Beef Chop Suey
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Beef Chop Suey is hearty, delicious, and easy to make from scratch — even the sauce! From start to finish, you’ll have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. Plus, this homemade version is even better than takeout, and you can customize it with whatever veggies are in your fridge!
Beef Chop Suey
This Chinese-American dish is a favorite for takeout, but it’s so easy to make it yourself! Especially when it’s ready in about 20 minutes, including prep time.
Since it’s a type of stir fry, you’ll cook chop suey beef with plenty of veggies over high heat to get the perfect tender-crisp texture.
But what ties it all together is that thick, luscious sauce! It’s got all five tastes — salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami— in one delicious mix, which is a trademark of Asian cuisine.
Speaking of takeout, I have plenty of dishes you can make at home to save some money.
Whether it’s orange chicken or broccoli beef from Panda, or chicken lettuce wraps from PF Chang’s, you can enjoy your favorites while staying in your pajamas. Score!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Steak – There are several different cuts you can use, depending on your budget and what’s available.
Sirloin or ribeye are my top picks, but rump or chuck steak are good too. Make sure you grab steak and not roast, as they are prepared differently. - Cornstarch – Coating meat, especially beef, in cornstarch is an Asian cooking technique called velveting.
It makes the meat super tender and helps lock in all those yummy juices! - Avocado Oil – We’re using high heat for this beef chop suey recipe, so we need a high smoke point oil that won’t burn or turn bitter.
Canola or vegetable oil are good alternatives, but I like the flavor of avocado better. - Veggies – Grab bags of broccoli florets and matchstick carrots from the salad section to save some prep time, but you’ll need to slice the onion, red bell pepper, and baby bella mushrooms yourself.
You’ll also need snow peas, not be confused with snap peas, which are thin and flat. They’re usually found near the herbs or specialty veggies in the produce sections. - Water Chestnuts & Bean Sprouts – Both of these are canned and should be drained well. They add a nice crunch to chop suey beef!
- Beef Chop Suey Sauce – Mix together beef stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and sesame oil for a quick, homemade sauce.
I like to add cornstarch to this too so it thickens as soon as it hits the pan.
Tips and Tricks to Make Perfect Chop Suey with Beef
- Use the right pan.
This is not the dish for coated nonstick skillets — you need something that can get nice and hot for a great sear on the beef.
Cast iron is my top pick because you get the best of both worlds, with a wok being a close second.
Stainless steel is great for searing, but you might end up with more food stuck to the pan than you’d like.
- Add ingredients in a specific order.
Start by cooking the steak first. If there are other ingredients, or if the pan is too crowded, it will steam instead of sear.
Most of the veggies can go in next, but you’ll want to add the snow peas at the very end so they stay crisp.
Add the garlic, bean sprouts, and water chestnuts just a minute before stirring in the sauce so they don’t burn or get mushy.
Because this dish moves fast, I highly recommend having all your ingredients prepped and ready to go so you can grab what you need when you need it!
- Get creative with ingredients and flavors.
You can easily add other vegetables to this beef chop suey recipe! The meat and the sauce are the stars, so it’s a great opportunity to swap in your favorites or clean out your fridge.
Zucchini, asparagus, celery, savoy cabbage, or different types of mushrooms would all be tasty. Heck, you could even load up the veggies and leave out the beef for a vegetarian version!
As far as the sauce goes, feel free to adjust the amounts — add a little more soy sauce for more bite, or include an extra tablespoon of honey to make it sweeter.
Prep Ahead
- Make the sauce
- Slice and chop veggies
- Coat steak in cornstarch
- Drain canned ingredients
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Large Skillet (cast iron) or a Wok for the best sear on your beef chopped suey.
- Mixing Bowls – I like to have a variety of sizes on hand, and this set has them all.
- Quality Knives and a big solid Cutting Board make prepping a breeze and are well worth the investment.
- A Mandolin Slicer can make it easier to cut julienne carrots!
- Wood Turner – My most used spoon or spatula in my kitchen! It’s amazing for sauteing vegetables and browning meat.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this dish as is, or spoon it over freshly cooked white rice for a hearty meal!
Sometimes I’ll even make fried rice or sesame scallion rice to really amp up the Asian flavors.
While not traditional, this stir fry is tasty with lo mein noodles or zoodles too. You may want to increase the sauce amounts in that case.
For the full takeout experience, you can’t go wrong with potstickers, spring rolls, or crab rangoon!
Storing and Reheating Beef Chopped Suey
Allow leftovers to cool, then transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
The veggies will start to lose their crispiness over time, but the dish will still be delicious! Reheat beef chopped suey in a hot skillet on the stove for the best texture.
You can also warm individual portions in the microwave, but be sure to spread the food out on the plate so it heats evenly.
Beef Chop Suey Recipe FAQ
Chop suey is typically served with rice, while chow mein is a noodle-based dish.
You’ll also find that most chop suey recipes feature a thicker, gravy-like sauce that coats all of the ingredients, while the chow mein has a thinner sauce that is soaked up by the noodles.
Always slice against the grain for extra tender bites. Not sure what that means? Don’t worry, I’ll explain!
Look for the lines that run through the meat all in the same direction — those show you the direction of the muscle fibers. Those fibers can be tough, so you want to shorten them to make chewing easier.
Whichever those lines are running, you’re going to cut across them to break the fibers into smaller sections. And that’s how you cut against the grain!
You can certainly slice the veggies and meat and make the sauce in advance, but it’s best to cook beef chop suey fresh for the best texture.
The longer the veggies sit in the sauce, the softer they will get, and you really want them to be tender-crisp!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Beef Chop Suey
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef stock, I use Kitchen Basics
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/8 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Beef Chop Suey Ingredients
- 1 pound beef steak, cubed (rump, chuck, sirloin, or ribeye)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 5 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, sliced
- 1 cup red bell pepper, sliced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 8 ounce can chestnuts, drained
- 1 cup bean sprouts, drained
- 1 cup snow peas
Instructions
- In a small bowl add the sauce ingredients. Mix until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add the steak and cornstarch. Toss until the steak is coated. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. In 2-3 minutes the oil will be hot and you can add the steak.
- Cook the steak for 3 to 5 minutes. Add an additional tablespoon of oil throughout cooking. Once cooked transfer the steak to a bowl.
- Turn the heat down to medium.
- To the skillet add 2 tablespoons of oil, carrots, broccoli, yellow onion, red bell pepper, and baby bella mushrooms. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the vegetables are a little softer. You still want to have some crunch.
- To the skillet add the garlic, chestnuts, and bean sprouts. Stir for 1 minute.
- To the skillet add the sauce. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce is thicker. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to get all the little bits off the pan. Taste to see if salt or / and more honey are needed.
- Transfer the steak to the skillet. Toss until the steak is fully coated.
- Add the snow peas. Toss until everything is coated in the sauce.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published December 2024
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