Name: Gluten-Free Mongolian Ground Beef
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon olive oil or avocado oil; 1 pound learn ground beef (I like 93% lean); 1-2 green onions, sliced at a diagonal; Optional: sesame seeds or red pepper flakes; 6 Tablespoons low sodium gluten-free tamari*; 1/2 cup water; 1/3 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar); 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch*

Jump to Recipe·5 from 2 reviews

Dinner tonight is Gluten-Free Mongolian Ground Beef! This quick & easy, budget-friendly take on a take-out fave is done in under 30 minutes & always disappears.

plates of gluten-free Mongolian ground beef with rice and broccoli

If you haven’t had it before, Mongolian beef is a favorite at American Asian restaurants (like P.F. Chang’s) for its sweet & savory sauce. We love the flavors of the restaurant version, but for a super-quick weeknight dinner, we’re channeling that same flavor into a recipe that’s a bit more budget friendly: Gluten-Free Mongolian Ground Beef!

This Mongolian ground beef recipe swaps budget-friendly ground beef in for the traditional sliced beef, but keeps the same sticky-sweet sauce that makes it a crowd favorite. (My kids LITERALLY licked their plates. We can talk about the table manners aspect of that later…)

It’s done in 20 minutes or less, made from simple ingredients, and tastes AMAZING.

Ready to make a batch? Here’s what you’ll need to get started on this easy dinner…

ingredients for gluten-free Mongolian ground beef

Gather Your Ingredients

Another thing to LOVE about this Mongolian beef dish is that it calls for SIMPLE ingredients. No hunting down gluten-free hoisin or fish sauce required. Just pantry staples, like:

Ground Beef. I prefer using extra lean ground beef for this Mongolian ground beef recipe so I don’t need to drain any fat later. I usually choose 93% lean, 94% lean, or even 97% lean beef, but you can use what best suits your dietary needs.
Gluten-Free Tamari. Low-sodium gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos acts as the savory base for the Mongolian beef sauce recipe. If you’re not gluten-free, feel free to use low-sodium soy sauce instead.
Water. Cutting the sauce with water helps moderate the salt content!
Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar. Honestly, I prefer the flavor of brown sugar here, but if you want a more naturally sweetened option, you can use coconut sugar instead. I don’t recommend swapping a liquid sweetener here.
Toasted Sesame Oil. This has a deep, rich flavor, so a little goes a long way!
Garlic & Ginger. Fresh garlic cloves and fresh ginger are the aromatics that add a delicious savory layer to this sauce. (Frozen garlic & ginger cubes can be a great time-saver here, but I don’t recommend dried garlic powder or dried ginger in this recipe.)
Black Pepper. For a subtle warmth.
Cornstarch. Our thickener! This will give you sauce it’s thick, glossy texture.
Green Onions. Slice the green onions on a diagonal in larger pieces for a restaurant-style look that makes for great presentation! (I use both the green and white parts of the green onions, but you can use just the green part of the onion, if you prefer.)
Maybe Some Garnish. For a little something extra, you can add some sesame seeds or crushed red pepper flakes on top the end!

How To Make Gluten-Free Mongolian Ground Beef, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

making gluten-free mongolian ground beef, step by step

Cook Beef. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook 8-10 minutes, or until fully cooked through and the interior reaches at least 145 degrees F. Drain any excess fat, as desired. (If you’re using super lean beef, like I am, I don’t bother to drain it!)
While Beef Cooks, Make The Sauce. In a liquid measuring cup, combine tamari, water, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, black pepper, and cornstarch. Whisk until evenly blended. (It should look cloudy!)
Combine. When the beef is cooked through, pour the sauce into the skillet and cook 4-5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. (It’ll go from thin and cloudy, to thickened, glossy, and translucent.)
Garnish. Remove the beef from the stove and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds or red pepper flakes, as desired.
Serve & Store. Enjoy with rice or cauliflower rice and store leftover in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days.

gluten-free mongolian ground beef over rice with broccoli

Make It a Meal!

So, what should you serve with this gluten-free Mongolian ground beef? Here are our favorites:

Rice. My favorite way to eat Mongolian ground beef is over some fluffy white rice, like Jasmine rice or basmati. Brown rice is a great option if you want more fiber!
Or, Cauliflower Rice. Prefer to go grain-free? Cauliflower rice is the best choice.
Or, Lettuce Wraps! You can even scoop this beef into iceberg lettuce cups for lettuce wraps instead of serving it with rice!
Or, Rice Noodles! Want Mongolian ground beef noodles? Stir this mixture into freshly cooked rice noodles!
Green Veggies. We usually pick steamed broccoli for simplicity, but seasoned green beans and snow peas are two other delicious options.
Or a Veggie Stir-Fry! For more color, feel free to make a veggie stir fry on the side or pick up a frozen stir fry blend to heat up. I like choosing colorful options, like carrots, red bell peppers, broccoli, snow peas, onion, and mushroom if I’m making the blend myself.
Fresh Fruit. My kids LOVE fresh fruit, so I usually serve some as a side dish. We like fresh pineapple, orange slices, or whatever fruit is in season!

a plate of Mongolian ground beef with rice and broccoli

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Mongolian Ground Beef

Watch The Salt! I recommend LOW sodium tamari here to help moderate the salt content. Another good choice is coconut aminos, which is soy-free and naturally lower in sodium. If you’re using soy sauce, be sure to choose low sodium soy sauce. If you are already salt sensitive or tend to find stir fry sauces salty, you can reduce the tamari to 1/4 cup and add 2 tablespoons extra water instead.

Cornstarch. If you’re Paleo or need to avoid cornstarch, you can use arrowroot instead of cornstarch.

Can I Make This With Sliced Steak Instead? Yep! To make this recipe with flank steak or a similar cut of beef, follow the coating & cooking instructions in my Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry recipe for the beef, then make the sauce as directed.

Recipe Card

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