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These colorful 20 Minute Thai Basil Beef Rolls are full of Thai-inspired flavor and made so simply. The beef (or use chicken or pork) is cooked in a spicy chili sauce until caramelized around the edges, then rolled up in tortillas with fresh cucumbers, cilantro, and Thai basil. Serve with extra soy sauce, chili paste, and toasted sesame oil. Each roll is spicy, sweet, tangy, and salty. Enjoy as an appetizer or serve alongside steamed rice for a quick dinner.
My brother Malachi’s girlfriend, Caitlyn, lives in LA. She’s been telling me about beef rolls she’ll sometimes get when she out to dinner. She’s been on me to make a spicy, sweet, salty roll with Thai-inspired flavors for weeks. I was so hesitant at first because a beef roll didn’t sound all that appealing.
But then I actually put some thought into it. I did some research on how beef rolls are made and decided I could make super quick beef rolls at home with delicious flavors. Most classic beef rolls are made using a homemade wrap and thinly sliced marinated beef. They often use a spice used in Vietnamese and Hawaiian cooking, called Chinese 5 Spice. It’s a blend of cinnamon, black pepper, star anise, cloves, and fennel.
Of course, all rolls are made differently, but the process is a bit lengthy. So I took some inspiration from the beef rolls Cait has been telling me about and created my own simplified version. And I love the way they turned out!
Since I like to serve these rolls as a dinner, the first thing I make is a big pot of rice. It actually takes longer to cook the rice than the rolls. It’s totally up to you, whether to add rice, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Especially since I know many of you need fast dinner options.
The details
I like to cook the rice in coconut milk for a creamy, coconut flavor. Simply let the rice steam while you prepare the beef rolls.
For the beef, I used ground beef, garlic, and ginger cooked together with Chinese 5 Spice, Thai chili sauce, and green onions. You can easily use whatever you enjoy here, chicken or pork would both be great.
If you’re having trouble finding Thai basil, traditional Italian basil works in a pinch! Or just use extra cilantro or even an additional green onion.
Since most store-bought 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. Layer your warm tortillas with the hot beef, cucumber, cilantro, basil, green onions, and peanuts. Then, tuck and roll the rolls up nice and snug.
I serve these warm, with extra Tamari, chili paste, and toasted sesame oil. Plus, green onions too.
These wraps come together so quickly and have so much flavor, which you know we love! And I really appreciate all the fresh colors – the 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
Thai Basil Beef and Lemongrass Rice Bowls
Lastly, if you make these 20 Minute Thai Basil Beef Rolls, 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 Rolls
Servings: 8 rolls
Calories Per Serving: 392 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or chicken or pork)
- black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger ( or 1/4 cup candied ginger)
- 1-3 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Thai chili sauce (homemade in notes)
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 2 cups cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup Thai basil, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
- 8-10 flour tortillas, warmed
- chili paste, for serving
- toasted sesame oil, for serving
Instructions
- 1. 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, ginger, and Chinese 5 spice, cook another minute. Add the tamari and sweet Thai chili sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce coats the beef, 3-5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of chopped green onions. remove from the heat. 2. Place one tortilla at a time in the microwave for 15 seconds. Spoon the beef down the center, then top with cucumber, cilantro, basil, green onion, and peanuts. Fold the tortilla over the filling. Then fold the sides and ends of the tortillas over the filling and roll forward. Repeat with remaining ingredients.3. Serve warm with extra soy, chili paste, and toasted sesame oil for dipping. To make this a dinner, serve with rice on the side.
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.
What a quick easy meal!! I added some julienned carrots and some fresh bean spouts that I had leftover from another recipe. I was very cautious with the 5 spice powder, only using one teaspoon. I wish I had added a bit more as that flavor was amazing !! I also made a dipping sauce with rice wine vinegar. My family loved it!!
Yay!! Love to hear this Kim:) Thanks so much for making this recipe and your message! Have a great week! xT
Are your tortillas actually homemade or are they Mission? I really don’t care for store-bought flour tortillas – they’re almost always too thick and totally flavorless – but these look delicious!
Hey Colleen,
These ones are homemade, here’s the recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-flour-tortillas/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I love these and make them often for a quick supper!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you’re having an awesome weekend! 🙂 xT
Hey I’m kinda confused on the chili sauce. How can you add 1-2 table spoon of chili sauce if you’re making the chili sauce? Did you mean paste?
I agree! What is the chili sauce your adding to the homemade chili sauce?
Hi there! I was wondering if you had the macro breakdown for this recipe? Carbs, fats & proteins – if you know it! Thank you! 🖤
Hi Macey! I’m so sorry I don’t have that breakdown! xT
How long would the chilli sauce last for in sealed bottles? The sauce is so much better than bought sweet chilli sauce. I would love to make a big batch to save time in the long run.
Hi Danielle! You could definitely freeze the sauce and it would last quite awhile! 🙂 xT
Curious what tortilla brand you use. They always look so great!
Hi there! I usually make my own! Recipe is on my blog 🙂 xT
So flavorful! I skipped the ketchup in the sauce and subbed coconut aminos for soy sauce. I used cashews instead of peanuts. I also used garam masala instead of Chinese 5 spice because that’s what I had. Those substitutions worked great for us and yummmm I would 100% make again!
Thank you so much Meg! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
I love all your recipes! Huge fan. How long did you fry the tortillas. They look so amazing in the picture and I don’t want them to turn out oily or over done.
Really enjoyed these. Grateful for the links in the ingredients list; as a person who can’t see things right in front of them, these are the blessed visual queues to my success
Thanks so much Forrest! xT
The picture makes it look like the rolls have been fried after being rolled. Did you do that? If so, any pointers?
Perhaps she fried them when making the tortillas and then filled after they cooled? I agree they look pan fried and amazing!! Not like store bought. Can’t wait to make!!!
I made the Thai beef rolls tonight and while the flavor was good they were just too spicy and my husband and I both like spicy food. I only used 1t of the Chinese 5 spice so I think it was the Thai chili sauce.
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an amazing New Year! 🙂 xT
Oh boy, we liked these. Used toasted cashews instead of peanuts, and fried our filled shells, but otherwise followed the recipe. *go easy on Chinese five spice if you aren’t used to cooking with it. Definitelyyyyyyy making this again!
Thank you so much May! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Made these as part of my weekly meal prep and they were the perfect simple and refreshing meal with all the herbs and spices! Great recipe!! Would love to try it with ground lamb sometime.:)
Hi there! Thank you soooo much for trying out this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
Hey T, we love this recipe! Any suggestions for swapping out the meat for a veggie option to lighten it up a bit?
Thanks!
Hi Max! I bet mushrooms and zucchini could be yummy! xT
The family loved the flavor of this!
I amped up the Thai flavor with a couple tablespoons of fish sauce in the sweet chili sauce! We will try it over rice or on French rolls (a la banh mi) next time and add some more veggies like carrot bell pepper and daikon. Excited to play with it!
Thanks so so much Jennifer! xT
In the picture, these wraps look like they’ve been fried or pan fried? Even if they’re not, do you have a suggestion for doing that?
Hi Anna,
Yes, you can go ahead and pop them on a skillet if you wanted to do that. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
So were the ones in your picture fried in some way like they appear to be?