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Ground Beef Stir Fry

This Ground Beef Stir Fry recipe is easy to make with fresh or frozen vegetables and a delicious brown sauce! Serve this with rice or noodles for a healthy 30-minute meal!

Be sure to try my super easy Korean Beef Bowl recipe next!

A skillet filled with Ground Beef Stir Fry with sesame seeds on top.

Ground Beef Stir Fry

When it comes to Beef Recipes, you can’t beat the simplicity of making a stir fry with some ground beef and fresh or frozen veggies! I love enjoying this sweet and savory brown sauce with a side of rice!

I use a 7-vegetable combination here, (I love the flavor combinations and the crunch!)- but feel free to get creative with as many or as few as you like.

As far as the sauce, I use a combination of beef and chicken broth for depth of flavor. Honey adds a sweet offset to the savory, and soy sauce adds umami. Garlic and ground ginger round out the flavors, and a touch of hot sauce acts as a subtle flavor enhancer. (And doesn’t make this spicy.)

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Season the ground beef and brown it in olive oil until cooked through. Drain grease and set aside. Deglaze the skillet with white wine (or broth), and let it reduce by half. Add the broccoli, green beans, mushrooms, onions, and celery and cook for 3 minutes, or until slightly softened.

Cooked ground beef in a skillet next to a skillet with vegetables for stir fry.

Add the carrots and bell peppers and cook for 2 more minutes. 

Add the sauce mixture and bring to a gentle bubble, reduce for 2-3 minutes.

Mixed vegetables in a skillet with brown sauce being added to make stir fry.

Add cornstarch slurry to the bubbling sauce and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and add the beef back. Stir to combine and allow it to heat through. Top with desired garnishes and serve with rice or noodles.

Adding ground beef to a skillet with vegetables and sauce for stir fry.

Pro Tips

  • Beef: An even pound of ground beef can be used for this recipe, I like to make a little extra. Ground turkey or ground pork may also be used.
  • Wine: Wine: Chardonnay and Pinto Grigio are great wine options to deglaze the pan with. An equal amount of chicken or beef broth may be used if you don’t cook with wine.
  • Broth: While it may seem counterintuitive to use both chicken and beef broth in this recipe, it actually adds a really nice depth of flavor. If preferred, all beef broth can be used.
  • Veggies: Frozen vegetables may be used instead of fresh if needed.
  • Hot Sauce: The hot sauce in this recipe doesn’t make it hot/spicy, it’s just a small amount that is used to enhance the other flavors. I use Frank’s Hot Sauce.
  • Topping Options include green onions, roughly chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and crunchy Chow Mein noodles.
  • 7 oz. of stir fry noodles or thin spaghetti can be added to the sauce at the end instead of serving with rice if preferred.
  • Peanut Butter: If you like a little peanut flavor in your sauce, feel free to add a few Tablespoons of it to the sauce!
  • Sodium: To control the sodium in this recipe: Consider using low sodium soy sauce and/or broth.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  Leftovers do freeze well. 
  • Leftovers are also great in lettuce wraps.

Ground Beef Stir Fry with white rice on a white plate.

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Ground Beef Stir Fry in a skillet with a brown sauce and vegetables.

Ground Beef Stir Fry

4.89 from 9 ratings
This Ground Beef Stir Fry recipe is easy to make with fresh or frozen vegetables! It has a delicious brown sauce to serve with rice or noodles for a healthy 30-minute meal!

Ingredients

Meat Seasoning

  • A generous ¼ teaspoon each: garlic salt, onion powder, celery salt, black pepper

Sauce

  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch, + 3 tbsp. cold water
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup honey, can sub brown sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger

Stir Fry

  • 1 ¼ lbs. ground beef, see notes
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil, can sub olive or vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine, or beef broth. See notes
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 cup green beans
  • 8 oz. mushrooms
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced
  • ½ cup carrots, julienned
  • ½ red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 rib celery, diced

For Serving

  • 3 cups cooked rice, any kind. See notes.

Instructions

Prep Work

  • Combine cornstarch + cold water in a covered container and shake to combine. Set aside in a cool place.
  • Combine remaining sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
  • Measure out additional ingredients before beginning.

Cook the Beef

  • Sprinkle the beef with seasoning. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook and crumble until browned and cooked through. Drain grease and set aside.

Make the Stir Fry

  • Add the white wine and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
  • Add a splash of additional oil if needed. Add the broccoli, green beans, mushrooms, onions, and celery and toss to coat. Cook for 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the carrots and bell peppers and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add sauce mixture and bring to a gentle boil. Let it simmer/reduce for 2-3 minutes. Take the cornstarch mixture and shake it well. Slowly stir the cornstarch slurry into the bubbling sauce until desired thickness is obtained. Reduce heat to low.
  • Add the ground beef back to the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Mix it into the sauce and let it heat through, about 2 minutes. Add desired garnishes and serve with rice or noodles.

Notes

Pro Tips
  • Beef: An even pound of ground beef can be used for this recipe, I like to make a little extra. Ground turkey or ground pork may also be used.
  • Wine: Wine: Chardonnay and Pinto Grigio are great wine options to deglaze the pan with. An equal amount of chicken or beef broth may be used if you don’t cook with wine.
  • Broth: While it may seem counterintuitive to use both chicken and beef broth in this recipe, it actually adds a really nice depth of flavor. If preferred, all beef broth can be used.
  • Veggies: Frozen vegetables may be used instead of fresh if needed.
  • Hot Sauce: The hot sauce in this recipe doesn't make it hot/spicy, it's just a small amount that is used to enhance the other flavors. I use Frank's Hot Sauce.
  • Topping Options include green onions, roughly chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and crunchy Chow Mein noodles.
  • 7 oz. of stir fry noodles or thin spaghetti can be added to the sauce at the end instead of serving with rice if preferred.
  • Peanut Butter: If you like a little peanut flavor in your sauce, feel free to add a few Tablespoons of it to the sauce!
  • Sodium: To control the sodium in this recipe: Consider using low sodium soy sauce and/or broth.

Storage:
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.  Leftovers do freeze well. 
  • Leftovers are also great in lettuce wraps.

My process for perfectly cooked rice:
  • Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. (I add 2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water for enhanced flavor.)
  • Add 1 cup of white long grain rice and let the liquid come back up to a boil.
    Cover tightly and reduce heat to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. (I set my heat to low.)
  • Remove from heat and let it stand in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, any rice stuck to the bottom will release.
  • This yields 3 cups of flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. I use a Dutch oven for this which conducts heat well.
  • Note that other varieties of rice may require different liquid measurements and/or cooking times.

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe. The optional white rice is not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 88mg, Sodium: 1353mg, Potassium: 1132mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 3620IU, Vitamin C: 69mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 5mg
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20 comments on “Ground Beef Stir Fry”

  1. The prep time is off–I used frozen veggies to skip all the cutting/slicing/dicing and it still took me an hour to make this recipe.

    Despite that, this is the best stir fry I’ve ever made. The sauce is delicious and my whole family ate it happily, including a 14-month-old and picky 5-year-old. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Hi Katie! I’ve increased the cook time to 20 minutes instead of 15, but the 15 minutes of prep time is accurate as there isn’t any preparation that needs to be done with the meat itself (no marinading, tenderizing, etc.), it’s just preparing sauce and veggies. I’m really happy to hear that your family loved it, thank you!

  2. This was amazing. I loved all the veggies and being able to use ground beef. Also great for those with diet restrictions because you can easily tweak for your restrictions. This dish is flavorful and economical. THANK YOU!!!

  3. I had a good portion of beef mince in the fridge that needed to be used at some point, and I was missing an item or two for my original plans. Luckily I came across this recipe, and had so many vegetables that were still good and fresh to go into a stir fry. It made for a robust meal, with several left overs afterwards. I was not even sure that the skillet would contain everything, but here we are.

    As for the meal in itself, tasty. A good mixture of sweet and spicy with the honey and Valentina respectively. The vegetables were still tender crisp, and beef mince is the most under-appreciated meat that there is. So cheap and versatile. It also helps to be between periods of not getting work and having to await other payments.

    This meal is good enough to be cooked even in the non-dire times. I will definitely make it again.,

    • I’m so happy you had a great meal Mikey! I love how versatile it is too. It’s a great way to use of extra veggies laying around the fridge. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!😃

  4. We love this recipe. It has become a staple in our house. We use the frozen snap pea vegetable mix bag.

  5. This was SO good! We added a little more garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, soy sauce, and red chili flakes to the sauce, but this was otherwise perfect. Thank you!

  6. Haven’t tried the recipe yet but excited to try with ground beef. Could you use rice wine (not vinegar) instead of white wine?

  7. This is so good but then again all your recipes are fantastic.

  8. Loved this. Made with Asian Garden frozen veggies. Excellent!

  9. Made this gem of a recipe tonight. Yet another winner!  I used what I had on hand. A bag of mixed fresh veggies from Trader Joe’s. Onion water chestnuts carrots and celery. Sauce is subtle and delicious. I will be making this time and time again !  Thank you Stephanie. You understand the value of a quick delicious weeknight meal!

    • I’m so happy this was another winner Lisa, yay! I’ve totally been down the mixed veggies from Trader Joe’s route before and it never fails. I’m so happy you enjoyed this, thanks so much for the great review!❤️

  10. I knocked this out in 30 minutes just like you said!!! I’ve made rice a few times in the past few weeks so I used some stir fry noodles just to change things up. I used an assortment of veggies from our fridge but I made sure I purchased some mushrooms because your pictures looked so good. I couldn’t believe how fast my family ate it. Even the veggies! That’s because the sauce is truly epic . Sooo good! I’ll be making different variations of this in the coming months to use up some garden veggies. Thank you so much!

    • I’m so happy you were able to have a delicious meal in just 30 minutes Thomas, it always amazes me! Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💗

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