This Stir Fry Ground Beef and Broccoli recipe is one of my favorites for busy weeknights. Made in under 20 minutes, it’s packed with sweet sesame garlic flavor, and is a much healthier version of the classic beef and broccoli takeout. Serve it over cauliflower rice or by itself for a meal that’s fast, easy and delicious. Keto, Paelo and Whole30 too!
20–minute Weeknight Dinner
This 20-minute ground beef skillet will be a staple in your weeknight dinner schedule. It’s super easy to throw together if you’re in a hurry or if you need to satisfy a Chinese takeout craving quick!
I’m a huge fan of ground beef. It’s accessible, easy to cook with, and cheap. I think using it in this recipe is a much easier ingredient than using steak, like in a traditional beef and broccoli recipe; especially if you’re in a time crunch, or already have ground beef on hand. If you have more time I encourage you to try this paleo beef with broccoli recipe that uses a sirloin steak.
I spoon my stir-fried ground beef and broccoli over a bowl of cauliflower rice, and the combination tastes amazing. You could also serve it with white rice or some other veggies like bell peppers, sugar snap peas, or thinly sliced carrots.
A one-pan meal loaded with crispy tender broccoli, and garlicky ground beef; all with a sweet and savory stir-fry sauce. YES.
Why This Beef and Broccoli is Healthier
This ground beef and broccoli is much healthier than the classic beef and broccoli takeout. It’s made without soy sauce, brown sugar, corn syrups, and vegetable oils. These ingredients can make you feel horrible as well as give you a takeout hangover the next day.
I used these better-for-you ingredient swaps to make this recipe guilt free, but still tasty (I promise):
coconut oil – to replace the vegetable oils (also adds sweetness to the dish)
honey – to replace the brown sugar and corn syrup. The honey is totally optional (especially if you’re on a Whole30).
Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry Meal Prep
This keto ground beef and broccoli recipe is perfect for meal prep as it’s quick to make and taste delicious as leftovers. Scoop the ground beef and broccoli into one side of the meal prep container and cauliflower rice in the other half. I don’t recommend combining the two as the cauliflower rice may get mushy.
Reheat in the microwave and enjoy the leftovers! You can also freeze this ground beef and broccoli stir-fry for up to 3 months in the freezer. Place the container in the fridge overnight to thaw.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Swap the ground beef for flank steak or skirt steak. Flank steak will need about 3 minutes per side, and skirt steak about 5 minutes per side, depending on how you like your steak.
This recipe is already low-carb, but you can swap the broccoli for brussels sprouts, bell peppers, kale, spinach, or green beans. If you don’t care to make it low-carb add carrot sticks, and serve with a side of white rice.
Make it spicy by adding a pinch of red pepper flakes, and make it sweeter by adding in more honey or maple syrup.
To thicken the sauce, add 1 teaspoon of arrowroot flour or tapioca flour with 1 teaspoon of water and make a slurry. Once mixed, whisk into the sauce.
To store, wait until cooled and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
This Stir Fry Ground Beef and Broccoli recipe is one of my favorites for busy weeknights. Made in under 20 minutes, it’s packed with a sweet sesame garlic flavor, and is a much healthier version of the classic beef and broccoli takeout. Serve it over cauliflower rice or by itself for a meal that’s fast, easy and delicious. Keto, Paleo Whole30 and gluten-free too!
When the beef is finished cooking, push it to one side of the skillet and add the garlic and onions. (Add more coconut oil here if you need to) Sauté the garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add the sauce and broccoli to the skillet and stir to combine with the ground beef mixture. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook the broccoli for 3-4 minutes or until it’s tender, stirring occasionally. Serve hot over cauliflower rice and top with green onions.
I used 2 teaspoons of ground ginger for this recipe. It’s much more concentrated than fresh ginger. If you are using fresh ginger, use 2 tablespoons.
You can use frozen broccoli florets for this recipe. You can also substitute other veggies like bell peppers, sliced carrots, or sugar snap peas.
If too much of the sauce has evaporated while cooking the broccoli, add in 1/4 cup of broth to the skillet.
To cut down on cook time, prep your ingredients before starting the recipe. Chop your broccoli, onions, and mince the garlic. You can also set all the sauce ingredients out, so that they are easy to grab when needed.
We are new to paleo lifestyle. This was a great recipe that the whole family enjoyed. I like that it is a “true” 30 minute dinner. I used fresh broccoli so, I steamed it first. We preferred more broccoli. This was very flavorful.
The only confusion I have is that the picture shows sesame seeds and green onions which are not in the recipe.
Soooo good and full of flavor! My whole family including my 14 month old loved it. I used frozen broccoli since it is what I had on hand and it worked great. Don’t know the last time I’ve bothered to comment on a food blog but this was worth it! Thank you for an easy ground beef dinner! Only suggestion to anyone reading is to double it because you’ll want more. 😉
Yup. Yummy.
This stir fry is so delicious and healthy! I love the combination of broccoli and ground beef. It’s perfect for a keto or paleo diet.
Such a great recipe, full of flavour… even my picky 4 year old and 1 year old ate it all up.
★★★★★
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We are new to paleo lifestyle. This was a great recipe that the whole family enjoyed. I like that it is a “true” 30 minute dinner. I used fresh broccoli so, I steamed it first. We preferred more broccoli. This was very flavorful.
The only confusion I have is that the picture shows sesame seeds and green onions which are not in the recipe.
★★★★★
This was a great recipe! Will keep it as a staple. Now I’ll have to try more of your recipes. ❤️
★★★★★
This is delicious! I used yellow onion since I didn’t have white. I also mixed this with a little bit of rice. Im so full I wish I could eat more.
★★★★★
Soooo good and full of flavor! My whole family including my 14 month old loved it. I used frozen broccoli since it is what I had on hand and it worked great. Don’t know the last time I’ve bothered to comment on a food blog but this was worth it! Thank you for an easy ground beef dinner! Only suggestion to anyone reading is to double it because you’ll want more. 😉
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it Sarah! Thanks for taking the time to share! 🙂