30-Minute Chinese Crispy Beef
Sweet and sticky Chinese crispy beef made easy at home! This better-than-takeout recipe features perfectly crispy beef strips, coated in a sticky, tangy glaze with just the right kick. 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 restaurant-quality 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! My family devours this every time, and I bet yours will too.
⭐ Ruth, a happy reader, commented: “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!! ★★★★★”
Crispy Beef Success Tips
- Best Beef Cut: I recommend using steak quality beef, like strip-loin or top sirloin. The tenderness of the beef will maintain texture and juiciness even after the double frying. I personally like about a 3/8-inch (1 cm) thickness, but you can make it into thinner strips, like shredded beef, if you wish. It’s personal preference.
- Double Cornstarch Coating: Coating the beef in cornstarch creates a light, crispy shell that locks in moisture while allowing the surface to crisp up beautifully. I’ve found that double coating brings a better result, keeping the beef extra crunchy, even after tossing it in sauce.
- Double Shallow Frying: This recipe uses shallow frying—twice for extra crispiness. With just ¼ to ½ cup of oil, the beef stays golden, crunchy, and never soggy, even after saucing. Less oil, same crunch! The first fry sets the coating, while the second fry removes moisture and crisps up the surface.
- Fry the Beef in Small Batches to keep the oil hot. Overcrowding can steam the beef instead of frying and may cause the strips to stick together.
- Sticky Sauce: The sauce is made of combination of soy sauce, honey, sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and cornstarch. Make sure your pan is really hot so the sauce thickens quickly into a sweet, tangy, and glossy glaze that clings to the beef.
- I love adding fresh red chili for extra heat, but it’s optional. Skip it for a milder, equally delicious crispy beef!
How to make Chinese Crispy Beef
Coat the beef with cornstarch. Slice beef into thick strips about 1 cm or 3/8-inch thick (or whatever thickness you desire), and toss it with soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch; set aside.
📌 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.
Double coating with cornstarch: When the beef absorb the first coating, toss it again with a little more cornstarch to separate the pieces.
First frying. Fry the beef in small batches, shaking off excess starch first until lightly golden, then transfer to a wire rack. Keep the oil at 350˚F (175˚C) for the best crispiness
📌 Smart Tip: Before the second fry, skim out any burnt bits with a fine mesh skimmer to keep the oil clean and prevent bitterness.
Second frying. Fry the beef again until deep brown and crispy. Strain and transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate.
Heat veggies and sauce. Wipe the excess oil, leaving 1 tablespoon in the skillet. Stir-fry carrot, green onion, and chili (if using) briefly, then add the sauce—it should bubble instantly.
Return the beef and coat. Once the sauce thickens into a sticky glaze, add the beef and toss to coat evenly.
Serve. Sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds. Serve it up hot with rice—trust me, it’s best fresh! If you want a balanced meal, pair it with stir-fried veggies like my garlicy choy sum or a cool, crunchy cucumber salad.
More Chinese Takeout Recipes to Try
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30-Minute Chinese Crispy Beef
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb (340 g) top sirloin or strip-loin steak, 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.
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)