Mongolian Ground Beef

Mongolian Ground Beef is a 20 minute stir fry bursting with sweet and savory Asian flavors. It’s a perfect weeknight meal to come back to again and again.

We love Mongolian Beef, based off of the popular takeout dish, but this time we’re simplifying it for you. 

Ground meats make some of the quickest stir fry dishes. You can skip all that cutting and just get cooking. Two of our favorites are Ground Beef Bulgogi and Thai Basil Chicken. 

This time we’re transforming your restaurant favorite…

What is Mongolian Beef?

The conventional Mongolian beef you find in Chinese restaurants is a stir fry of very thinly sliced beef, typically flank steak. All is coated in a sticky sauce that beautifully combines sweet, salty and umami.

As much as we enjoy the original recipe, sometimes we want those same flavors without the effort. That’s why we swapped the steak out for ground beef this time.  The result was delicious.

Follow me on YouTube!

Check out my brand new YouTube channel. New videos every week!

youtube

Why You’ll Love Mongolian Ground Beef

• It’s one of the easiest meals you will ever cook. Brown meat, mix in sauce, done! Perfect last minute dinner for tonight.
• The flavors are amazing. Even picky eaters will chow down on this one.
• You can serve it different ways. Put it over a rice or noodles, use it for Asian inspired tacos, or in a lettuce wrap.
• It can be customized with different variations, which you can find later in the post.

Ingredients

Here are the things you will need to make this recipe. For exact measurements, please see the recipe card at the end of the post.

• Ground beef – We use 85/15 lean for this recipe.
• Aromatics – garlic and ginger.
• Soy sauce – Asian sauce staple. I like Kikkoman.
• Brown sugar – To give the sauce some sweetness.
• Sambal oelek – In its absence, you can substitute a mixture of sriracha, sweet chili sauce and red pepper flakes.
• Corn starch – For thickening the sauce.
• Chicken broth – I use Better than Bouillon.
• Black pepper

How to Make Mongolian Ground Beef

1. Brown beef: Heat some oil in a skillet and brown up the ground beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon as you go along.

2. Make sauce: While the meat is browning, mix together your sauce ingredients. 

3. Finish the dish: When the meat is browned up, stir in the sauce. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. It’s ready to serve!

Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, and serve over white rice or your favorite Asian noodles. It’s great on our Spicy Asian Noodles.

Variations

• Add some veggies like broccoli, bell peppers or snow peas.
• Substitute the beef for ground pork, chicken or turkey.
• A dash of sesame oil in the sauce adds a nice depth of flavor.
• Try it topped with a fried egg, it goes great.

Leftovers and Storage

You can refrigerate leftover Mongolian ground beef in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave, or on stovetop over medium heat with a tablespoon or two of water.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Drain excess fat: After browning the beef, drain any excess fat from the pan. This may or may not be necessary, depending on the leanness of the beef you use.
• Dissolve cornstarch properly: Mix the cornstarch with the chicken stock thoroughly to avoid any lumps in the sauce.
• Balance the sauce: If you find the sauce too sweet, you can adjust by adding a little more soy sauce or sambal oelek for heat.

So the next time you’re looking for some great Asian flavors super quick, try our Mongolian ground beef.

Save or pin this recipe so you always know where to find it. And be sure to subscribe to GypsyPlate, we’re always cooking up new easy recipes for you!

Mongolian Ground Beef, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other great stir fry dishes!
Ground Turkey Stir Fry
Empress Chicken
Pork Stir Fry
Happy Family
Hunan Shrimp
Thai Cashew Chicken

Mongolian Ground Beef

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Mongolian Ground Beef is a 20 minute stir fry bursting with sweet and savory Asian flavors. It’s a perfect weeknight meal to come back to again and again.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 6–7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon. Add ginger and garlic and cook until beef is browned and no more liquid remains in the pan.
2. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, chicken stock, corn starch sambal and pepper in a bowl. Add to the meat and combine well. Simmer a couple of minutes, until sauce thickens.
3. Garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve over hot rice or Asian noodles.

Notes

• Refrigerate leftover Mongolian ground beef in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave, or on stovetop over medium heat with a tablespoon or two of water.
• You can follow the same recipe using ground pork, chicken or turkey.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 612Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 20gCholesterol 152mgSodium 1674mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 1gSugar 12gProtein 49g

Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.