Our delicious orange beef recipe strikes the perfect balance of sweet and savory. This dish features crispy slices of flank steak coated with a homemade orange sauce. Perfect for quick weeknight dinners, this take-out favorite is sure to please.
What's great about this recipe
This recipe only takes about 30 minutes to make, including the prep work. It's made with a budget-friendly cut of beef and other affordable pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
- Beef - We use flank steak. It’s a lean, firm cut of beef that comes from the abdominal muscle. It’s flavorful but rather tough and has a pronounced grain. Slice the meat across the grain to increase tenderness. If you don’t have flank steak, skirt steak (also sliced across the grain) and sirloin make good alternatives.
- Produce/refrigerator – Garlic, orange marmalade, and orange juice are used for the sauce. Freshly squeezed juice is best, but bottled OJ will work just fine.
- Condiments and spices – Low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger powder, crushed red pepper, and salt.
- Pantry – Cornstarch and flour are used to coat the beef to get a crispy crust and then thicken the sauce.
- Oil – Choose an oil with a high smoke point. We use canola, use your favorite.
- Optional garnish – Sesame seeds, sliced green onions, and orange zest make nice garnish options.
- You will also need: A large resealable bag, large non-stick skillet.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
How to make orange beef
Add the orange juice, soy sauce, orange marmalade, rice vinegar, ginger powder, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) to a jar or a medium bowl.
Cover and shake the jar, or stir the sauce with a fork or small whisk until well combined. Give the sauce a good stir right before using too.
Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. Cut the steak into thin slices, working against the grain. Sprinkle the steak with salt.
Add the cornstarch and flour to a large resealable plastic bag. Add the sliced beef to the bag and seal it tightly, leaving air inside the bag.
Shake the bag from side to side and up and down to coat the steak with the cornstarch and flour. Massage the bag a bit to separate the pieces and shake the bag again. Do this several times.
Fry the steak in batches so we don’t overcrowd the pan and the beef gets a nice crispy crust. Two batches should be enough.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef. Arrange the pieces in a single layer and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Turn each piece and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the steak pieces are a golden-brown color.
Remove the steak from the skillet using tongs or a slotted spoon and set them on a plate or pan. Fry the rest of the meat following the same steps. Remove the second batch.
Lower the heat to medium-low. If there is a pool of oil in the skillet, drain it but do not wash or wipe. Add the prepared orange sauce and bring it to a simmer. Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the beef to the sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it's coated and the sauce thickens. Stir often and keep the sauce at a simmer. If it starts boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Garnish with orange zest, sesame seeds, and sliced green onions, if desired.
Serve the orange beef on a bed of white rice, noodles or with a side of steamed vegetables for a delicious meal your family will enjoy.
Storing instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze, cool completely and place in an airtight, freezer-safe container, leaving an inch or two of room for expansion. Freeze for up to 2 months.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
Recipe notes and tips
- If you’re serving the orange beef with white rice, noodles, or vegetables, get them started first. This dish takes about 20 minutes to make, so it's best to get any sides going before you start cooking.
- If you don’t like spicy food, leave out the crushed red pepper.
- Zest the orange before juicing if you plan to use orange zest as a garnish.
- I like using canning jars to make sauces, dressings, and marinades. They’re washable, reusable, and convenient. If you make the sauce ahead of time, you can cover the jar tightly with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
If you enjoyed this recipe try these easy take-out favorites next:
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📖 Recipe
Orange Beef
Ingredients
- ½ cup Orange Juice fresh squeezed is best (2-3 oranges depending on how juicy they are), bottled orange juice can be substituted
- ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Orange Marmalade
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Powder
- 1 Garlic Clove grated or minced
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper optional – leave it out if you don’t like spicy
- 3 tablespoons Oil We use canola oil, use your favorite oil with a high smoke point
- 1 pound Flank Meat trimmed and cut into thin slices
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1½ tablespoon Flour
- Optional garnishes: sesame seeds, sliced green onions, orange zest
Instructions
- You will also need: Large re-sealable plastic bag
- Add the orange juice, soy sauce, orange marmalade, rice vinegar, ginger powder, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) to a jar or a medium bowl. Stir well to combine. Give the sauce a good stir right before using too.
- Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. Cut the steak into thin slices working against the grain. Sprinkle the beef with the salt.
- Add the cornstarch and flour to a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Add the sliced beef and seal it tightly leaving air inside the bag. Shake the bag from side to side and up and down to coat the steak. Massage the bag a bit to separate the pieces and shake again. Do this several times.
- Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add half of the beef.
- Arrange the beef in a single layer and cook 2-3 minutes. Use tongs to turn each piece and cook another 1-2 minutes, or until the steak pieces are a golden-brown color.
- Remove the steak from the skillet. Use tongs or a slotted spoon and set them on a plate or pan.
- Fry the rest of the meat following the same steps. Remove the second batch.
- When all of the beef is cooked through lower the heat to medium-low. If there is a pool of oil in the skillet, drain it but do not wash or wipe the pan.
- Add the prepared sauce and bring it to a simmer. Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the beef to the sauce and cook 2-3 minutes or until the beef is coated and the sauce thickens. Stir often and keep it at a simmer. If it starts boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Garnish the orange beef with orange zest, sesame seeds and sliced green onions, if desired.
Notes
- Zest the orange before juicing if you plan on using it as garnish.
- If you don’t have flank meat, skirt steak (also slice across the grain) and sirloin make good alternatives.
- If you’re serving the orange beef with white rice, noodles or vegetables, get them started before you start cooking.
- Fry the steak slices in batches so the pan is not overcrowded and the beef gets and crispy crust.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
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