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This quick and easy Asian ground beef and cabbage stir fry is packed with flavor and perfect for weeknights! It’s a delicious dish that is paleo and Whole30-friendly and comes together in under 30 minutes. Serve it over rice, cauliflower rice, or even noodles!

Asian ground beef and cabbage stir fry over rice in a black bowl, with a pan of stir fry, sesame seeds in a small bowl, and chopped green onions in a wooden bowl.
Photo: Loren Runion
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What Makes This Recipe Great

If you’ve tried my Easy Instant Pot Cabbage Soup you know how much I love ground beef and cabbage recipes. They really are the perfect pair, which is why these two ingredients are so popular together. 

I also love a good ground beef stir fry that comes together quickly. Anytime I’m too lazy or busy to cook, I can always quickly whip a stir fry dish as long as I have veggies and protein in my fridge. This time, I had some ground beef, cabbage, and other yummy veggies. 

This delicious ground beef stir fry recipe came together on one such night and my whole family fell in love with it immediately. It takes under 30 minutes, is super healthy, and has tons of flavor!

Asian ground beef and cabbage stir fry in a large pan on a speckled white countertop.

Watch a Quick Video of This Recipe

How to Make Ground Beef Stir Fry

In this stir-fry recipe, ground beef is cooked with garlic, ginger, and onion, then combined with cabbage and carrots. The whole thing is coated in the most amazing paleo stir fry sauce that resembles Korean barbecue to me. It’s delicious with some rice, but if you are on the Whole30 or paleo diet you can always enjoy it with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for Asian ground beef and cabbage stir fry displayed in small decorative bowls, including ground beef, cabbage, carrots, green onions, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, coconut aminos, seasonings, and oils.

Ground Beef & Cabbage Stir Fry

  • Ground beef: Ground beef with cabbage is famously a perfect pair. But if you don’t eat red meat or don’t have it on hand, ground turkey will also work. 
  • Avocado oil: Or any of your other favorite cooking oil will work.
  • Onion: One onion (use the variety of your choice), chopped. 
  • Garlic: Freshly minced garlic cloves or a jar of minced garlic will work for this. 
  • Ginger: I like to use fresh ginger, grated. You can use powdered ginger in a pinch. 
  • Cabbage: You’ll need 1 head of cabbage, thinly sliced. 
  • Carrot: I find that shredded carrot works best, but slice how you prefer. 
  • Salt & Pepper: Use to taste. 
  • Garnish: I like to top my ground beef stir fry with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds, but they are completely optional!

Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients

  • Coconut aminos: This is a soy-free and grain-free version of soy sauce. It’s delicious and adds a slight sweetness to the sauce without any added brown sugar! This is my favorite brand.
  • Rice vinegar: If you don’t have rice vinegar on hand, apple cider vinegar will work.
  • Sesame oil
  • Crushed red pepper flakes: You can omit this for less spice!
Asian ground beef and cabbage stir fry served over white rice in a black bowl with chopsticks on the side.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Ingredients for paleo stir-fry sauce mixed together in a small bowl.

Step 1: Stir together all ingredients for the paleo stir-fry sauce. Set aside.

A large pan with cooked, translucent yellow onion.

Step 2: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook stirring until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger and garlic until fragrant.

Raw ground beef in a pan with sautéed onion, garlic, and ginger.

Step 3: Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon – about 5 minutes.

Step 4: Stir in cabbage, and carrots, and add the sauce you made. Cook stirring until the cabbage is wilted and the sauce is cooked down about 5 minutes.

Close-up of Asian ground beef and cabbage stir fry served over white rice in a black bowl on a white speckled countertop.

Step 5: Taste to add salt and/or pepper. Serve warm, sprinkled with green onions and sesame seeds.

Recipe Variations

  • Add more veggies: You can add cubed sweet potatoes, red bell pepper (or any color bell pepper!), broccoli, or double up on any of the veggies I’ve listed. 
  • Give it a kick: If you like a spicier stir fry, add more crushed red pepper to your stir fry sauce. If you want it milder, reduce the amount. 
  • Swap the protein: You can always swap the ground beef for ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground pork. 
Asian ground beef and cabbage stir fry served over white rice in a black bowl with a fork, ready to eat.

Storage & Meal Prep Tips

  • To save the leftovers of this ground beef stir fry, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can freeze for longer for up to a couple of weeks.
  • Let the stir fry cool completely. Then grab your meal prep containers and add rice to each one. Top with individual portions of stir fry and seal tightly with the lid. Grab one for a quick lunch and microwave it for 2 minutes before serving. 

Recipe FAQs

Can I use another protein for this ground beef and cabbage stir-fry recipe?

While I make this stir fry recipe with ground beef, you can use other proteins to vary it up! Ground chicken or turkey is a great option or even bite-sized pieces of chicken thighs or breasts. Use what you have on hand. That’s the beauty of stir fry- it’s really an “add what you have” kind of meal. 

What do you serve this with?

I personally love eating this ground beef stir fry over white rice. However, for a paleo or Whole30 option, you can serve it with cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or grain-free noodles like shirataki noodles or spaghetti pasta.

4.92 from 25 votes
Servings: 4 servings

Easy Asian Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

This quick and easy Asian ground beef and cabbage stir fry is packed with flavor and perfect for weeknights! It's a delicious dish that is paleo and Whole30-friendly and comes together in under 30 minutes. Serve it over rice, cauliflower rice, or even noodles!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Video

Ingredients 

Sauce

Stir Fry

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil, or your favorite cooking oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 inch ginger, grated
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 head of cabbage, thinly sliced – about 8 cups
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrot
  • Salt & pepper , to taste
  • Green onion slices and sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions 

  • Stir together all the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
    1/2 cup coconut aminos, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook stirring until translucent, about 5 minutes.
    1 tbsp avocado oil, 1 onion
  • Stir in ginger and garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon – about 5 minutes.
    4 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger, 1 lb ground beef
  • Stir in shredded cabbage, carrots, and the sauce. Cook stirring until the cabbage is wilted and the sauce is cooked down, about 5 minutes
    1 head of cabbage, 1/2 cup shredded carrot
  • Taste to add salt and/or pepper. Serve warm, sprinkled with green onions and sesame seeds.
    Salt & pepper, Green onion slices and sesame seeds

Notes

Recipe Variations

  • Add more veggies: You can add cubed sweet potatoes, red bell pepper (or any color bell pepper!), broccoli, or double up on any of the veggies I’ve listed. 
  • Give it a kick: If you like a spicier stir fry, add more crushed red pepper to your stir fry sauce. If you want it milder, reduce the amount. 
  • Swap the protein: You can always swap the ground beef for ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground pork. 

Storage Tips

  • To save the leftovers of this ground beef stir fry, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can freeze for longer for up to a couple of weeks.

Meal Prep Tips

  • Let the stir fry cool completely. Then grab your meal prep containers and add rice to each one. Top with individual portions of stir fry and seal tightly with the lid. Grab one for a quick lunch and microwave it for 2 minutes before serving. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving – makes 4, Calories: 360kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 811mg, Potassium: 866mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 2970IU, Vitamin C: 87mg, Calcium: 123mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or tag @whatgreatgrandmaate!

Jean Choi

Iโ€™m a food lover and recipe developer living in Southern California. I love to share simple and approachable gluten-free recipes that are healthy but never sacrifice on flavor.

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47 Comments

  1. Sue says:

    5 stars
    Great easy weeknight meal… husband and teenage son approved! I have leftovers for my work lunch today, with extra red pepper flakes ๐Ÿ˜‹

  2. Amy Fox says:

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy! Kinda like the viral eggroll in a bowl recipes but using beef instead of pork.

    1. Jean Choi says:

      Thank you so much!!

  3. Megan says:

    Iโ€™m always looking for recipes that use ground beef as this is fridge staple in our house. This was so easy to make-especially buying some prestressed veggies. And it was toddler approved! I will be making again!!

    1. Jean Choi says:

      That’s amazing, thanks for leaving a review.