Ginger Beef Soup

This nutritious Ginger Beef Soup tastes delicious, is simple to make, and can help you feel better after just one bowl! Plus, you get a huge pot of gluten-free, dairy-free soup to enjoy.

About Beef Ginger Soup

This soup is incredibly perfect when you aren't feeling well, whether that be a stomach ache, a cold, recovering from something, or just feeling not feeling your best.

It can help soothe any tummy troubles thanks to the ginger. There's a spicy kick to it so it helps you breathe again. Plus, this ginger beef soup recipe is packed with nutrients from all the veggies, glorious bone broth, and powerful protein.

This is a very brothy soup, which makes it great for soothing a sore throat that craves warm liquid.

Something to note though is that it is not super filling since it's low in carbohydrates. Because it's low carb, I definitely recommend adding something like crackers, bread, or chips on the side. You can also throw in 1 cup of rice or quinoa to make this more substantial.

Ingredients

Oil: Coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, and butter can all be used in this recipe.

Beef stew meat: Stew meat, chuck, or top round are good options for this beef ginger soup recipe. You can buy a piece of steak and cut it yourself, or stores often have precut stew meat ready to use. Do not use lean meat, like sirloin or beef eye round, as it will become tough with the longer cooking time.

Veggies: The veggies in this ginger beef soup recipe are onions, red bell peppers, carrots, and mushrooms. Feel free to adjust the amounts or types of veggies you use. Green, yellow, or orange bell peppers would be nice. You could add extra veggies if you want, and you can also add diced or sliced veggies like zucchini, tomatoes, or potatoes. Add them when you add the broth.

Jalapeño: The jalapeño gives the soup a little kick and is great if you need something to open your sinuses. It can easily be omitted.

Ginger: Hence the name, Ginger Beef Soup, this has a lot of fresh ginger. Ginger is amazing for soothing your stomach. Dried ginger could be used in a pinch but fresh ginger is best.

Garlic: Fresh garlic is preferred but garlic powder could also be used. Since this is a big pot of soup, you'll use about 8 cloves of garlic.

Broth: Beef broth, chicken broth, or vegetable broth will all work in this soup. If you can find a bone broth or stock, those are usually richer and more substantial but a regular broth will be fine. Try to use a lower-sodium or no-salt-added to keep the sodium content in this soup from being high, if that's a concern.

Fish sauce: While the fish sauce is technically optional, it adds saltiness and a nice depth of flavor you can't get from other ingredients. Since this is a broth-based soup, it needs the added dimension from the fish sauce. However, soy sauce could be substituted.

Cost of Recipe

• coconut oil 1 tablespoon: $0.18
• beef stew meat 1.25 pounds: $8.73
• onion 1 large: $0.68
• red bell pepper 1 medium: $1.50
• carrots ½ pound: $0.49
• mushrooms 8 ounces: $1.98
• garlic 8 cloves: $0.48
• ginger 2-inch piece: $0.50
• jalapeño 1 small: $0.14
• broth 32 ounces: $2.28
• fish sauce 2 teaspoons: $0.16

TOTAL COST: $17.12 or $2.85/serving (Based on San Diego grocery stores 2022)

Note that this is not the recipe; it's simply to show the cost breakdown of ingredients. Be sure to scroll down to the full recipe to see the specific ingredients and directions.

How to Make Ginger Beef Soup

How to Make Instant Pot Beef Ginger Soup

1. Heat the pressure cooker on Sauté. Add oil and beef, and sear the beef until it is browned on all sides.
2. Transfer meat to a bowl.
3. Add onions, peppers, and celery to the pressure cooker. Sauté for 10 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms, and cook until they release their juices for about 7 minutes.
5. Stir in jalapeños, garlic, and ginger.
6. Pour in broth, water, and beef along with the juices from the beef.
7. Turn off the Sauté function. 
8. Cover, and seal. Turn on the Pressure Cook function and cook for 20 minutes.
9. Allow the pressure cooker to release for 15 minutes then do a quick release.
10. Add fish sauce and any other seasonings needed, and enjoy!

Ginger and Beef Soup Tips

Variations

Ingredient Options

Oil: Coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, or canola oil will all work. Butter can also be used but it will no longer be dairy-free.

Beef: This beef and ginger soup recipe is a great way to use leftover cooked beef. Simply skip the first step of browning the beef, and sauté the veggies in the oil. Add the cooked, cubed beef with the broth and water as directed in the recipe.

Jalapeño: In place of the jalapeño, you can use red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. If using red pepper flakes, you'll need about 2 teaspoons. Add more after cooking if you want it to be spicier. For cayenne pepper, use 1 teaspoon, and add more if needed.

Fish sauce: The fish sauce gives it a nice depth of flavor, but can easily be replaced. Try using equal parts tamari sauce, soy sauce, salt, or garlic salt. Stir and taste before adding more.

Flavor Substitutions

For a less spicy soup: use less jalapeño or omit it entirely.

Alternative Prep & Cooking

You can make this in the pressure cooker. See the recipe card below for how to make this soup in the pressure cooker.

How to Make Allergy-Friendly

This recipe is already gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and soy-free. If you are using fish sauce, double-check that it doesn't have gluten or soy if that is a concern for you.

Similarly, if you add soy sauce when serving, this beef ginger soup recipe will no longer be gluten-free or soy-free. You can always use tamari sauce if you want the soy flavor without gluten. Or try coconut aminos if you want a soy-free, gluten-free option.

How to Fix a Mistake

Soup is too spicy: Lime or lemon juice, rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar can cut the spiciness. Add in 1 tablespoon increments; stir and taste before adding more.

Soup lacks flavor: A squeeze of lime or lemon juice will also enhance the flavors without adding extra sodium. If you want to add additional flavor to this soup and sodium is not a concern, add 1 teaspoon of salt or garlic salt. You can also add more fish sauce to taste.

Soup is too salty: Add an extra cup of water and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Also, try squeezing in some lemon or lime juice. Or add about 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar or white wine vinegar.

Make-Ahead Ideas

This beef and ginger soup recipe is excellent when made ahead of time, as most soups are. Simply follow the directions below and store until ready to enjoy.

Storage Suggestions

Refrigerate leftovers in a glass or plastic airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 weeks.

To reheat from the fridge, you can put the soup in a saucepan and heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Or add to a bowl and microwave in 45 seconds intervals, stirring between, until hot.

From the freezer, defrost in the fridge overnight or use the microwave to defrost and reheat.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make this beef soup heartier

Add 1 pound of diced potatoes, 1 cup of quinoa (rinsed and drained), or 1 cup of brown rice (rinsed and drained) to the soup when you add the broth.

Nutrition Benefits

There are about 8 cups of veggies in this recipe, so each serving gets a hefty dose of nutrients thanks to the onions, bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Each of these vegetables offers different vitamins, antioxidants, and phytochemicals.

In one serving of this soup, you'll get almost 140% RDA of Vitamin A, 41% RDA of Vitamin C, and 11% RDA of iron.

What to Serve with Beef Ginger Soup

This is great served with a squeeze of lime juice or soy sauce.

Because this ginger beef soup recipe is so low in carbs, I highly suggest serving it with a piece of bread, crackers, or chips.

Final thoughts:

Packed with veggies and protein, this light yet filling soup will nourish your body and tastebuds.

Plus, it makes a huge amount, so you can freeze some to have whenever you're not feeling your best and need a soothing, nutritious meal.

MORE BEEF SOUP RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:

• Roasted Mushroom and Beef Soup
• Taco Soup
• Steak and Potato Soup
• Beef and Vegetable Soup
• Butternut Squash Chili

Meme

This post was originally published on April 15, 2015. Text, recipe, and photos have been updated.

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Ginger Beef Soup Nutrition Facts

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