Ground Beef Stir Fry

Budget-friendly ground beef stir fry is bursting with colourful, crunchy vegetables in a slick hoisin and sesame sauce. Ready in around 30 minutes and minimal washing up means this one is a dynamite dinner on repeat. 

While I’m upping protein, I’m also trying to cut down on red meat, which directs me to fish. Chilli salmon Mee Goreng is an Indonesian rice noodles dish with plenty of heat, zingy lime and a whole salmon fillet- totally satisfying my midweek Asian craving when beef is off the menu.

I can say with certainty that we eat stir fry at least once a week. With endless combinations of protein, vegetables, sauce, and rice or noodles, you will never feel like you’re eating the same meal twice. 

Firm family favourites are simple shrimp and broccoli, loved for the prawns’ slightly crisp coating but tender centre, and its lip-smacking stir fry sauce. 

And the fancier teriyaki chicken with grilled scallions. This is an occasion stir fry! It requires a little more work- mixing the sauce a day ahead and grilling the green onions (scallions), but the smoky char and Japanese barbecue flavours are worth the extra effort. Which are you trying first?

Easy beef stir fry

Although ground beef isn’t typical of stir fries, steak is more authentic, I have been known to break a rule or two (see gochujang noodles with beef for evidence)! My defence is:

1. Ground beef is more affordable than traditional steak.
2. It’s also more (small) child friendly. Steak and milk teeth are not compatible in my experience!
3. There’s no need to faff about slicing steak strips- particularly troublesome if your knives aren’t recently sharpened.
4. I like how the ground beef fat renders seamlessly becoming an additional layer of flavour in the sauce and offering an unctuous, silken slip to the other ingredients. 

All that said, if you are a child-free, razor sharp knife carrying, high earning household, go ahead and switch back to steak! 

FYI, the stir fry sauce recipe is just as suitable for steak as ground beef. 

Beef and hoisin has to be one of my favourite flavour pairings. Beef, rich and earthy, is magnified by hoisin flavours. If you’ve not used it before, hoisin is a thick and clashy sauce that is at once sweet, tangy, garlicky and warm with five spice. 

I’ve made the sauce even more complex (flavour-wise- it’s still an ‘easy beef stir fry!) by adding lashings of dark soy for intense saltiness, white pepper for tingle-factor, nutty sesame oil, and crunchy chili crisp for subtle heat.

Substitutions

I tend to cook according to what’s in my fridge rather than strictly following a recipe. I’m all about minimising food waste. Having cooked this way for years and years, it comes naturally, but if you need a little support, here’s some suggestions:

Beef– An easy swap for ground beef is ground pork. You could also use minced turkey. If you’re confident with steak, go for that! Or, if not, follow my beef stir fry recipe with mushroom and snow peas. Chicken, shrimp or tofu are also protein alternatives that will work here.

Vegetables– I’m not really a purist, but I do like to lean in to (more accessible) Asian vegetables, for example bean sprouts and bok choy. But I also like to use up the wilting veggies in the fridge though. Mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, or frozen peas or sweetcorn are all valid contenders. 

If you go for firm vegetables like carrots or broccoli, blanch them before adding to the stir fry. A quick pre-cook will ensure they are al dente rather than just plain hard.

Serving suggestions

I can’t serve an Asian-inspired meal without at least a starter or two. To balance out the beef, I’d dish up sweet sticky chicken wings and savoury salt and pepper shrimp. These two recipes are air-fryer fast, so dinner is still done in 30 minutes.

The luscious stir fry sauce, juicy beef and bright vegetables will stand out best against a plain, fluffy white rice. However, my kids have always been noodle fanatics, which I’ve encouraged as ground meat tends to cling to the strands- meaning they can’t pick around it!

If you’re cutting refined carbs, like me, stir fry with ground beef is the ideal consistency for stuffing baby cos lettuce leaves and eating taco-style. 

Storage and leftovers

Leftover easy beef stir fry will keep for 3-4 days in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container in the fridge.

If you’ve stuck to my ingredients list, feel free to freeze. This recipe is good for up to 3 months.

NOTE: If you’ve chosen softer veggies, such as mushrooms, zucchini (courgette), eggplant (aubergine), I’d think twice about it- they will turn mushy on thawing. Thoroughly defrost frozen ground beef stir fry overnight in the fridge. 

For round two, reheat in a wok or frying pan on the stove top.

More stir fry recipes to try

• Beef Teriyaki
• Easy Dan Dan Noodles
• Easy Shrimp Chow Mein
• Szechuan Chicken (Sichuan Chicken)