Hoisin Beef Bowls
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Hoisin beef bowls are loved by adventurous and picky eaters alike! With customizable toppings, everyone gets to build their own bowl, making it a fun and tasty dinner.
When chatting with other moms about the challenge of getting a well-balanced dinner on the table every night, they often assume that my children are good eaters. Well, I’m sorry to say: wrong! One of my kids, who shall remain nameless, tortures me every night by picking minuscule specks of onions, garlic, or whatever else out of her food. So whenever I find a new recipe that my whole family loves, I’m not just happy…I’m ecstatic.
These Asian-flavored hoisin beef bowls are a godsend: not only do they appeal to kids and adults alike, but they can also be made in just 30 minutes using ordinary supermarket ingredients. And the beauty of “bowls” is that everyone can create their own. Like it plain? Go for it. Want to dress it up with scallions, crunchy veggies, and cashews? You do you. Eating low-carb? Skip the rice and spoon the beef into lettuce cups. I promise, you can’t go wrong!
Table of Contents
“Yes – all 5 family members enjoyed this! It’s a rarity to be celebrated.”
What You’ll Need To Make Hoisin Beef Bowls
- Ground beef: Serves as the main protein; using 90% keeps the dish relatively lean and eliminates the need to drain any fat after browning.
- Baking soda: Acts as a tenderizer for the beef and also aids with browning.
- Hoisin sauce: Infuses the dish with rich, sweet, and savory flavors. Use a good-quality brand, such as Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman.
- Soy sauce: Provides savory, umami flavor.
- Tomato paste: Adds depth and richness to the sauce, contributing a subtle sweetness and a hint of acidity.
- Asian sesame oil: Imparts a distinct nutty aroma and flavor, characteristic of Asian cuisine.
- Sugar: Balances the salty, savory, and spicy flavors by adding a touch of sweetness.
- Red pepper flakes: Infuse the dish with a subtle heat and spice; feel free to adjust to taste.
- Garlic, ginger, scallions: These aromatic ingredients form the flavor base of the dish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by mashing the ground beef with the baking soda. The baking soda raises the pH of the meat, helping to lock in moisture and make the beef melt-in-your-mouth tender.
While the baking soda works its magic, chop the ginger, garlic and scallions. Then prepare the sauce by mixing together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, sesame oil, sugar and red pepper flakes.
Once the beef is tenderized, brown it in a sauté pan until almost cooked through.
Add the garlic, ginger and light scallions.
Cook for a few minutes, then add the hoisin mixture.
Stir until the beef is well-coated in the sauce and cooked through. The sprinkle with the remaining scallions.
Spoon the beef mixture over rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds, shredded veggies, chopped cashews, or whatever else you like!
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Hoisin Beef Bowls
Hoisin beef bowls are loved by adventurous and picky eaters alike! With customizable toppings, everyone gets to build their own bowl, making it a fun and tasty dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds 90% lean ground beef
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons hoisin sauce, best quality such as Lee Kum Kee or Kikkoman (use gluten-free if needed)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (see note)
- 5 scallions, sliced, light and dark green parts separated
For Serving
- Rice
- Chopped cashews
- Sesame seeds
- Shredded veggies, such as carrots, lettuce or bell peppers
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using your hands, mash the beef with the baking soda. Let it sit on the counter for 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, sesame oil, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
- Once the beef is "treated" and ready to cook, heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef, stirring frequently and breaking into pieces, until just slightly pink, about 5 minutes. (I don't drain the fat - there's not that much and it adds flavor.)
- Add the garlic, ginger, and light scallions. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, a few minutes.
- Add the reserved hoisin sauce mixture and cook until the beef is well-coated and cooked through, about a minute. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Gently stir in the remaining scallions and spoon the beef into bowls over rice. Top with sesame seeds, chopped cashews, and shredded veggies, if you like.
- Note: To get this dish done in 30 minutes, chop the garlic, ginger, and scallions while the meat is being treated with baking soda.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The meat mixture can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 347
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 979 mg
- Cholesterol: 99 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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When you say chopped ginger and garlic, is it more like minced or actually chopped?
Finely chopped, so more liked minced :).
I loved this dish, as I have with almost everything I have tried. The crushed red pepper goes a long way, so I would suggest cutting it in half if kids will be eating this. Also, I have a question. What would you do to lessen the salt content in this dish without sacrificing flavor. If I lessen soy or hoisin, maybe add more garlic or ginger?
Glad you liked it, Marcia! You could cut down on the sodium a bit by using reduced-sodium soy sauce. Hoisin sauce also has a lot of sodium; there aren’t any reduced-sodium brands on the market as far as I know, but I have seen recipes for low sodium homemade versions online if you wanted to go that route. Also, you could try cutting back on both a bit, but you want to make sure you have enough sauce to adequately coat the beef.
Made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it. Seasoned just right the way it is written. So fast and easy! Will definitely be making again and again, and probably double the recipe. Thanks for another great recipe Jenn.
Jen,
can this be made with steak or stew meat instead?
thanks!
-Birgitte
Hi Birgitte, It could be made with thinly sliced steak (just keep in mind that it will cook more quickly than the ground beef). I would not recommend stew meat here.
Yum! Don’t question the baking soda, it seemed to work wonders for the meat. I followed the recipe to a t but added cucumber for crunch. Next time I will try bean sprouts. I’ve been following your blog for a long time and every recipe I have made is a success. Thanks!
I made this for this evening dinner, WOW so delicious. I added fresh carrots and broccoli to the stir fry dish. It was a hit??
This was OUTSTANDING! I used ground turkey (not ground breast) and it was just great. Another home run. Plus, I used Trader Joe’s frozen rice medley, which was easy and added some additional nutrition.
Hi Jenn! I just made this (it’s almost dinner time here in CO) and it’s super delicious! I’m waiting for the rice to cook but the boys keep going back to the kitchen for “another sample” of the beef. They love it! I omitted the red pepper flakes bc the boys don’t like anything spicy but I will definitely be sprinkling it on my plate. I also added a bit more of sesame oil bc we like it. No raw cashews on hand, only salted ones, so I did a quick cold water rinse and it turned out yummy! Thanks so much! So fast and so good! This will definitely be a repeat dish!
What a good idea. My boys are grown, gone and cooking for their own families, but when they were young I used to make salads, ramen bowls and baked potatos with lots of options for toppings. They had to have some veggies, but being able to choose was always a plus.
I teach cooking classes and offering choices and not allowing snacks after dinner except on special occasions is my only advice for feeding kids!
This looks so good but so high in sodium per serving almost my sons daily limit.
Want to try – would low sodium soy make a difference?
Any other suggestions to lower sodium?
Thanks!
Hi Terry, the soy and hoisin sauces definitely boost the sodium in this recipe. Using reduced-sodium soy sauce will help. As far as I know, there aren’t any reduced-sodium hoisin sauces on the market, but I googled it did see some recipes for making your own reduced-sodium version if you wanted to go that route.