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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish Recipes

    Ground Beef Stir-Fry Recipe

    Published: July 5, 2021 Updated: July 17, 2021 / By: Dawn | Girl Heart Food 7 Comments

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    Serving spoon scooping up stir-fry from a wok.

    If you’re looking for an easy stir-fry recipe, then this ground beef stir-fry is a must try! It’s loaded with hearty ground beef, lots of colourful veggies (like cabbage, bell pepper and carrots) and a flavour-packed stir-fry sauce! Serve over rice for one delicious meal, on the table in under 30 minutes.

    Plate of ground beef stir-fry and rice next to a fork and green onion.

    As much as both hubby and I love to cook, sometimes when deciding what to have for dinner, the struggle is real, especially weeknights. You too?

    That’s why it’s always a good idea to have easy recipes in your back pocket for when you’re too tired (or just not in the mood) to break out your inner Julia Child.

    Stir-fry is a popular choice for us, as are soups and sandwiches.

    Ever since we’ve been making this ground beef stir-fry recipe, it’s been a favourite of ours. It comes together quickly, fills us up, and tastes so darn good.

    Why We Love Ground Beef Stir Fry

    • This stir fry uses ground beef (which can often be less expensive than, say, steak).
    • The recipe can be made in under 30 minutes!
    • It’s loaded with lots of yummy veggies, hearty ground beef and a savoury stir-fry sauce.
    • It tastes incredible!

    How To Make This Recipe

    Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

    Everything moves quickly when making this ground beef stir-fry recipe, so you want to have everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking.

    First, prepare the stir-fry sauce and set aside for use shortly.

    You basically whisk together yummy ingredients, like soy sauce, sriracha, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, fish sauce and sesame oil.

    Stir-fry sauce in a measuring cup with a small whisk in it.

    Heat some vegetable oil in a wok, then add the ground beef and cook.

    Note: Since the stir-fry sauce has lots of soy sauce, fish sauce and flavour-packed ingredients, I didn’t add any salt to the ground beef.

    Uncooked ground beef in a wok.

    Once the ground beef is fully cooked through, remove it from the wok.

    Cooked ground beef in a wok.

    Heat some more oil in the wok, then add the stir-fry veggies. Cook until they’re tender-crisp, stirring regularly. You still want a little bite in them.

    Uncooked vegetables in a wok.

    Add the cooked ground beef back to the wok, along with the stir-fry sauce, and combine with the veggies, cooking for a little so all the flavours mingle (and stirring often).

    Cooked ground beef and vegetables in a wok before being mixed together.

    That’s it! Easy ground beef and vegetable stir-fry that’s ready to be devoured!

    Ground beef stir-fry in a wok.

    Totally optional is to mix in a cornstarch slurry to give the sauce a little thickness.

    Serving spoon scooping up stir-fry from a wok.

    Can I Make Stir Fry Without a Wok?

    For sure! Use a large sauté pan to make this ground beef stir-fry if you don’t have a wok.

    Two plates of ground beef stir-fry and rice next to forks, sesame seeds, green onion and nuts.

    Topping Ideas

    • Peanuts
    • Sesame seeds
    • Sliced green onion
    • Chili oil
    • Sliced chili peppers
    Two hands holding a plate of ground beef stir-fry and rice.

    Sides To Serve With It

    Stir-fry is delicious served over rice (my favourite). Heck, I even like to use quinoa at times.

    Other stir-fry sides are ramen, soba or buckwheat noodles. Instead of serving the stir-fry over the noodles, you can totally mix them in if you like.

    For a lower carb option, serve the stir-fry with cauliflower rice (plus, you get extra yummy veg).

    Hand holding a forkful of stir-fry from a plate.

    More Yummy Ground Beef Recipes

    • Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
    • Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff
    • Cheeseburger Macaroni

    If you make this easy stir-fry recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

    Ground beef stir-fry & rice on a plate, in front of another plate of stir fry & sesame seeds.

    Ground Beef Stir-Fry Recipe

    Dawn | Girl Heart Food
    If you're looking for an easy stir-fry recipe, then this ground beef stir-fry is a must try! It's loaded with hearty ground beef, lots of colourful veggies (like cabbage, bell pepper and carrots) and a flavour-packed stir-fry sauce! Serve over rice for one delicious meal, on the table in under 30 minutes.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Main Course
    Servings 4 servings
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    Stir-Fry Sauce

    • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons sriracha
    • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
    • 1.5 teaspoons fish sauce
    • 1.5 teaspoons sesame oil

    Ground Beef Stir-Fry

    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
    • 1 pound extra lean ground beef
    • 1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
    • 8 leaves green cabbage, cut into thin strips (about 2 to 3 cups)
    • 1 large bell pepper, cut into thin strips (colour of your choice)
    • 2 large carrots, peeled and shredded or thinly sliced
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch, optional
    • 1.5 tablespoons cold water, optional

    For Serving (optional)

    • Cooked rice or noodles

    Optional Stir-Fry Garnish Ideas

    • Sliced green onion
    • Sliced chili pepper
    • Sesame seeds
    • Chopped peanuts

    Instructions

    Stir-Fry Sauce

    • Combine the soy sauce, sriracha, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, fish sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl, whisking together until combined. Set aside.

    Ground Beef Stir-Fry

    • Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large (about 12-inch) wok over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking the ground beef into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until fully cooked through (the ground beef should no longer be pink and be browned all the way through), about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the ground beef to a plate or bowl and drain any excess grease from the wok.
    • Turn heat to medium-high. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok. Once oil is hot, add onion, garlic, ginger, cabbage, pepper and carrots. Cook, stirring often, for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the veggies are tender-crisp.
    • Add the cooked ground beef to the veggie mixture, along with the stir-fry sauce, stirring everything together. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often.
    • Optional for a thicker sauce consistency: In a mixing glass, stir together cornstarch with water until smooth. Pour over stir-fry and stir in. Cook for 1 minute.
    • Enjoy the stir-fry as is or serve over cooked rice or your favourite noodles. Garnish to taste (if desired) with any of the stir-fry garnish ideas.

    A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

    Keyword ground beef recipe, stir fry recipe, under 30 minutes

    Tried this recipe?

    If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!

    More Main Dish Recipes

    • Loose Meat Sandwich
    • Fries, Dressing and Gravy
    • Cheese Lovers Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
    • Sausage Stir-Fry

    © Girl Heart Food Inc. All photographs and content are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katherine | Love In My Oven

      July 10, 2021 at 6:25 pm

      5 stars
      This is the type of dish I love to make for my family Dawn! Saucy, tasty and tons of veggies. We’d devour this as a quick weeknight meal!

      Reply
    2. Marissa

      July 07, 2021 at 3:24 pm

      5 stars
      Using ground beef is a genius way to make stir-fry really simple. And this one looks SO flavorful, Dawn! Love that it’s weeknight easy!

      Reply
    3. David @ Spiced

      July 06, 2021 at 10:21 am

      5 stars
      I love stir fries and this version sounds fantastic, Dawn! Weeknight meals are a bit rushed lately now that Robbie has finally gone back to summer camp at his kindergarten school. This sounds like a great meal for a busy night!

      Reply
    4. Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop

      July 06, 2021 at 10:06 am

      5 stars
      I love how easy this comes together! Perfect for a weeknight meal. My freezer is full of ground beef and I’m always looking for new ways to use it. 🙂

      Reply
    5. Michelle

      July 05, 2021 at 9:49 pm

      5 stars
      Such a simple and delicious rice dish! Love how easily it comes together! Definitely my kind of comfort food 🙂

      Reply
    6. Laura

      July 05, 2021 at 7:42 pm

      5 stars
      Dawn, This is totally my kind of weeknight meal. I like to start the rice and am always happy when the rice-topper is done at the same time as the rice! This one’s definitely a keeper – the flavors sound perfect, too!

      Reply
    7. Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers

      July 05, 2021 at 10:06 am

      5 stars
      Love this quick and easy stir fry and I always have ground beef in the freezer. Sounds and look delicious 🙂

      Reply

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