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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.
Absolutely delicious but HOW do you do this in 20 minutes!? I cook a lot and like to think I can be fast at chopping/ grating/ mincing/ measuring, etc.. but it took me way longer. What is the secret? Either way we WILL be making this again. It was packed with yummy flavor!
Hey Nicole,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that is was enjoyed:) Sorry this took you longer than expected, I will say I don’t have any interruptions when cooking! xTieghan
Super excited to try this recipe out tonight but have just one question – should I be using regular basil or Thai basil? Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!
Hey Jane,
I like to use Thai basil in this recipe, but if you are only able to find regular basil that will be just fine too:) I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing, simple, and one of our family faves!!! I’ve lost count how many times I’ve made it now!!! I’ve used venison, ground beef, and added ground pork as well. So versatile and the flavour is incredible!! We grow our own Thai chilis, jalapenos, and our own basil. The flavour and texture combinations make this an impressive dish, even for company! Thank you so much for sharing it!!
Hey Connie,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
How many servings does this make?
Hey Elisa,
Sorry for any confusion, this recipe will make 4 servings. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My family really enjoyed this tonight. Followed recipe except added 3TBS lite soy+1TBS fish sauce (instead of 1/3 cup soy) to the chili sauce. I used a Fresno in the salad and that was the perfect amount of heat. Serves 4 perfectly. Glad to add another HBH recipe to our collection!
Hey Jill,
So so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! Thanks for sharing what worked best for you:) xxTieghan
Went looking for a ground beef recipe and found this – can’t wait to make it this week! Question – should I be using the entire green onion? Or just the green or white parts?
Hey Amanda,
I like to use the white green onion. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can I use lemongrass paste instead of fresh lemongrass? I have some paste I’m trying to use up!
Hey Amy,
Yes, I think that would be just fine to use! I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
This was delish and the whole family enjoyed it including our four year old. Thank you! We subbed chicken instead of beef .
Hey Chara,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week:) xTieghan
What kind of “hot red pepper” are you using? Thai chili pepper maybe? I can’t imagine eating a big slice of a raw thai chili pepper as shown in the pictures though so maybe that’s not it?
Hey Sandy,
I used baby bell peppers and one hot red pepper! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I’ve made this at least 4 times now and our family loves it. This meal is full of rich flavors and textures. The ground beef, soy sauce and thai sweet chili sauce is absolutely addictive. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you Michele! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was very good and my family loved it. My only complaint is that it takes much longer to make than 20 minutes.
Thank you so much Deborah! I am really glad you enjoyed this one! xTieghan
Thanks for this fabulous recipe. It’s fresh, delicious and so different from the usual ground beef fare. I’m always looking for recipes using beef mince and this is my new favorite, in fact my whole family loves it. I’m making it tonight for the 5th time.
Wow! Thank you so much for trying this one, Desiree! I am so happy you have been loving it!! xTieghan
Great recipe to mix it up with ground beef! We used venison and had great results. Especially love this method for the rice. Used brown jasmine rice and it turned out great!
Thank you so much Emily!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
My family really enjoys this dish (I’m making it again tonight). It’s delicious and all the flavors and textures make it even more special.
Prepping definitely takes me longer than 5 minutes. There’s a lot of dicing and slicing but that’s fine with me.
Thank you so much Michele! xTieghan
I made this for some friends who came over for dinner last night and we LOVED it. Cooking the rice in coconut milk is such a good idea. The flavors were all wonderful and the acidity of the peppers and carrots helped keep the beef from being too heavy. Thank you!
Thank you so much Emma! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan