This Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry recipe is the ultimate quick prep one-pan keto skillet dinner for busy weeknights! It’s the perfect combo of meat and vegetables, ready in 20 minutes or less. Plus, the recipe is dairy-free, low-carb, and budget-friendly too!
This recipe is part of the ground beef stir fry recipes series.
Table of Contents (click to view)
Low-Carb Keto Chinese Food
This simple stir fry recipe is an excellent way for beginners on a keto diet to gain confidence in the kitchen, use up leftover ingredients, and get a budget-friendly meal on the table in record time.
Cooking from scratch with simple, everyday ingredients makes tracking and calculating keto macros easy. Use our keto diet food list with macros any time you need an easy-to-read reference sheet.
With easy keto recipes like this Chinese stir fry, you can enjoy restaurant-style favorites but still eat low-carb. Don’t worry about hidden sugars or junk ingredients, this is a healthy lunch or dinner for everyone!
If you love the ease and convenience of one-dish meals, I highly recommend building a cast iron cookware collection. This equipment is all-purpose, sturdy, and highly functional.
How to Make Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry
Cook the veggies, mix in the meat and add sauce. Anyone can make this recipe.
Feel free to substitute the meat or vegetables with other ingredients you already have on hand. We’ll talk about that more below, so keep reading.
Ingredients
Gather 10 low-carb and keto-friendly ingredients. You probably already have most of these in your kitchen.
- Lard – Lard is dairy-free and pairs amazingly with cabbage, this combination always makes a dish taste like Chinese takeout to me.
- Garlic – Isn’t everything better with garlic?
- Ginger – Fresh ginger root is best, but you can also substitute it with 1 teaspoon dried ginger powder.
- Cabbage – I used green cabbage here, but you can use any kind you like. Save time and use a pre-shredded coleslaw mix.
- Salt – I like salty, savory food and never miss a chance to use different types of culinary salt.
- Ground beef – 75/25 ground beef is perfect for this; it has a higher fat content that keeps recipes moist and delicious. Buy ground beef in bulk to save money on your grocery bill! You can use 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef too.
- Keto soy sauce – Make your own homemade Keto Soy Sauce or use a store-bought option like tamari (gluten-free, organic soy), Bragg’s liquid aminos (gluten-free, non-GMO soy), or coconut aminos (gluten and soy-free) to add the classic Asian flavor.
- Sesame oil – Don’t leave out the sesame oil! It brings the whole meal together and adds the signature Chinese food taste.
- Raw apple cider vinegar – Apple cider vinegar gives a tangy kick with a slight sweetness to the whole recipe. Get a “raw” vinegar with the “mother” in it for optimal health benefits, or make Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar yourself! (2, 3)
- Green onion – Finely chopped green onion makes the dish pop with color and adds a bit more flavor.
Directions
- Warm oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir-fry garlic and ginger for 1 minute.
- Add cabbage and salt; stir-fry until soft for 5-8 minutes.
- Push cabbage to one side of the skillet. Increase the heat to medium-high and lightly brown the meat for 2 minutes. Mix cabbage and meat. Then continue cooking until the meat is done to your liking.
- Reduce heat down to medium-low. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and apple cider vinegar. Toss to combine.
- Garnish with green onion. Serve warm.
Follow step by step to make the perfect easy low-carb stir-fry in 20 minutes or less!
This cast iron skillet was the first piece of cast iron equipment I ever bought and have never regretted it.
- Daily workhorse
- Heats quickly
- Oven-safe for one-pan meals
- Looks beautiful for serving
Variations
In addition to the cabbage, you can also add:
- Shredded carrot
- Sliced mushrooms
- Sliced red or green bell pepper
- Snap peas
- Chopped broccoli or cauliflower
Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry FAQ
You can substitute the beef for any other ground meat. Add ground pork or chicken in place of ground beef. Keep in mind, ground chicken is leaner than beef or pork, so you may want to add an extra tablespoon of coconut oil while the meat cooks.
Stir-fry meals are a delicious way to use up any vegetables you have in your fridge. There are so many more options you can put in this beef and cabbage stir-fry.
How to Store Stir Fry
Since there are 4 servings of ground beef stir fry in this recipe, it’s usually an appropriate size for a family dinner. You may be able to stretch it out to 6 servings if you add a side like Quick and Easy Egg Drop Soup.
There are two options for storing leftovers.
Pack the remaining portion in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3-5 days. Alternatively, place the meat and vegetables in a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Always be sure to label and date the container so you remember what it is!
Cabbage tends to release liquid as it thaws. You may notice the dish gets slightly more watery after reheating it compared to the freshly cooked meal. It’s a slight difference that will not affect the flavor of the recipe.
More Low Carb Ground Beef Recipes
Ground beef is a keto staple I always have around! It’s so easy, versatile, and affordable.
Use my printable Keto Meal Planner, follow these keto meal prep ideas, and plan your keto ground beef recipes!
- Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Keto Ground Beef Stir Fry
- Keto Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Korean Ground Beef
- Keto Philly Cheesesteak Casserole with Hamburger
Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon lard or coconut oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger root peeled and grated
- 1 pound green cabbage or coleslaw mix
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons Keto Soy Sauce see notes
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons green onion minced for garnish
Instructions
- Warm fat in a skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté garlic and ginger for 1 minute.1 tablespoon lard, 2 cloves garlic, 1 inch fresh ginger root
- Add cabbage and salt; stir fry until soft for about 5-8 minutes.1 pound green cabbage, ½ teaspoon salt
- Push cabbage to one side of the skillet. Increase the heat to medium-high and lightly brown the meat for 2 minutes. Mix all together and continue cooking until meat is done to your liking.1 pound ground beef
- Reduce heat back to medium. Whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Pour over meat and stir to combine.2 tablespoons Keto Soy Sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
- Garnish with green onion. Serve warm.2 tablespoons green onion
Notes
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
This is just one of many family-friendly low-carb 30 minute meals for lunch or dinner.
More Keto Cabbage Recipes
These low-carb 30 minute meals with cabbage are super any night of the week!
- Keto Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Fried Cabbage and Sausage Skillet
- Cabbage Noodles with Ground Beef
- Keto Cabbage and Sausage Alfredo
awesome recipe! I didn’t have any soy sauce so decided to go with cheddar cheese and a bit of coconut cream instead. Turned out yum!
Great substitution! You can’t go wrong with cheese 🙂