Sweet with a little bit of kick these Thai Beef Bowls are an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in about 45 minutes and feeds the whole family.
I love Thai food, not saying that this is authentic Thai but this was a recipe that I learned how to make many years ago and we haven’t stopped making it since.
Beef is one of my favorite meats to cook with as it is usually easily available and so many varieties of dishes can be made from it. This Thai Beef Bowl is just one of our favorites.
It is sweet and spicy at the same time, with the addition of the cayenne pepper is what really helps set off the spice, but it is absolutely not overly spicy and you can absolutely cater it to your needs.
This is also a fun and unique dish to serve to any guests and can easily be doubled for a fun “take out” night which we love having themed dinners.
So this is one that we regularly serve when we are doing that alongside some of our other favorite ethnic foods as well.
This is a really great option if you want to keep things easy and under an hour but also be filling and fun at the same time.
Some of my other favorite take-out style dishes that we have on our site include: Skinny Chicken Pad Thai, Beef and Broccoli and Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Served over a fun coconut rice it gives a nice complement of flavors.
- This can be doubled to serve more people.
- The spice level can be catered to your taste.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Coconut milk
Water
Jasmine rice
Ground beef
Red bell pepper
Garlic paste
Low sodium soy sauce
Lime juice
Light brown sugar
Thai chili sauce
Cayenne pepper
Carrot
Fresh basil
Red pepper flakes
Cucumber, for garnish
Scallions, for garnish
HOW TO MAKE THAI BEEF BOWLS:
Rice:
- Boil water and coconut milk in a medium saucepan.
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
- When water and coconut milk is at a full boil, add rice.
- Cover and turn to medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
Beef:
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the beef for about 4 to 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside. Drain any excess grease.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped peppers to the pan. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic paste and saute for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, chili sauce, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper, if using.
- Add the soy sauce mixture and the cooked beef to the peppers and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the liquid evaporates.
- Add the chopped basil and stir for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and add the grated carrots.
- Serve the beef over coconut rice in a bowl.
- Garnish with red pepper flakes, scallions, and quartered cucumbers.
CAN I MAKE THIS SPICY OR LESS SPICY?
This dish is sweet on its own, to make it less spicy just leave out the cayenne peppers and the optional red pepper flakes.
If you want to make it spicier you can add hot chili pepper and hot sauce to your desired spice level.
CAN I USE ANOTHER MEAT?
Yes! This would be great with ground chicken or turkey as well. We have tried them both and both work great with all the flavors.
So choose your meat of choice and run with it! You really can’t go wrong when it comes to these Thai Beef Bowls.
DO I HAVE TO USE JASMINE RICE?
We love jasmine rice for this as the flavor and texture are what we are going for, you can substitute basmati as that is the closest.
You really can use any long-grain white rice for this recipe but the texture, and flavor will be different.
HOW TO STORE:
This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 4-5 days, I do not recommend freezing.
Reheat in the microwave before serving.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can use other rice, basmati is the closest substitute.
- Adjust your spice level to your liking, see my tips above.
- Ground beef, chicken, or turkey can be used for this.
- Both Thai basil and sweet basil can be used, choose what you like best.
- Easily double this recipe to serve a larger crowd.
- Try to use leaner ground beef if possible.
Looking for a fun Thai-inspired recipe then you absolutely must try these Thai Beef Bowls, super tasty, easy, and fun!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these THAI BEEF BOWLS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Thai Beef Bowls
Ingredients
Rice:
- 14 ounces coconut milk
- ¾ cups water
- 1 cup Jasmine rice
Beef:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic paste
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons Thai chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 cup fresh basil packed, roughly chopped
- Red pepper flakes optional
- Cucumber quartered, for garnish
- Scallions for garnish
Instructions
Rice:
- Boil water and coconut milk in a medium saucepan.
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
- When water and coconut milk is at a full boil, add rice.
- Cover and turn to medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
Beef:
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the beef for about 4 to 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside. Drain any excess grease.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped peppers to the pan. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic paste and saute for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, chili sauce, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper, if using.
- Add the soy sauce mixture and the cooked beef to the peppers and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the liquid evaporates.
- Add the chopped basil and stir for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and add the grated carrots.
- Serve the beef over coconut rice in a bowl.
- Garnish with red pepper flakes, scallions, and quartered cucumbers.
Notes
- You can use other rice, basmati is the closest substitute.
- Adjust your spice level to your liking, see my tips above.
- Ground beef, chicken or turkey can be used for this.
- Both Thai basil and sweet basil can be used, choose what you like best.
- Easily double this recipe to serve a larger crowd.
- Try to use a leaner ground beef if possible.
Nutrition
Comments & Reviews
Katie says
Delish!! So flavorful yet healthy, and very easy to whip up on a weeknight! We didn’t add any spice and loved the lime taste coming through. My only issue was the coconut milk boiling over (be warmed: it boils very quickly and aggressively!) which made a bit of a mess, but I’ll know that for next time.