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This teriyaki ground beef recipe makes the best easy rice bowls! It’s ready in about 30 minutes, so skip the takeout and create a simple and delicious family meal that everyone will enjoy.
Love ground beef? Try my Easy Beef Bowls or Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry.
Why you’ll love it
This Asian-inspired dish is one of my go-to skillet recipes with ground beef. It has a wonderful homemade teriyaki sauce that you can make in a jiffy with a handful of grocery store ingredients. It’s much more economical than getting takeout, and you can customize it to your exact preferences.
It’s an especially fantastic meal for those busy weeknights when you want something quick since it’s on the table in just half an hour. The flavorful garlic ginger sauce has a touch of sugar, so chances are it’ll be a hit with picky kids as well!
Ingredients you need
For the stir fry
- Ground beef – I recommend 90% lean
- Scallions, bell pepper, and carrots – we chose a really simple veggie mix, but you can totally change it up
For the sauce
- Brown sugar – for a hint of sweetness
- Garlic – use more than suggested if you’re a garlic lover
- Ginger – for a zesty kick
- Mirin – it’s a sweet Japanese rice wine. For this recipe, it’s fine to use the grocery store version found in the Asian foods aisle in most major grocery stores near soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. I use Kikkoman brand.
- Soy sauce – we chose regular, but if salt is a concern, try a low sodium variety
- Rice wine vinegar – apple cider vinegar will work too
- Beef broth – to enhance the savory flavor
- Cornstarch – for thickening the sauce
How to make beef teriyaki bowls
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Brown the beef in a skillet. While it’s cooking, prep the veggies and then add the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk them together.
- Add the veggies to the skillet and let them cook for a few minutes, then pour in the sauce and continue cooking for a little bit longer until the sauce thickens up a bit and the vegetables finish cooking. Keep in mind it’s not a super thick sauce.
- Serve over rice or noodles. Simple!
Tools you’ll need
- Fresh ginger is very easy to grate if it’s frozen. I always keep some whole fresh ginger in the freezer (in a ZipLoc), and I use my Microplane grater/zester to grate it. This way, I also don’t have to worry about running out of ginger or forgetting it in the back of my fridge somewhere.
- This garlic press makes mincing garlic effortless. You don’t need to peel it first!
Substitutions and variations
- Want to make this recipe spicy? Add in a tablespoon or two of sriracha to the sauce, or sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes while cooking the beef!
- I kept it very simple by just using the red bell pepper, matchstick cut carrots, and scallions for veggies, but you could definitely incorporate some small broccoli florets, snow peas, or even mushrooms. Just be sure to cut them small enough that they cook fast.
- You can find pre-cut matchstick carrots in most major grocery stores. If you can’t find them and don’t want to julienne them yourself, cut the carrots into very thin slices (so they cook faster) or omit them from the recipe.
What to serve with it
- We like it as a rice bowl. Jasmine or basmati are my favorite varieties with it.
- Noodles will work great as well. Try Udon or ramen noodles.
- You could even do zoodles (zucchini noodles) or cauliflower rice if you want a lower carb/calorie option.
Leftovers and storage
- Ground beef teriyaki will keep for a few days in the fridge in a covered container.
- Reheat on a low heat in a small saucepan until warmed through. I’d make fresh rice or noodles for leftovers, though.
- You could also try making tasty lettuce wraps with the leftovers.
Questions about this easy ground beef and rice? Let me know in the comments below! As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you’ve made one of my recipes.
Teriyaki Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/3 cup scallions chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup matchstick cut carrots
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons mirin see note
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup beef broth (or chicken broth)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Add the beef to a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown it for 8 minutes, breaking it up with your spoon as it cooks. If there's a lot of fat released, spoon most of it out.
- Meanwhile, add the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Prep the veggies.
- To the skillet, add in the scallions, bell pepper, and carrots. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Pour in the sauce and cook for another 3 minutes or so (the sauce will thicken up a bit and the veggies will become tender-crisp).
- If needed, season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve over rice or noodles. I topped the bowls with sesame seeds and extra scallions, but that's totally optional.
Notes
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine. For this recipe, it’s fine to use the grocery store version (found in the Asian foods aisle near soy sauce etc.). I use Kikkoman brand.
- The fresh ginger is very easy to grate if it’s frozen. I always keep some fresh ginger in the freezer (in a ZipLoc) and I use my Microplane grater/zester to easily grate it.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Great flavor! Prepped the veggies early in day, and added broccoli. Substituted rotisserie chicken that I had on hand for the beef, used chicken broth, and doubled sauce ingredients. Quick and easy to make and turned out great! Will definitely be making again.
Glad the tweaks worked out!
I have made so many of your recipes, and this one definitely has me coming back for more. Delicious, quick and easy!
Aww I’m thrilled to hear that! I appreciate your 5-star review, Heather!
This is one of our favorites! So much flavor and easy to make.
Awesome!! 🙂
I used 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce plus 1/2 tsp. mollasses for the mirin sauce. Found on another site several years ago. It works great!
Good idea!!
So easy, I followed it to the recipe other than adding mushrooms rather than carrots. Very tasty, thank you.
You’re very welcome, Ann!! Thanks for your review!
Wanting to make this tonight but don’t have everything for the sauce, can I just use a bottled teriyaki sauce instead?
Hi! I don’t see why not. 🙂
Great! Do you no about how much I should use?
Maybe about a cup? I don’t usually use pre-made sauces, so I am just taking a guess here. 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight. So easy and delicious. Will definitely make again!
That’s wonderful! Thanks for letting me know, Michelle! 🙂
I love how easy this recipe is! I prepped the veggies and sauce the night before so I could throw this all together quickly after work. Delicious and my picky husband approved! Next time I’ll use half as much meat and twice as much veggies, but that’s just personal preference.
That’s awesome!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know! Yup, you could definitely tweak the meat/veg ratio. 🙂
Wonder if ground turkey or chicken could be substituted?
Sure!
Can you use worcestersire sauce to substitute the soy sauce
I would say that’s a lot of Worcestershire sauce to add… 2 tablespoons will give a very strong flavor that may not taste so good. If you really have to, I’d add half the amount max (probably less… like a teaspoon or so), and maybe sub water for the rest of the liquid needed. I’d just buy a bottle of soy sauce, though, for best results.