Paleo Mongolian Ground Beef is an easy, flavorful Asian-inspired meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes! Serve it up with your choice of side dishes for a complete meal.
Last year, I whipped up my 30-Minute Mongolian Beef Recipe, which was not only an instant hit in my own household, but it was well received among you all as well!
Well by virtue of the fact that I love making ridiculously simple recipes, I took that original recipe and made it even easier by using ground beef instead of steak.
The concept is similar to the 20-Minute Mongolian Turkey, but saucier.
Now all we need to do is cook up some onion, brown the ground beef, and add the delicious Mongolian sauce. In so doing, we’re eliminating the step of cutting the steak into strips, dredging them in flour and pan frying them.
I absolutely love the flavor, texture of this meal, in addition to its ease of preparation.
These days, not a week goes by that I don’t make some sort of skillet meal using some type of ground meat!
Let’s dive into the details, starting with the super simple ingredient list.
Ingredients for Paleo Mongolian Ground Beef:
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the onion the garlic, avocado oil is a great cooking oil because it has a high smoke point and neutral flavor.
Onion & Garlic: Powerhouses in the flavor department, onion and garlic bring so much joy to any dish. Feel free to ramp up the amounts based on your personal preference.
Ground Beef: The reason we’re all here! For a lower fat version, use 90% or higher lean ground beef. If you aren’t as concerned about the fat content, I find 85% to be ideal.
Coconut Aminos: A soy-free seasoning sauce that is used to mimic soy sauce or liquid aminos in recipes.
If you aren’t concerned about cooking with soy, you can easily replace the coconut aminos with soy sauce or liquid aminos. If you do so, decrease the amount to ½ cup and add ⅓ cup of water. In addition, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup to add sweetness.
Fresh Ginger: Ginger provides a little kick and a zing, ramping up the flavor profile of the meal. If you’re a big ginger lover, add more!
Cider Vinegar: Because the sauce is already fairly sweet from the coconut aminos, we add cider vinegar to add an offsetting tang. This also adds richness to the meal by rounding out the flavors. You can replace it with rice vinegar if you’d like.
Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is used primarily for that sesame flavor in this meal (not as much for a cooking oil). That sesame flavor is paramount in recipes like this, as it creates the iconic Mongolian essence.
Tapioca Flour: In order to thicken the sauce for a thick, sticky, sweet sauce, we use tapioca flour or gluten-free flour for thickening.
Black Pepper & Sea Salt: Black pepper is a key ingredient in Mongolian beef! Sea salt is used to bring all the flavors together. Do note that if you replace the coconut aminos with liquid aminos, there will already be more than enough salt, so be sure to taste the Mongolian ground beef before adding more.
Optional Add: Sriracha! For a spicier dish, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of sriracha (or red chili paste) to bump up the heat, depending on how hot you like it.
This simple ingredient list results in a sweet, tangy, umami sauce to change up mealtime.
Let’s make it.
How to Make Mongolian Ground Beef:
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Scoot the onion and garlic off to one side of the skillet. Add the ground beef to the skillet and allow it to brown for 2 minutes before flipping it and allowing the other side to brown another 2 minutes. Use a spatula to chop up the beef and stir it into the onion.
Combine the coconut aminos, water, sesame oil, ginger, cider vinegar, tapioca flour, and black pepper in a small blender and blend until smooth (Note: if you don’t have a small blender, you can simply whisk everything up in a bowl – just be sure to grate or finely chop the ginger first).
Pour the sauce into the skillet with the beef and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve Mongolian Ground Beef with your choice of sides – I always go with steamed brown rice and veggies and give it a drizzle of sriracha. To keep it grain-free, serve with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles.
And that’s it! Another easy weeknight healthy dinner to add to your arsenal!
If you’re looking for more ground beef inspiration, check out my 18 Healthy Ground Beef Recipes!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- ½ large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2/3 cup coconut aminos*
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1- inch nub fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar**
- 2 Tbsp tapioca flour
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt, to taste***
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until it turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Scoot the onion and garlic off to one side of the skillet. Add the ground beef to the skillet and allow it to brown for 2 minutes before flipping it and allowing the other side to brown another 2 minutes. Use a spatula to chop up the beef and stir it into the onion.
- Combine the coconut aminos, water, sesame oil, ginger, cider vinegar, tapioca flour, and black pepper in a small blender and blend until smooth (Note: if you don’t have a small blender, you can simply whisk everything up in a bowl - just be sure to grate or finely chop the ginger first).
- Pour the sauce into the skillet with the beef and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Serve Mongolian Ground Beef with your choice of sides - I always go with steamed brown rice and veggies. To keep it grain-free, serve with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
Tiffany
Thursday 13th of January 2022
The receipt says 4 servings but calls for 2lbs of beef. Is that correct?
Julia
Thursday 13th of January 2022
Thanks so much for catching that, Tiffany! It's actually 6 servings. I made the change! :D xo
Tiffany
Thursday 13th of January 2022
@Tiffany, *recipe, oops.