Loco Moco

Thick perfectly cooked hamburger patties smothered with rich mushroom gravy, served with rice and eggs are the classic Hawaiian comfort food that will fill you up.

Loco Moco is an insanely good and simple dish for the times when you’re super hungry, it is a little bit of everything on the plate. But all ingredients are simple, affordable, and taste like home.

In Hawaii, it is a popular dish and you will find it anywhere, even at the airport. And at any time of day, even for a hearty breakfast, as it is a typical hungover meal.

What Is Loco Moco?

Traditional Loco Moco is a Hawaiian dish with a ground beef patty on top of white rice served with a fried egg and traditional gravy.

It’s a funny name that literally translates into a crazy burger.

What Is The Story Behind The Loco Moco?

The original Loco Moco is said to have been first cooked in Hilo, Hawaii (aka Big Island) in the late 1940s, 1949 to be precise.

Teen surfers group “Lincoln Wreckers” regularly came to the famous breaks and they wanted something to fill them up quickly after tiring sessions, so they came up with the ingredients.

The owners Richard and Nancy Inouye at the Lincoln Grill restaurant decided to cook a dish, and the surfers named it Loco Moco. And it was immediately a hit!

The egg though was a later addition.

What Is Original Loco Moco Gravy Made Of?

Classic loco moco gravy is cooked with beef broth, beef base, Worcestershire sauce, butter, and, a cornstarch slurry.

But mushrooms and onions became such a common addition that they are almost considered authentic now.

You can also add ketchup or Tonkatsu, but they are not classic ingredients.

Why I Like Making This Recipe

• If you don’t have a big family, it is a perfect recipe that makes a filling meal for dinner for 2 days.
• Great recipe for weeknights as the prep is minimal (10 minutes) and the cooking is just frying in a skillet all the parts of the dish. Takes no longer than 30 minutes and you only need one hot skillet. 
• Hawaiian comfort food on your plate. I live in Hawaii and Hawaiian food is just what I love with all my heart. Even if you’ve never been, trust me, this classic Loco Moco recipe with a thick burger patty and rich savory gravy will be a delight. And you will need a nap.

Loco Moco Main Ingredients

It may sound like a lot of components but trust me, it will all come together in a delicious dish.

Homemade Hamburger Patties

• To make the patties I use 80/20 ground beef chuck, panko breadcrumbs, an egg, and a secret ingredient – Worcestershire sauce. If you can opt for meat coming from a grass-fed cow over a grain-fed cow. The flavor is really different, as well as the life as such cow. 
• Seasoning: salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper. Simple but that’s all you need.

Mushroom Gravy Ingredients

• Sweet onions. Yellow onion is sweeter than white once cooked, but both will work.
• Baby Bella mushrooms. Can also use Porcini mushrooms or King Oyster mushrooms. Skip if you don’t eat mushrooms.
• Aromatics: finely minced garlic.
• Liquids: beef stock (or chicken stock), soy sauce (or gluten-free Tamari), and Worcestershire sauce.
• Thickening agents: cornstarch or all-purpose flour.

Topping

• Avocado oil, divided (for frying eggs)
• Large eggs (this recipe makes 4 servings hence 4 eggs, as each plate needs at least one fried egg)
• Salt and pepper, to taste. Freshly ground black pepper is really best for topping and patties.
• Sliced green onions, for garnish

For exact measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.

Kitchen Equipment

• Large cast iron skillet. It is better if you have 2, one to fry burger patties and make gravy and one to quickly make fried eggs. A large frying pan will work too!
• Mixing bowls
• Rice cooker to make rice while we focus on the recipe. Skip if you are not making classic loco moco and won’t serve it with rice.

How To Make Hawaiian Loco Moco Recipe

1 – Make Hamburger Patties

1. Combine the ground beef, panko, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper in a large bowl. Work the ingredients together with your hands until evenly distributed. Do not overwork the meat.
2. Portion into 4 large balls and then flatten each to form a burger patty. Make sure they are all the same thickness so they cook evenly. They should be about 1 ½” thick.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add oil. Place the hamburger patties in the skillet and cook each side for 5-6 minutes until nicely browned and desired doneness is reached. 
4. Remove cooked patties, transfer them to a plate, and set aside.

2 – Make The Brown Gravy

1. In the same skillet over medium-low heat, add the onions and mushrooms. Saute for 5-6 minutes, until the onions have softened and browned.
2. Stir in the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Whisk in the cornstarch or flour until combined for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the beef stock, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and stir to combine. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the gravy reaches the desired thickness. If it becomes too thick, add ¼ -½ cup beef broth (or alternative), just a splash.
5. Reduce heat to a low simmer to keep warm while making the eggs.

3 – Fry Eggs

1. Heat another skillet over medium heat. 
2. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and crack eggs. Fry the eggs until they reach the desired doneness. Usually, it takes at most 1,5 minutes. Classic Loco Moco eggs are typically cooked as a sunny-side-up egg with a runny egg yolk. If you don’t like runny eggs, cook them till preferred doneness. I often do an over-easy egg.
3. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper if desired.

4 – Assemble

1. Start with adding 1 cup of cooked white rice onto a plate, better a bowl.
2. Top the bowl of rice with the cooked hamburger patty.
3. Ladle the warm gravy on top of the patty and rice.
4. Top with the fried egg and then garnish with sliced green onion.

Serving Ideas For My Favorite Hawaiian Meal

Some of my favorite serving ideas to go with Loco Moco are white steamed rice (any white rice you like), Hawaiian macaroni salad, and sliced cabbage.

Brown rice, white sticky rice, and sushi rice will work. The recipe is also a great way to use any leftover rice.

To save time, load your rice cooker while making the patties and gravy.

If you want to serve this Hawaiian favorite restaurant-style, on a bed of rice, pack it first into a small bowl. Then flip it onto the plate, and remove the bowl. Easy!

One serving needs one fried egg.

Storage

Store leftover hamburger patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Store the gravy separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

In the same way, you can freeze everything separately, except the egg, of course.

Tips & Substitutions

Cooking times will vary depending on how thick you make the hamburger patties and how hot your large skillet is. Use a meat thermometer to check for desired doneness. I cooked mine to an internal temp of 160F. If you use a thermometer too, look for an internal temperature of minimum 150 degrees F. On medium-high, it will be around 3-4 minutes on each side, medium heat – 5-6 minutes. 

Instead of ground beef for the patties, you can opt to use a leaner meat such as ground turkey. Island favorites to change it up: sliced spam, poke, corned beef, or corned beef hash in place of the beef patty. 85 to 15 are good fat ratio for a ground beef patty. The name of the dish will change once the protein changes!

For best-tasting patties, and if you have time, let the rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. They should be wrapped with plastic wrap to make sure the meat doesn’t soak any fridge smells. 

Cooking patties. Another pro tip is to cook Loco Moco patties over beef tallow instead of oil and over the grill to get a nice smokey touch – it adds so much flavor!

More Tips

Vegetable oil may not be necessary when using a nonstick pan however I find that it crisps the patties nicely.

Beef broth can be used in place of beef stock if that’s what you have. Beef stock is richer and thicker. When using beef broth, you can add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch if needed to thicken the gravy.

For richer gravy, add butter and use caramelized onions. If you don’t eat mushrooms, definitely opt for caramelized onion gravy. Butter can also be useful for frying flavorful eggs. Use most of it for the mushroom-beef gravy, and melt the remaining butter to cook the eggs.

A quick tip to know when the gravy is done and thick enough is to check if it coats completely the back of a wooden spoon.

Add eggs last. I recommend cooking the eggs fresh when you’re ready to eat, especially if it’s sunny side up.

Loco Moco is easy to make vegetarian by swapping beef patty with Beyond beef, jackfruit patty, or bean-based patty. Skip the beef stock and use the vegetable broth.

If you love this savory dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other tasty meals too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Hawaiian Recipes

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Hawaiian Fried Rice

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Ribs

Hawaiian Baked Beans

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