Ground beef is a versatile and budget-friendly staple that can be used in so many quick and easy dinner recipes. But plain ground beef can sometimes seem boring and one-note. That’s why knowing how to amp up the flavor of ground beef is an invaluable skill for any home cook.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share 18 delicious ways to take your ground beef from bland to grand. With just a few extra ingredients and simple cooking techniques, you can make your ground beef dishes pop with complex flavors. From spices and sauces to cheeses and vegetables, read on for inspiration to add taste and flair to tacos, burgers, meatballs, casseroles, and more.
1. Cook with Butter or Bacon Fat
Browning ground beef in butter or rendered bacon fat instead of oil adds a richness that takes the flavor up a notch. The milk solids in butter provide a slightly sweet and nutty taste that complements the meaty flavor of beef. Meanwhile, bacon fat gives a smoky, salty punch.
2. Sauté Aromatic Vegetables
Cooking minced or finely diced onions garlic carrots, and celery along with the ground beef enhances flavor tremendously. This mix of aromatics is known as a mirepoix and serves as the base for countless savory dishes. The vegetables add sweetness and complexity while also keeping the ground beef moist.
3. Sprinkle On Dry Spices and Herbs
Seasoning ground beef while it cooks infuses every bite with flavor. Good options include garlic powder onion powder paprika, cumin, oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary. For convenience, make your own blend ahead of time to have on hand. Start with 2 tablespoons each of garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, 1 tablespoon cumin, and 1 teaspoon each of paprika, thyme, and rosemary. Adjust amounts to taste.
4. Add Fresh Herbs and Spices
For maximum flavor, use fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, and oregano. You can chop the herbs and mix them into raw ground beef or sprinkle them on while sautéing. Other fresh additions like minced garlic, grated ginger, and sliced chiles also enliven ground beef.
5. Use Soy Sauce or Worcestershire Sauce
A splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce adds an umami flavor boost to ground beef. Both are made with fermented ingredients that impart a savory, meaty taste. Soy sauce also contributes a salty flavor, while Worcestershire’s unique blend of ingredients like tamarind and anchovies offer tangy and rich notes.
6. Mix in Grated Parmesan
The nutty, salty sharpness of Parmesan cheese enhances meat’s natural flavor. Stir a handful of grated Parmesan into cooked ground beef just before serving to add a pop of flavor. The cheese also helps bind the meat mixture together.
7. Add Tomato Paste or Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Tomato paste and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes lend a concentrated tomato flavor that makes ground beef taste juicier and more complex. Tomato paste is easy to stir in while cooking, and diced sun-dried tomatoes add nice texture. Both ingredients pair especially well with Italian seasoning.
8. Use Mexican-Style Adobo Sauce
Adobo sauce—made from chiles, vinegar, garlic, and spices—is used to marinate meats in Mexican cooking. Stirring a spoonful into ground beef as it cooks adds a tangy, lightly spicy kick Look for canned chipotle peppers in adobo in the international aisle of well-stocked supermarkets.
9. Fold in Salsa
Similar to adobo sauce, tomato-based salsa is an easy way to infuse Mexican flavors. Cook the ground beef plain, then fold in a couple spoonfuls of your favorite salsa at the end. The acidity from ingredients like tomatoes, lime juice, and vinegar brighten up the beef.
10. Mix in Barbecue Sauce
Sweet and tangy barbecue sauce gives ground beef a signature smoky flavor. For recipes like sloppy Joes or barbecue meatballs, whisk a few tablespoons of sauce into cooked ground beef. For burgers, mix some into the raw meat before forming patties, then brush on more while grilling.
11. Use Asian Sauces and Pastes
Ingredients commonly used in Asian cooking like fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha, and curry pastes lend exotic flavors to ground beef. Use sparingly at first, as these condiments pack a punch. They work especially well in Thai, Vietnamese, or Chinese-style dishes.
12. Deglaze with Wine, Beer, or Stock
After browning ground beef, pour in a splash of wine, beer, or broth and let it simmer while scraping up any browned bits in the pan. This deglazing technique captures concentrated meaty flavors and infuses them back into the dish. Red wine or brown ale work well, as do beef, chicken or vegetable broth.
13. Sauté Mushrooms
Cook sliced mushrooms right in with the ground beef to absorb all the tasty juices. Meaty mushrooms like portobello, cremini, and shiitake make especially flavorful additions. They lend an earthy, savory quality that enhances the beef.
14. Caramelize Onions
Sweet, dark caramelized onions take time to cook down, but they add incredible depth. Cook them low and slow in a separate pan, then mix them into cooked ground beef. The rich, mellow sweetness balances and rounds out the beef’s hearty flavor.
15. Use Moroccan Spices
Warm spices used in Moroccan cooking like cumin, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, paprika, and cayenne lend exotic flair. Blend your own or use a store-bought mixture like ras el hanout. The spices pair well with fruit accents like raisins or apricots too.
16. Add Chili Powder and Cumin
These seasoning staples of Tex-Mex cuisine infuse ground beef with a bold, southwest kick. Cook the beef with a teaspoon of chili powder and half a teaspoon of cumin per pound. Top with extras like shredded cheese, salsa, and avocado to complete the theme.
17. Mix in Curry Powder
Warm, aromatic curry powder adds an unmistakable Indian twist. Start with one teaspoon per pound of meat, adding more to taste. Cook the spices briefly in oil before adding ground beef to bloom their flavors. Round it out with yoghurt sauce.
18. Fold in Pesto
Bright, herbal pesto made with basil, parsley, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan punches up the flavor of basic ground beef. Make your own or use store-bought. Stir a couple tablespoons into cooked beef just before serving over pasta or in lasagna.
With this diverse collection of flavor-boosting ingredients and techniques, you’ll never settle for boring ground beef again. From Mediterranean herbs to Indian spices, salsa to pesto, the possibilities are endless. I hope these ideas inspire you to experiment and take your ground beef dishes to new taste heights. Just a handful of extras can transform a pound of ordinary ground beef into an extraordinary meal.
Share With A Friend
Hi! I’m Marie. Mama, wife, homebody. I’m a self-taught chef and cookbook author.
I love sharing fast, fresh, family-friendly recipes that will, hopefully, make your life a little easier.
Above all, I love spending time in the kitchen with family and friends. Come join us!
From My Kitchen To Yours
This seasoned ground beef is my go-to for last-minute weeknight dinners. You can make it without much thinking at all, and it’s ready to enjoy in about 10 minutes.
For serving, there are so many options. Wrap it up in flour or corn tortillas, add some shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream for quick soft tacos. Or sprinkle it over a bed of lettuce, along with all your favorite fixings, for a high-protein, low-carb lunch. Or take a cue from my daughter: sprinkle cheese and beef over tortilla chips and make nachos! Or what about rice bowls, burritos, tostadas, taquitos . . . whew, the options are endless!
We like to serve this seasoned ground beef as a “build-your-own-taco” bar. Because you can pick out (or leave out) exactly what you want, taco bars are great for kids, picky eaters, or people with food allergies. Don’t like tomatoes? Leave ’em off. Love cheese? Pile it on! Against all grain? Make a salad!
- Serves 4
- 1 lb. (454 g) grass-fed ground beef
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) smoked paprika
- Pinch dried oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Heat a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and sear, chopping beef with a spatula into small pieces.
- Sprinkle the seasonings over the beef. Continue to cook, tossing and chopping with a spatula, until beef is cooked through and brown. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Remove from heat and let cool about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
*I use affiliate links for my favorite products. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for helping me keep this website up and running! Search
How to cook ground beef for maximum flavor | I bet you didn’t know this!
FAQ
What to put on ground beef to make it taste good?
- 2 tablespoons oregano.
- 1 tablespoon chili powder.
- 1 teaspoon cumin.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- 2 teaspoons onion powder.
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt.
- 1 lb ground beef.
- 1⁄2 cup water.
How do you make beef more flavorful?
Generously season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garlic and Onion Powder: These add depth of flavor. Use about 1 teaspoon of each per pound of beef. Herbs and Spices: Experiment with dried herbs (like oregano, thyme, or basil) and spices (like cumin or paprika) to add complexity.
How to jazz up hamburger meat?
To elevate your hamburger meat, consider mixing in one of the following ingredients: Worcestershire Sauce: Adds umami and depth of flavor. Garlic Powder: Enhances flavor with a subtle kick. Onion Powder: Provides sweetness and richness. Soy Sauce: Introduces a savory, salty element.
How to add flavour to minced beef?
Bloom / soften / sautee some aromatics in said oil before adding your mince. Onions , garlic, green onions, leeks, shallots, celery or celery seed are the usual suspects. Note that you can use more than one.