Ground beef stir fry is an easy and delicious weeknight dinner. It's made with ground beef, stir-fried veggies, and a tasty garlic ginger sauce. This is one of our go-to quick and healthy recipes!

This stir fry is delicious served over basmati rice or cauliflower rice. It also goes well with noodles or on top of roasted spaghetti squash.

Ground beef stir fry on top of rice on a white plate.

Fall in love with this ground beef stir fry

  • The garlic ginger stir fry sauce is amazing. It's lightly sweetened and is full of flavor. We add a little tapioca or cornstarch so that it thickens enough to cling to the meat and veggies.
  • It's a healthy recipe that is full of vegetables. Some ground beef stir fry recipes have a TON of sugar in them. We use a touch of honey to sweeten the sauce so that it's not cloyingly sweet. It's just right.
  • The veggies are flexible. Add your favorites or the ones you have on hand.
  • The kitchen staple ingredients mean that you can likely make this right now without having to run to the grocery store.
  • Ready to eat in under 30 minutes!
  • It reheats beautifully and is ideal for meal prep or leftover lunches.

READ MORE: Pineapple Pork Stir Fry

A close up of ground beef stir fry in a pan with lots of peppers, peas, carrots, and mushrooms.

Tips for making the best ground beef stir fry

  • Use lean ground beef. Regular ground beef will release a ton of oil when it cooks and you'll need to scoop it out to avoid a greasy dinner.
  • Use the largest skillet or wok that you have. It is much easier to stir the veggies and cook them evenly in a large pan.
  • Cut the veggies a similar size. This will help them to cook at the same rate. They are also nicer to eat if they are uniform in size.
  • Meal prep. Chop the veggies up to 5 days ahead of time and store them in a covered container in your fridge. The sauce can also be made 3 days in advance.
  • Sub ginger paste. If you don't often use ginger, consider buying ginger paste which is available in the produce section. It will last for several months. Another option is to freeze raw ginger – it freezes very well!

How to make ground beef stir fry

  1. Cook the ground beef for a few minutes before adding the mushrooms. Since mushrooms take longer to cook than the other vegetables, you can add them to the pan while the beef is still a little pink. Both the beef and the mushrooms will finish cooking around the same time.
  2. Add the veggies. You'll want to cook them for 5-6 minutes, or just until they are crisp-tender. Don't cook them fully at this point as they will continue to cook when you add the sauce.
  3. Pour the sauce into the pan. It will thicken in 1-2 minutes as you stir it into the meat and veggies.

What is in a stir fry sauce

We make ours with beef broth (or often Better Than Bouillon!), a starch for thickening, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger.

It's a versatile stir fry sauce that we use often.

A wooden spoon taking a scoop out of a pan of ground beef stir fry.

Favorite Stir Fry Recipes

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Ground beef stir fry on top of rice on a white plate.

Ground Beef Stir Fry with Garlic Ginger Sauce

  • Author: Kristen Stevens
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Asian

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Description

Ground beef stir fry is an easy and delicious weeknight dinner. It's made with ground beef, stir-fried veggies, and a tasty garlic ginger sauce. This is one of our go-to quick and healthy recipes! 

✨ If you love this ground beef stir fry recipe as much as we do, make sure to give it a 5-star review in the comments below!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 5 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 5 ounces snap peas (about 2 cups)

Ground Beef Stir Fry Sauce

  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
  • ¼ cup soy sauce (can use coco aminos)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

  1. Add the beef to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the meat, stirring it to break up the pieces occasionally, until it is mostly brown, about 5 minutes.
  2. While the beef cooks, chop the veggies and make the sauce. Add the tapioca or cornstarch to a measuring cup or bowl. Add a splash of the beef broth and mix. Add the rest of the broth and remaining sauce ingredients and mix again.
  3. When the beef is mostly cooked, add the mushroom and cook them for 5 minutes. If there is more than 1 tablespoon of the oil in the pan remove it by tilting the pan to the side and using a spoon to scoop it out. If there is less, add a splash of oil.
  4. Add the remaining veggies to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender.
  5. Stir the sauce to mix up the starch then pour it into the pan. Once the sauce has thickened (1-2 minutes) serve the stir fry over rice or cauliflower rice.

Notes

Feel free to use your favorite veggies instead of the ones listed in the ingredients. You'll want to use about 8 cups of chopped vegetables.

Pair with steamed basmati rice or cauliflower rice

Perfect basmati rice in a pot. cauliflower rice in a pan with a wooden spoon.

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Ground beef stir fry on top of rice on a white plate with the recipe title on top of the picture.