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Mongolian Ground Beef Noodles are a quick and easy stir-fry with authentic Taiwanese flavors. Inspired by Taiwan’s take on Mongolian beef, it’s loaded with garlic, ginger, scallions, red chili, and juicy ground beef tossed in a rich, savory sauce.
This budget-friendly one-pot meal is ideal for meal prep and family dinners. If you love easy, flavor-packed meals like this, you’ve got to try my Asian ground beef noodles with broccoli, too.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
The key to authentic Mongolian beef flavor is the aromatics: garlic, ginger, scallions, and chili peppers. A rich umami sauce ties everything together—adding fish sauce and apricot jam to the sauce is my personal touch. It takes this dish to another level!
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- Fresh garlic and fresh ginger are key for authentic flavor. Finely diced to match the shape and texture of the ground beef.
- Scallions: Diced and separated into white and green parts.
- Red Fresno chili peppers (whole): Authentic Mongolian beef has a touch of spicy kick. Dice the peppers and remove the seeds.
- Substitution: Serrano peppers. For a non-spicy option, use red bell peppers. For extra spice, add some Thai chili peppers.
- Avocado oil
- Ground beef: Use a lean-to-fat ratio of 80% lean/20% fat or leaner, depending on your preference.
- Coarse sea salt
- Garlic powder for extra garlic flavor.
- Ramen noodles: I used gluten-free ramen noodles but regular work too.
- Substitution: Miyakoichi chuka noodles are another good option (not gluten-free).
Mongolian sauce:
- Oyster sauce adds depth and umami flavor while thickening the sauce.
- Light soy sauce adds saltiness and umami flavor.
- Dark soy sauce is a bit sweeter than light and adds a rich color to the sauce.
- Toasted sesame oil
- Ground black pepper
- Fish sauce deepens the umami flavor and pairs well with beef.
- Peach jam is my twist on this recipe for natural sweetness and a hint of fruitiness.
- Substitution: Apricot jam or coconut sugar.
- Reserved noodle water is used to thin the sauce.
Perfect noodles
Best noodles for stir-frying
For a stir-fry, look for less starchy noodles that will hold up in the pan and keep a springy texture.
Noodles to Avoid: Avoid very starchy, flat noodles like flat rice noodles—they tend to clump together and stick to the pan.
Best noodles to use: Choose thinner, firmer noodles like thin spaghetti, dry ramen noodles, lo mein, or hand-pulled noodles (la mian).
How to make the dish
These ground beef noodles deliver the authentic flavors of Taiwan. They’re quick and easy, loaded with bold flavors from garlic, ginger, chili peppers, and green onions.
- Prep the ingredients: Mince garlic and ginger, dice scallions (separate whites and greens), and remove seeds from the chilies before dicing.
- Mix the sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl, except for the reserved noodle water, and stir until smooth.
- Cook the beef: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, season with salt and garlic powder, and cook until browned, breaking it into small pieces.
- Add aromatics: Stir in garlic, ginger, scallion whites, and diced chilies. Add a pinch of salt and sauté for 1 minute over medium heat.
- Boil the noodles: Cook noodles to al dente as per package instructions. Reserve 6 tbsp of noodle water, drain, and set aside.
- Combine noodles and sauce: Mix the noodle water into the sauce. Add noodles and sauce to the beef, tossing everything together over high heat.
- Garnish and serve: Plate the stir-fry, garnish with scallion greens and black pepper, and serve warm.
What to serve with Mongolian ground beef noodles
Mongolian beef and noodles are a rich and hearty dish that pairs well with light, fresh vegetable side dishes or even soup.
- Vegetables: A refreshing Chinese smashed cucumber salad or this bok choy salad with creamy sesame dressing. Sweet and tangy pickled daikon or this no-cook silken tofu salad are great pairings too.
- Soups: Try it with my napa cabbage egg drop soup or this 20-minute bok choy soup!
Good to know
ChihYu’s helpful notes
- Best noodles to use: Choose thin, firm noodles like ramen, thin spaghetti, or lo mein.
- Noodles to avoid: Avoid super starchy or flat noodles, like rice noodles.
- Finely dice: In Chinese stir-fries, we match the texture of the vegetables with the main ingredient. Finely chopped aromatics are a better match to the texture of ground beef than strips or large chunks.
- Storage and Reheat: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave. If the noodles feel dry, sprinkle with a little water before reheating.
More Mongolian recipes you might like
If you love this Taiwanese classic, give some of my other authentic Mongolian-style recipes a try!
- Paleo mongolian beef with thinly sliced beef stir-fried in a sweet and savory sauce.
- Mongolian chicken with tender yet crispy chicken slices and aromatics.
- Mongolian shrimp with succulent velveted shrimp in a savory sauce.
Recipe Card
Mongolian ground beef noodles recipe
Authentic Taiwanese flavor of Mongolian Ground Beef Noodles. Loaded with garlic, ginger, scallions, and red chili. Savory, delicious, easy!
Ingredients
- 1.2 oz garlic cloves 5 large, finely minced
- 0.5 oz ginger finely minced
- 3 bulb scallions diced and separate white and green parts
- 2 whole Red Fresno chili peppers or serrano peppers, seeds removed, diced
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt plus a pinch
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 6 oz ramen noodles or Japanese Miyakoichi chuka noodles
Mongolian sauce:
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper plus a few extra rounds for serving
- ½ tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp peach jam or apricot jam
- 6 tbsp reserved noodle water
Instructions
- PREP: Finely mince the garlic and ginger. Dice the scallions and separate the white and green parts. Remove the chili pepper seeds, slice to strips, then dice to similar sizes to the scallions. Set them aside ready to use.
- SAUCE: In a measuring cup, combine the ingredients from oyster sauce to jam. Stir and dissolve well.
- COOK BEEF: Preheat a large (12-inch or large) saute pan or wok over medium heat until it feels quite warm. Add the oil and the beef. Turn heat up to medium-high and use a wooden spoon to break the meat into fine bites.
- Season with salt and garlic powder and saute until the ground meat is cooked through and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.
- BOIL NOODLES: In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the noodles and follow the package instructions to boil to al dente. Reserve 6 tbsp noodle water for the sauce. Drain the noodles and set aside ready to use.
- ADD AROMATICS: When the beef is browned, add the garlic, ginger, white scallions parts, and chili peppers. Season with a pinch of salt. Saute over medium heat for 1 minute.
- ADD NOODLES & SAUCE: Combine the sauce with reserved noodle water. Add-in the noodles and pour-in the sauce.
- Turn heat up to high and keep tossing and stirring to coat the noodles with the sauce, 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- GARNISH & SERVE: Transfer the noodles to a large serving plate. Garnish with green scallion parts with a few more rounds of freshly grind black pepper. Serve warm.
Notes
- Non-Spicy Alternative: For a pop of color without the heat, use red bell peppers.
- Extra Spicy Option: Add 1-2 small Thai chili peppers for more heat. Be careful—they’re very hot!
- Best Noodles for Stir-Frying: Choose thinner, firmer noodles like thin spaghetti, lo mein, or hand-pulled noodles (la mian).
- Noodles to Avoid for Stir-Frying: Avoid very starchy, flat noodles like flat rice noodles—they tend to clump together and stick to the pan.
- Add Vegetables: Try sliced snow peas, sugar snap peas, or diced bok choy. (See how to cut bok choy.)
- Storage & Reheat: Store in an airtight container or divide into individual meal prep portions. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave on medium for 1 minute, stir, and microwave again until warmed through. If the noodles feel dry, sprinkle with a little water before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 382kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 1582mg, Potassium: 327mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 13IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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