Cinnamon Free Coconut Aminos Beef and Bok Choy Skillet
Savory, satisfying, and built entirely around bold umami flavor, this beef and bok choy skillet is the kind of weeknight dinner that feels like a restaurant order but comes together in a single pan. Coconut aminos do the heavy lifting here, standing in for soy sauce with a naturally sweet, slightly mellow depth that works beautifully in both the marinade and the glossy finishing sauce. Many Asian-inspired stir-fry sauces and spice blends sneak in cinnamon — sometimes labeled as "mixed spices" or hidden inside five-spice powder — so building the sauce from scratch with ginger, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, and honey keeps every ingredient fully visible and accounted for. The technique matters too: searing the beef over high heat first locks in that caramelized crust, while the vegetables get their own moment in the pan so the bok choy stays crisp-tender rather than soggy. Arrowroot starch pulls the sauce together into a silky, clingy glaze that coats every slice of beef and every ribbon of carrot without any starchy heaviness. Fresh ginger appears at three different stages, layering warmth and brightness throughout the dish in a way that makes you forget you're missing anything at all. Finish it with scallions and cilantro and you've got a genuinely crave-worthy plate that proves flavor-forward cooking doesn't require a long ingredient list or any compromise.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the beef
- 1 lb flank steak or sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp bone broth
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp honey
For the stir-fry
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 lb baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
- 2 medium carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
- ¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
For serving
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a medium bowl, combine the sliced beef with 2 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 tsp grated ginger, and 1 tsp arrowroot starch. Toss until the beef is evenly coated, then set aside to marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients: 3 tbsp coconut aminos, bone broth, apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp grated ginger, turmeric, 1 tsp arrowroot starch, and honey until smooth and no lumps remain. Set aside.
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