chili into the sauce.
- If you are having difficulties slicing the beef thinly, place the steak in the freezer for a few minutes to help firm it up for slicing.
Made this tonight and it was so good. Subbed coconut aminos for the tamari, otherwise followed recipe exactly. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome, so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Looks yummy. How much garlic do you add?
Hi Jen- Add 2 cloves of garlic. Sorry for the delay!