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This easy Kung Pao Beef is a simple, homemade version of a classic take-out dish. The juicy flank steak is cooked in a rich and savory sauce with crisp bell peppers and crunchy roasted peanuts for an incredible blend of flavors. Serve this delicious meat and veggie stir fry on its own or with a side of rice or noodles for a total meal.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

It’s full of incredible, intense flavors! There’s a little heat from the dried red Thai chiles, but it’s balanced beautifully by the sweet and savory sauce, the juicy steak, and the mild bell peppers.
Kung pao beef is super easy to make, and super easy to make your own! One of my favorite things about recreating my favorite restaurant meals at home is that I can control what goes into them and how much of each ingredient I use, so I know it’ll taste just the way I like it. This recipe may not use all the same ingredients as an authentic kung pao beef, but it’s a convincing, easy-to-make, at-home version that’s absolutely delicious.
You can enjoy this beef dish on its own or with simple sides, like fried rice, white rice, or noodles. If you’re watching your carbs, use palmini pasta or cauliflower fried rice.
Make this kung pao beef ahead of time for your weekly meal prep! Leftovers will keep for 5 days as long as you refrigerate them in an airtight container. Reheat it in a large skillet over low heat until warmed through.

Key Ingredients

Flank Steak – We love flank steak recipes around here! The trick to really, really incredible steak in your kung pao beef is cornstarch. Yup! The strips of steak are lightly coated in cornstarch, both to tenderize the meat and to protect it from the heat of the skillet. This step helps the steak stay really tender and juicy, so don’t skip it!

Chinese Black Vinegar – This inky black vinegar is a little sweet and a little smokey. You may be able to find it in your grocery store or international market, or you can order it online. Just be sure to look for unsweetened Chinese black vinegar – it might be labelled Chinkiang vinegar or Zhenjiang vinegar. If you can’t find Chinese black vinegar, you can substitute an equal amount of rice wine vinegar or even plain white vinegar, though the flavors won’t be quite the same.

Dried Red Thai Chiles – If you’re very heat sensitive, cook with the red Thai chiles, but don’t actually eat them. Just remove them from the kung pao beef mixture right before you serve it. That way you get their flavor without the intensity of eating the actual pepper. You can also cut the number of chiles you use from 6 down to 3 or 4.

Chef’s Tips

Using a very sharp knife, cut your steak against the grain (meaning perpendicular to the muscle fibers running through the meat) to prevent it from being tough and chewy. Cutting the steak while it’s cold may make it easier to cut.
You can use other veggies in your stir fry if you want! Snap peas, broccoli, onion, or even asparagus would go well in kung pao beef.
Not a big steak fan? You could also use chicken, for an easy at-home kung pao chicken.
The actual cooking process goes pretty quickly, so don’t wander away from the stove! I like to make sure I start my sides ahead of time so I’m not waiting on anything once the kung pao beef is ready.