Beef Chop Suey Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Beef Chop Suey is a saucy and flavorful Asian-inspired dish made in under 25 minutes and full of nutritious veggies. A soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey sauce smothers crunchy broccoli, snow peas, water chestnuts, and tender steak bites for an easy and delicious meal.

Beef Chopped Suey on a white plate with a black rim.

Why We Love This Chop Suey Recipe!

Quick and Easy Recipe: This easy weeknight meal takes only 22 minutes and is full of flavor the whole family will love.
Packed with Nutrition: This Asian-Inspired dish is made of various nutritious veggies, including carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, and healthy water chestnuts, too!
Saucy Dish: This rich and tangy-sweet sauce is perfect for this flavorful recipe and better than a Chinese restaurant!

If you’re craving more recipes made in 30 minutes or less, like this easy beef chop suey recipe, check out my Cheesy Unstuffed Pepper Skillet, this family-favorite Loaded Chicken Nachos, and 25-minute Skillet Steak Fajitas– Yum!

Ingredient Notes

Sauce: Make a delicious savory and sweet chop suey sauce by combining low-sodium beef broth, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, honey, and sesame oil.
Beef: Choose your favorite cut of beef steak and cube it for the recipe. You can use ribeye or sirloin steak. some even use rump or chuck (just keep in mind these are tougher cuts).
Cornstarch: Coat the beef cubes with cornstarch to retain moisture and produce a deliciously tender texture.
Oil: Saute the meat and veggies with avocado oil or you neutral oil of choice.
Vegetables: Complete the dish with a tasty mix of fresh vegetables. Add peeled matchstick carrots, crunchy broccoli florets, sliced yellow onions, thin strips of red bell pepper, crisp bean sprouts, and baby bella mushrooms. I also like to add snowpeas towards the end of the recipe for a satisfying crunch.
Garlic: Mince three cloves of garlic for subtle spice and depth in flavor.
Chestnuts: Toss in an 8-ounce can of chestnuts, drained well, for a nutty taste.

How To Cook Beef Chop Suey

✱ Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact ingredients and full recipe instructions!

Step 1 | Mix the sauce

First, mix up the delicious chop suey sauce! Add all the sauce ingredients to a small bowl, stir well, and set aside.

Adding chop suey sauce to a clear bowl and stirring to combine.

Step 2 | Cook steak

Next, prepare the steak by adding it to a separate bowl with cornstarch and tossing it to coat completely. Set the steak aside and warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of avocado oil and, after a couple of minutes, add the cornstarch-coated steak.

Adding oil and then steak bites to a cast iron pan to cook.

Then, cook it for 3-5 minutes, adding more oil as needed. After cooking thoroughly, move the steak from the large nonstick skillet to a bowl.

Cooked steak bites in a cast iron skillet.

Step 3 | Saute the veggies

Now, turn the heat down and add two more tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Toss in the carrots, broccoli, yellow onion, thin slices of red bell pepper, and fresh mushrooms, cooking for 4 to 6 minutes until they are soft with a little bit of a crunch.

Adding oil to the pan with veggies and sautéing them.

Then, add the garlic, water chestnuts, and bean sprouts, stirring for just a minute.

Adding water chestnuts to veggie stir dry.

Step 4 | Add the sauce

Add the sauce to the skillet with the cooked veggies and stir it for a couple of minutes until it thickens. Don’t forget to scrape the bottom of the pan to collect all the little bits and give the chop suey sauce even more flavor!

Stirring in chop suey sauce into veggies in a skillet.

Then, taste the sauce to see if it needs more salt or honey.

Step 5 | Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

Adding cooked steak and snow peas to the veggie mixture.

Finally, add the steak back to the skillet, tossing it until the meat is coated. Add the snow peas, and make sure everything is well combined and covered in the tasty sauce. Then, serve and enjoy!

Tips

Adding the Snow Peas– If preferred, add the snow peas with the rest of the veggies if you want them less crunchy. I like adding them at the last minute of cooking to ensure they don’t lose their crunch.
Cast-Iron Skillet– Use a cast-iron skillet to give the steak a perfect sear.

Variations and Substitutions

More Crunchy Veggies: Add more of your favorite vegetables, like baby corn, chopped celery stalks, yellow and green bell peppers, white onion, bamboo shoots, and cabbage.
Adjust the Sauce: Make the sauce just the way you like it by adding more soy sauce for an extra bite or adding more honey for a little extra sweetness.
Spicy Chop Suey: Include freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, siracha sauce, or hot peppers to add a kick to the recipe.
Vegetarian Chop Suey: For a tasty vegetarian dish, omit the beef and swap the beef broth for vegetable broth.
Add Noodles: This dish is commonly enjoyed with crispy fried noodles added to the recipe.
Chicken Chop Suey: Replace the beef with chicken breasts or chicken thighs for a slightly different flavor profile. You can also make pork chop suey or shrimp chop suey.
Swap the beef pieces for ground beef.
Try thick slices of carrots instead of thin matchstick carrots.
If preferred, substitute the honey with brown sugar.
Try different mushrooms, like wild, white, or shiitake mushrooms.

Asian Beef Chopped Suey in a cast iron skillet.

Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between beef chop suey and beef chow mein?

The primary difference is that cop suey has a thicker, gravy-like sauce, and chow mein has a much thinner sauce with chow mein noodles. They are similar dishes with many of the same ingredients, but their tastes are distinctively different.

What’s the difference between American chop suey and Chinese chop suey?

American chop suey has a sweeter sauce with a touch of sour and a tomato base and is often served over pasta. On the other hand, an authentic Chinese chop suey is more spicy and savory with white rice or noodles.

Is chop suey healthy?

Without rice or noodles, chop suey is relatively healthy with loads of vegetables and simple ingredients. The savory-sweet sauce makes the recipe better served in moderation.

Why is it called chop suey?

Chop suey means “odds and ends” in Mandarin, which describes it as a dish made of leftovers.

Beef steak chopped suey plated with the serving pan in the background.

Storage

Storage: Leftover chop suey can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Then, reheat the dish to enjoy again on the stovetop or in a microwave.

What to Serve with Chinese Chop Suey

Serve this delicious Asian dish with a refreshing Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe, or enjoy it over freshly steamed white rice or this Easy Rice Pilaf.

More Easy Asian Recipes

Hungry for more easy, home-cooked, delicious recipes?

Sign up for my free recipe club to get family-friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing daily meal-time inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Beef Chop Suey Recipe

Why We Love This Chop Suey Recipe!

Ingredient Notes