30-Minute Chinese Crispy Beef
Sweet and sticky Chinese crispy beef made easy at home! These crispy beef strips are coated in a tangy, glossy glaze with just the right kick—better than your favorite takeout, and ready in 30 minutes!
Craving that ultra-crispy, sweet, and spicy Chinese crispy beef from your favorite takeout spot? You know, the one with perfectly golden, crunchy strips coated in a glossy, tangy sauce with just the right kick from red chilies?
Yeah, that one. But sometimes restaurant versions can be a little…meh. Soggy, overly sweet, or just not crispy enough.
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You can make fabulous crispy beef at home—and it’s shockingly easy! With this tried-and-true recipe, you’ll get shatteringly crispy beef (yes, even after adding the sauce) in just 30 minutes.
No more takeout letdowns—just crispy, caramelized, flavor-packed Chinese crispy beef made fresh! The double-fry technique locks in that juicy beef and keeps the crust ultra-crispy, even after it’s glazed in that sweet, tangy sauce.
My family devours this every time, and I bet yours will too. If you’re craving something similar but with a Korean tweak, check out my Crispy Orange Beef. It’s just as crispy, with that same sticky glaze. So good!
Here’s What You’ll Need
A note on ingredients:
- Best Beef Cut: I recommend using steak-quality beef, like strip-loin or top sirloin (I use strip-loin). These cuts stay tender and juicy even after double frying. I prefer slices about 3/8-inch (1 cm) thick, but you can make them thinner, like shredded beef, if you prefer—it’s all about personal taste!
- Fresh Red Chili: If you like a bit of heat, fresh chili really brightens up the dish. I suggest milder varieties like finger-long chili so they don’t overpower the sweet, tangy glaze.
- Carrot and Green Onion: These veggies add a fresh, crunchy element without taking away from the crispy beef. I recommend shredding the carrot to match the beef’s texture.
- Sweet Chili Sauce: This ingredient adds a layer of flavor that soy sauce, vinegar, and honey alone can’t provide. Any bottled sweet chili sauce works, but I prefer Thai versions for their balanced sweet and spicy notes.
How to Make Chinese Crispy Beef
Coat the beef: Slice the beef into 3/8-inch (1 cm) strips against the grain for tenderness. Toss with soy sauce and 2 tablespoon cornstarch. Let it sit for a few minutes to absorb, then toss again with a bit more cornstarch to ensure each piece is well coated.
Helpful Tip: Cut the beef against the grain to keep it tender and easy to chew (this prevents it from turning tough after frying).
Make the sauce: Whisk the sauce ingredients together and set aside. When the beef absorb the first coating, toss it again with a little more cornstarch to separate the pieces.
First fry: Heat oil in a skillet and fry the beef in small batches until lightly golden. Drain on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. Skim out any burnt bits with a fine mesh skimmer to keep the oil clean and prevent bitterness.
Second fry: Fry the beef again until deep brown and crispy.
Stir-fry the veggies and sauce: Wipe out excess oil, leaving 1 tablespoon. Stir-fry carrot, green onion, and optional chili briefly. Add the sauce—it should bubble immediately and thicken in seconds.
Finish and serve: Return the crispy beef to the pan and toss until evenly coated in the sticky sauce. Serve hot with rice. If you want a balanced meal, pair it with stir-fried veggies like my garlicy choy sum or a stir-fried bok choy.
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30-Minute Chinese Crispy Beef
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb (340 g) Strip-loin or top sirloin teak, cut into 3/8-inch strips against grain
- 2 tsp soy sauce, low sodium
- 5 tbsp cornstarch, divided
- 1/2 carrot, thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 2-3 green onion, sliced
- 2 fresh red chili, seeded and sliced, optional
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup (60-120 ml) oil, for frying
For sweet tangy sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Equipment
Instructions
- Toss beef strips with 2 teaspoon soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch; set aside.
- To make the sauce, combine soy sauce, honey, sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and starch in a small mixing bowl; mix well and set aside.
- Coat the beef again with the remaining cornstarch to ensure it is thoroughly coated.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat until hot (about 350˚F, 170˚C). Add a small batch of beef strips, shaking off the excess starch, and shallow fry until lightly golden; about 1-2 minutes. Remove the beef strips using a metal wire strainer and place on a wired rack or a plate lined with a paper towel. Repeat with the next batch.
- Note: If you put too many beef strips at once, they might stick to each other and you will end up with a giant ball of meat instead of small bite-sized strips. Doing small batches is key for a successful deep fry for this recipe.
- Once the first-fry is completed, do the second-fry (again in small batches) until the beef turns deep brown and crispy, about 1 minute. Strain the beef with a metal strainer and transfer onto a wired rack.
- Wipe the extra oil off the skillet, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind. Add shredded carrot and stir-fry for 1 minute until slightly soft. Add green onion and chili (if using) and stir for 10 seconds.
- Pour the reserved sauce mixture in a skillet. It should bubble right away. When the sauce is reduced and thickened to a sticky glaze (about 5-10 seconds), return the beef strips and toss together to coat evenly.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if you wish. Serve the crispy beef immediately with rice.
Notes
- If using skirt steak or a tougher cut, slice it thinly like shredded beef for a more tender texture. Thick slices can turn chewy, while thinner strips cook faster and stay tender.
- Want variety? Swap the beef for chicken or pork—it works just as well!
- Storage: Let the beef cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: To keep it crispy, reheat in an air fryer (350°F for 3-5 minutes) or in a hot skillet over medium heat. Avoid microwaving, as it can make the beef soggy. If needed, add a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
WOW this is a great recipe! We’ve made it twice now, both times used porterhouse steak (which I saved and roasted the bones and made lovely broth with). It’s a splurge but so tasty and we feel expert chefs making it. I do the prep and husband does the cooking and we both rave about it.
It’s a relatively simple recipe, using ingredients we usually have on hand other than the beef, it goes together fast and tastes wonderful, restaurant quality dinner. I serve w/teriyaki noodles as we have a relative living with us who dislikes rice-I know it would be better with rice but the noodles are fine too as a side to serve over.
I may increase the carrots or even add some slivered red pepper next time.
Don’t skip the hot pepper folks! This is a dish that likes heat. Thank you for a clear recipe and the video is very helpful the first time through.
So happy to hear they turned out well for you. Thank you for sharing your experience making this crispy beef. I appreciate your comment.
New foodie, reinvented during Covid to save my sanity. This dish is definitely a do over! Delicious!
For the crispy beef, I’m using sirloin beef. Do you recommend marinating it with baking soda, soy sauce and sesame oil so it’s tender before I follow your recipe?
You can add a tiny bit of baking soda if you like. Hope you enjoy this crispy beef. Thanks.
Thanks for the quick response. What I omitted in my question was if I can marinate the meat overnight with ingredients I mentioned
You can marinate the meat overnight, but in that case, I would not add baking soda, as it will break down the muscle fibers too much resulting in a mushy texture.
Delicious, thank you
Omg fabulous, easily as good as any crispy beef I’ve had in a restaurant. I had to stop myself from eating the whole dish.
Looks so delicious; will make this ASAP. One question: When you use the fat skimmer to collect any deep-fried burnt particles floating in the skillet, do you add them back to sauce later, or just discard them? Thank you,
Patrick
Discard the burnt particles. No need to add to the sauce.
OMG! This is my new signature dish. I absolutely loved it and so did my family. They said it was better than our favourite Chinese restaurant version. Wow!!
Absolutely loved this dish. The only change I would make is to slice the beef thinner than 3/8″ so it crisps up better.
The flavors were amazing. I always said I couldn’t cook chinese food, but now I know differently!
Awesome! So happy to hear that you loved this dish. Slicing beef thinner would be great and it will make the beef crispy quicker. Thanks for sharing your comment!
Made it and it tasted great, but the beef didn’t stay crispy. And suggestions?
Thanks
Hi Chris
Thanks for trying this recipe. I’m glad that you liked it.
A few tips: Make sure to coat the beef with cornstarch throughly. Oil should be hot. Don’t crowd the skillet with too much beef at once (frying in batches recommended). Make sure to deep-fry twice, Make sure the sauce is well thicken before you add the beef. After beef is added, a quick toss is all you need. Enjoy the dish right away while hot. Once cooled, it won’t be as crisp. Hope these tips help. Thank you.
Sooooooo gooood. Adder som Szechuan Peppers.
Haven’t made this yet as I just got the recipe in my inbox. But everything I’ve made from this site has been delicious and easy to follow. Love your cookbook as well.
Hi Kim
I am so happy to hear that you like my recipes. I hope you can try this crispy beef soon. It’s really tasty and won’t disappoint you. Thanks for the comment. You made my day!!!
I love this recipe! It was so good and will be in my rotation from now on.
Love Holly’s Recipes. Currently looking for recipes low in salt and especially low in potassium for transplant patients post surgery, and for heart patients. My friend is a successful liver transplant patent 1-1/2 years after, but has to watch potassium and sodium. Any help, Thank you!
Hi Thomas
Thanks for your comment.
If you are looking for low sodium dishes, I would definitely avoid kimchi or anything with kimchi in it. Other than that, you can adjust the amount of sodium by decreasing the soy sauce, fish sauce or salt in the recipes.
For low potassium dishes, any tofu dishes would work great. Make sure to use less amount of soy sauce, to meet your need.
A few recipes I can recommend you trying are;
Devil’s chicken (https://www.beyondkimchee.com/devils-chicken/)
Stir-fried rice and eggs (https://www.beyondkimchee.com/stir-fried-rice-cakes-and-eggs-gluten-free/)
kimbap (https://www.beyondkimchee.com/kimbap/) – use less seasoning in both rice and vegetables
Mandu (https://www.beyondkimchee.com/mandu-korean-dumplings/) – use less seasoning and avoid the dipping sauce (or dilute with water)