You will love my version of the firecracker beef recipe! It’s spicy, sweet, packed with umami flavor, and ready in 20 minutes. This recipe is hassle-free, and everything happens in one skillet. This is the perfect stir fry for when time is of the essence, and you want something delicious and satisfying. Serve it with a rice bowl, rice or egg noodles.
Try my stir fry sauce and ground chicken stir fry recipe next. You will love those too!

Why you will love this recipe
- Quick and delicious: This recipe is as easy as it gets, 20 minutes and you are done.
- Versatile: this firecracker beef is not just for rice bowls alone. You can use it throughout the week as desired. Quesidella, burrito (well with the Asian twist), wraps, etc.
- Protein-packed: I used lean ground beef (minced beef) for this recipe
- Budget-friendly dinner that is packed full of flavor. It’s got just the right balance of spice, sweetness, and savoriness simultaneously, but it's seriously delicious.
- It can be made vegetarian or vegan. Swap the ground beef (minced beef) with substitutes such as Quorn, tofu, or meat.
What you will need
Ground beef (beef mince): I used lean meat or 5% fat.
Sriracha sauce
Soy sauce: Swap it with coconut amino or another substitute you prefer.
Garlic
Rice vinegar
Honey: substitute with brown sugar or maple syrup if you want to make this vegetarian or vegan
Olive oil
Onion: this is optional
Chili paste: I like the one from Aldi (not sponsored). Substitute with chili flakes
Green onions to serve
Sesame seed to serve: optional
Salt and black pepper
How to make firecracker beef
Brown the beef: Place a skillet on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and heat until hot; add chopped onions and saute until soft, translucent, and fragrant. Add beef mince and fry until browned, breaking it up in the skillet as you go. Once the beef is fully browned, add the green part of the green onions, garlic, salt and black pepper and stir to combine. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Make firecracker beef: Add sriracha sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes and water to the browned beef and stir to combine. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens up slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Take it off the heat and serve over rice or use as desired. Enjoy
I love to serve firecracker beef over rice with some avocado slices (it helps balance the heat; it is just like using yogurt in your curries) and some green veggies.
Watch how to make it
How to store
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop. You may need to add a splash of water or beef broth to aid the reheating process.
More easy stir fry recipes you will love
Easy chicken and pepper stir fry
Air fryer chicken and broccoli
Instant pot Korean ground beef bowl
Firecracker Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g ground beef (beef mince) I used lean meat or 5% fat.
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic finely chopped
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 4 springs green onions Green separated from white.
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes optional
- Sesame seed to serve optional
- Salt and black pepper to taste
firecracker sauce ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- ⅓ cup sriracha sauce
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey or as needed
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Place a skillet on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and heat until hot; add chopped onions and saute until soft, translucent, and fragrant.
- Add beef mince and fry until browned, breaking it up in the skillet as you go.
- Once the beef is fully browned, add the green part of the green onions, garlic, salt and black pepper and stir to combine. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add sriracha sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes and water to the browned beef and stir to combine. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens up slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Take it off the heat and serve over rice or use as desired. Enjoy
Notes
- this recipe can serve up to 5 people
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
And there you have it, a quick and easy weeknight dinner you can make at home in 20 minutes. As always, if you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Kindly rate the recipe 5 stars and leave me feedback in the comment section below. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and Facebook and save it to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox every week.
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