Low Carb Cashew Beef

Prep: 10 min Cook: 10 min Total: 20 min Servings: 6
Annie Lampella @ Ketofocus

By Annie Lampella, Pharm.D.

Published July 8, 2024 • Updated November 14, 2024

Reader Rating
5 Stars (3 Reviews)
EasyEgg FreeHigh ProteinOne Pot

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This 20-minute Ginger Cashew Beef is my favorite homemade take-out style dinner. Inspired by one of my favorite recipes from Tieghan of Half Baked Harvest, this low-carb version features thinly sliced steak and cashews cooked in the same golden buttery, sweet and spicy sauce but with a few substitutions to keep the carbs and sugar low.

It’s not that hard to turn your favorite recipes keto. Like turning fried rice into cauliflower fried rice or teriyaki sauce into a sugar-free version, you just use ingredient swaps that are lower in carbs but give a similar taste or texture without too much compromise on flavor. I found a way to do that with this dish and was able to cut in the carbs by 2/3’s! A bowl of low-carb cashew beef with broccoli over coconut rice.

How this recipe differs from Half Baked Harvest

 
  • Mine is low-carbs & lower calories – Tieghan’s recipe comes to 47.9 total carbs per serving and almost 800 calories and that’s not including the mango jalapeno salsa. By substituting some of the ingredients, I got the carbs down to less than 15 carbs per serving and only 641 calories. There are ways to lower the carbs even more and I’ll explain later.
  • Used a low-sugar sweet chili sauce – In original recipe, she uses a brand of sweet chili sauce that has 7 grams of carbs per tablespoon and is made with cane sugar and fructose. The brand I use only has 1 gram of carb per tablespoon and is sweetened with real fruit juices.
  • Onion for shallot – Shallot can offer a dish a garlicky onion flavor; however, shallot is higher in carbs than onion. There are 16.8 g of carbs per 100 grams of shallot but only 9.3 g of carbs for the same amount of onion. Instead of adding shallot to the recipe, I use a combination of yellow onion and garlic to add similar flavor.
  • Coconut cauliflower rice – Half Baked Harvest uses Jasmine rice to make her coconut rice. Jasmine rice is a white rice that is loaded with carbs. One cup of jasmine rice has about 45 carbs in it. Instead, I use cauliflower rice to make coconut rice. One cup of cooked cauliflower rice has 8 grams of carbohydrates and 4 net carbs. 

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Low Carb Cashew Beef

5 (3) Prep 10m Cook 10m Total 20m 6 servings

Low Carb Cashew Beef Ingredients

  • 2 pounds flank or skirt steak
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1½ cups broccoli florets
  • 1/4 medium yellow onion. diced
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup cashews
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce, tamari or liquid aminos
  • 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Coconut Cauliflower Rice Ingredients

  • 1 medium head cauliflower (enough to yield 4 cups of riced cauliflower)
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup canned coconut milk

Step by Step Instructions

Step by Step Instructions

1
Thinly slice the steak

Slice steak into thin strips, against the grain.

Flank steak cut into thin strips on a cutting board with a knife next to it.
Ingredients for this step
  • 2 pounds flank or skirt steak
2
Sear the steak

In a large skillet, heat avocado oil to medium-high heat. Add sliced steak, arrowroot powder and black pepper. Stir to combine. Let cook over until seared (about 5 minutes).

Strips of flank steak searing in a skillet.
Tip May need to work in batches depending on the size of the skillet in order to prevent the steak from steaming instead of searing.
Ingredients for this step
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 tablespoons arrowroot powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
3
Add the veggies and nuts

Add broccoli florets and diced onion to the skillet. Stir to combine. Mix in butter, minced garlic, ground ginger and cashews. Let cook for 2 minutes or until the steak starts to get crispy.

A skillet with steak, broccoli, cashews and butter inside.
Ingredients for this step
  • 1½ cups broccoli florets
  • 1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1 cup cashews
4
Get saucy

Stir in soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and rice vinegar. Cook until sauce slightly thickens. Remove from heat.

Pouring soy sauce into a skillet with beef, broccoli and sweet chili sauce.
Ingredients for this step
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
5
Make cauliflower rice

Cut the cauliflower into small pieces, removing the stems. Working in batches, place 1 cup of the cauliflower pieces in the food processor at a time and pulse until it looks like rice. Empty into a bowl and repeat processing until you have 4 cups.

Cauliflower florets sit next to a food processor with riced cauliflower inside.
Tip Can use bagged riced cauliflower or frozen cauliflower rice as well and skip this step.
Ingredients for this step
  • 1 medium cauliflower head
6
Flavor components for coconut rice

Heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the remaining onion and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Mince the remaining garlic and add to the skillet. Sauté for an additional minute, stirring so it doesn’t burn.

A skillet with sauteed onion and garlic.
Ingredients for this step
  • 2 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
7
Cook cauliflower rice

Add the cauliflower rice and the salt to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes until tender.

Rice cauliflower cooking inside a skillet.
Ingredients for this step
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
8
Finish coconut rice

Add coconut milk to the rice and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the cauliflower rice is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Pouring coconut milk into a skillet with riced cauliflower.
Tip Mix the coconut milk so it's uniform and creamy before adding it to the cauliflower rice.
Ingredients for this step
  • 1 cup canned coconut milk
9
Finish the dish

Pour cashew beef mixture over coconut rice. Garnish with lime zest, cilantro and diced jalapeno.

A bowl with cashew beef next to cauliflower rice and topped with cilantro.
Nutrition Per Serving
641 Calories
47.7g Fat
38.9g Protein
14.3g Net Carbs
16.9g Total Carbs
6 Servings
Nutrition disclaimer

The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.

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A wooden spoon holding a serving of saucy cashew beef with broccoli.

Lower the carbs even more

Even though I was able to cut the carbs in the original dish by about two-thirds, you may find 14 grams carbs per serving too high – especially if on a keto lifestyle. Here is how you can lower the carbs even further:
  • Decrease the onion – I have played with this recipe using 1 full onion and 1/2 onion (between the cashew beef and coconut rice). I do feel that onion provides a necessary flavor; however, you could get away with not adding it to the coconut rice. This would save you 0.3 grams net carbs per serving. 
  • Decrease the garlic – This recipes uses a lot of garlic! I love garlic flavor and do agree that it is a necessary ingredient in the cashew beef, but you could probably omit it from the coconut cauliflower rice. This would save you 0.4 grams net carbs per serving.
  • Decrease the arrowroot powder – Usually when I use arrowroot powder as a thickener, I use around 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of it since it has 7x the thickening power as all-purpose flour, so you don’t need that much. I kept the amount the same that Tieghan used in her recipe; however, I do think we could decrease the arrowroot powder to 1 teaspoon. This would save you 0.7 grams net carbs per serving.
  • Omit or decrease the coconut rice – I love the flavor of this dish over the coconut cauliflower rice; however, it does add an additional 1.9 carbs to each serving.
Making all of these adjustments could lower your net carbs to 11.7 net carbs per serving. Of course, there are way to lower it even more by lowering the onion and garlic some more or even decreasing the cashews to 1/2 cup.
A low-carb version of the half baked harvest recipe for cashew beef in a bowl topped with cilantro and jalapeno over coconut cauliflower rice.

Storage information

Store the cashew beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze it in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Low Carb Cashew Beef

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this dairy free?

Yes! The only dairy added to this recipe is the butter. You can use ghee instead for a similar flavor. Or add a similar amount of coconut oil. Or just completely omit the additional fat.

Tieghan tops her cashew beef with a mango jalapeno salsa. Can I make that low-carb?

Yes, you can still make the mango salsa, but mango is high in sugar and carbs. One mango has over 30 grams of carbohydrates. To lower the carbs in the salsa, try using less mango or use strawberries instead of mango.

What is the arrowroot powder used for?

Arrowroot powder is the thickener for the sauce. I use it as a replacement for flour and cornstarch in keto cooking. It has 7x the thickening power as flour so you don't have to use as much of it.

About the Author
Annie Lampella, Pharm.D.

Annie Lampella, Pharm.D.

Annie is a Doctor of Pharmacy, mom, and the recipe creator behind KetoFocus. With a B.S. in Genetics from UC Davis, she has over 14 years of experience developing family-friendly keto recipes based on the science of human metabolism.

Learn more about Annie View My Cookbook

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  1. D
    Deanna M May 27, 2025

    Really enjoyed this one. The beef came out super tender and the sauce had a great balance of sweet and spicy. The coconut cauliflower rice was delish — super creamy. Will definitely keep this in the dinner rotation.

    Reply
  2. D
    Derek May 4, 2025

    This recipe was really flavorful and came together quickly. I used skirt steak and my family liked it even more than our usual takeout. The coconut cauliflower rice paired well with the sweet and spicy sauce.

    Reply
  3. O
    Olivia Apr 18, 2025

    This was delicious and easy to make. I loved the flavor combination of the coconut rice and cashew beef. Even my picky eater went back for seconds.

    Reply

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