Lean how to make Hawaiian Loco Moco, a delicious Asian inspired comfort food dish made with rice, hamburger patties, fried eggs all smothered in a special brown gravy. It's an easy recipe that's a family favorite.
This recipe is made with my Hawaiian Brown Gravy!
One of our favorite dishes lately is this Hawaiian Loco Moco.
Everyone always wants burgers for dinner, so when I made this beloved Hawaiian comfort food instead of the usual, the fam went crazy!
You'll love everything about this dish. It's easy to make and best of all it's delicious!
Ingredients
Hot cooked rice - we like to use Japanese sticky rice that we make in the rice cooker. You can use whatever rice you can get your hands on, even brown rice would be a great alternative.
Eggs - you're going to need a fried egg to top each beef patty.
For the beef patties:
- Ground beef- this is going to be used to make the hamburger patty, so I would use what you'r used to. 85% lean ground beef has a good ratio, but you may prefer ground chuck, which is 80% lean.
- Onions and garlic - onion powder can be used as well as garlic powder
- Panko bread crumbs
- Milk
- Salt and black pepper
For the gravy:
- Beef stock or broth - used to make the gravy.
- Cornstarch - to thicken the gravy
- Soy sauce
- Ketchup
- Sugar
- Garlic powder - or fresh garlic
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Helpful Equipment
- Non-stick skillet
- Cast iron skillet
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Rice cooker
- Ceramic plates
- Air tight containers
Helpful tips to know ahead
- Use ground turkey instead of ground beef to reduce fat and calories.
- Use precooked patties (or leftover patties) and rice for a super fast quick dinner.
- Ground beef should be cooked to 165 degrees F for safe consumption.
How to make Hawaiian loco moco
Cook rice and keep warm.
Add ground beef, onions, garlic, panko breadcrumbs, milk, and salt and pepper to a large bowl. Gently mix ingredients together then form four patties.
Lightly grease a frying pan with a small amount of oil over medium-high heat. Place beef patties in the skillet and cook until fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes per side.
While burgers are cooking, mix beef broth and the rest of the gravy ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
When meat is cooked through, remove patties to a plate and aside. Turn heat to medium.
To make Hawaiian Loco Moco gravy: Add gravy ingredients to pan and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to come to a low boil. Reduce to low heat and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes more.
Once gravy is thickened, heat a non-stick, large skillet over medium heat. Add some oil, butter or non-stick cooking spray to the pan. Fry eggs your style:
For sunny-side-up egg: cook until egg white is completely set, about 3 minutes.
For over-easy egg: cook for 3 minutes, then flip over for 30 seconds.
These two methods will ensure a runny egg yolk.
To serve: place a bed of rice on a plate. Top with ground beef patty and a fried egg. Smother in warm gravy and garnish with sliced green onions.
Quick facts
This comfort dish originated in Hilo, Hawaii in 1949. It consists of a bed of white rice topped with a juicy hamburger patty, a fried egg with a runny yolk, then it's smothered with a delicious brown gravy. As the story goes, a group of local teens requested a dish that was cheap and hearty at the Lincoln Grill Restaurant. The Hawaiian favorite was born and continues to be a popular dish all over the United States.
This classic Hawaiian dish can be eaten for breakfast, for lunch or dinner. You can find it served all day at places like the the Rainbow Drive-In located in Honolulu. Loco Moco is served as a plate lunch, which typically comes with rice and macaroni salad.
Yes, just pan fry a piece of spam in a little bit of oil and use that instead of the beef patty. It's a delicious alternative.
How to store
Store rice, hamburgers, and gravy separately in the refrigerator in air tight containers for up to three days.
Reheat in the items separately in the microwave and reassemble. Use reduced power setting to keep food drying out.
For best flavor, cook fresh eggs instead of saving.
Yes. For best results, freeze the rice, beef patties, and gravy separately in air tight/freezer safe containers. Freeze for up to three months.
Thaw frozen loco moco in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the microwave and reasemble.
If your Hawaiian Loco Moco recipe has already been assembled, store leftovers in an airtight container and eat within 3 days.
Variations
If you're looking for ways to switch up your Hawaiian Loco Moco, you can try these ideas:
- Go for a low carb loco moco by skipping the rice. Try my carrot and cucumber salad instead.
- Replace rice with egg noodles or my mashed potatoes recipe (it's a Popeyes copycat).
- Serve on hamburger buns. It will be messy and delicious!
More Asian inspired dinner recipes
- Meatballs and Rice
- Ramen Noodles with Beef
- Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli
- Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon
- Orange Chicken
- Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken
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📖 Recipe
How to make Hawaiian Loco Moco
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rice short grain sticky rice if possible
- 4 eggs fried to your liking
For hamburger patties:
- 1 lb ground beef 85% lean or to taste
- ¼ cup sweet onions finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoon milk or water
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper generously, or to taste
For gravy:
- 2 cups beef stock or broth
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
- 1½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Green onions sliced
Garnishes:
- Green onions sliced
- Sesame seeds toasted
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Furikake
Instructions
- Cook rice and keep warm.
To Make ground beef patties:
- Add ground beef, onions, garlic, panko breadcrumbs, milk, and salt and pepper to a large bowl. Gently mix ingredients together then form four patties.
- Lightly grease a frying pan with a small amount of oil over medium-high heat. Place beef patties in the skillet and cook until fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes per side (depending on thickness of the patties).
- While burgers are cooking, mix beef broth and the rest of the gravy ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
To Make Gravy:
- When meat is cooked through, remove patties to a plate and aside. Turn heat to medium. Add gravy ingredients to pan and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to come to a low boil. Reduce to low heat and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes more.
To Fry Eggs:
- Heat a non-stick, large skillet over medium heat. Add some oil, butter or non-stick cooking spray to the pan. Fry eggs your style.
- For sunny-side-up egg, cook until egg white is completely set, about 3 minutes.
- For over-easy, cook for 3 minutes, then flip over for 30 seconds.
- These two methods will ensure a runny egg yolk.
To Serve:
- Place a bed of rice on a plate. Top with ground beef patty and a fried egg. Smother in warm gravy and garnish with sliced green onions.
Notes
- Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature of the burgers. The meat should be cooked to 155-160 F.
- Store rice, hamburgers, and gravy separately. For best flavor, cook fresh eggs instead of saving
- If the dish has already been assembled, store leftovers in an airtight container and eat within 3 days.
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