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These easy beef bowls are a quick and delicious Asian-inspired recipe that makes the perfect weeknight dinner. Ready in about 30 minutes!
Try my Ground Beef Lo Mein or Easy Beef Stir Fry next for more takeout-style favorites at home.
Why you’ll love it
Making Asian-style food is one of my favorite things to do, especially when it’s this tasty and fast. What’s not to love about tender beef and a sauce that includes fresh ginger and garlic, soy sauce, and a hint of brown sugar? One lovely reader said her only regret was not seeing this recipe sooner!
These beef and rice bowls are Korean inspired, but I do use hoisin sauce, which is Chinese. While not an authentic Asian dish, this ground beef recipe is a totally simple and very satisfying way to enjoy an affordable protein that you’ll put on repeat.
What you’ll need
- Rice – I like jasmine rice best, but use your favorite
- Ground beef – I prefer using lean (at least 90% lean) ground beef for this recipe because then you don’t have to worry about draining the fat
- Brown sugar – for a hint of sweetness to balance the sauce
- Hoisin sauce – it’s a dark sauce made with soybeans that has an irresistible flavor uniquely its own. It’s sweeter and thicker than soy sauce, savory and tangy, and some have described it as Asian BBQ sauce! Find it in the Asian aisle at most major grocery stores.
- Soy sauce – I use the regular kind, but use low sodium if that’s a concern
- Siracha – we’re only using enough for a gentle warmth
- Ginger – this gives a zesty, fragrant zing
- Garlic – we’re pretty generous, but feel free to add even more
- Red pepper and scallions – for a pop of color and crunch
Pro tip
To easily grate fresh ginger, store it in the freezer! It sounds unusual, but I’ve been doing it for years. Use a Microplane to zest it. You’ll also never run out of fresh ginger or have it go bad in your fridge.
How to make beef bowls
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the rice. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef until cooked through. Take the pan off the burner, and stir in the sauce ingredients.
Reduce the heat, then add the chopped red pepper and cook for a few more minutes until it’s tender-crisp. Serve over the rice, garnish with scallions, and enjoy!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Mince the garlic effortlessly with one squeeze of a garlic press, and then store the remainder of the cloves in a garlic keeper that looks adorable on your counter.
- I use this versatile Le Creuset skillet for everything from stir fries to stovetop chicken recipes.
- A meat masher is handy to break up the beef while it’s cooking.
Substitutions and variations
- This is the type of recipe where you can definitely adjust the sauce ingredients to taste, so don’t be shy! I love to add extra hoisin sauce to mine.
- Some readers enjoy doubling the sauce completely if you’re into lots of sauce! As written, it doesn’t make tons.
- I added a red pepper bell for color and a bit of freshness. If you don’t like them, you could leave it out. It won’t make or break the recipe.
- You don’t need to go out and buy sriracha sauce just for this recipe if you never use it, but I do like the flavor it adds. I didn’t use a lot so as not to make it too spicy for most people, but you can always add more if you want to give this recipe more heat.
What to serve with these ground beef bowls
- You don’t need to top them with sesame seeds like I did, but it adds a little additional contrast and texture. Fresh bean sprouts would be another great topping for some crunch.
- If you’re not into the rice, swap it out to make a beef noodle bowl. Try Udon, ramen noodles, or rice noodles.
- Other options are serving it over cauliflower rice, quinoa, or with other veggies.
Leftovers and storage
- Store any leftovers for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. I’d make fresh rice when you eat it.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat, and you may want to add some extra hoisin sauce and/or sriracha because it tends to dry out a bit the longer you leave it.
- You can freeze it for up to 3 months.
More easy ground beef recipes
If you gave these easy Asian beef bowls a try, please leave a star rating and review below! Let me know if you have questions not answered in the post. You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you made it.
Easy Beef Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked rice I used white jasmine rice
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- Garnish (optional): scallions, sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package directions. If you have a different amount you usually make for 4 people, just make your usual amount.
- Meanwhile, add the beef to a skillet over medium-high heat and break it up with your spoon as you go along until it's cooked (approx. 8-10 minutes). If there's a lot of excess fat, drain most of it.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sauce ingredients (sugar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, ginger, and garlic).
- Reduce the heat to medium and return the pan to the heat. Add the chopped red bell pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, until the peppers are tender-crisp.
- Serve the beef over the rice and garnish as desired.
Notes
- To easily grate fresh ginger, freeze a whole piece. It grates much easier and you’ll always have some on-hand. This Microplane is the handy tool I use to grate/zest it.
- If you don’t have sriracha sauce, you can leave it out. If you love sriracha, don’t hesitate to add more than 1 teaspoon!
- This recipe also appears in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on August 3, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
This dish is so good and so easy. I make it at least once a week.
I’m so happy to hear that! XO
Super love this one of my favorite recipes ever 🙂 Very easy to make! I am a huge fan of your Natasha and my IG bookmarks are filled with your recipes ❤️
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for following along!!! I’m very glad you enjoy my recipes. 😀
This dish was so good. Looking for advice on making it and freezing it or making the sauce ahead of time so the kids can quickly throw it together.
So glad you liked it!! Hmmm… you could try freezing the beef and sauce once it’s cooked. I’m not entirely sure if it would work, but I think it’s worth a try!
Wow! Made this for dinner tonight. An absolute winner. The teenager proclaimed it the best thing she’s eaten in ages & wants it again at the weekend! Thank you for a super easy & delicious meal. 🙂
So happy to hear it, Jude!! Thanks for leaving me a comment! 😀
I made this tonight and really enjoyed it! I love the hint of spice from the sriracha too. I wonder how this would be with ground turkey?
So glad you liked it!! I had a couple of readers on IG tell me they made it with ground turkey and liked it. ☺️
Making this for the umpteenth time! This was an immediate hit with us. My husband is very picky and this has gone into a regular rotation. We usually serve it over cauliflower rice. The flavour is great, i almost always have the ingredients on hand, and it is amazing leftover the next day for lunch. Oh…my husband throws some crushed peanuts on his for a little extra crunch. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
You’re very welcome!! I’m so happy this has been a regular meal for you guys 🙂
Deeelish! I added some Napa cabbage for extra crunch. Thanks for posting 😋
Great idea! I need to try that! Thanks!
Loved this recipe! I’ve made it several times and everyone loves it. I hope to see more rice recipes on the blog.
I am so happy to hear it!! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
I rarely eat meat, so I made this tonight with beyond beef. Cooked it the exact same and turned out AMAZING!!! I also added broccoli and left off the rice. So good!!! Your flavors are just amazing!!!
I am so happy it worked out, Kim!! Thank you 🙂
This was amazing, tried it for the fam and they loved it… all the way from Nigeria
Aww so happy to hear that, Labisi! 🙂 Thanks for leaving me a comment!