Did you know that Loco Moco, the classic Hawaiian comfort food, is just as popular in Japan? In my version, I top steamed rice with juicy, tender Japanese hamburger steak and a fried egg, then smother it in a savory mushroom gravy. A satisfying meal any time of day!
Loco Moco is one of the signature Hawaiian dishes that is extremely popular in the Aloha state and also in Japan. I grew up eating this Japanese-influenced American-style hamburger at family restaurants that served up amazing lines of comfort dishes. Yes, we love hamburgers in Japan.
These days, I love making loco moco whenever my kids have any sports activities and would get super ravenous for dinner. Juicy hamburger steak with fried egg and rice—that’s a combo to feed hungry kids!
Table of Contents
What is Loco Moco?
First, we must talk about the name, of course. How did a burger with a rice dish get this catchy name? What does loco moco mean in Hawaiian? Well, loco is the Spanish word for crazy and moco means burger.
According to one of the popular theories, loco moco was first made in the late 1940s by Ms. Nancy Inouye of the Lincoln Grill restaurant in Hilo, Hawaii. She was asked by a group of young surfers to make them something cheap, good, and extremely filling. Their request was met when she served them a dish with a huge plate of white rice topped with a burger patty and brown gravy!
Satisfied, the surfers named the dish after one of their buddies George Okimoto, whose nickname was “crazy”. George Takahashi, a student at Hilo High School, was studying Spanish at the time and decided to call it loco since it rhymes with moco. So, here we have the story of loco moco.
There are many variations of loco moco, but the traditional loco moco consists of white steamed rice, topped with a juicy hamburger steak, flavorful gravy, and a fried egg. The egg is usually cooked sunny side up so the runny egg yolk adds a yummy richness to the dish.
Besides beef patty, loco moco is sometimes topped with spam, shrimp, bacon, tofu, teriyaki beef and chicken too.
Loco Moco in Japan
Outside of Hawaii, loco moco (ロコモコ) is just as popular in Japan and usually served in cafe-style restaurants, yoshoku (Japanese-western) restaurants, or enjoyed at home. Since Hawaii is no. 1 travel destination for the Japanese, we naturally adopted this delicious dish and made it part of our menu.
However, the typical Japanese version of loco moco is served with thick “hambagu sauce”, which is made of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce (or tonkatsu sauce) instead of traditional gravy made of beef broth or stock. The recipe I’m sharing today is my own take on the traditional loco moco.
Why You Should Make this Recipe
- Incredibly juicy and tender hamburger patty! I use my Hambagu recipe for the meat patty which uses both ground beef and pork. The ground pork adds additional flavors and makes really juicy patties compared to using ground beef only.
- Caramelized onions for meat patties and gravy. This might seem like an extra step but caramelized onions add a big depth of flavor and sweetness to both meat patties and gravy.
- Easy to make and freezer-friendly! You can store the patties in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
How to Make Loco Moco
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- A combination of ground beef and ground pork
- Onion
- Egg
- Panko
- Milk
- Seasonings: Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, salt, pepper, butter
- Gravy: Button mushrooms, olive oil, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, pepper, potato/corn starch
The Cooking Steps
- Caramelize the chopped onions and use them for both gravy and hamburger patties.
- Make the gravy in the pot and set aside.
- Make the hamburger patties. The way we make loco moco burgers is very similar to Japanese hambagu steaks.
- Cook the patties and serve with the gravy.
How to Serve Loco Moco
Serve steamed rice on individual plates. Transfer the patties to the plates, pour the gravy, and top with a fried egg. Enjoy immediately!
You can store leftover hamburger patties in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Whether it’s for lunch or supper, this dish is very easy to make and will be ready in less than 45 minutes. It’s a wonderful comfort meal on any day of the week. I hope you enjoy my version of loco moco recipe.
Now, many of my readers are from Hawaii. What’s your favorite style of loco moco and how do you prepare it? Please feel free to share your recipe in the comment below so we all can try it out!
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Loco Moco
Video
Ingredients
- 1 onion (divided; for the patties and gravy)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for sautéing the onion)
For the Gravy (make double if you like extra)
- 6 button mushrooms (3.5 oz, 100 g)
- ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ cups beef stock/broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt (to taste)
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp water
For the Hamburger Steak (Hambagu)
- ¾ lb ground beef and pork combination (a mixture of two-thirds ground beef + one-third ground pork)
- ⅓ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (for the patties)
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for cooking)
For the Fried Eggs
- 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
- ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for frying)
For Serving
- 4 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (4⅓ cups, 660 g)
- 1 sprig parsley (for garnish)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (2 rice cooker cups, 300 g) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yields roughly 4 servings (4⅓ cups, 660 g) of cooked rice. See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
- Mince 1 onion finely. To learn how to finely mince (called mijingiri in Japan), see my tutorial.
- Heat 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat and sauté the onion until translucent.
- Turn off the heat. Divide the sautéed onion and use half for the gravy and the other half for the hamburger patties.
To Make the Gravy
- Cut 6 button mushrooms into thin slices. Heat a small saucepan on medium heat. Then, add ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and the mushrooms and sauté until soft. Add half of the sautéed onion and stir together.
- Add 1½ cups beef stock/broth, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp soy sauce.
- Skim off any foam or scum on the surface. Then, season with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- To a small bowl, add 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch and 1 Tbsp water and whisk well to combine. Pour the starch mixture into the gravy and thoroughly mix together. Simmer until the gravy is a bit thicker. Turn off the heat and set aside.
To Make the Patties
- In a large bowl, add ¾ lb ground beef and pork combination and the rest of the sautéed onion. Add ⅓ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell), 2 Tbsp milk, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Knead together well until the mixture becomes sticky and pale. Then, divide into 4 portions for large patties or 6 portions for medium patties.
- For each patty, toss a portion of the mixture from one hand to the other about 5 times; this releases the air inside and prevents cracking during cooking. Then, make an oval-shaped patty. The top should be slightly rounded and not flat. Place on a plate or tray. Repeat with the remaining portions. Cover the patties with plastic wrap and rest them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so that the meat combines well and the fat solidifies.
To Cook the Hamburger Steaks
- Heat a large pan over medium heat, then add ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Place the patties gently in the pan. (If you‘re doubling the recipe, fry in batches.) Indent the center of each patty with 2 fingers because the centers will rise with the heat. Cook the patties for about 5 minutes. When the patties are nicely browned on the bottom, flip them over. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes to thoroughly cook the inside, adjusting the cooking time depending on the thickness of the patties. At this time, you can reheat the gravy and make the fried eggs with 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) and ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
To Serve
- Divide 4 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice on individual plates. Transfer the patties to the plates, pour the gravy on top, and top each with a fried egg. Chop 1 sprig parsley and sprinkle on top for garnish. Serve immediately.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
Love all of your recipes and layout, this was delicious. The only edit you might make in the directions is to add the soy sauce. ????
Hi Leticia! Oh my! Thanks for letting me know. I added when to add soy sauce. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
In Hawaii we have a chain restaurant called Zippys , similar to Jonathans or Dennys in Japan which has a very good chili . With that chili they pour it over rice and put a fried egg on the top and call it a chili -moco very good take on the loco-moco .
Hi Kevin! That sounds delicious! I hope I can try it at Zippy’s one day. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
mmmmmm looks so yummy can I use another sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce?
I’m planning to make this receipe today ????
Hi Sally! I apologize I couldn’t write you back sooner. If you don’t have it, you can skip – but if you have Tonkatsu sauce, maybe you can use it instead. 🙂
made this tonight,very impressed
Thank you for your kind feedback, Max! 🙂
We stayed in the town of Mt. Shasta, CA and went to Lilys Restaurant 4 times. The chef lived & worked in Hawaii for many years & he has a great pacific rim menu. Your posts of Loco Moco and Poke Bowl piqued my interest. Before that, I never knew such dishes exist as I’ve never been to Hawaii. We tried their Loco Moco, Kalua Pig Loco Moco and Poke Bowl. I was in love! I have your recipes and can’t wait to get home to make them ???? I want to say a big thank you for showing us unique cuisines around the world. Love your work Nami! Keep it up!
Hi LayChin! Aww thank you!!!! I hope you enjoy the recipes. If I go to Mt. Shasta (I’d love to go!), I’ll definitely stop by the restaurant. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Being from Hawaii, I learned how to make this during my high school years working at a local snack shop in a grocery store. This is a popular breakfast item too. Homemade hamburger patties with brown gravy made from pork broth is how I recall the best flavor. Commercially made burgers do not cut it when ordering this dish in a restaurant. I’ve learned through the years. I will try your version. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Helene! Yeah I heard it’s a popular breakfast menu! I’d love to eat this (cooked by someone) in the morning! 😀
I agree about commercially made burgers. Homemade hambagu is the best! Hope you enjoy my recipe. 🙂
Is it possible to make the patty from ground pork only?
Hi Poonnapa! Yes, you can do that. 🙂
Hello Nami,
I would like to thank you for all the hard work and dedication you put into this blog. It is so well done in every way and the food is very authentic.
It’s also great that you keep it so up to date.
I have been to Japan over 70 times to date and have eaten at many great restaurants from fine dining to street vendors.
I have been fortunate to taste such a great array of food from Okinawa to Hokkaido.
It’s a pleasure to read your blog and find almost any good recipe so easily and presented so well. It’s also so good that you include a video!
I have a large library of cook books and enjoy cooking very much but I love the ease in which I can source almost any Japanese recipe here on your site and as I mentioned before your presentation is so well done.
It’s a pleasure to browse and fantasize about cooking all of your recipes some day. They inspire me to start cooking much more often.
Please continue the wonderful work you put into your great blog.
Yours sincerely,
Ken Cameron.
Hi Ken! Thank you so much for your kind words about my blog and I’m really happy to hear you enjoy it. 🙂
How wonderful that you visited Japan so many times! I come home every year (I’m currently in Japan), and hope to share my experience with my readers with my travel post.
I have many recipes that I would like to share with everyone, especially those that most people are not familiar with. It’s been a fun journey for me too, especially when I receive feedback from readers about the recipes they’ve tried from my blog.
Thank you once again for your sweet words. Your feedback means so much to me and I’m even inspired more to do a better job with my blog! 🙂
My husband and I make this and grew up eating it as well. We were both born and raised in Hawaii. 🙂 Though he doesn’t like onions with his and I do. haha We also only use beef but next time we may try it with the mix. 🙂
Hi Stacey! Ohhhh you must make an awesome loco moco!!!! 😀
We do love it! It’s super simple though. haha
Greetings from London, UK!
Thanks so very much for this website and all of the recipes you post here… so many tastes of my childhood (I am 三世 and was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada)!
こないだ ありがとうございました… I really love your Royal Milk tea recipe (am drinking some as I write this) and am looking forward to trying your Loco Moco recipe soon and also your sukiyaki recipe as well!
I have one question about the Loco Moco… can the patties be made ahead of time and frozen? It’s just myself and my husband in our family, so we can’t necessarily eat 4-6 patties in one sitting, so I was thinking of freezing what I don’t cook so it’s ready to use at a later date… my husband <3 Japanese food (he is British and loves it when I make 御節料理 at New Years)… I'm pretty sure he'll like this dish as well, so if it can be made and frozen, that'd be even better! 🙂
Thank you again for a wonderful website!
Kate
Hi Kate (Naomi-san)! Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m really happy to hear you enjoy my site! 🙂
Glad to hear you enjoy my Royal Milk Tea recipe! We love Sukiyaki and Loco Moco recipes… hope you like them as much as we do.
For the meat patties, I always freeze the leftover or extra AFTER cooking them. I defrost the patty overnight in the fridge and reheat again in a frying pan. I read somewhere that it’s best to freeze after cooking instead of freezing raw meat (as often the meat was previously frozen and it’ll be second time to freeze). Hope that helps!
Your husband is so lucky to taste homemade osechi ryori! Let’s keep the Japanese tradition alive wherever we are. 🙂
Wow this look so tasty, i must make it for my son.
Hi Linda! Hope you and your son will enjoy this recipe as much as we do! 🙂
I love loco moco! I live in Hilo, Hawaii where the loco moco was created. Your version looks really delicious. I love eating the rice with the gravy mixed with the runny egg yolk. I don’t even need the hamburger. とても おいしいです。
Hi Teri! どうもありがとう! You live in Hilo! I’m flattered with your sweet words. Thanks so much for your very kind compliments!
Nami, thanks for introducing loco moco to the readers. Here in Hawaii it’s made with rice on the bottom, then the meat and egg goes on top and brown gravy poured all over. The meat can be almost anything from prime rib to braised short ribs. One thing I have not tried is the new portuguese spam. Sometimes there isn’t any gravy on top and chili is used with the egg on top. Please enjoy. Henry
Hi Henry! My pleasure! We’ve been eating my version for a long time and thought it’s a wonderful food for everyone to try! We usually pour the sauce over the hambagu even more… but for the photoshoot, it didn’t look pretty. =P I had to adjust so it looks pretty in the photo. I love eating the enter meal with this mushroom gravy! YUM! Thank you so much for your comment, Henry!
Tocino Spam works great for Loco Moco.
Hi Bkhuna! Thank you for your tip! 🙂
There are so many variations of Loco Moco, but the hamburger one is the original and the best, and your homemade mushroom gravy brings it over the top!
Thank you Donna! You must be expert in making really good loco moco! 🙂
I just printed out the recipe and will be trying it soon!
Hi Tina! Awesome! Hope you enjoy this recipe!! 🙂