Loco moco
Non-vegetarian
Hawaiian comfort food: a mound of white rice topped with a juicy beef patty, a fried egg and rich brown onion gravy.
Loco moco is an American main course from United States, ready in about 40 minutes and made with short-grain rice, ground beef and egg. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 758
Method
Step 1
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then simmer it with 400 ml water, covered, over low heat until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Rest off the heat, lid on, for 5 minutes.
- 20 min
- low heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
Step 2
Mix the beef with salt and pepper (opens in a new tab), shape into four patties 1.5 cm thick and fry in half the oil over medium-high heat, 4 minutes per side. Set aside.
- 9 min
- medium-high heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Cook minced beef to 71 °C inside.
Step 3
In the same pan melt the butter (opens in a new tab) and cook the onion (opens in a new tab) and mushrooms (opens in a new tab) until soft. Stir in the flour, then whisk in the stock, soy sauce (opens in a new tab) and Worcestershire and simmer until glossy and thick.
- 8 min
- medium heat

How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels Step 4
Fry the eggs (opens in a new tab) sunny-side up in the remaining oil until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.
- 4 min
- medium heat
Step 5
Pile rice into bowls, add a patty, pour over the gravy and top with an egg (opens in a new tab) and spring onion (opens in a new tab).
- 2 min

How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Hilo, Hawaii, United States · Commonly attributedUsually traced to a Hilo diner in the late 1940s.More food from United States
- Dish
- Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Rice dishes
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried, Steamed, Simmered
- Taste
- savoury, umami, rich
- Diet
- No nut ingredients · High-proteinWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein - Good for
- Child-friendly · Everyday
- Cook more with
- Short-grain rice · Ground beef · Egg · Butter · Onion · All-purpose flour
- Techniques
- Pan-frying · Simmering · Steaming
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom butter
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg
- Contains: Fishfrom worcestershire sauce
- Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, soy sauce
- Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce
- Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce
- May contain: Celeryfrom beef stock, worcestershire sauce
- May contain: Sulphitesfrom worcestershire sauce
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
758 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 414 g · recipe makes 4
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 20%
- Carbohydrate 36%
- Fat 44%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 758 kcal | 183 kcal |
| Protein | 37.7 g | 9.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 67.3 g | 16.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | — | — |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | — | — |
| Fibre | — | — |
| Fat | 36 g | 8.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 12.6 g | 3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 284 mg | 69 mg |
| Sodium | 1107 mg | 267 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 2.8 g | 0.7 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 782 mg
- Calcium
- 71 mg
- Iron
- 4.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 61 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- —
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.1 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 3.2 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 55 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: mushrooms, spring onion.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Serve with
- Add a scoop of macaroni salad for a Hawaiian plate-lunch feel.
Food safety
- Cook beef patties to 71 °C in the centre.
- Runny yolks carry a small salmonella risk; cook them firm for young children, pregnant or elderly diners.
- Don't hold cooked rice warm for long: cool and refrigerate within 1 hour.
Storage
- Refrigerate patties and gravy up to 3 days; fry eggs fresh.
Reheating
- Reheat patties in the gravy until piping hot.
Variations
- Spam loco moco: Swap the beef patty for slices of fried Spam.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Short-grain rice300 g
- Ground beef, about 20% fat500 g
- Egg4 piece · 200 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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