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Make take-out in your own kitchen with our Orange Beef – Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe! Unlike most take-out, this recipe can work for low-carb, keto, Atkins, diabetic, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and Banting diets.
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Our recipe for orange beef will satisfy that craving for Chinese take-out, without adding loads of carbs to your diet. Even though it’s made from scratch, it doesn’t take long to make at all–In less than thirty minutes you have an awesome meal.
Working on a recipe for low-carb Chinese food was not an easy undertaking. Many recipes take lots of preprepared ingredients which are loaded with sugars, MSG and other additives. I did find this recipe for Mongolian Beef which, while not low-carb, used real ingredients. Using this recipe as a starting point, I took out the carbs where I could and over several trials transformed it into my recipe for orange beef.
The final recipe turned out better than I had even hoped for. Deliciously browned steak is coated with a thick, sticky sauce. The sauce has that sweet, but savory flavor. Soy sauce, ginger and garlic compliment the sweetness of the orange sauce. A bit of red pepper flakes adds a kick to make this recipe one your family will ask for again and again.
As with any tasty Chinese take-out, one thing that makes this sauce addictive is its saltiness. I love salt. I also am recovering from adrenal fatigue, so I find a good dose of salt makes me feel better. The salt in this recipe comes from the salt level in the soy sauce. I don’t use any additional salt.
I know that not everyone likes salt quite as much as I do. I also know that some have been told by their doctors to stay away from salt. If you’re one of those people, consider yourself warned. To decrease the saltiness, feel free to decrease the low-sodium soy sauce to 3 tablespoons and increase the water an extra tablespoon. This should lower the salt level without decreasing the flavor too much.
Our Orange Beef – Low Carb Chinese Food Recipe makes a delicious low-carb alternative to Chinese take-out. Serve it with cauliflower rice sautéed in a bit of butter or ourEasy Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe. It would also be perfectly fine to serve it over steamed broccoli or simply with a side salad. I hope you love this dish as much as my family does! Enjoy!
Annissa
5 from 3 votes
Make take-out in your own kitchen with our Orange Beef - Low-Carb Chinese Food Recipe! Unlike most take-out, this recipe can work for low-carb, keto, Atkins, diabetic, gluten-free, grain-free and Banting diets.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese, low-carb
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Author Annissa Slusher
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef top sirloin cut into thin strips across the grain
- 1/4 cup low-sodium gluten-free soy sauce or Tamari sauce (coconut aminos may be substituted for Paleo)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon granulated stevia/erythritol blend (honey may be substituted for Paleo)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons butter quantity separated (coconut oil may be substituted for Paleo)
- 2 medium green onions thinly sliced, with white and green parts separated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest cut into thin strips
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
Place beef strips in a single layer on a paper towel. Cover with another paper towel and pat to dry thoroughly. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, water, sweetener and red pepper flakes.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add one tablespoon butter (reserving the second tablespoon of butter for later). When butter has melted and stopped foaming, add part of the beef in one layer. Do not let pieces touch. Brown on the first side, then turn and cook through. Remove to a plate and repeat for the rest of the the beef.
Continuing over medium high heat, melt reserved butter in the same skillet used for the beef. When melted, stir in the white part of the green onions, ginger root, and orange zest. Cook a few minutes, until fragrant. Stir in garlic and xanthan gum. Cook for about 30 seconds more.
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Simmer mixture, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Stir in beef and heat through.
Mix in green portion of the green onions just before serving
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 of the recipe (about 4 ounces)
Per serving:
Calories: 337
Fat (g): 20
Carbs (g): 4
Fiber (g): 1
Protein (g): 32
Net carbs (g): 3
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Albert Bevia on February 18, 2018 at 5:47 am
This orange beef looks amazing, such a much better alternative to Chinese take-out, thank you for the recipe 🙂
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Jeffrey on May 23, 2021 at 8:57 pm
This was absolutely amazing!!! Best keto dish I’ve ever made! I sued crushed red pepper since I couldn’t find the chili flakes. Also I didn’t make the orange zest into strips, I used a grater to make the 1 tbs. other than that followed the recipe and wow!!! This is going to be my go to recipe! Nice and spicy!
I’m linking of substituting MCT/olive oil for the butter next time.
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Karly on February 18, 2018 at 10:57 am
Looks so amazing! Pinning!
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Pat on February 28, 2018 at 10:08 am
Is butter used mainly for flavor when briwning the beef? Could I substitute oil?
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Harper and Annissa Slusher on February 28, 2018 at 3:48 pm
Yes, you could substitute an oil such as coconut oil.
Annissa
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Sharon on March 5, 2018 at 1:44 am
Hi, you said at the beginning of this recipe that this could work for various diets. As far as the keto diet how specifically could this work? Do u have ideas on how to increase the fat since keto should be very high fat, higher than protein, and higher than protein and carbs combined. Thanks!
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Harper and Annissa Slusher on March 5, 2018 at 8:19 am
Hi Sharon,
Yes, keto should be high fat, so you will need to add fat somewhere else in the meal. Perhaps serve it on some buttery cauliflower rice, or alongside a salad with some avocado, macadamia nuts and healthy fat containing salad dressing. Some people who eat keto also try to keep their protein level low. If this is the case, you can divide it into a smaller portion and serve it with a larger portion of the cauliflower rice. Enjoy!
-AnnissaReply
Anu on March 13, 2018 at 8:38 pm
As someone who also follows a keto diet, trying to balance your macros for every single dish is a recipe for misery. Eat high fat elsewhere and stop being so demanding of someone who is providing her carefully crafted recipes to you for free!
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Harper and Annissa Slusher on March 14, 2018 at 9:28 am
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Elizabeth on April 25, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Can I substitute the xanthum gum for tapioca or arrowroot powder?
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Harper and Annissa Slusher on April 25, 2018 at 6:46 pm
Yes, either would work, but I’m not sure of what amount to suggest.
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Kim on March 9, 2019 at 9:40 pm
Excellent easy dish! Ate mine with cauliflower rice and it was great!!!! Made some jasmine rice for the kiddos and hubbie and it was a total hit! I did microplane some of the zest just to compare against the larger pieces. I didn’t get all the rind off some of the bigger pieces which, of course, led to a slightly bitter taste when I ate one. I do think the larger zest adds a flare to the presentation, but the micro planes zest was easier.
Thanks for a delish dish!
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Annissa on March 10, 2019 at 6:34 pm
Kim,
Thanks so much for your input! Yes, I used the larger zest for presentation. I think minced or finely grated zest works super-well in this recipe.
-AnnissaReply
Rebecca on August 11, 2019 at 6:50 pm
Is there a substitute for rice vinegar.?
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Annissa Slusher on August 14, 2019 at 5:11 pm
Rebecca,
You could use white wine vinegar or lemon juice.
-AnnissaReply
Lucille R Metzger on April 21, 2020 at 8:05 pm
Wow! I can make this!
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David on October 28, 2020 at 10:34 pm
OMG This recipe was amazing! I substituted the garlic and onion with powdered versions (2 tsp each) and used a cutie mandarin orange peel sliced thinly. Very tasty! Will make this again!
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Annissa Slusher on October 29, 2020 at 10:12 am
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your substitutions. It’s always helpful to others if they don’t have a certain ingredient.
-AnnissaReply
Roxy on January 11, 2021 at 11:47 pm
Made this according to the recipe other than xanthan gum, used beef gelatin. It turned out Fantastic! It will be a regular in my kitchen, thank you for this low carb “Chinese” fix!
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Lisa on February 22, 2023 at 3:53 pm
Made this last night and we loved it! I did use a little bit of arrow root instead of xanthan gum and it worked fine. Tasted great as leftovers for lunch today as well. Will be a regular.
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