Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
Whip up this easy ground beef stir fry for a quick, healthy dinner in less than 30 minutes! With plenty of cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, onion, and garlic in a sweet-and-savory sauce, the meal tastes like a cross between moo shu pork and an egg roll!
Table of Contents
Two of our favorite Chinese restaurant-inspired recipes are moo shu pork and “egg roll in a bowl.” These dishes share many of the same ingredients, and both come together quickly in one skillet. I’ve combined the best of both to create this easy ground beef stir-fry, which I hope you’ll love as much as we do. Even my pickiest eaters devour this dinner!
How to Make Stir-Fry Beef So It’s Tender
To keep the ground beef moist and tender, avoid stirring it constantly in the pan. Instead, once you add the beef to the hot skillet, let it sit for a few minutes. Constant stirring drives moisture out of the meat, which yields a tougher texture.
The Stir Fry Sauce
This stir fry sauce is based on our favorite homemade moo shu pork sauce. It’s sweet, savory, and full of rich umami taste. With bold flavors from the toasted sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and fresh ginger, this healthy ground beef stir fry is anything but boring!
Ingredients for a Simple Ground Beef Stir Fry
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a delicious ground beef stir fry with vegetables. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Ground beef: the meat component in the stir-fry. Feel free to sub with ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey.
- Sesame oil: an essential ingredient for that true Asian flavor. Do not substitute with a different oil. The sesame oil has a unique nutty flavor that’s hard to replicate with other ingredients, and it truly makes the dish! You can find sesame oil in the Asian or International foods aisle at just about every grocery store these days, or order it online here.
- Seasoned rice vinegar: an acidic component to brighten up the sauce.
- Mushrooms: I buy sliced mushrooms for a shortcut. Use your favorite mushrooms, such as shiitake mushrooms, baby bella mushrooms, or white button mushrooms.
- Onion and garlic: for savory flavor.
- Coleslaw mix: a bag of pre-shredded mix is a perfect shortcut so that you don’t have to shred your own cabbage.
- Carrots: for even more veggies with a hint of sweetness.
- Green onions: scallions add a nice, mild touch of onion flavor without overpowering the dish.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: enhance the other flavors.
- Soy sauce: for salty, umami flavor in the sauce. I prefer low sodium soy sauce (or light soy sauce), but any variety will work.
- Hoisin sauce: a thick, rich, sweet-and-salty Chinese bbq sauce that adds flavor to the stir-fry and serves as a garnish for the finished dish. Find it in the Asian or International foods aisle at your grocery store, or order it online here.
- Ginger: use fresh if you have it, or substitute with ground ginger when necessary. It adds a warm, zesty touch to the sauce.
- Sugar: just enough for a slightly sweet flavor.
How to Make Ground Beef Stir Fry
Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go, because this dish comes together very quickly! I’ve included the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Brown the ground beef.
- Stir-fry the veggies in the same skillet or wok.
- Add the green onions and sauce.
- Cook until the veggies are tender.
What to Serve with Chinese Ground Beef Stir Fry
Serve the stir fry ground beef and vegetables on their own, or pair the dish with any of these easy sides:
- Rice
- Ramen noodles, rice noodles, lo mein noodles, or spaghetti
- Wrapped in mandarin pancakes or flour tortillas and garnished with extra hoisin sauce or plum sauce (like moo shu pork)
- Egg rolls
- Steamed broccoli or oven-roasted sesame broccoli
- Sesame ginger snap pea salad
- Sesame peanut noodles
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It gets soggy as the vegetables sit and absorb the sauce, but the flavor is still great! You can reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1 minute, or reheat a larger quantity in a skillet over low heat just until warmed through.
I do not recommend freezing the leftover stir fry. The cabbage and other vegetables will have a mushy texture when thawed, and will release extra water that thins the sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground chicken, ground pork, or ground turkey.
- For a vegetarian option, omit the beef and bulk up the stir-fry with additional mushrooms, diced tofu, or other veggies of choice (like bean sprouts).
- If you choose to shred your own green cabbage instead of using a bag of coleslaw mix, you will need a total of about 6 ¾ cups of finely-shredded cabbage.
- Make it spicy by garnishing individual servings with sriracha sauce or crushed red pepper flakes.
Tips for the Best Ground Beef Stir Fry Recipe
- Do not omit the sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, or hoisin sauce. These are essential ingredients that give the dish its classic Asian flavor.
- Don’t stir the beef too much while it’s browning. Let it sit for a few minutes before you break it up with a spoon. This helps the meat retain moisture and stay tender.
- Use this recipe as a base and play around with the ingredients to suit your preferences. We love ground pork here! You might also like to add diced celery, diced sweet bell peppers, snap peas, snow peas, or baby corn.
More Ground Beef Recipes to Try
10-Minute Ground Beef Teriyaki Recipe
10 minutes mins
Homemade Nachos with Ground Beef
30 minutes mins
Ground Beef Casserole with Cornbread
58 minutes mins
And if you’re looking for even more ideas, check out this convenient collection of more than 70 Easy Ground Beef Recipes!
Ground Beef Stir-Fry with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
- 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
- ½ of a sweet onion, finely diced (about ½ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
- 1 (14 ounce) bag coleslaw mix (about 6 ¾ cups)
- ½ cup grated or “matchstick” carrots
- 2 green onions (white and green parts), sliced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup less-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, plus extra for serving
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Dash of ground black pepper
- For serving: extra hoisin sauce; cooked rice; additional sliced green onions; toasted sesame seeds; lime wedges
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain off excess grease.
- To the skillet with the ground beef, add the sesame oil, rice vinegar, mushrooms, and onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion and mushrooms start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, coleslaw mix, and carrots to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for about 5 more minutes, or until cabbage starts to wilt.
- Add the green onions, salt, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, ginger, and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender, about 2-3 more minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Serve the mixture in tortillas or on top of rice with hoisin sauce and additional optional toppings.
Notes
- Swap out the ground beef and use ground chicken, ground pork, or ground turkey.
- For a vegetarian option, omit the beef and bulk up the stir-fry with additional mushrooms, diced tofu, or other veggies of choice (like bean sprouts).
- If you choose to shred your own green cabbage instead of using a bag of coleslaw mix, you will need a total of about 6 ¾ cups of finely-shredded cabbage.
- Make it spicy by garnishing individual servings with sriracha sauce or crushed red pepper flakes.
This recipe is awesomely crazily amazing
Thank you so much!
Very good! Made a couple of changes, however. I omitted the added salt and tripled the number of fresh mushrooms, as soy and hoisin sauce both contain a lot more salt than needed. Would definitely add the red pepper flakes to give it some wow. I’ll definitely make it again but will use 1/2 as much sugar and 1/2 the oil.
Your changes sound great, Anna. I’m glad that you could customize the recipe to suit your preferences. That’s always my goal — to provide some inspiration so that you can make it your own. Thanks for your note!