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Loco Moco Recipe

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Do I have one Ono breakfast recipe for you! My Hawaiian obsession continues with this classic Loco Moco recipe that is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In Hawai’i, you can order it any time of the day or night and it will definitely fill you up!! It is pretty simple to prepare, and everyone in the family will love it.

A ground hamburger steak patty topped with rich gravy and fried egg sits atop steamed rice and is garnished with green onions with a glass of orange juice and a second plate of food in the background.

So what is Loco Moco?

The local legend says is that a bunch of teenagers were hungry and looking for a quick meal. They rattled off some ideas and the owners of the cafe put it all together; a panfired ground steak patty served over a bed of rice, topped with a rich brown gravy and sunny-side up egg. Okay the egg may have been added later, but it has become part of the meal tradition.

a burger patty topped with brown gravy, fried egg and green onions on a bed of rice with a glass of orange juice and a second plate of food in the background.

Loco is Spanish for “crazy”, named for a guy they called “Crazy George.” Moco rhymed so they added it, even though it actually means “mucus/snot” in Spanish, lol.

How to make Hawaiian Loco Moco:

Hawaiian Loco Moco Recipe Ingredients image with labels.

For the rice:

Steam your rice on the stove, in a rice cooker, or in your Instant Pot. Substitute Cauliflower Rice for Whole30, Paleo or Keto.

Heat one Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion slices and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until almost translucent. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown and caramelized.

thinly sliced caramelized onions in a cast iron skillet.

Add the garlic and cook for one minute, just until fragrant. Remove from skillet and place in a bowl.

Pour one more Tablespoon of oil into the skillet. Season the ground beef patties with salt and pepper, then place in the hot skillet. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side depending on thickness.

thick, ground steak burger patties in a cast iron skillet.

(I have 2 large patties instead of 4 regular sized. They take much longer to cook this way.)

Remove the patties to a plate to rest and cover with foil.

Place the onions back into the skillet and add the soy sauce (coconut aminos), fish sauce, beef stock to the skillet and bring almost to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Scoop out two Tablespoons of the hot liquid from the skillet and mix it with the cornstarch (arrowroot/glucomannan/xanthan gum) in a small bowl.

cornstarch mixed with cooking liquid in a small glass bowl.

Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the skillet. Continue to simmer until gravy thickens, about 5 or 6 minutes.

Heat two teaspoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggs and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is cooked through the the yolk is still loose.

Place one cup of rice on each plate and top with a burger patty.

a cooked burger patty on a bed of rice with a plate of fried eggs in the background.

Ladle the gravy over the patty, top with an egg and garnish with green onions.

looking down on a sunny-side up egg on top of a burger patty covered in gravy on a bed of rice with a glass of orange juice and small bowl of green onions in the background.

Grab a fork, or chopsticks and dig in! This is Hawaiian comfort food right here in your own home.

Recipe Notes & Tips

  • I used beef bone broth for a more intense flavor, but a good quality beef stock works well too.
  • Whole30/Paleo/Keto substitute cauliflower rice and coconut aminos for the soy sauce. 
  • Substitute Glucomannan, Xanthan Gum, or arrowroot starch for the cornstarch if needed.
  • Shoyu would be used in Hawai’i, but it is difficult to find on the mainland. Use a good quality tamari or soy sauce for the best flavor.

More delicious Hawaiian recipes:

Mahalo!!

A ground hamburger steak patty topped with rich gravy and fried egg sits atop steamed rice and is garnished with green onions with a glass of orange juice and a second plate of food in the background.

Hawaiian Loco Moco Recipe

This classic Hawaiian Loco Moco recipe includes a ground hamburger steak patty topped with rich gravy, fried egg and steamed rice.
5 from 2 votes
Print Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: hawaiian recipe, hawaiian breakfast, bento lunch
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 697kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

Equipment

  • Skillet

Ingredients

  • 4 cups steamed rice 2 cups rice + 1 3/4 - 2 cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 1 cup sliced yellow onion Maui onion if you can find one
  • 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
  • 1 pound 80/20 ground Angus beef formed into patties
  • sea salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups bone broth or beef stock
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce shoyu/tamari or coconut aminos
  • 1 Tablespoon fish sauce substitute Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch see substitutions below
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Steam your rice on the stove, in a rice cooker, or in your Instant Pot. Substitute Cauliflower Rice for Whole30, Paleo or Keto.
  • Heat one Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion slices and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until almost translucent. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown and caramelized.
  • Add the garlic and cook for one minute, just until fragrant. Remove from skillet and place in a bowl.
  • Pour one more Tablespoon of oil into the skillet. Season the ground beef patties with salt and pepper, then place in the hot skillet. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side depending on thickness. Remove the patties to a plate to rest and cover with foil.
  • Place the onions back into the skillet and add the soy sauce (coconut aminos), fish sauce, beef stock to the skillet and bring almost to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Scoop out two Tablespoons of the hot liquid from the skillet and mix it with the cornstarch (arrowroot/glucomannan/xanthan gum) in a small bowl.
  • Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the skillet. Continue to simmer until gravy thickens, about 5 or 6 minutes.
  • Heat two teaspoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggs and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is cooked through the the yolk is still loose.
  • Place one cup of rice on each plate and top with a burger patty. Ladle the gravy over the patty, top with an egg and garnish with green onions.

Notes

  • I used beef bone broth for a more intense flavor, but a good quality beef stock works well too.
  • Whole30/Paleo/Keto substitute cauliflower rice and coconut aminos for the soy sauce. 
  • Substitute Glucomannan, Xanthan Gum, or arrowroot starch for the cornstarch if needed.
  • Shoyu would be used in Hawai’i, but it is difficult to find on the mainland. Use a good quality tamari or soy sauce for the best flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 697kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 267mg | Sodium: 1185mg | Potassium: 687mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 4mg

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2 Comments

  1. Do not use xantham gum!! It’s disgusting slime that makes you want to vomit. Maybe there’s a way to use it but not like it’s written in this recipe.

5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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