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Ground beef stir fry is loaded with veggies in a fragrant homemade, quick teriyaki sauce. Perfect healthy meal for a busy weeknight.
Table of Contents
Why Make This Stir Fry Ground Beef
- Wholesome Ingredients. This beef stir fry with broccoli feel-good ingredients brings you plenty of nutrients. It’s a dish I know my family will eat that I feel good about serving.
- Easy to Make. I love how quickly stir fry with ground beef cooks up. It’s perfect for busy nights when you’re craving a great tasting dish that’s Full of fantastic flavor.
- Versatile Recipe. You can easily customize this meal with veggie swaps or use ground turkey in place of the beef. It’s a great way to use up ingredients you have in the fridge. Even better, this dish can be served in so many different ways, over a salad, wrapped in romaine lettuce or served over rice.
- Makes Great Leftovers. It stores easily and reheats very quickly. As it sits, the flavors actually get better as they have more time to marinate wonderfully.
If you are craving more Asian inspired meals, consider my Beef Fried Noodles, it’s so good! More recipes with ground beef that are full of protein, easy to make, and great for meal prep are my Burger Bowls and Ground Beef Fajitas. If you love ground beef and rice then you’ve got to try this Beef Fried Rice recipe!
Ingredients Needed
Here’s a look at the simple ingredients you need to make this ground beef stir fry recipe.
Stir Fry Ingredients
- Lean Ground Beef. Choose lean ground beef if you can for less grease. The beef pairs so wonderfully with the homemade teriyaki sauce. You can also easily swap the beef for ground chicken or ground turkey instead. These leaner cuts of meat may need a bit of oil added to the pan during cooking to keep them from sticking.
- Mushrooms. I use baby bella or cremini mushrooms for their bold flavor but you can also use white button mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms if you prefer.
- Carrots. You can grate your own or cut down on the time and work by using pre-shredded carrots.
- Bell Pepper. Any color will work for added veggies and crunch in the beef stir fry.
- Onion. I like to use yellow onion in the stir fry because it has a nice and mild flavor. Green onions are optional but they are used for garnish and add such a lovely pop of color.
- Zucchini. I love fresh sliced zucchini but you can also use yellow squash.
- Broccoli. What’s a beef stir fry without broccoli? It adds so much color, fiber, and nutrients.
- Fresh Ginger. This is a must for this recipe it adds such a uniquely peppery flavor.
Beef Stir Fry Sauce
- Soy Sauce. This is the base of the teriyaki sauce. I use low-sodium soy sauce. Tamari and coconut aminos work great instead especially if you need to make it gluten-free.
- Rice Vinegar. This vinegar is found with all the other oil and vinegar at the grocery store. Rice vinegar is just a touch sweeter than regular white vinegar.
- Hoisin Sauce. This is a sweet/salty condiment found in the international aisle at the store. This adds a really deep unmatched flavor.
- Brown Sugar. Light or dark brown sugar will work. You can also use calorie-free brown sugar or swap it for honey instead.
- Garlic. Minced garlic for depth and aroma.
- Cornstarch. This is to thicken the sauce a bit. It will be mixed with a little water to create a slurry.
- Red Pepper Flakes. I find them great for adding a bit of heat to the teriyaki sauce. They’re optional so you can eliminate them if you want.
- Sesame Seeds. I like to use white sesame seeds in the teriyaki sauce and as a garnish for this dish.
How to Make Stir Fry with Ground Beef
Step One. Prepping the Ingredients. Chop all the veggies and cook the ground beef. Heat a large pan or wok on medium-high heat. Add the beef to the pan and cook until it browns, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. When it’s cooked, drain it, and set it aside. If you’re planning to serve rice with your meal you should start it now.
Step Two. Making the Sauce. Combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, hoisin sauce, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, vinegar, and sriracha in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
Step Three. Thickening the Sauce. Whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water together in a small bowl to make a slurry. Lower the heat to the teriyaki sauce, add the slurry to the saucepan. Stir it occasionally and continue cooking until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
Step Four. Cooking the Vegetables. Add the chopped veggies to the hot pan you used for the beef. Add more oil to the pan if needed. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, and broccoli to the pan and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until the veggies are fragrant and softened.
Step Five. Finishing the Stir Fry. Add the beef back into the pan or wok with the veggies and pour the teriyaki sauce over everything. Cook the teriyaki beef stir fry until it’s heated through.
Recipe Pairings
Ground beef stir fry with rice is my family’s favorite way to enjoy this dish! You can choose your favorite type of fried including white, brown, or even fried rice.
You can also use the beef and vegetable filling to fill up lettuce cups to make ground beef wraps (so yummy). It’s also quite tasty and enjoyed over noodles or on its own for a low-carb meal.
Add some toppings! Feel free to add some chopped peanuts or cashews, crispy Chinese noodles, sesame seeds, and even some hot sauce on top!
If you want to serve this hamburger stir fry with a side, try it with my Asian Cabbage Salad or Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts.
Enjoy a serving of Crispy Panko Shrimp or Salmon Hand Rolls to kick things off before diving into a plateful of this teriyaki ground beef!
Recipe Tips
- Veggies. You can add or take away whatever vegetables you want. Mini corn, baby bok choy, yellow squash, and kale are all great subs for veggies as well.
- Drain the Beef. After browning it so that your teriyaki beef stir fry isn’t overly greasy.
- Prep & Measure Ingredients. When cooking stir fry it’s important to have all your ingredients prepped and measured before beginning cooking as it will cook up very quickly.
- Storing and Meal Prep. This is a great meal to meal prep. It keeps well, heats up perfectly, and gets better as it sits. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it in a ziplock or airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat in a skillet on the stove until heated through.
- Chopping the Veggies. Keep them cut in uniform sizes so they cook evenly.
Other Easy Ground Beef Recipes
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Ground Beef Stir Fry
Equipment
- large frying pan or wok
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef, Use ground chicken or turkey if needed.
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp olive oil, for sautéing the veggies if beef grease isn't left in pan
- ⅓ cup yellow onion, chopped
- 6 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small bell pepper, chopped
- 1 broccoli crown, chopped
- 1 small zucchini, sliced
- 1 cup carrots, grated
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp green onions , optional
Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce, You can use coconut aminos, tamari or other substitutes.
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch , or arrowroot
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp Sriracha
Instructions
- Heat a large pan or wok on medium/high heat and start to brown ground beef. While the beef is browning, make the teriyaki sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, hoisin sauce, vinegar, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, sriracha. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Start rice if serving.
- In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water together to make a slurry. Lower the heat to the teriyaki, add the starch/water slurry to the saucepan and stir occasionally until desired thickness of sauce comes about. Set aside.
- Once the ground beef is browned, drain most of the oil and add the beef to a bowl, set aside. Add chopped veggies to the hot pan you used for the beef. Add oil if needed. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, broccoli for about 5-8 minutes or until the veggies are fragrant and softened.
- Once the veggies are softened and fragrant, add the beef back into the pan/wok with the veggies and pour the teriyaki sauce over everything. Bring it to a simmer, mix well and serve over rice or lettuce cups.
Notes
- Veggies. You can add or take away whatever vegetables you want. Mini corn, baby bok choy, yellow squash, kale are all great subs for veggies as well.
- Drain the Beef. After browning it so that your teriyaki beef stir fry isn’t overly greasy.
- Prep & Measure Ingredients. When cooking stir fry it’s important to have all your ingredients prepped and measured before beginning cooking as it will cook up very quickly.
- Storing and Meal Prep. This is a great meal to meal prep. It keeps well, heats up perfect and gets better as it sits. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze in a ziplock or airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat in a skillet on the stove until heated through.
- Chopping the Veggies. Keep them cut in uniform sizes so they cook evenly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was so good . Perfect week night dinner
Hi Lisa! Happy to hear you enjoyed this. Happy eating!
I made your beef fried rice Monday and then made this last night. Both were excellent. I think this might be my favorite way to do stuff right now. I never thought to put ground beef in either fried rice or stirfry. YUM
Loved this recipe! I am making it again tonight. The sauce was SO easy to make and is literally the best I’ve ever had. Way better than store bought. I love all of the veggies in this dish and the fresh ginger makes all the difference! Super easy to make and seriously so flavorful and healthy.
Hi Claire! I am so happy to hear you enjoy this one. I will admit itโs one of my favorites. Thanks so much for letting me know, happy cooking!
When do you add the rice vinegar?
Hi Sajan
Add the rice vinegar in with all the other teriyaki sauce ingredients.Enjoy!
Hi Bailey
I substituted the beef for chicken and have made both now. Absolutely delicious. Thank you..
Made this last night, it was east and VERY VERY tasty we loved it so much and will be making it again monthly.