Want to make the ultimate Hawaiian comfort food with rice, hamburger, a fried eggs, and topped with gravy? Scroll to get my full Hawaiian Loco Moco recipe!
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This Hawaiian Loco Moco is the ultimate comfort food. A traditional Hawaiian dish made with rice, gravy, a burger patty and topped with a runny and delicious fried egg, this dish is going to become a breakfast or dinner staple at your home from the moment you try it!
When it comes to comfort food, I have a couple of hard and fast rules: it should be something easy to whip up, it needs to be super satisfying and delicious and it needs to be a crowd favorite.
Hawaiian Loco Moco is exactly that, is a simple, comforting dish made with basic ingredients and a delicious flavor.
This Hawaiian cuisine is a crowd favorite and frugal dish that everyone enjoys. My husband often claims it’s the best Hawaiian food he’s had!
So, when I was looking for Hawaiian food recipes to share with you I knew a good Loco Moco had to be included.
In fact, I’ve even highlighted Loco Moco as one of the top Foods You Should Try in Hawaii!
Keep scrolling to learn how to make Loco Moco that will knock your socks off! This is one of the best Hawaiian recipes!
What is Loco Moco in Hawaii?
When people from outside Hawaii first hear about this dish they all have the exact same question: What’s the story behind it and why does it have a funny name?
Loco Moco was invented in around 1950 in a Hawaiian cafe, in Hilo to be precise.
A group of teenagers were looking for something delicious to eat for breakfast that was different from an American sandwich and faster than some Asian traditional breakfasts.
They thought the concoction was “loco” which means crazy and the rest is history. It’s seriously one of the most popular Hawaii food recipes.
How to Cook Loco Moco Rice
You can use any rice to make Loco Moco, that’s the great thing about this dish. However the traditional one is made with short grain rice that’s cooked until sticky.
The easiest way to make sticky rice is using a rice cooker!
- Rinse the rice around 3 times to get rid of dirt and starches and place it inside the rice cooker.
- Fill the rice cooker with water until it covers the rice. Close with a lid and turn it on.
- That’s it! Perfect sticky rice every single time.
You can also use an Instant Pot, if you have one. We’ve done that a few times and I like the way the rice turns out. It’s sticky and it has a nice flavor to it.
Plus, you can use this same rice recipe for a bunch of different Hawaii foods, including other Hawaiian breakfast recipes like Spam and Eggs or Portuguese Sausage.
Rice is a big part of Hawaiian cooking.
Top Questions About Loco Moco
Loco is the Hawaiian term for “crazy” and Moco references a hamburger. So, it basically translates to “crazy hamburger.”
And if you think about it, the name really does fit. It’s like a deconstructed hamburger with rice instead of a hamburger bun.
Yes! This recipe is for a traditional Hawaiian Loco Moco. However there are lots of ways to put your own twist on it and slightly different Loco Moco recipes.
My husband loves mixing in spicy kimchi and substituting the white rice for fried rice.
I like simple flavors, so I like to add some pickled ginger on top for a bit of brightness.
A traditional Hawaiian breakfast usually includes some sort of meat, egg, and rice combo. Portuguese sausage and Spam are popular breakfast meats are are included in a lot of local Hawaiian recipes.
If you’re looking for other traditional Hawaiian recipes, I’ve written up posts about how to make Kalua Pork, Huli Huli Chicken, and Spam Musubi. These are some of the best local Hawaiian food recipes worth making.
Hawaiian Loco Moco Recipe
Hawaiian Loco Moco Ingredients:
- 3 Cups rice, cooked
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Cup ground beef
- ½ Tsp garlic powder
- ½ Tsp onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 1 Cup beef broth
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 Eggs
- Butter for frying the eggs
How to Make Hawaiian Loco Moco
Prepare the hamburger patties: In a bowl combine the ground beef with the garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper.
Shape 4 patties.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook each hamburger patty for around 3 minutes per side or until done. Transfer to plate a set aside.
While the burgers are cooking prepare the gravy. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Add the broth and soy sauce and cook, stirring occasionally until the gravy thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
Brush the top of a pan with some butter and fry the eggs for around 2 minutes or until done but still runny.
Assemble the Loco Moco: Make a bed of rice. Top with the hamburger patty and drizzle the gravy on top. Finish with the sunny side up fried egg.
Wrap Up
And now you know how to make one of the most popular Hawaiian dishes! You’ll want to make this Loco Moco again and again!
It’s one of those Hawaiian meals that works for any time of day.
Love Hawaiian foods? Check out all my Hawaiian recipes for Hawaiian traditional food recipes and dessert recipes!
Hawaiian Loco Moco Recipe
This Hawaiian Loco Moco is the ultimate comfort food. A traditional Hawaiian dish made with rice, gravy, a burger patty and topped with a runny and delicious fried egg, this dish is going to become a staple at your home from the moment you try it!
Ingredients
- 3 Cups rice, cooked
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Cup ground beef
- ½ Tsp garlic powder
- ½ Tsp onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 1 Cup beef broth
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 Eggs
- Butter for frying the eggs
Instructions
- Prepare the hamburger patties: In a bowl combine the ground beef with the garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper. Shape 4 patties. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook each hamburger patty for around 3 minutes per side or until done. Transfer to plate a set aside.
- While the burgers are cooking prepare the gravy. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring. Add the broth and soy sauce and cook, stirring occasionally until the gravy thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Brush the top of a pan with some butter and fry the eggs for around 2 minutes or until done but still runny.
- Assemble the Loco Moco: Make a bed of rice. Top with the hamburger patty and drizzle the gravy on top. Finish with the sunny side up fried egg.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 524Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 298mgSodium: 705mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 28g