Whole 30 compliant Paleo Mongolian Beef | 10 ingredients, gluten, sugar, & soy free | Ready in less than 30 minutes!
I get excited about all the recipes I share on here because, um, hi I like food and I want you to like it too. But I’m extra excited about sharing this paleo Mongolian Beef today because it’s just so. damn. good.
Better yet – it’s Whole 30 compliant! Which I’m also really excited about because I don’t think I’ve seen many paleo Mongolian beef recipes that don’t use sugar of any kind – including honey. I could be wrong, but my brief google search didn’t yield any matches.
So let’s do this!
Paleo Mongolian Beef
Ok so first things first – what do we use to sweeten this recipe? If you’ve ever had Mongolian Beef than you probably know it’s a perfect combination of sweet and salty. Usually that means you’re working with sugar and soy sauce. Not today! Taking inspiration from my Whole 30 Cashew Chicken I shared ages ago, I used dates! Two of them! Chopped up and blended with 1/3 cup water. It works as the perfect sweetener to balance out the fieriness of the ginger/garlic. In place of the usual soy sauce sauce we’re going to use coconut aminos – the paleo go to for Chinese inspired cuisine.
Altogether this recipe takes about 25 minutes to put together. Since the beef is cut up into thin, bite sized strips it only needs a couple of minutes to cook. The sauce itself only needs about 10 minutes to simmer and thicken on the stove top.
This makes for a perfect weeknight dinner when you’re wanting something quick and easy. It also makes for a great weekend meal if you’re in the mood for a little takeout fake out.
Seriously. It’s so good!
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Whole 30 Paleo Mongolian Beef
Whole 30 compliant Paleo Mongolian Beef | 10 ingredients, gluten, sugar, & soy free | Ready in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb flank steak, sliced against the grain in 1/4 inch bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon arrowroot flour, divided
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon water, divided
- 2 medjool dates, pits removed
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- coconut oil for frying
- 2 large green onions, sliced on the diagonal into one-inch lengths
- sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- Place 2 tablespoons flour in a shallow bowl and dip the steak pieces in the flour, lightly coating the sides of each piece. Let the beef sit while you prepare the sauce. This will give time for the tapioca/arrowroot to stick.
Sauce
- Remove the pits and roughly chop your dates before adding them to a blender or food processor with 1/3 cup water. Blend on high until the dates are broken down and mixed into the water. Set aside.
- In a medium sized sauce pan, warm 2 teaspoons coconut oil on a medium low heat. Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and sauté for a minute or until they become fragrant. Gently pour the date water into the pan along with the coconut aminos and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir and turn to a medium heat, bringing the sauce up to a gentle boil for about 5 minutes. Stir every so often to prevent burning.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon water with 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch. Whisk until no lumps remain and then gently add it to the sauce to thicken. Taste and season as you go - add more salt to your preference. Coconut aminos aren't as salty as soy sauce so you may want to add more.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside while you prepare the beef.
- In a large wok or skillet, heat up enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the beef piece to the wok and sauté for a couple of minutes or until the edges start to turn a darker brown. Flip over and saute the other side for about a minute. After all of the beef has been cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the wok. Place on a paper towel lined plate and drain the oil from the pan.
- Return the wok to the stove top and add the beef back in. On a low heat, stir and warm the beef for a minute. Pour the sauce over the top and add the spring onions. Cook for another two minutes before removing from the heat.
- Serve over rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy!
amy says
If you make this definitely do not use the amount of arrowroot the recipe calls for. Just made it and it was very very slimy. I should have known to pull back on the arrowroot. Next time I won’t coat the meat in the arrowroot.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Amy! Sorry it came out too slimy for you – I’ve taken in your feedback and adjusted the amounts of starch called for.
Dionne Hopkins says
Hi, can you use garlic infused olive oil to make it low FODMAP (and how much would you use as it is potent stuff) or can you omit the garlic completely. I cannot have garlic or onion (IBS).
Looking forward to you reply
Sarah Nevins says
That would work! I would just use garlic infused oil in place of the the 2 teaspoons coconut oil used to sautee the ginger. This recipe doesn’t need a strong garlic flavour so that should be enough. Hope you enjoy it!
Kellie says
I made this for a dinner party the other night. Everyone loved it! Thank you!
Sarah says
Thanks Kellie! So glad you liked it!
Kristyn says
I followed this recipe to the tee using tapioca flour, but the sauce was like a big glob of slime. I tried to thin it out with hot water, but it was still just so slimy. I wouldnt make this again.
Sarah says
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you!
Beth says
I’ve made this a few times now and it is always a huge hit with my family!
Sarah says
Aww so glad you guys like it! Thanks for coming back and letting me know what you think!
Haley says
Hello! This looks amazing!! How might it taste with chicken or pork?
Sarah says
That would work! You might need a little more time for the pork but I don’t see why not!
Joyce says
I made this recipe tonight and it was excellent. I didn’t coat the meat with the arrowroot till I fried it and I didn’t use very much. When I added the meat back to the wok I added cut green onions and cooked it a bit to infused the flavor in the meat then added the sauce.
Sarah says
Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought! So glad you enjoyed it!