Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 16 oz. ground beef
For the Sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
Optional Garnishes
- Sesame seeds
- Scallions
- Sliced cucumbers
- Steamed rice
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat with a bit of oil. Add the ground beef, break it apart, and cook until browned.
- Add the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Stir well and continue cooking until the sauce reduces and thickens into a glossy glaze that coats the beef.
- Serve over a fresh bowl of rice.
- Optionally garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, and sliced cucumbers.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Table of Contents
- Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe
- Introduction
- How This Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe Builds Flavor
- Why The Sauce Is So Important For This Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe
- Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Sticky Sweet Ground Beef
- What to Serve with Sticky Sweet Ground Beef
- How to Store and Reheat This Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe
- Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Substitutions
- What to Make Next
Introduction
If you want a quick and easy meal that doesn’t need any planning or preparation, this Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe is exactly the kind of meal you want to have in your arsenal! This recipe only takes one pan, 15 minutes, and uses one of the easiest proteins to cook…ground beef! Whenever you need an easy meal that literally only has one pan as the dish to clean, this recipe is meant for you!
How This Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe Builds Flavor
Because this Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe is so simple, each ingredient needs to play a vital role in providing flavor in the final dish. Firstly, browning the ground beef creates those delicious, caramelized bits, which adds a deeper and more umami flavor before the sauces are even added! Immediately after the sauce ingredients are poured in, they begin to reduce immediately, and because the ground beef has so much surface area, it absorbs the sauce incredibly well. The final result is a delicious bowl of ground beef that’s both filling and delicious.
Why The Sauce Is So Important For This Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe
The sauce is both literally and figuratively makes this Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe better than all the other ones. For example, the light soy sauce gives the beef its savoriness while the dark soy sauce gives the dish its umami flavor and caramel color. The oyster sauce and brown sugar, on the other hand, balance out those salty flavors, which ultimately creates a more complex flavor profile. Additionally, once the sauce has fully reduced, those sugars caramelize, and those crispy bits are what makes this recipe so addicting!
Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe Ingredients
Ground beef – The main protein of the dish. It cooks quickly and has a great surface area to soak up the sauce.
Sauce (dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar) – A great sweet and salty sauce that gives the dish its name.
Optional garnishes (sesame seeds, scallions, sliced cucumbers, steamed rice) – Optional pairings that enhance this Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe!
How to Make Sticky Sweet Ground Beef
Heat a pan over medium-high heat with a little oil. Add the ground beef and break it apart while cooking until browned.
Add the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar.
Stir everything together until the sauce reduces into a glossy glaze. Continue cooking until every piece of beef is evenly coated.
Serve immediately over steamed rice. Garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, and sliced cucumbers if desired.
What to Serve with Sticky Sweet Ground Beef
This Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe is really great, but a few other sides really enhance the experience. Here’s a few of my favorites:
- Steamed white rice. Perfect for soaking up all that sauce and balancing the richnesss of the dish.
- Kimchi. The spice and acid is a refreshing contrast to the beef.
- Sautéed greens. Perfect if you want something warm that compliments the dish without overpowering the core flavors of the main dish.
How to Store and Reheat This Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe
This Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe stores really well, making it a great option for meal prep. You can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. I usually store it separately from the rice or next to the rice to keep the texture better. When reheating, you have a couple of options:
- Reheating in a pan. Helps bring back some of that texture and is the best way to reheat this.
- Microwave. The most convenient way to reheat this. Simply heat for 2 minutes at high power!
Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Substitutions
This Sticky Sweet Ground Beef Recipe is very flexible, and you can substitute some ingredients depending on what you have available. A few of my favorite substitutions are:
- Ground chicken or turkey. A lighter option that still absorbs the sauce well.
- Honey. Can be used instead of brown sugar and will still add that glossiness and caramelize.
- Hoising sauce. You can replace oyster sauce with hoisin sauce for a sweeter and richer flavor profile.
What to Make Next
Craving another easy ground beef dinner? You’ll love my Thai Basil Ground Beef!
Want something with noodles instead? Try my Garlic Chicken Noodles!
Feeling like switching to chicken? Cook my Sticky Sweet Chicken!
