Healthy Ground Beef Stir Fry
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This ground beef stir fry is a healthy dinner that’s ready to eat in only 35 minutes! It’s a gluten free stir fry recipe with ground beef, veggies, and rice, just like restaurant takeout.
If you’re wondering what the heck to make for dinner, ground beef stir fry will be your new go to meal. It’s one of our favorite healthy meals with ground beef, and we think it will become one of yours, too!
While everyone loves takeout from time to time, it can be so much better for you and cheaper when you make it at home. We use less sugar than most stir fries have, and loading up on extra veggies makes this a healthy, high protein dinner!
Fortunately, making this restaurant takeout meal healthier is easier than you might think. There is no reason to sacrifice flavor, either! This stir fry recipe is made with simple, wholesome ingredients you can feel good about eating!
The fact that this ground beef stir fry recipe is also gluten free is a bonus for everyone!
Liz’s Best Stir Frying Tips
- For even cooking, do your best to dice the veggies in similar sizes.
- If your ground beef has a high percentage of fat, you may want to drain off the excess after cooking to prevent the stir fry from being greasy. Similarly, if you use leaner ground beef, you may need to add a tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan before stir frying the vegetables.
- If the sauce doesn’t appear to be thickening after cooking for several minutes, you can stir in an additional teaspoon of cornstarch to the skillet.
- If you prefer your veggies cooked more, you can remove the beef from the pan before the onions are added to prevent the beef from overcooking. Simply add it back about halfway through cooking the veggies to allow it to caramelize in the sauce.
- Onions go in first before the rest of the veggies because they take longer to cook. If you prefer a certain veggie a little more done than the rest, you can add it in along with the onion and garlic to give it a little more cooking time.
- Taste the sauce and adjust to your preferences. Keep in mind that after mixing it with the veggies and meat, the flavor will be diluted, so a strong and flavorful sauce is key.
Ingredients
To make the ground hamburger stir fry, you’ll need:
Equipment
Using a wok makes stir frying easier and quicker, but if you don’t have one, it isn’t a problem. A large skillet or a dutch oven will do the job just fine.
To avoid scratching the surface of your pan, it’s best to use wooden or silicone utensils.
Substitutions
Ground Beef: We like to use 85/15, but a leaner blend like 90/10 is also a good choice. I haven’t tried substituting it with ground turkey or ground chicken, but I think it will work. We love Butcher Box ground beef.
Vegetables: We use a blend of veggies with bright colors and textures. Yellow and red bell peppers, sugar snap peas, carrots, and mushrooms. You can use a different mix of vegetables in this stir fry recipe. Keep in mind that if you adjust the quantities and end up with more vegetables, the stir fry will be less flavorful because the sauce will be spread across a larger quantity of food.
Substituting vegetables with a higher water percentage can cause the sauce to not thicken as well and you may need to add a little more cornstarch.
Coconut Aminos: Coconut aminos are a gluten-free soy sauce substitute. We prefer the flavor of coconut aminos over soy sauce. You can substitute soy sauce, but I recommend decreasing the amount by about 1 tablespoon and/or using low sodium soy sauce. This will help prevent the dish from being too salty.
Sesame Oil: We use Sesame oil for flavor, and I do not recommend omitting this ingredient. If you absolutely have to use a substitute, avocado oil is a good choice.
Rice Vinegar: Regular white vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used as a substitute in a pinch, but rice vinegar helps give stir fries their savory flavor.
Coconut Sugar: This ingredient is totally optional. If you like some sweetness in stir fry, add it! Otherwise omit it.
Cornstarch: This is a necessary ingredient to thicken the stir fry sauce. Changes to the vegetable quantities used can result in excess water, which may prevent the sauce from thickening. Tapioca starch can also be used but you will need slightly more starch, about 1 tablespoon.
Ground Ginger: Feel free to substitute with 1/2 rounded tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger paste.
Red Pepper Flakes: You can add more or less according to your preferences.
Variations
Low Carb: This recipe can be made low-carb by using a low-glycemic brown sugar replacement sweetener.We only recommend doing this if you are comfortable with and can tolerate low-carb sweeteners.
Start with ¼ cup and adjust to taste to prevent the sauce from becoming overly sweet. Serve with cauliflower rice for a lower carbohydrate and lower calorie option.
Meatless/Vegetarian: To make a vegetarian stir fry, you can substitute the ground hamburger with cooked lentils or a ground beef substitute. You’ll likely need to adjust the cook time.
Gluten-Free: Regular soy sauce and low-sodium soy sauce are not gluten free. To make a gluten free stir fry, you will need to use tamari or coconut aminos (my personal preference).
All other ingredients should be gluten-free but always read labels to ensure everything is certified gluten-free if you have celiac or a severe intolerance.
How to Make Ground Beef Stir Fry
This is just a summary of the steps involved in making the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full instructions, or click on the Jump to Recipe button, below.
- Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set to the side.
- Brown ground beef, breaking apart. Push to the sides and add onions and garlic. Cook for several minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the remaining vegetables to the pan and pour the stir-fry sauce over them. Cook for 8-12 minutes, stirring to coat with the sauce. Reduce heat if needed.
- Once veggies are cooked, serve immediately on top of rice, topped with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Best Beef and Vegetables for Stir Frying
- 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef is the best for a healthy stir fry. The fat from the ground beef is perfect for cooking the vegetables in!
Just about any veggie works in a stir fry, but here are some of the healthier options:
- bell peppers
- carrots
- zucchini
- sugar snap peas
- bok choy
- mushrooms
- pea pods
- green beans
- broccoli
- baby corn
- asparagus
- water chestnuts
Pro Tip: Add More Protein
This ground beef stir fry is very veggie-forward. If you prefer more protein, you can use an additional pound of ground hamburger. If using two pounds of beef, you will need to increase the sauce recipe by 1.5x to ensure everything is flavorful and well-seasoned.
Also, cook the beef first then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a plate before adding the vegetables. This will prevent overcrowding and allow the veggies to cook evenly. You will also need to drain some of the grease, leaving only about 2 tablespoons to sit-fry the vegetables in.
Once the vegetables are mostly cooked, you can add the beef back into the pan and allow it to cook with the sauce for several minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways you can serve this stir fry with ground beef. Here are some ideas:
- Over rice or cauliflower rice: We recommend using our recipes for Instant Pot fried rice, stove top fried rice, or fried cauliflower rice!
- Lettuce wraps: Butter lettuce is a great choice, or even large Napa cabbage leaves.
- Noodles
- Over spinach, like a warm salad topping
stir fry recipe FAQs
Stir continuously to ensure the veggies get evenly cooked and soften some, but still stay firm. The other secret to the best stir fry is a super flavorful sauce!
Try and cut your veggies to a similar size so they cook evenly and have a similar look/taste to takeout stir fry. Keep stirring while your ingredients are in the pan and leave the pan uncovered to get crisp, delicious vegetables. Also, having a good sauce is key to having a flavorful stir fry!
Make sure to cook your stir fry uncovered so that it stays crispy! If you cover the pan when stir frying, it will create steam which will create a soggier stir fry.
Storage
Refrigerator: Leftovers will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep the stir fry in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing stir fry. It can become watery and/or soggy when frozen and reheated.
Reheating: You can reheat this dish in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat on the stove.
Other healthy better-than-takeout recipes
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Ideas. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Healthy Ground Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 80:20 or 85:15
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves (3 large cloves)
- ½ cup quartered yellow onion about 1/2 medium onion
- 2 cups red bell pepper chopped in about 1-inch pieces – 2 peppers
- 2 cups sugar snap peas
- ½ cup shredded carrots about 1 large carrot, julienne cut carrots can also be used
- 4 ounces mushrooms sliced (I use white mushrooms)
Stir Fry Sauce
- ½ cup coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar – optional
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
For serving (optional) –
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- Cooked rice
Instructions
- In a large skillet, begin to brown the ground beef over medium heat until there is no pink, breaking it apart using a wooden spatula as it cooks.
- While the beef is cooking, start preparing the vegetables. Peel and chop the onion and mice the garlic. Chop the bell pepper into about 1-inch pieces, peel and shred the carrot using a grater, and slice the mushrooms.
- Once the beef is cooked, push it to the sides of the pan and place the onion and minced garlic in the center. If there is more than 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan you can drain some, but you want at least 1-2 tablespoons in order to cook the vegetables.
- Cook the onions and garlic for several minutes, until they become fragrant and the onions become tender, stirring frequently.
- While the onions and garlic are cooking, prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Once the onions are tender, push them to the sides to make room for the other vegetables. Add the vegetables to the pan and pour the stir fry sauce over them.
- Cook the vegetables to your desired level of doneness, about 8-12 minutes, stirring throughout. The sauce will thicken, caramelize, and coat the veggies and meat. Reduce the heat, if needed, to prevent the sugar in the sauce from burning.
- Once the vegetables are cooked and the sauce has thickened, serve immediately on top of rice. Top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- Feel free to use other veggies! See the post for suggestions
- coconut aminos: coconut aminos are our favorite gluten free soy sauce substitute. You can use soy sauce, but we recommend using low sodium soy sauce.
Such a great recipe! At first, I thought I should have made more sauce, but it was perfect as is. I used lean ground beef and Stevia brown sugar to reduce some calories, and it was delicious. I will definitely make this again.
Can this recipe be made without sugar?
Yes, all of our blog posts have a green substitutions box where we list every ingredient and include notes on it. Coconut Sugar: This ingredient is totally optional. If you like some sweetness in stir fry, add it! Otherwise omit it.
Love this Healthy Ground Beef Stir Fry! My daughter even took it for lunch and ate it cold!
This recipe was great! Came together super quickly and the sauce was excellent. I added a ton of veggies and the sauce held up well (sometimes with too much veggies the sauce disappears).
Made this recipe tonight. Was super easy and very flavourful. Love that it is packed with lots of veggies. Will be making this again.
We love this recipe! Easy and delicious. Thank you so much!
Very delicious and easy to put together using one good sized skillet. I used shredded beef and it was spot on! Ground beef would be just as good.
delicious and easy to prepare
second time making this, it’s delicious!
So glad you liked it! Thank you for trying it!
Love this recipe! It’s quick and delicious.
Made this tonight and had to jump on here to write a review. This recipe was amazing, I ended up using low sodium soy sauce because that’s what I have and added some TJ’s chili crunch instead of chili flakes but same idea. 10/10 would make this again!
Great idea to add that – yum!!
We have a lot of beef in our freezer(we bought a cow recently). I’m looking for different recipes for ground beef and I knew I could count on Liz! This recipe is easy and so yummy!
Thank you Liz for another keeper!
BTW your little one is adorable! Such a cutie!🥰
So glad you liked it Carol-Ann! Thank you so much!!
This recipe was amazing!!! Definitely one of the best stir fry dishes I have made. The sauce was delicious and it caramelized and thickened perfectly as noted in the recipe. I also added some veggies I had in the fridge
– broccoli and green beans – for some extra greens. My husband had seconds and we also have lunch leftovers for tomorrow 🙂 this dinner is now on our list of favorites! Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes!
So happy you enjoyed it Danielle! Thank you so much!!
This was good, but I did find it was a large amount of sauce. I don’t use low sodium soy sauce and the regular in that amount, was a little salty for my husband. I will try reducing it to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup next time. My daughter really liked this and I liked that it has a lot of veggies.
Hi Kristen, I’m sorry you found this salty – but I did specifically say to use low sodium soy sauce in multiple points throughout the blog post/recipe! Soy sauce is higher in sodium than coconut aminos, and there is also rice wine vinegar in this recipe which is salty.
This recipe is amazing! I make it weekly and it’s perfect for meal prep! Tons of veggies and flavor packed!!
Such a fantastic stir fry recipe with so many veggies! I used honey for the sugar part in the sauce as I didn’t have the other ingredients and it was fantastic! Meal prepped this for the next few days! Going to try with ground chicken next week to cut back on the fat for personal preference!
I love this recipe! It’s simple and delicious. One of my go-to week night meals, and my husband thinks I’m a genius when I make it. Haha!
Made this for the first time tonight and we all loved it! My 5 year old even asked for seconds! I used less sesame oil and coconut sugar and the sauce was perfect. This will definitely be going in our regular rotation, love your recipes!
Made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious! My hubby who is not a big fan of stir-fry meals even loved it! Thank you for a healthy quick dinner idea!
Loved this recipe. It was simple to make. It was delicious.
This recipe was really delicious! I used what I had on hand, including frozen peppers and onions and followed through with the rest of the veggies in the recipe. It was quick and easy and the family enjoyed it with green onion on top on a bed of jasmine rice.
My daughter made it first and raved about how delicious it was.
This recipe will be made often now!
Thank you for sharing your great reciies with us!
A
My husband loved this recipe. He was raving about how good it was throughout the entire meal. For me, it was a tiny bit sweet so I will drop the brown sugar next time. I wonder if the sweetness was due to me using the brown sugar and soy sauce options.
Yes, brown sugar is sweeter than coconut sugar! So is soy saucce 🙂
Awesome recipe, so easy for a weeknight and adaptable to whatever you have in the house (shop your pantry!) So glad this showed up in the newsletter.
If you have frozen vegetables to sub, they work too! Great for working parents and my daughter, who is a bit picky, loved it too! I love that you can cut the vegetables larger so everyone can add in what they like. Sauce is super easy and delicious.
Thanks for another great recipe!
What would you suggest to replace the mushrooms with as my wife cannot eat them as they make her sick/
Thanks
All of our blog posts have a green substitutions box. You can read there for ieas! You can just omit them and add in more of any veggie you like 🙂