Honey Garlic Beef Rice Bowl

Honey garlic beef rice bowls have juicy shredded beef, crunchy carrots and bell peppers, and a tangy sesame vinaigrette. Served cold, they work well for meal prep or for a simple dinner.

Rice bowls are a go-to when it comes to meal prep because they are simple, flexible, and easy to assemble. I've rounded up my favorites in this round up of 36 rice bowl recipes, and one of my all-time faves is this Instant Pot fiesta rice bowl.

These honey garlic beef rice bowls are another simple rice bowl recipe which were (slightly) inspired by a rice bowl you'd get at a Vietnamese restaurant.

With a base of basmati rice, we are topping it with juicy shredded  beef, crunchy cucumber, carrot and bell peppers, and a tangy sesame vinaigrette. Sprinkle it with sesame seeds and enjoy!

Recipe video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these beef rice bowls. It’s so easy, especially if you prep the beef ahead of time. You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

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Ingredients we'll need

• honey garlic beef- I recommend you either cook the slow cooker honey garlic beef a few days ahead of time, or you get it cooking first thing in the morning.
• rice- my personal favorite is basmati because it has a low GI meaning it will keep you feeling full for longer than regular white rice. See how to cook perfect, fluffy rice
• vegetables- I've used thinly sliced carrots, cucumber and bell pepper, but feel free to get creative with what you have in the fridge. Cabbage is also great in this recipe and I bagged slaw mix could be a great shortcut!
• sesame seeds- consider this optional but adds a nice sesame flavor and slightly crunchy texture. Toast your sesame seeds for extra flavor!
• sesame vinaigrette- similar to this sesame Asian vinaigrette, it adds a deliciously tangy and ever so slightly sweet flavor to the rice and vegetables.

Recipe tips

Cook the beef ahead of time

The slow cooker beef requires a full 8 hours to cook in the slow cooker, so you'll want to either cook it a few days ahead (it can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days), or start it first thing in the morning.

You can also cook the beef in an Instant Pot, which cuts down on the cook time considerably. Find both the slow cooker and Instant Pot directions here.

Rice food safety

Rice has a bad rap when it comes to food safety. Since this is a cold rice dish, you want to make sure you are extra careful: do not let the rice sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. This is the temperature at which harmful bacteria thrive. Get the rice into the fridge as soon as it is not steaming excessively (30 or so min).

You can read more about safely cooking and storing rice here.

Meal prep bowls

You can assemble these rice bowls ahead of time and store for meal prep, but you'll want to skip the cucumbers as they do not keep well. Consider swapping for some cabbage or increasing the carrots and bell peppers to make up for the loss of the cucumbers!

Meal prepping this recipe

Beef

The slow cooker honey garlic shredded beef may be cooked up to 4 days ahead and stored in an air tight container in the fridge.

I recommend reheating the beef in a frying pan, flipping and mixing up the beef with tongs, even if you're serving the bowls cold, the beef is tough and chewy when cold.

Other components

• Carrots and bell peppers may be pre-chopped up to 4 days ahead; avoid pre-chopping the cucumbers
• Vinaigrette may be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead
• Rice may be cooked at most 4 days ahead

Leftovers

Leftover rice bowls may be stored in the vinaigrette in the fridge for up to 4 days. You'll want to leave the cucumbers off.

More bowls:

• Honey Sesame Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
• Easy Buddha Bowls
• Turkey Taco Lunch Bowls
• Egg Roll in a Bowl
• Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls
• Cauliflower Cashew Lunch Bowls

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Honey Garlic Beef Rice Bowls

5 from 10 votes

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

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Honey garlic beef rice bowls have juicy shredded beef, crunchy carrots and bell peppers, and a tangy sesame vinaigrette. Served cold, they work well for meal prep or for a simple dinner.

4

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup basmati rice uncooked

Sesame vinaigrette:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce I use reduced sodium
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ pepper
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced

Rice bowls

• ▢ 2 cups honey garlic beef
• ▢ 2 carrots julienned
• ▢ 2 small cucumbers julienned (roughly 2 cups)
• ▢ 1 bell pepper julienned
• ▢ sesame seeds optional; to garnish

Instructions 

• Cook rice according to package directions. Allow to cool.
• Shake together all vinaigrette ingredients.
• Gently reheat the honey garlic beef in a frying pan on medium heat. Use tongs to stir and turn the beef until warmed through.
• Divide the rice, vegetables, beef and crispy wontons between 4 bowls, and top with dressing and sesame seeds.

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Tips:

Storage

Leftover rice bowls may be stored in the vinaigrette in the fridge for up to 4 days. You’ll want to leave the cucumbers off.

Meal prep

• Carrots and bell peppers may be pre-chopped up to 4 days ahead; avoid pre-chopping the cucumbers
• Vinaigrette may be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead
• Rice may be cooked at most 4 days ahead
• Beef may be cooked up to 4 days ahead and store in the fridge (or in the freezer for 3 months)

Rice safety

Since we are not reheating the rice, we want to be extra careful for food safety reasons. Refrigerate the rice within 2 hours of cooking and do not let it sit out at room temperature for long periods of time.

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1bowl, Calories: 454kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 374mg, Potassium: 710mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 6099IU, Vitamin C: 43mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 3mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Slow Cooker

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