Quick and easy Ground Beef Stir Fry – it’s a family friendly stir fry made more budget friendly with ground beef (vs. steak), along with a rainbow of nutritious fresh vegetables and a sweet and savory stir fry sauce. It’s a mouthful of flavor in every bite!
This hearty ground beef stir fry is a more economical stir fry made with ground beef instead, so you still get all those rich beefy flavors without paying upwards of $20 a pound for steak.
Plus, with this recipe there’s no marinating required. You simply sear the ground beef in chunks, saute the vegetables and toss it all with a simple, flavorful stir fry sauce.
And for a time save tip you can prep the vegetables while the ground beef cooks so you can have this dish ready in 30 minutes!
You’ll find this is a very customizable stir fry that can also be made with other proteins and vegetables that you already have on hand (see below for ideas).
It’s the perfect clean out the fridge recipe for when you need to use up those veggies nearly past the prime in the vegetable drawer.
All of that makes this the ideal recipe to keep on hand for when those Chinese take out cravings strike. There’s lots to love about this completely satisfying stir fry recipe!
Ground Beef Stir Fry Recipe Ingredients
Ground beef: The protein base of the stir fry. I recommend using 85% to 93% lean ground beef.
Cooking oil: Avocado oil, olive oil, peanut oil or another neutral cooking oil works well.
Vegetables: Green beans, bell pepper and carrots are the vegetables used here. See below for other options.
Garlic and ginger: These aromatics build the background flavor of the dish. For a more economical substitute you can use 1/2 tsp dried garlic and 1/2 tsp dried ginger.
Soy sauce: This is a dark, salty and savory Asian seasoning sauce made from soybeans and wheat. Tamari can be used instead. If you need to reduce the sodium use low-sodium soy sauce or low sodium tamari.
Mirin: This is a Japanese cooking wine that adds umami and light sweetness to the dish. Sake or sherry may be substituted.
Honey: Added for a sweetener to balance the savory umami flavors.
Rice vinegar: This adds a bright zip to the stir fry. You could use apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or even lime in its place.
Cornstarch: An ingredient that is used to thicken the stir fry sauce. Potato starch will work well in its place if you need a substitute.
Toasted sesame oil: This is a rich amber hued oil made from toasted sesame seeds and it’s much stronger in flavor than regular sesame oil. It can usually be found in the Asian foods section of grocery stores.
How to Make Ground Beef Stir Fry
Make the stir fry sauce: In a mixing bowl whisk together water, soy sauce, mirin, honey, rice vinegar and cornstarch until well blended. Mix in sesame oil. Set aside.
Cook the ground beef: Heat avocado oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over moderately high heat. Dab beef dry then break beef into chunks and add to the skillet. Press beef down slightly using a spatula (for good contact and sear), and let sear until nicely browned on bottom about 3 minutes.
Turn beef and sear on opposite side, about 3 minutes longer, while breaking up chunks slightly. Transfer beef to a plate leaving 1 Tbsp rendered beef fat in skillet.
Saute vegetables: Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add green beans, bell pepper and carrot. Saute 6 minutes, or until nearly tender, tossing occasionally. Add green onions, garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes longer, tossing occasionally.
Toss vegetables and beef with sauce: Return beef to pan with vegetables. Whisk sauce mixture once more then pour over beef and vegetables. Cook and stir until thickened, about 30 to 60 seconds.
Serve warm garnished with sesame seeds (pair with cooked white or brown rice if desired).
Storage and Reheating
Chilling: Store leftover ground beef stir fry in the fridge for up to 3 days, or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Heating: Reheat individual servings from the fridge in the microwave on a microwave safe dish for about 2 minutes on 50% power or until heated through.
Larger amounts are best reheated in a skillet over medium-low heat with a little oil, stirring frequently.
Helpful Tips for the Best Quick Stir Fry
Sear the meat to build flavor: Dab beef dry first, cook over a moderately high temperature and turn/break up just occasionally (too much tossing keeps it from browning).
Cut vegetables evenly: For a more uniform dish try to cut the vegetables into a fairly equal size.
Don’t overcook vegetables: For better texture cook the vegetables just until tender crisp for a better mouthfeel and more authentic style to the dish. Also let them sear and brown for better flavor, only tossing occasionally.
Build a better sauce: To build a flavorful stir fry sauce for a ground beef stir fry use a combination of several sauces and seasonings including soy sauce, a sweetener and other Asian condiments such as mirin, sake, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, or sriracha.
Possible Variations
Protein: In place of ground beef try this stir fry with ground turkey, ground chicken or ground pork.
Vegetables: Broccoli or broccolini, snap peas or snow peas, mushrooms, cauliflower bok choy, cabbage, zucchini, asparagus or bean sprouts are good options.
Vegan: To make a vegan stir fry you can replace the ground beef with tofu and honey with maple syrup.
Sweetener: In place of honey you could also use brown sugar, maple syrup, or agave nectar.
Gluten free: If you need to adapt this to be gluten free use gluten free tamari, gluten free mirin and ensure other packaged ingredients are made in gluten free facilities with no cross contamination. Pair with a gluten free base option.
Base: Top it over a hearty base such as white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, barley, or noodles such as rice noodles or udon noodles.
More Tasty Stir Fry Style Recipes to Try
Ground Beef Stir Fry
An easy family friendly stir fry made with more budget friendly ground beef (vs steak), a rainbow of nutritious fresh vegetables and a sweet and savory stir fry sauce. To make the most of your time you can prep the vegetables while you cook the beef.
Servings: 4
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For the sauce: In a mixing bowl whisk together water, soy sauce, mirin, honey, rice vinegar and cornstarch until well blended. Mix in sesame oil. Set aside.
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For the stir fry: Heat avocado oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over moderately high heat. Dab beef dry then break beef into chunks about 1-inch, add to the skillet. Press beef down slightly using a spatula (for good contact and sear), and let sear until nicely browned on bottom about 3 minutes.
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Turn beef and sear on opposite side, about 3 minutes longer while breaking up chunks slightly.
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Transfer beef to a plate leaving 1 Tbsp rendered beef fat in skillet.
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Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add green beans, bell pepper and carrot. Saute 6 minutes, or until nearly tender, tossing occasionally. Add green onions, garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes longer, tossing occasionally.
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Return beef to pan with vegetables. Whisk sauce mixture once more then pour over beef and vegetables. Cook and stir until thickened, about 30 to 60 seconds.
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Serve warm garnished with sesame seeds (pair with cooked white or brown rice if desired).
Nutrition Facts
Ground Beef Stir Fry
Amount Per Serving
Calories 301
Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 0.4g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 70mg23%
Sodium 933mg41%
Potassium 810mg23%
Carbohydrates 24g8%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 28g56%
Vitamin A 9287IU186%
Vitamin C 71mg86%
Calcium 61mg6%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
