If you are craving low carb Chinese food, this paleo, keto Mongolian Beef is going to absolutely hit the spot. It is quick and easy to make, and bursting with flavor.
While the traditional Mongolian beef recipe is loaded with sugar, gluten, soy, and corn (from cornstarch), this Keto Mongolian Beef is a healthier homemade low carb Mongolian beef recipe. Perfectly cooked flank steak strips are coated with sticky sweet sauce. The sauce has a bit of a kick from red pepper flakes and fresh grated ginger, plus a bit of umami flavor from fish sauce. While traditional restaurant and even homemade Chinese food recipes are not usually gluten free, this keto-friendly version is made gluten free by the use of tamari or coconut aminos.
The Best Keto Mongolian Beef
Making gluten-free Chinese food is easy. Just swap regular soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Coconut aminos are made from coconut sap. The sap is aged with salt, resulting in a really delicious paleo, soy-free, gluten-free option for your favorite keto Chinese food recipes. I love using coconut aminos, especially in a low carb beef recipe, the saltiness really compliments the beef without overpowering it. Big Tree Farms is my favorite brand of coconut aminos. If you aren't a fan of coconut aminos, you can also use tamari or liquid aminos.
How to Cook Cauliflower Rice
You can definitely enjoy this recipe on its own, but if you're missing a side of white rice, cauliflower rice is a great option. While you can probably find cauliflower rice in the frozen section of your grocery store, it's super easy to make at home. Grab a head of cauliflower and cut it into florets. From there, you can either throw it in a food processor and pulse, or grate the florets with a cheese grater until it resembles grains of rice.
Before cooking, squeeze out any excess moisture with a paper towel. My favorite way to cook cauliflower rice is to sauté the cauliflower rice in a skillet with a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil. Heat the skillet to medium with the toasted sesame oil, add the cauliflower rice, season with coconut aminos, pepper, and ground ginger, then cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you like your cauliflower rice more tender, you can put a lid on the skillet and let it steam. Cauliflower rice reheats really well in the microwave, and you can top it with a generous serving of Keto Mongolian Beef!
Here are some of my favorite cauliflower rice recipes - Chinese Sausage Cauliflower Fried Rice, Buttery Cauliflower Rice Pilaf, Creamy Mushroom Cauliflower Risotto, Cajun Cauliflower Rice, Cranberry Pecan Cauliflower Rice Stuffing
"Hey, everyone! Sara Nelson of Real Balanced here. Growing up, my family would regularly order Chinese takeout and it was MY FAVORITE. Full of so much rich flavor, Asian-inspired dishes have always been on a regular rotation in my household.
This easy dinner recipe is made with a wide variety of ingredients including flank steak, minced garlic, green onions, ginger, golden monk fruit sweetener, and more. Plus, this Keto Mongolian Beef is soy free (unlike many Mongolian Beef recipes) as, instead of soy sauce, liquid aminos is used.
Next time you find yourself wanting stir fry or anything with that familiar and delicious soy sauce-y taste, you’re going to want to whip up this dish! You won’t be disappointed."
More Asian Inspired Keto Recipes
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Keto Mongolian Beef
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
If you are craving low carb Chinese food, this paleo, keto Mongolian Beef is going to absolutely hit the spot. It is quick and easy to make, and bursting with flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds flank steak
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos (I use this brand)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ½ cup golden monk fruit sweetener (I use this brand)
- 1 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons glucomannan powder or xanthan gum
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
Instructions
- Cutting against the grain, slice steak into thin strips, then into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the red pepper flakes, fish sauce, minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and monk fruit sweetener. To a large mixing bowl, add sliced steak and, using tongs, rotate steak strips until all meat is coated in marinade. Cover the bowl and transfer to the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Once the steak has finished marinating, heat the avocado oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the steak, marinade, and grated ginger to the pan. Cook the steak until browned, flipping as needed. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove.
- Using a spoon, spoon out ½ cup of the sauce from the pan and transfer to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the glucomannan powder on top of the sauce and whisk ingredients together until the sauce thickens. Pour the thickened sauce back into pan. Serve beef in bowls on its own or atop cauliflower rice and garnish with sliced green onions.
Notes
Storage: Store beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 2-3 days. Alternatively, for freezing, store beef in an airtight container in the freezer and consume within 2 months. To re-heat, thaw beef in the refrigerator and, once thawed, heat in a pan over medium heat until warmed throughout.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Beef Recipes
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¾ cup
- Calories: 339
- Fat: 19g
- Carbohydrates: 1.9g net
- Protein: 37g
Sara Nelson is the food blogger behind realbalanced.com, a site dedicated to sharing low-carb, keto, and nut-free recipes. Since 2017, Sara has shared delicious, nutritious, and allergy-friendly recipes with her thousands of blog readers and social media followers. Sara lives in Milwaukee, WI with her husband, Ryan, and their Boston Terrier, Rowsdower.
Follow Real Balanced for delicious and keto-friendly recipes! Sara can be found over on her blog, Instagram,Facebook, and Pinterest!
Debbie says
Excellent recipe!
Susan says
This was awesome! Just made it last night. I didn't have mushrooms so used a red pepper. We loved it. Also used ground beef and didn't thicken. Will make it again over cauliflower rice. YUM! Thanks!
Trista says
This tastes pretty close to the Mongolian Beef I ate at a restaurant. And it tastes good too.
STACEY ROYLE says
i used half as much monk fruit and didnt thicken it . It smelled weird but tasted great!
Celina says
Fair warning to anyone who is counting total carbs and not net carbs . . . this has 26g . . . TWENTY SIX grams total carbs. Definitely should have checked that before I make and ate this. Hopefully it won't throw me out of ketosis. My bad for sure!
Kyndra Holley says
If you're counting total carbs including sugar alcohols from an erythritol monk fruit blend, then this recipe has 26.8g total carbs per serving. But monk fruit and erythritol both have a glycemic index of 0 with 0 calories, which is why they are not included in the carb count. Without including the monk fruit and erythritol blend, this recipe has 2.8g total carbs per serving.
Margaret says
What can I substitute for the fish sauce in this Mongolian Beef recipe? I don’t eat fish or seafood.. Thanks very much.
Steve Thornberry says
-Margaret- You can use homemade Worcestershire sauce
There are several good ones if you just google them.
(Made without anchovies to remain fish-less!)
Or just use gluten free soy sauce alternative.