From the beautiful islands of Hawaii to your dinner table, this delicious comfort food is served over rice with a juicy burger, smothered in pan gravy, and topped with a sunny-side-up egg for a satisfying runny yolk. Loco Moco is simple to make and ready in under 45 minutes. It’s super satisfying and will keep you full for hours!
Loco Moco is a traditional dish served in Hawaii. This was created in Hilo, Hawaii in the 1940s, when Nancy Inouye, the wife of the owner of Lincoln Grill, was asked to prepare a meal that was affordable to the local children. When she put it on the menu, her husband Richard said that the kids are crazy for it (loco), and loco moco was born. It’s similar to a Salisbury steak in my opinion since it shares the same components. A juicy burger patty and a rich gravy. There are countless variations of Loco Moco using ham and bacon. Some even use oysters or shrimp! This dish is traditionally served on a paper plate and is consumed to cure hangovers of surfers in Hawaii.
How to make Loco Moco
This is an easy dish to make. It’s ready in under 45 minutes. Pure comfort at its finest! You can add mushrooms to the gravy. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Ground Beef: 80-20 ratio of fat is best. You’ll need the fat for the gravy. Substitute with ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken.
- Panko Breadcrumbs & Milk: This keeps the patty juicy and tender. You can also substitute for gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Sweet Onion: Used in the gravy and in the patty.
- Egg: To bind the patties together so they don’t fall apart when cooking. This also goes on top as a sunny-side-up egg.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a delicious umami flavor.
- Soy Sauce: I use low-sodium. It’s easier to control the salt content in your dish. It also adds a dark color to the gravy.
- Cornstarch: Used to thicken the gravy.
- Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg: The nutmeg definitely gave the patty a slightly sweet yet warm note. I definitely recommend not skipping it.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: For frying the onions and patties.
- Beef Stock: Used in the gravy.
- Ketchup: I put this in the gravy because what’s a burger patty without any ketchup?
- Cooked Rice and Sliced Scallions: For serving and garnish.
Combine the beef, panko breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire, some soy sauce, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and milk in a mixing bowl. Set aside. Whisk together the remaining soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cornstarch, beef stock, and ketchup in a bowl. Set aside. In a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook the onions until golden and soft, stirring so it doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat and split the cooked onions in half. You’ll need one half for the gravy and the other for the patties. Add half of the onions to the patty mix and combine. In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Form the beef mixture into 4 patties and cook until well done (160-165F). Once the patties are done, remove them from the pan and place them onto a plate lined with paper towels to catch the excess grease. Add the beef stock mixture to the saute pan and add in the remaining onions. Lower the heat to medium and whisk continuously until it thickens. Allow to simmer, making sure to whisk. In a separate pan, melt a slice of butter and cook an egg sunny-side-up. Set them aside to top the patties with. Assemble the dish with cooked rice on the bottom, a patty, and lots of gravy, then top with an egg and scallions. Serve immediately.
Tips & FAQs
- Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Store in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for a month.
- Variations:
- You can use chicken or shrimp for this. Ground chicken, turkey, or veal are good options. Some variations include bacon, ham, or oysters as well. Another common substitution is SPAM!
- Make it Gluten-Free by using Gluten-Free breadcrumbs and Tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Instead of rice or with it, you can serve this with macaroni salad, coleslaw, or even kimchi! Try making kimchi fried rice for this!
- Make it vegan/vegetarian by substituting the meat for plant-based meat. Use vegetable stock instead of beef stock and omit the egg if vegan.
- Add mushrooms to the gravy for a delicious umami gravy.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Loco Moco
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- Dash of ground black pepper
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 2 tsp ketchup
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 eggs, cooked to sunny-side-up
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 cups cooked white rice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients together, excluding the onions and olive oil. Set aside.
- In a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions until golden and soft, about 10 minutes, making sure to stir so it doesn’t burn. Once the onions are done cooking, divide them in half to use for the patty and the gravy. Turn off the heat for now.
- Add half the onions to the beef mixture and combine. Divide the beef mixture into 4 sections. Roll each section into balls, then press down to flatten it out. Smooth the edges so there aren’t any cracks or jagged edges. Patties should come out to at least one inch thick. Try to keep the patties large since they will shrink when cooked.
- In the same saute pan you used for the onions, return to medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Fry each side of the patties for about 3-5 minutes per side until well done inside, 160-165F internal temperature.
- Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to catch the excess grease. Make the gravy below.
- Whisk the gravy ingredients together. Set aside.
- In the same pan used for the patties, pour the gravy into the pan. Add in the remaining onions. Whisk continuously until thickened. If it’s too thick for you, add a little bit of beef stock until it loosens up to your preference.
- Remove from the heat. Serve with a scoop or two of the cooked white rice, top with a sunny-side-up egg, and garnish with chopped scallions.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Store in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for a month.
Variations:
- You can use chicken or shrimp for this. Some variations include bacon, ham, or oysters as well. Another common substitution is SPAM!
- Make it Gluten-Free by using Gluten-Free breadcrumbs and Tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Instead of rice or with it, you can serve this with macaroni salad, coleslaw, or even kimchi! Try making kimchi fried rice for this!
- Make it vegan/vegetarian by substituting the meat for plant-based meat. Use vegetable stock instead of beef stock and omit the egg if vegan.
- Add mushrooms to the gravy for a delicious umami gravy.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
615.83Fat (grams)
35.86Sat. Fat (grams)
11.72Carbs (grams)
38.88Fiber (grams)
1.59Net carbs
37.31Sugar (grams)
6.62Protein (grams)
32.45Sodium (milligrams)
1223.44Cholesterol (grams)
285.79The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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