I decided to use my new slow cooker to bring back a favorite taste from childhood, and I’m really happy with how my Crock Pot Pepper Steak turned out!
One of my fondest memories as a kid was visiting our neighborhood Chinese restaurant each Sunday for lunch. Creature of habit that I am, I ordered the same meal each week: green pepper steak.
Why does my family need to eat dinner every single night, right? Whether you cook for the joy of it or out of pure necessity, this easy Crock Pot pepper steak recipe will satisfy hungry tummies without sacrificing taste. It’s simple to make and one of my favorite ways to save time on busy weeknights.
📝 Ingredient Tips
- Sirloin – This Green Pepper Steak recipe calls for sirloin. However, nearly any lean or well-trimmed cut of beef will do as long as it’s sliced thin. The thin cut allows the beef to cook more quickly and become more tender.
I have a pretty strict food budget, so I often plan my meals around the yellow-tagged meats I find on the “reduced for quick sale” rack.
Since sirloin is a versatile and popular cut, it rarely makes its way onto that particular shelf. If you’re on a budget, a replacement cut in your beef recipes can help save you money. - Onion – White or red will do.
- Ginger – Freshly grate your own ginger or use ginger paste in a tube from the produce section of your grocery store.
- Red Pepper Flakes – If you’d like your green pepper steak to be a little more on the spicy side, crush the pepper flakes using a mortar and pestle.
✍🏻 Step-by-Step Directions
- Add soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to a medium bowl.
2. Add brown sugar, garlic, and ginger.
3. Add red pepper flakes.
4. Add sesame oil.
5. Whisk ingredients together and set aside.
6. Add meat and vegetables to the Crock Pot.
7. Pour sauce over Crock Pot ingredients.
8. Secure the Crock Pot lid and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2.
🥘 Cooking Tips
- Be sure to trim your meat of any large pieces of fat. Fat brings flavor, but in the Crock-pot, too much of it can turn your “braise” into soup which is not what we’re going for here.
- If your beef isn’t pre-sliced or sliced thinly enough, cut your steak into beef strips, much like you see in restaurant stir-fry. I’d keep them at about ¼”-½” thick. Remember, they’ll shrink a bit as they cook. Buying thin-sliced beef strips at the grocery store is a time-saver here.
- Use a slow cooker liner before adding your ingredients to the Crockpot in order to make cleanup a cinch!
- Cut your green peppers and onions in the same way and the same size to ensure they cook evenly. I like my veggies to stay a little more on the firm side for meals like this, so I tend to make my strips a little wider than the ones I made with the meat.
- This is actually a very versatile slow-cooker pepper steak recipe. The one I’ve chosen is seasoned with more traditional ingredients, but you could change it up for something a little different. Other versions I’ve tried included toasted sesame seeds, honey, lime, pineapple chunks, or even peanut butter if you’d like a little bit of Thai flair for your supper. Let me know what you come up with in the comments below.
🍽️ Serving Tips
- If you aren’t watching your carbs, serve over white rice or egg noodles. (Learn how to use a rice cooker to make amazing sticky rice every time.)
- If you’re watching your carb intake, pepper steak is also tasty in a low-carb wrap or even rolled into your favorite leafy green. Another low-carb option would be to serve it over cauliflower rice. It’s absolutely satisfying no matter how you choose to eat it.
- Serve with Chinese-style green beans or egg drop soup for a complete meal.
❓ FAQ
This slow cooker pepper steak recipe freezes ahead very well. Simply add the sauce to the bottom of a freezer bag, then top with thin slices of raw beef then the vegetables. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can before sealing and storing it flat in your freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to cook, simply dumb the contents of the bag into the Crock Pot. You’ll need to add a little extra cook time if you don’t thaw the ingredients first.
The macros for a serving of pepper steak itself (no rice or noodles!) are 8 carbs, 33 grams of protein, and 20 grams of fat. Note that the 20 grams of fat is including the liquid in the Crock Pot. For lower fat content, scoop out a serving with a slotted spoon, leaving most of the liquid in the slow cooker. If you need the fat for a keto diet, dish up as much liquid as you can.
Served alone without rice as a side, pepper steak itself is gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free soy sauce and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce. Both options are usually available at a regular grocery store.
📖 Recipe
Crockpot Pepper Steak
Ingredients
- 1 lb thin sliced sirloin steak
- 1 thinly sliced green pepper
- 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 thinly sliced onion white or red
- ¼ cup gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Check the label if you're gluten free! You may need to purchase a gf brand.
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper. Set aside.
- Add sirloin strips and prepared vegetables to the Crock Pot.
- Pour soy sauce mixture over top of the meat and vegetable mixture
- Cook on low for 4 hour or high for 2 hours.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
- Be sure to trim your meat of any large pieces of fat. Fat brings flavor, but in the Crock-pot, too much of it can turn your “braise” into soup which is not what we’re going for here.
- If your beef isn’t pre-sliced or sliced thinly enough, cut your steak into beef strips, much like you see in restaurant stir-fry. I’d keep them at about ¼”-½” thick. Remember, they’ll shrink a bit as they cook. Buying thin-sliced beef strips at the grocery store is a time-saver here.
- Cut your green peppers and onions in the same way and the same size to ensure they cook evenly. I like my veggies to stay a little more on the firm side for meals like this, so I tend to make my strips a little wider than the ones I made with the meat.
- This is actually a very versatile slow-cooker pepper steak recipe. The one I’ve chosen is seasoned with more traditional ingredients, but you could change it up for something a little different. Other versions I’ve tried included toasted sesame seeds, honey, lime, pineapple chunks, or even peanut butter if you’d like a little bit of Thai flair for your supper. Let me know what you come up with in the comments below.
Julie says
Thank you for a recipe I can use this round steak for I was given that doesn’t have goopy canned soup or flour.
Amy Miller says
This looks delicious. I just wanted to make you aware that soy sauce contains gluten. So this recipe isn’t really gluten-free. You can use coconut aminos as a substitute for a gluten-free version. I’ve had to learn a lot recently since my son has been diagnosed with Celiac disease.
Jenn says
Thank you so much for pointing this out. My husband has to avoid obvious sources of gluten (bread will make him miserable) but doesn’t have Celiac so checking labels is something I often forget about. Coconut aminos are a fantastic substitution and I don’t notice a difference in taste. I’ve updated the ingredients. Thank you again!
Nikki says
Your above paragraph says cook low 4-6 hours and then the actual step by step says low 6-8hours. What is best? TIA!
Jenn says
4-6 hours is plenty of time. I edited the recipe card to the correct time. Thanks for catching that!
Lynda Self says
Just made this slow cooker pepper steak today. It was really great. I served it over rice and my younger child loved it!