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This colorful 20 Minute Sticky Ginger Sesame Pineapple Beef is my secret to busy weeknight cooking. The ground beef is cooked in a spicy-sweet chili garlic sauce before adding fresh broccoli and chunks of sweet pineapple. Serve this simply with steamed rice and a cucumber salad. The Thai chili sauce and pineapple are the key ingredients. This dish is saucy, salty, tangy-sweet, and has just the right amount of spice!
You may not have noticed, but I’m really working to incorporate more beef recipes onto the website. I haven’t shared many beef recipes in the past. But many of you have requested that I work them into the lineup a bit more so I’m having fun with them!
Beef dinners can be so delicious, plus quick and easy too! I love to use ground beef, especially since it cooks up so quickly. I’ll make burgers, tacos, quick skillet stir-fries, and meatballs. So many new recipes to share!
I’ve been loving the combination of pineapple and beef, so I wanted to incorporate the two in a quick dinner served over rice. I wanted to add traditional stir-fry favorites like broccoli, cilantro, and basil.
This dinner takes just minutes to prep and minutes to cook. It’s wonderful to serve family and friends on busy nights.
Another huge bonus – I almost always have these ingredients on hand, either in the pantry or the freezer!! A great “I don’t know what to make, dinner”!
Here are the steps
Step 1: start the rice and cook the beef
If you’re not using leftover rice, start a batch of rice. Now, using a big skillet, brown the beef with chili flakes and black pepper. If you have them, I love to use Korean chili flakes for this recipe.
When the beef has browned, some of the fat should have rendered. I don’t usually have much fat, so I add a couple of tablespoons of butter. Next, add the garlic and ginger. I like to use pickled ginger (sushi ginger) for this. It’s so yummy and adds a special touch to the dish.
Step 2: mix in the broccoli and pineapple
When you smell the garlic and ginger, it’s time to add the broccoli and the pineapple. Mix those in. Next comes the sauce.
Step 3: mix in the sauces
I use tamari (soy sauce is a good substitute), then sweet Thai chili sauce, and a few tablespoons of juice from the pickled ginger jar.
Cook until the sauce coats the beef and the beef starts to get crispy. Now you can mix in the green onions and sesame seeds.
Step 4: make the salad
Mix pineapple chunks with chopped cucumbers, cilantro, basil, and peanuts. Then squeeze over the lime juice.
Hopefully, you either started some rice or have some leftover. Now take the beef, broccoli, and pineapple and spoon it over bowls of rice. Then top with the cucumber/pineapple salad.
A note
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, some garlic, ginger, and lime!! It’s really easy to mix up if you’re looking for a healthier sauce option.
These bowls come together so quickly and have so much flavor! I really appreciate all the color too – 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
Lastly, if you make this 20 Minute Sticky Ginger Sesame Pineapple Beef, 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 Sticky Ginger Sesame Pineapple Beef
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 497 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 and chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup pickled ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger)
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Thai chili sauce (homemade in notes)
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 2 cups cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup Thai basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet, combine the beef, black pepper, and chili flakes. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes, until the butter browns and the beef gets crispy.2. Mix in the broccoli and 3/4 cup pineapple. Pour over the tamari, sweet chili sauce, and 1-2 tablespoons of ginger juice from the pickled ginger. Cook until the sauce coats the beef, 2-3 minutes. Mix in the green onions and sesame seeds. Remove from the heat. 3. In a bowl, toss 3/4 cup pineapple chunks with the cucumbers, cilantro, basil, lime juice, and peanuts. 4. Serve the beef and broccoli over bowls of rice. Top with the pineapple herb salad. Add the chopped green onions, and if desired. Enjoy!
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.
Delicious! So fresh for a hot summer evening meal.
Hi Pam,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you and appreciate you making it:) xT
This was such a flavourful dish! We loved it. It did take longer than 20 minutes but was well worth it.
Hi Laura,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and Happy Monday! xT
I just made this today and it is really yummy! Thank you! I have tons of fresh mango from my tree, so I added some to the pineapple cucumber salad and that was a nice touch!
Thanks so much Sherrie!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you making it! Happy Friday!
This was just OK, I probably would not make it again. It tasted very salty to me, and seemed like an unusual combination of flavors and textures that I wasn’t particularly fond of.
I agree and I do not think the prep time is accurate as this recipe require a lot of chopping. Took me around 30-40 with my sous chef!
Hi Melinda,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
Hi! This is so good!! I would recommend prepping the chopped veggies before hand to keep to the 20 minute timeframe. I will make this again as my family loved it!
Thank you 😊
Hey Teresa,
Fantastic!!🍒🍉 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
Question, I really like the flavours on this. The step with adding the broccoli and the pineapple? I followed the directions but the broccoli was still raw ? Do you have to precook it? Cut it up super small?
Hey Genevieve,
Fantastic!!🍒🍉 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! I would cut your broccoli smaller next time:) xx
This was delicious!! Sweet and spicy and all of the flavors worked so well together. I modified a bit. I only did 1 lb of beef and doubled the broccoli. I did add a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce at the end. I did not do the cucumber salad just to save on time and it still felt complete. My husband and I loved this!
Hey Shelley,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xx
I love Tieghen and Half Baked Harvest, all the flavors and produce in every recipe is fabulous but this one was a miss for me. No doubt its something I did wrong so I will move on to the next delicious recipe in her book and mark this one a no thank you.
Hi Tracey,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Made this for dinner and it was a hit! We didn’t have fresh pineapple, so I used canned and it still turned out great. I had the leftovers for lunch and it was equally delicious.
Hi Kathryn,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and sharing your feedback! Thanks for making it:) xx
I loved this dish! It was a hit with my husband as well. I just couldn’t get the beef to turn the slightest bit crispy. I usually have that problem. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks so much for trying this recipe Teresa!! Are you using a cast iron skillet? I find that’s how I get the best crisp with my meats. I hope this helps! xx
I made this tonight, and it was great! I left out the salad topping for the kids and they loved it. Thank you
Thanks so much Diana!! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you and appreciate you making it! xT
This was delicious!!! Spicy which I love, but you can control the spice how you want it! The cucumber cools it off. Everyone loved!
Hey Victoria,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and sharing your feedback! Thanks for making it:) xx
Hi 🙂
I’m wanting to make this tonight, just wondering if it would totally change the flavour if I skip the ginger? Im not a ginger fan. I think I may have some ground ginger on hand, could that be on option?
let me know!
Hi Joanna,
Sure, you could use ground ginger or just skip it, no big deal:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This looks delish! What’s the chili sauce you mention in the instructions for the Thais chili sauce? I have Thai red curry paste – will that work for whatever that chili sauce is supposed to be?
Hey Liz,
For the homemade recipe, you’ll want to use something like Gochujang or Sriracha! I hope this helps, let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
Please please please be more diligent about checking that your ingredient lists are correct. This is the third time in a month I have gone grocery shopping for one of your recipes only to get home, start cooking, and realize there is something missing from the list I took to the store and now cannot finish the meal. You do not include rice in the ingredients for this recipe. I understand you’re not giving instructions on how to cook it, but it’s an integral part of the meal and it is common practice to list it as “rice, for serving” or something to that effect as most people will shop for the meal based on the ingredient list. Now I am nearly finished cooking the meat with nothing to put it on 🙁 Such a waste.
Hi Cheryl,
Thanks for sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you don’t have rice for serving. I don’t know that I would call this a waste as you can eat it without the rice or make a lettuce wrap, that would be a great idea! Happy Monday! xx