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Mongolian Ground Beef

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Easy Mongolian Ground Beef (Better Than Takeout!)

 

If you love the bold, sweet-savory flavor of Mongolian beef but don’t have time to slice steak and stand over a hot wok, this Mongolian Ground Beef recipe is going to be your new favorite weeknight dinner. It delivers all the sticky, sweet, smoky, garlicky goodness of the classic dish — but using ground beef makes it quicker, easier, and more budget friendly.

This recipe cooks in one pan, uses simple pantry ingredients, and is ready in about 30 minutes. You can serve it over rice, tucked into lettuce cups, or — my personal favorite — stuffed into crispy green onion pancakes from Trader Joe’s for the ultimate Asian-inspired street food vibe.

 

 

 

Why You’ll Love This Mongolian Ground Beef Recipe

 

 

  • Quick and easy – no slicing steak required
  • One-pan dinner great for busy nights
  • Sweet, smoky, garlicky flavor everyone loves
  • Versatile serving options (rice, lettuce wraps, pancakes, etc.)
  • Family-friendly with adjustable spice level

 

 

 

 

Ingredients You’ll Need

 

For the beef mixture

 

  • 2 lb lean ground beef (80/20 or leaner)
  • 2 (8-oz) cans water chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped
  • Fresh green onions for garnish

 

For the Mongolian sauce

 

  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
  • 2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tbsp chili crunch (I use Momofuku)

 

 

 

 

How to Make Mongolian Ground Beef

 

 

  1. Brown the beef

    Add ground beef to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain excess grease and set the beef aside.

  2. Build the flavor base

    In the same pan, heat sesame oil. Add minced garlic and sliced green onions. Sauté for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

  3. Make the sauce

    Stir in low sodium soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, and chili crunch. Let the sauce simmer and slightly thicken.

  4. Combine everything

    Add the cooked ground beef back into the pan along with the roughly chopped water chestnuts. Stir well so everything is coated in sauce.

  5. Simmer

    Let the mixture cook for about 15 minutes, allowing the beef to absorb the sauce and become sticky and flavorful.

  6. Garnish

    Top with fresh green onions before serving.

 

 

 

 

The Best Way to Serve Mongolian Ground Beef

 

You can enjoy this dish in several delicious ways:

 

  • Over steamed white rice or jasmine rice
  • Inside lettuce cups for a lighter meal
  • On top of noodles
  • Eaten just as is with a spoon (no judgment!)

 

But my absolute favorite way to serve it is inside Trader Joe’s green onion pancakes. They’re found in the freezer section. Toast them in a skillet until golden and crisp on both sides, cut in half, gently open like pita bread, and stuff them with the sticky Mongolian beef. Top with extra green onions.

It tastes exactly like the kind of Asian street food you wish you could get every night — crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and packed with layers of sweet, smoky, garlicky flavor.

 

 

 

Tips & Variations

 

 

  • Want it spicier? Add more sriracha or chili crunch
  • Prefer sweeter? Add a little extra brown sugar
  • Add veggies like bell pepper or snap peas if you’d like
  • Use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef for a lighter option

 

 

 

 

Make It Once — Crave It Forever

 

This Mongolian Ground Beef is the perfect combination of flavor, texture, and simplicity. It’s saucy, sticky, slightly sweet, and just spicy enough — and the crunchy water chestnuts add the best bite.

Whether you’re meal-prepping for the week or feeding hungry people fast, this recipe delivers every time.

Mongolian Ground Beef

A quick one-pan twist on classic Mongolian beef that delivers sweet, savory, and slightly smoky flavor in a fraction of the time. After the meat absorbs the sauce and becomes tender and caramelized, it's ready to serve however you like - over rice, tucked into lettuce cups or stuffed into green onion pancakes from Trader Joe's (my fav!)
4.67 from 9 votes
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Course Dinner
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

Mongolian Beef

  • 2 lbs lean ground beef 80/20 or leaner
  • 2 8 oz cans sliced water chestnuts drained, rinsed and roughly chopped
  • 2 green onions sliced

Sauce

  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 green onions (green and white parts) sliced
  • 2/3 c low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 c light brown sugar packed
  • 1/4 c hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tbsp chili crunch momofuku

Instructions
 

  • Brown the ground beef over medium heat, drain off all the fat.
  • To the same pan add the sesame oil. Cook the minced garlic and 4 green onions (both green and white parts) for a couple minutes over medium heat.
  • Add the low sodium soy sauce along with the brown sugar, sriracha and chili crunch. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir often.
  • Drain and rinse the sliced water chestnuts. Roughly chop and set aside.
  • Add the meat back to the pan along with the water chestnuts.
  • Stir and cook for 15 minutes so the meat can absorb the sauce and the water chestnuts can slightly soften.
  • If you're serving with the green onion pancakes, now is a good time to pan fry those on both sides until crispy. Cut in half and use a knife to open it up like a pita.
  • Stuff the green onion pancakes with the mongolian ground beef and top with fresh green onions. This also pairs great with rice or lettuce cups.
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