Teriyaki Ground Beef
Tender ground beef, simmered in a quick-and-easy, sweet/savory, garlicky glaze that’s kicked up with ginger and crushed red pepper. Bursting with flavor and ready in about 20 minutes.
This dish is perfect for any busy weeknight. This dish is great for those nights when you’re staring at a pound of ground beef with zero inspiration! Flavors soar, yet you need very few ingredients. And the meal comes together lightening fast!
This teriyaki sauce also works with steak, chicken, seafood, and pork. The flavors in this teriyaki sauce are great with practically any type of protein. In fact, swap in tofu for a vegan meal!
I served the teriyaki beef over rice, but you can choose Asian noodles too. For a virtually carb-free meal, serve the beef in lettuce cups. Butter and Bibb lettuce leaves are soft and wonderful and make great “wraps”.
How spicy is this ground beef teriyaki? This dish is mildly spicy thanks to the red pepper flakes. For a dish with zero heat, you can leave the red pepper flakes out. For more heat, add more! I always serve extra crushed red pepper flakes on the side so folks can customize the dish to their liking.
Feel free to substitute ingredients in this dish. If you want a truly gluten-free dish, use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce (some soy sauce varieties contain wheat). You can also replace the brown sugar with honey or agave nectar.
Teriyaki Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
- Cooked rice for serving
- Chopped green onions for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, cornstarch, and crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside.
- Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces.
- Spoon the beef over the rice and top with green onions.