Stir-Fried Beef Liver and Onions with Balsamic Glaze

Imagine flavorful stir-fried beef liver with onions and pepper, drizzled with a rich balsamic glaze. That’s what we’re making today at Fed by the Farm and it is so freakin’ delicious! Liver fans rejoice, I’m sharing another unique liver and onion recipe that will delight your taste buds.

I’ve been eating liver ever since I was a little girl and my Dad would stir-fry it up with onions for dinner. Yes, I loved liver even as a child.

Now as an adult I’ve discovered there are two types of people – those who love liver and those who think they hate it. It’s a polarizing topic isn’t it – like politics. I’ve never met a moderate in terms of their feelings about having liver for dinner.

But if you’re here, looking for a liver recipe idea, that means you’re a liver fan too. As a testament to our strength in numbers, my Asian-Style Stir Fried Liver is the second most visited recipe on this blog! (If you like liver, that’s a great recipe to try next time.)

With that, let’s get cooking!

Stir-Fried Liver and Onions Ingredients

A great thing about this liver stir-fry recipe is it only requires a few simple ingredients. Most of them are easy to find at the farmers market and the rest you probably already have in your pantry.

Grass-fed beef liver – I get good grass-fed beef liver from local farms at the farmers market. Liver is a great bang for your buck in terms of quality grass-fed meat. If you’d like some pointers about the best place to buy grass-fed beef, I wrote an entire article about it.

Sweet or yellow onion – Liver and onion is a classic pairing and we’re taking the flavor up a few notches with this delicious recipe.

Red bell pepper – In addition to onion, we are stir-frying the liver with some red bell pepper. Yum!

Balsamic vinegar – Sweet flavors help balance the bitter taste of liver. I’m going to walk you through how to make a homemade balsamic glaze out of balsamic vinegar. Balsamic glaze is thick, and sweet and pairs so well with beef liver.

Jasmine rice – I recommend serving stir-fried liver and onions over jasmine rice.

Scallion – The crunchy texture of scallions is one of my favorite pairings with beef liver recipes. Sprinkle some chopped scallions or green onions on top of the stir-fry as the finishing touch.

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities of each ingredient.

How to Make Stir-Fried Liver and Onions

This stir-fry liver with balsamic glaze is a delicious twist on the classic liver and onions recipes we grew up on.

Step 1: Slice the liver, onion and pepper

Cut the liver, onion and bell pepper into thin strips about 1/2 inch thick. Set the sliced onion and peppers aside in a small bowl as we’ll be stir-frying those separate from the liver.

Step 2: Make the balsamic glaze

Balsamic glaze is both easy to make but easy to mess up if you cook it too high or for too long. To avoid over cooking your glaze, don’t multi task while making it. Yeah I’ve made that mistake. This whole process will take about 15 minutes.

Pour the balsamic vinegar into a very small pot and turn the burner on low. It will start to bubble and release steam, adjust the heat so it’s barely a simmer. You want it ever so gently bubbling here and there (and not boiling). As the water evaporates the balsamic vinegar turns to a glaze.

Once the balsamic vinegar has reduced and is starting to get thick, it’s time to remove it from the heat. At this point it should coat the back of a spoon. It will continue to become more viscous even after it’s removed from the heat.

Set aside the balsamic glaze while you make your stir-fried liver and onions next.

Step 3: Stir-fry the onion and pepper

Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat on the stovetop and add a teaspoon of olive oil once the pan is warm.

Once the oil is hot, add the sliced onions and peppers to the pan and stir them often while they cook.

When the onions and peppers are soft to your liking, remove them from the pan onto a plate.

Step 4: Stir-fry the beef liver

Add the beef liver slices to the hot frying pan with another teaspoon of olive oil. Cook the liver over medium heat, tossing continuously. Sliced liver cooks quite quickly.

Once the liver is browned through, add the onion and peppers back to the pan and toss just to heat everything up.

Step 5: Garnish and serve

Serve the beef liver stir fry over jasmine rice and drizzle generously with the homemade balsamic glaze. Top the whole dish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds if you have them.

This liver stir fry is best enjoyed right away. Liver is tricky to reheat without overcooking. If you do have leftovers they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and reheated on the stovetop.

What to Serve with Stir-Fried Liver and Onions

Here are a couple sides I recommend serving with this stir-fried liver and onions recipe:

• Jasmine rice
• Stir-fried bok choy
• Cauliflower rice if the meal must be low carb

FAQ: Stir-Fried Liver and Onions

Can I make this stir-fried liver and onions with chicken liver?

I do not recommend making this liver stir fry with chicken liver. The reason being is twofold 1) chicken livers are quite delicate and cook better when gently fried on each side rather than being stir fried, and 2) chicken liver has a distinct flavor that I can’t recommend this ingredient combination with.

Where can I buy good liver?

The best place to buy good quality liver is directly from a farm at the farmers market. And I recommend sourcing your liver from farms that sell grass-fed beef versus grain-fed beef. If you’re unable to find grass-fed liver at a farmers market you might be able to buy grass-fed liver from a small local butcher.

Is beef liver healthy?

Beef liver, like other organ meats, is very nutritious!

Four ounces of raw grass-fed beef liver has just 4 grams of fat and is loaded with protein and nutrients:

• 23 grams of protein
• 30% DV of iron
• 988% RDI of vitamin B12
• 731% RDI of vitamin A RAE
• 488% RDI of copper

Studies also find that liver from grass-fed cows has 4 times the phytonutrients as liver from grain-fed cows.

I usually don’t like the taste of liver, will I like this recipe?

Liver is an acquired taste for sure. Though I don’t think everyone who eats it, acquires a taste for it. 🙂 This liver stir-fry recipe is meant for people who already like liver.

Here’s what I recommend if you don’t like the taste of liver, but want to start eating it for health reasons. Go out and buy some 100% grass-fed beef liver at the farmers market. In my experience, really good quality liver does taste better than liver from the grocery store.

Then come back and try this recipe. It might not completely change your mind about liver, but that sweet balsamic glaze will balance some of the bitterness, versus a traditional liver and onions recipe.

Just don’t leave a bad review because you don’t like the taste of the liver.

One of these days I need to test the trick where you soak liver in milk or cold water for a few hours to remove some of the liver taste.

Stir-Fried Beef Liver and Onions with Balsamic Glaze

Imagine flavorful stir-fried beef liver with onions and pepper, drizzled with a rich balsamic glaze. That's what we're making today at Fed by the Farm and it is so freakin' delicious! Liver fans rejoice, I'm sharing another unique liver and onion recipe that will delight your taste buds.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 1/2-3/4 lb grass-fed beef liver
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp olive oil
• sliced scallions or green onion to garnish

Instructions

 

• Cut the liver, onion and bell pepper into thin strips about 1/2 inch thick. Set the sliced onion and peppers aside in a small bowl.
• Make the Balsamic Glaze: Pour the balsamic vinegar into a very small pot and turn the burner on low. It will start to bubble and release steam, adjust the heat so it’s barely a simmer. You want it ever so gently bubbling here and there (and not boiling).

  Once the balsamic vinegar has reduced and is starting to get thick, it’s time to remove it from the heat. At this point it should coat the back of a spoon. It will continue to become more viscous even after it’s removed from the heat.

  Set aside the balsamic glaze while you make your stir-fried liver and onions next.
• Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat on the stovetop and add a teaspoon of olive oil once the pan is warm.

  Once the oil is hot, add the sliced onions and peppers to the pan and stir them often while they cook.

  When the onions and peppers are soft to your liking, remove them from the pan onto a plate.
• Add the beef liver slices to the hot frying pan with another teaspoon of olive oil. Cook the liver over medium heat, tossing continuously. Sliced liver cooks quite quickly.

  Once the liver is browned through, add the onion and peppers back to the pan and toss just to heat everything up.
• Serve the beef liver stir fry over jasmine rice and drizzle generously with the homemade balsamic glaze. Top the whole dish with sliced scallions.

Keyword grass-fed beef, liver

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