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These colorful Thai Basil Beef and Lemongrass Rice Bowls are full of Thai flavors and made so simply. The beef (or use chicken) is cooked in a sweet Thai basil chili sauce until caramelized around the edges, then added to bowls of lemongrass rice. A fresh, bright, carrot and pepper salad is spooned overtop. The bowl is then finished with flavorful Thai basil, sesame seeds, and peanuts for a balance of spicy, sweet, and savory flavor. Altogether, these bowls are so delicious, plus quick to make.
I’m back at it with another summer bowl recipe, and this one is extra special. This is a recipe I made back in 2014, but I’ve continued to make it on repeat. At this point, it’s such a Gerard family staple, we all love it!
Anytime my brothers are home visiting I end up making this at least once. They love that it’s kind of like take-out, but healthier. And I always make it just spicy enough for their tastes, but with a kick of sweetness too.
Honestly, I mostly love this recipe because it’s so darn easy! If I have all the vegetables prepped, it takes 20 minutes from start to finish.
I make this year-round, but it’s on weekly rotation throughout the summer since we grow so much sweet Thai basil and peppers!
Make the rice
The first thing I make is the rice since it actually takes the longest to cook. For this dish, I love to use lemongrass. Lemongrass is such a star ingredient that’s so underused. When cooked, it has a subtle citrusy, lemony flavor with a little mintiness in there too.
It’s a very light refreshing flavor and I love cooking it into the rice. The lemongrass really complements the basil.
I cook the rice in coconut milk for a creamy, coconut flavor along with lemongrass paste and Thai jasmine rice. Simply let the rice steam while you prepare the beef.
Make the salad and beef
To add color and extra flavor, I made a quick salad with carrots, peppers, and lots of fresh green onions. I kept the dressing simple with a bit of fish sauce, lime, and honey. Then I tossed it all together and let the dressing soak into the veggies, almost like pickling them.
For the beef, I used ground beef, garlic, and ginger cooked together with lots of sweet Thai chili sauce and Thai basil. You can easily use whatever you enjoy here, chicken, pork or even tofu would be great.
If you’re having trouble finding Thai basil, traditional Italian basil works in a pinch!
Since most store-bought sweet Thai chili sauce is full of sugar, I like to make my own chili sauce. I use a mix of honey, chili paste, a touch of ketchup, and then some garlic, ginger, and lime!! It’s really easy to mix up if you’re looking for a healthier sauce option.
Then just put everything together. Load the bowls with rice, beef, lots of salad, roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and plenty of garden-fresh Thai basil.
These bowls come together so quickly and have so much flavor, which you know we love! And I really appreciate all the color – best kind of recipe!
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl
30 Minute Caramelized Shallot Beef Ramen Noodles
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Coconut Popcorn Chicken with Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls
Lastly, if you make these Thai Basil Beef and Lemongrass Rice Bowls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Thai Basil Beef and Lemongrass Rice Bowls.
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 494 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons honey
Beef
- 1 pound lean ground beef (or chicken or pork)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- black pepper
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/3 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (homemade in notes)
- 2 cups Thai or sweet Italian basil, chopped
- sesame seeds and peanuts, for serving
Instructions
- 1. To make the salad. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss well and set aside.2. To make the beef. In a large skillet, cook the beef with black pepper over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook another minute. Add the tamari, sweet Thai chili sauce, and 1 cup of fresh basil. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce coats the beef, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining basil. 3. Divide the rice and beef between bowls. Add the salad to the bowl. Top with peanuts, sesame seeds, and fresh basil. Enjoy!
Lemongrass Rice
- 1. Add 1 can coconut milk and 1/3 water to a medium-sized pot. Bring to a low boil. Add in 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice and 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste. Stir to combine. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit on the stove, covered, for another 15-20 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). 2. After 15-20 minutes remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Note that rice can cook differently for everyone, this is just what works for me.
Notes
Homemade Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: Mix 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1-2 tablespoons chili sauce, 2 teaspoons lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and 1 clove grated garlic in a glass jar. Shake or stir well. Use as directed.Â
(had to leave one of these original photos, for memories!!)
See, even my picky littlest brother, Red, was all over this one. Now that is rare.
Hi. What chili sauce (or paste?) do you use to make your homemade sweet Thai chili sauce?
I would love to make this tonight! Looks so yummy!
I used store bought sweet chilli sauce as I didnt have all the ingredients for the homemade one and it was delicious.
Hey Laura,
I like to use sriracha, it’s usually what I have on hand the most! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I have made this 3 times already , it s going to go on my recipe rotation , it s already a favourite of my husband.
Hey there,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it! xTieghan
OMG! I made these bowls this morning and took them to work. Everybody LOVED them! You never cease to amaze me, Tieghan. I have been following you since you first published Greek chicken with quinoa and am always pleased with the results. You are a cut above! Thank you for helping to develop my love of cooking…
Hey Cindy,
Awe, thanks so much for your kind message! I am so glad this one was a winner:) Have a great week! xTieghan
This is one of my family’s favorite meals. Not fast to make, however. Have to budget 90 minutes at least. It’s worth it though. We usually use Impossible Burger, and often use bagged cole slaw in place of the shredded carrot to speed up the prep. Other cheats: prepared refrigerated minced garlic & ginger, and dried red pepper flakes (which I saute with the ginger & garlic) in place of the fresh hot pepper. We tend to use a little less of the soy sauce and chili sauce. We also love it with basmati rice.
Hi Shelley,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry this took you longer to make than expected! Hope you have a great Monday! xx
This was totally delicious but took far longer to prep than noted. Will certainly make over and over. The chili sauce was excellent as well.
Hey Julie,
Amazing!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your review! Sorry this took you longer than expected! xxT
This was good but 2 things:
1. It took much much longer than 20 mins. Try 1.5 hours.
2. Measurements for rice were wrong. Rice was undercooked after following directions. Had to add hot water and cook longer which resulted in starchy, sticky rice.
Hi there,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback. I do specifically state: “Note that rice can cook differently for everyone, this is just what works for me.” Let me know if you have any questions! xTieghan
My rice was majorly undercooked as well.
This was a winner. The flavors were perfect. I suggest adding the rice and coconut milk to the list of ingredients so people don’t forget to buy them (like I did) lol.
Hi Rachel,
Thanks so much for your feedback and trying this recipe out! I love to hear that it was a hit:) Have the best weekend?
Hi Tieghan! I couldn’t find lemongrass paste at my grocery so bought lemongrass instead. Can I somehow cook this into the rice instead of paste? So excited to make this tonight!
Hi Kara,
Yes, you can use 1 stalk of fresh lemongrass instead of the paste:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
Thai Basil Beef from your first cookbook has been a staple for my family. I didn’t have your cookbook on hand so I greatly appreciated you posting this recipe. I felt your reboot of this recipe has too much tamari and not enough sweet chili sauce in it and needs that half cup of water, and really needs the lime juice at the end. Thanks!
Agreed this has WAY to much tamari. And I used low sodium. Nearly burned my tongue off from all the salt! It’s so overpowering that you can’t even taste anything, and it’s so unnecessary with all of the other salt and brightness from the salad.
Hi Sarah,
So sorry to hear about the saltiness, thanks for making the recipe! xx
Made this for dinner tonight and both my husband and I loved it. The flavors were great. We used ground chicken and 1 tbsp of chili paste. It had a little kick but next time I’d add another half tablespoon for more spice. Thanks for another great dish!
Hi Sonia,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this dish and sharing your feedback! Have the best weekend! xT
Hi Merrill,
Thanks so much for your feedback and trying this recipe out! Have the best weekend?
Made this tonight – I used minced pork instead of beef and it was delicious. Loved how the various flavours come together.
Hey Lily,
Awesome! Thanks so much for your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xx
All of your recipes are DELICIOUS! This one was super simple and flavorful! An easy week night dinner that taste like a five star restaurant!
Hi Angela,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes, I am so glad this one was enjoyed! xxT
In the pictures, it looks like there might be some red pepper cooked into the beef mixture? If so, what kind of pepper do you use and when do you add it? Thank you!
Hi Caroline,
My family likes heat so I used a spicy hot pepper, totally not necessary though:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
When do you include the sliced bell pepper?
Thanks,
Carol
Hi Carol,
The sliced bell pepper is used in step 1:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I made the beef (well, I used ground venison we had) and salad part of this dish last night and it was so delicious! I made the salad a few hours ahead of time and loved how the veggies just marinated. I did use pre-made Thai chili sauce because I had just the right amount in the fridge that I wanted to use up. I definitely want to try your homemade version next time! We just ate the meat and salad as the bowl because we try to eat pretty low carb. So delicious! Thanks!
Hi Lauren,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed:) Have a great weekend! xx
Made it with ground chicken. It was delicious!
Hi Danielle,
Awesome! So glad the ground chicken worked well for you, thanks for making the dish! Happy Friday! xx