This beef and cabbage stir fry recipe is a quick and inexpensive meal that has an addictive sweet and savory Asian-inspired sauce! It's an affordable way to get your protein and veggies.
Love cabbage? You may also like my Chicken and Cabbage Stir Fry or this Easy Bacon and Cabbage Recipe.
Why you'll love it
I can tell you that this was one of the first easy ground beef recipes I created, and I'm still very fond of it. What's not to like about a 30-minute meal that has two of the most budget-friendly ingredients, ground beef and cabbage? Pair them with a homemade hoisin, ginger, and peanut sauce, and it's a winning meal. Cabbage is a staple in both Asian and European cuisines, and it's just so good when sautéed until tender.
This simple cabbage stir fry with beef is ideal for busy families, college students, or anyone who loves a simple, comforting meal on a weeknight when you don't feel like putting in a ton of effort. If you're wondering what to make with that head of cabbage that's been sitting in your fridge, I encourage you to try this super easy stir fry recipe.
What goes into it
For the stir fry
- Cabbage - it's a perpetually underrated ingredient! If you buy a small green cabbage, like one of the smallest ones you'll see at the store, that will be more than enough for the 4 cups chopped cabbage this recipe calls for.
- Onion - my personal preference is Vidalia (sweet) onions for this one
- Beef - we're using extra lean ground beef
- Garlic - use even more than suggested if you're a garlic lover. I like to mince it with this garlic press since it bypasses the peeling step altogether. No sticky garlic fingers!
- Ginger - for a zesty quality. I use my Microplane to grate the ginger, and I keep a piece of fresh ginger in my freezer so I never run out, and it grates much more easily.
For the sauce
- Hoisin sauce - it's a savory and sweet sauce that's found in Asian cuisine. I like to think of it as a sort of Asian BBQ sauce. You'll find it in the same aisle as soy sauce.
- Peanut butter - the creamy kind works best for this recipe. Peanut-hoisin is a classic combo that tastes great together.
- Soy sauce - for another savory layer. I used regular, but you can use low sodium if that's a consideration.
- Sriracha - we're not adding enough to make this dish spicy. It just adds more flavor.
Troubleshooting tips
- Use a creamy peanut butter so that the sauce ends up smoother. If you normally keep it in the fridge, take it out 20 minutes before starting to warm it up so it's not hard and cold and incorporates into the sauce properly.
- If the sauce seems too thick, simply thin it out with a bit of water. Start with a tablespoon and go from there.
How to make beef and cabbage stir fry
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Chop the cabbage and onion. You don't need to be precise. In a skillet, brown the beef. Add in the garlic and ginger, and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Stir in the cabbage and onion, and continue sautéing until the cabbage has softened and the onion is cooked through.
- Remove from the heat, and toss with the sauce ingredients. Serve right away over rice or noodles if desired.
Substitutions and variations
- I wouldn't say this recipe is spicy even with the sriracha, but you can leave it out if it's not something you buy or enjoy. On the flipside, feel free to add more if you want to kick up the spice level! Crushed red pepper flakes work too.
- Some readers have added in other finely chopped veggies to this stir fry to amp up the vegetable content. Try carrots, snow peas, or diced bell peppers.
- As with any recipe, you can definitely add more of an ingredient to customize it to your tastes. Don't by shy if you want to add more hoisin sauce, for example! I don't think you can go wrong with recipes like this.
What to serve with it
- You could serve this ground beef and cabbage stir fry with rice like I did. I like jasmine rice best, but your favorite variety will be just fine.
- It would also work well with noodles. Try ramen noodles, Udon, or even rice noodles.
- Serving it as-is by itself or in lettuce wraps as a low carb dinner is another option!
Leftovers and storage
- This stir fry is best eaten fresh, but you can store leftovers in the fridge for a couple of days in an airtight container.
- I don't recommend freezing this one.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat, giving it an occasional stir. Let it warm through.
Questions about this beef and cabbage stir fry, or want to leave a review? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below! If you made one of my recipes, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 4 cups green cabbage chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 heaping tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon sriracha sauce or more to taste
Instructions
- Chop the cabbage and onion.
- Add the ground beef to a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook it, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, until it's just browned (about 5-6 minutes). I don't drain the little bit of fat released, but if you use fattier ground beef, you may want to spoon some of it out.
- Stir in the garlic & ginger and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add in the cabbage and onion and continue sautéing, stirring occasionally, for another 8-10 minutes or until the cabbage is softened to your liking and the onions are cooked.
- Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, and sriracha sauce (feel free to taste it then add more of any ingredient you choose if needed). Serve immediately (I like to serve it over rice). I garnished with scallions mostly to add some color to the photos... that's totally optional!
Notes
- Use low-sodium soy sauce if sensitive to salt.
- If the sauce looks too thick, simply thin it out with a tablespoon or so of water.
- This dish isn't spicy, but feel free to leave out the sriracha if it's not your thing.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Roberta Darrow says
Excellent! I didn’t have Hoisin so I added a little honey, tamari and fish sauce. Plus added sliced carrots and broccoli. Fast and delicious!!
Natasha says
I'm thrilled you enjoyed it, Roberta!! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Mike says
Made this twice first time with shredded steak was really good , 2nd with hamburger the steak was better
Melissa says
I made this and it’s amazing! So tasty!!!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! Thank you!
Megannme says
This tastes great! I did some substitutions though, I used ground Turkey and added garlic & onion powder ginger salt and pepper when browing. I didn't have hoisin sauce so I substituted oyster sauce and to cut the saltiness of the sauce and the soy sauce I added sugar to taste. I also used garlic chili sauce instead of sriracha. To combat the thickness of sauce I added a tiny bit of water. Going to eat over fettuccine noodles, we'll update our family likes it later
Natasha says
Glad it worked out with your changes! 🙂
Sophie says
I would leave the PB out if I made this again. I'm not new to using it with chicken (I like to mix it with soy, a bit of honey, some sweet chilli and garlic) but it absolutely did not suit being used with beef, my partner and I found.
I've made a bunch of different things from this site, but sadly this one massively did not work for us.
Natasha says
Sorry you didn't like it.
Julia says
LOVE! We doubled the ginger and only did 2 Tbsp of peanut butter (we know what we like!) and it was delicious.
Would be curious if anyone has made this with "scrambled" tofu as a substitute for the ground beef? Could be an interesting vegan recipe.
Natasha says
Wonderful! That's a good idea w. the scrambled tofu. I think it's worth giving it a try!
Arj says
Hello Salt and Lavender!
Question, would I be able to switch out the cabbage for like a baby bok choy or Chinese broccoli chopped up?
I am the only one that likes cabbage but I want my 3 kids to have their veggies too. Or if you could recommend another vegetable that I can replace with cabbage?
Love your easy delish recipes. I am not a good cook but since I have been off work I have been cooking lunch and dinner for my fam lately.
Thanks for you time...arj
Natasha says
I think that should work! I love baby bok choy. 🙂 I'm so glad you've been enjoying the recipes, Arj. 🙂
Pia says
Easy and very delicious. Made this with noodles, so fast - and still so tasty 🙂
Natasha says
Fabulous!! 🙂
Kendy says
Delicious and easy! Was looking for a recipe to use up the rest of a cabbage head and this worked perfect.
Natasha says
Excellent!! 🙂
Sara says
Absolutely delicious. Moist, peanut buttery and so so tasty. Super easy to whip up, too!
Natasha says
That's great to hear!! Thank you.
Michelle says
This delicious. I made the recipe just as is and mixed it with rice noodles. It was so easy to make too. Thanks so much for sharing!
Natasha says
Fab!! Love the noodles idea. So glad you enjoyed it!
Val says
Hi! What peanut butter do you recommend for this dish?
Thanks!
Natasha says
Hi! I live in Canada and use Kraft creamy peanut butter, but if you're in the States you likely won't be able to find it. Maybe something like Jif would work.
Kim says
This came out amazing!
I was told to keep this recipe on rotation as well as your spinach, tortellini and sausage recipe! Thank you and please keep these delicious recipes coming! ♥️
Natasha says
Fabulous!! Thank you. And I will definitely keep the recipes coming! XO
Aly says
I'd love to try this recipe but don't have hoisin sauce on hand. Can you sub soy sauce?
Natasha says
Hi! Soy sauce is completely different and a lot more salty. Hoisin is sweet and sticky and pretty thick, so you’d be changing the recipe a lot. I can’t really guess whether it would work or not unfortunately. If you have some bottled teriyaki sauce, that could work.
Val says
Why the peanut butter ....
Natasha says
Not really sure how to answer your question. Why use any ingredient in a recipe? Because it tastes good and is one of the main components of the sauce. It's like a peanut-hoisin sauce.
Ashley says
Does this work well with red cabbage too?
Natasha says
Hi! I think that should be fine.
BONITA AND KURT says
After a long hard day, we wanted something easy. This was easy and delicious. Thank you.
Natasha says
That's awesome!!
Dawn Schmitz says
I made this recipe tonight, but was very disappointed. I followed the instructions exactly and the end result was not at all nice, as it was so dry and thick. I realise that it’s supposed to be a stir fry, but it definitely needed liquid of some kind as the sauces did nothing to moisten it. Sorry to say, but most of it went in the rubbish bin.
Natasha says
Hmm that's very strange and disappointing. Sorry that happened! Did you cook it on too high of a heat maybe? The suggested heat on my recipes are for electric stoves (as that's what most people have here in North America), and they of course can vary (and with gas you'd want to turn it down for sure). Or is it possible that you got the measurements confused? I only suggest that because you used the word "rubbish bin", so I am guessing you're not from Canada or USA and I know that cups etc. mean different things in different places. Or perhaps since the sauce is added at the end, it somehow wasn't hot enough for it to all melt in? Or peanut butter is different than here maybe so that's why it was more thick/gloopy? I'm definitely puzzled so throwing these theories out there. The recipe doesn't have *tons* of sauce, but you can see from the photos it is fairly moist. In any case, I hate it when recipes don't work out! I wish I could've been in the kitchen with you to figure this out. 🙁
Dawn Schmitz says
Hi again, thanks for your reply. I live in Queensland Australia, but I think the cup and tablespoon measurements should be the same as yours, I also have electric hot plates . As I have said, I followed the recipe exactly, so don’t know what could have gone wrong. Sorry to complain, but the picture looked so delicious, and then the end result was so disappointing.
Natasha says
Thanks for replying! Others have made it successfully, so I guess what's why this is bugging me so much.
Michelle says
Sometimes the combo of peanut butter and hoisin can be a bit thick. It happens with other asian-type recipes on occasion. I just add some water to loosen it and it always does the trick. Start with a couple tablespoons and go from there. Happy Cooking!!
Dani says
Hi Dawn, Queenslander here as well!
I fell into this trap last night with another recipe. American Tablespoon is around 15ml, where as Aussie ones are 20ml.
Meghan says
Made this for supper tonight, loved it! Will definitely make again!!
Natasha says
Great!! 🙂
Kayla says
So good!!! We didn't have any sriracha in the house, so I substituted with chili flakes (a lot) and some extra garlic. My husband likes things to be *spicy*. Easy and delicious. We will definitely be making this again!
Natasha says
So does mine haha. So glad it worked out for you! 🙂
Brittney says
Made this last night and it was SO yummy. I served with egg noodles and used a bag of shredded cabbage to save some prep time. Quick and easy, absolutely will make again!!
Natasha says
Awesome!! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Mirel says
Finally made one of your recipes tonight and it was delicious! This will be a regular!
Natasha says
Yay! So happy to hear that you gave it a try and enjoyed it! 🙂
Liz says
This was so good and took no time at all. My husband ate 2 plates, and we almost didn’t have leftovers because we ate so much. We put ours over egg noodles, definitely going in the regular rotation.
Natasha says
Aww I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to comment, Liz! 🙂 XO
Keilah says
This was delicious! I would definitely recommend. I made with udon noodles and it was perfect. Definitely saving this one. Thank you 🙂
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to leave me a review! 🙂