This Paleo Ground Beef Stroganoff is a simple and easy recipe for a busy weeknight, coming together in just 20 minutes. It uses coconut cream to replace the sour cream, making it dairy free, and bonus, it’s gluten free and Whole30 compatible. Enjoy this clean eating twist on classic comfort food!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Do you ever have those nights when you have no idea what the heck to get on the table?
If so, this paleo beef stroganoff is going to come in clutch for you.
This recipe was borne with three things in mind
- Gluten AND dairy free. My mom, being already gluten-free, also wanted to avoid dairy so it had to be both;
- Cheap eats. We were on a budget and I needed something that wouldn’t break the bank; and
- Quick to make. My kids are whiny and annoying when they’re hungry, so I needed something fast.
I also had to take into account my husband, who is neither gluten nor dairy free. I wanted to make sure it was tasty even for people who can eat whatever they want. Even he was a big fan of this dish.
Before we get to the recipe, if you find yourself in this situation often then you should also check out my other quick paleo ground beef recipes, like my paleo beef and broccoli, beef and cabbage stir fry, and this Mexican ground beef skillet.
Ingredients needed for paleo stroganoff
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
- Ground beef – I use a leaner cut of ground beef in this recipe so you don’t have to drain off the fat. Something like a 95/5 or even a 90/10 would work.
- Mushrooms – the type of mushrooms you have will impact the flavor of this recipe. I love making this recipe with shiitake mushrooms. Baby bella mushrooms would also work. You can make it with white button mushrooms, but it won’t be quite as flavorful. If you’re really short on time, buy pre-sliced mushrooms.
- Coconut milk – use a full fat coconut milk for this recipe, as what you really want is the thick cream at the top. I often buy the Thai Kitchen brand and like it.
- Cassava flour – my preference is Otto’s cassava flour, but you can use any type you like. You could also use a gluten free flour blend if that’s what you have on hand – I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 in this recipe before and it works well.
- Broth – this recipe uses beef broth, but if you don’t have any you can still use chicken broth. I have done this before and it doesn’t change the flavor of the recipe too much.
- Spices – garlic powder, ground black pepper, and Diamond Crystal kosher salt are what is used in this recipe. I use Diamond Crystal brand as it is less salty by weight than other brands. This gives you a little more control when salting your foods. If you have a different brand of kosher salt you may want to use slightly less than the recipe recommends.
- Cooking fat – any high temperature oil would work here, like avocado oil. You could also use an animal fat, like duck fat, or if you’re okay with eating ghee you could use that too.
*Dos and Don’ts for Coconut Milk*
- Do use full fat coconut milk. You want the fat in the coconut milk as that’s what makes it creamy.
- Don’t use lite coconut milk. Lite coconut milk doesn’t have the fat content necessary to produce the coconut cream and your stroganoff will be too runny.
- Do substitute coconut cream. If you want to skip the step of putting the coconut milk in the freezer for a short bit, you can substitute straight coconut cream for the coconut milk as that will already have the creamy texture necessary for this dish.
- Don’t shake the can. Often the coconut cream will be at the top of the can, and if you shake it the cream will start to kind of melt back into the liquid in the can. That’s not what we want for this recipe.
- Don’t use boxed or bottled coconut milk. Boxed or bottled coconut milk is pure liquid and typically does not contain the creamy coconut fat that’s needed for this recipe.
How to make ground beef stroganoff with coconut milk
(Note: please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete written instructions.)
- Start by placing an unshaken can of coconut milk in the freezer. This helps the coconut cream at the top firm up a bit.
- Next slice the mushrooms, if you haven’t bought them presliced.
RACHEL Keane
i am wondering how this might be with light coconut milk
… watery? anything i can do to thicken it?
Taryn Solie
It would probably be a bit thin, yes. You could try doing a slurry with some arrowroot powder, but I can’t attest to the results as I’ve never tried it. If you do, let me know how it goes!
RACHEL Keane
i thickened the light coconut milk with 1tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp cornstarch and it was perfect
alexandra
hello,
is the nutrition info per serving or for 4 servings?
Taryn Solie
The nutrition info is per serving!
Roxanne
How much is in a serving?
Taryn Solie
Hi Roxanne! A serving is 1/4 of the total yield of the recipe. Unfortunately, I don’t have an exact amount.
Katherine Rhoadarmer
This was absolutely wonderful! The only thing that would make it better is if you used steak instead of ground beef. Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite recipes and this has that thick creamy texture. I wasn’t quite sure how the coconut cream would work out but it blends nicely without a hint of coconut. It is so good that I actually recommended it to my dairy and gluten free friends.
Taryn Solie
I’m so glad you liked it!
MARTHA
This is a real winner! I think I may have used less salt than called for in the recipe (just “eyeballed it”), but this was very tasty! I wanted it more saucy, so used the full 1 1/2 cups of broth and it turned out perfectly! Thanks for a healthy recipe that completely satisfied my desire for stroganoff, I’ll definitely be making this again!
Taryn Solie
I’m so glad you liked it Martha!