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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I am never skeptical of any of Jenn’s recipes but for some reason this one didn’t exactly call my name. I tried it last night in a pinch because I shockingly had every ingredient on hand. MAKE THESE BOWLS. They are insanely delicious. We used low-sodium soy and about 1.5 lbs of ground beef and the salt content was perfect for us. I cannot believe what the baking soda does to the meat– it makes it so smooth. We added a pinch more red pepper flakes to increase the spice level. We topped our bowls with lettuce, avocado, radishes, cucumbers, carrots, sesame seeds, kimchi and a fried egg! I cannot wait to make these again and I’m pretty sure I texted the recipe to everyone I know. Thanks for another outstanding recipe; you are my dinner savior!
Made this dish for the second time last night and it was a hit!
I cut the beef to 1.5lbs because I only needed 4 portions, but still made the sauce as written in the recipe (and the full amount of ginger, garlic and scallions) and it was delicious and so flavorful! I also added a little bit of fish sauce. Served over brown rice with peppers, carrots, cashews, and sriracha-can’t wait to make this one again! Thanks for the great recipes as always.
This recipe is fantastic! So much depth of flavour! My only tweak was adding fresh broccoli to meat to add some more veg to the dish. We added lots of julliened veggies and some more chopped green onion. Such an excellent recipe and absolutely doable on a week night.
Made the recipe as shown, but used ground chicken (we prefer over beef). It was just okay. On the 2nd day I added more sauce and that was a big improvement, plus the fact that the meat had a chance to “season”.
Great recipe! Loved the flavor of the beef. Not sure the baking soda made a difference, seemed to cook and taste the way it usually does, but loved it. Trying to limit carbs so I put it on a bed of romaine lettuce with lots of veggies on top (carrots and green onions). Will definitely make again!
This was a hit with 6/7 of my family! (There’s always one, *sigh)
Did not like this 5-star recipe. Made exactly as written. The meat “sauce” was overly salty–I used regular soy–we only ate a little and discarded the rest. IMO the dish definitely needs additional toppings otherwise it’s just a bowl of rice with some seasoned meat.
Two questions –
1. could you leave out the tomato paste?
2. have you tried with all ground beef?
Thanks. As always, looking forward to a new treat from the Chef!
Hi Bonnie, yes and yes! (If you’d like you can replace the tomato paste with ketchup.)
Absolutely loved this dish! As recommended I adjusted the seasonings to taste – a bit salty so I added a bit more sugar and about 1/4 cup water. PERFECT
Hello! HUGE FAN. Trying to find an alternative for white rice. Do you think quinoa with raw veggies (diced bell peppers, cucumber) in it would work?
Definitely!
This was really good! Hubby LOVED it. Will be adding to my weekly rotation! Thanks Jen!
You can also serve over cauliflower rice.
This was so good! Everyone, including the kids loved it. I had to stretch it to feed 6 people with only 1lb of beef. I put this over a bed of rice and sauteed cabbage. I put an over easy eggs on top and it was perfect. Thank you for the delicious recipe!