What is boy kibble and why is it everywhere?
Boy kibble is all over the socials, though not mine because I’m not a boy. The algorithm genders you for real. Warning: this post is going to be pretty gendered too. That’s just the nature of the topic.
Mike recently asked me if I ever had boy kibble. I was like, “What the heck is boy kibble?” He told me that it was both trending right now and also was what he ate all through his university days. He went on to tell me that every man he knows has had boy kibble at some point in their lives. Google must have heard us, because after that conversation, I am seeing boy kibble everywhere. It’s viral on my algorithm now, so I had to make it. And of course, I had to bump it up a little with lao ga ma chili crisp and fried onions. Guys, doing it this way is actually so good.
What is boy kibble?
If you’re anything like me and have never heard of boy kibble, the internet says it’s ground beef and rice, sometimes with a sauce, sometimes not, and sometimes with a ornamental bit of fat from, say, an avocado or eggs. It’s a quick/fast meal-preppable high protein dish that checks a lot of boxes for boys, and maybe girls too. It’s also a great dish to make if you ever felt the urge to cook for a boy in your life.
How to make boy kibble
- Make some rice – cook your rice the way you like. We strictly cook rice on the stove in our household, but we also own this and it’s amazing for low effort days.
- Fry up the ground beef – Add the ground beef to a non-stick skillet and season it generously with salt and pepper. There’s no need to add any extra fat. Break it up into pieces while cooking. When browned, stir in any spices or sauces you want to season with (see below) then remove from the stove.
- Serve – Scoop out some rice, top with beef, add garnishes (if any) and enjoy!
Boy kibble ingredients
- ground beef – this is the key for the protein, 1 pound of lean/regular ground beef. Don’t get the extra lean stuff for this, the fat goes a long way to making this dish work.
- rice – Your fave rice. I think brown rice is the answer here, Mike disagrees. He’s also the kind of person to buy only one kind of rice specifically from Hokkaido, so take that how you will. It’s basically a carb to go along with the ground beef.
- spices/seasonings – spice makes everything nice! Seasoning the ground beef is what’s going to make your boy kibble taste good. I had to ask Mike what the heck kind of seasonings boys like and he said “hot.” In his uni days, he used a packet from Nong Shim Shin Ramyun, which worked because he would make two packs of noodles at once and only need one packet, leaving many to spare.
- toppings – you can get a little creative here with various herbs, vegetables, cheese, nuts, etc. The purest boy kibbles don’t have toppings though, so don’t been too concerned with this.
How to season boy kibble
Plain ground beef gets boring fast. Man (or boy) cannot live on plain ground beef for long. Just like boy kibble is a low-effort high-reward kind of dish, here are some low-effort high-reward seasoning ideas to try:
- chicken salt – Australians have invented a super umami forward spice mix made up of chicken bouillon powder, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, paprika, and salt. It’s really good when mixed in with ground meats.
- Taiwanese spice mix – Mike is obsessed with Taiwanese popcorn chicken and the seasoning they use on it: equal parts five spice, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
- Vietnamese spice mix – if you’ve ever had Vietnamese fried chicken, you’ve probably tasted the addictive dusting that they use to season it. It’s a mix of white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and a lil bit of sugar. It’s pure magic.
- soy sauce – there’s a world of soy sauce out there, make sure you’re using one that’s naturally brewed.
- sriracha – squeeze it on to taste for spice
- sambal oelek – for even more of a punchier, fresher spice
- chili crisp – the ultimate in crispy, crunchy, flavor
- fried onions/shallots – the kind you buy from the grocery store
- green onions – they feel healthy
- the seasoning packet from instant noodles – especially if you used the noodles to make Tiktok ramen, homemade buldak, mayo ramen, or army stew, you’ll have a lot of these packets leftover and they’re perfect for seasoning your kibble
The obsession with high protein
I feel like everyone (granted, including me) is obsessed with high protein these days. It’s kind of like hydration: remember when we were kids and no one carried water around? I’m aging myself here, but we were lucky if we all got to line up to drink from a questionably hygienic water fountain. Now, everyone is super-hydrated and soon, everyone will be super protein-ed. Protein is great. It keeps you full, it builds muscle, repairs tissues, bones, skin, and hair. Plus, it’s highly satisfying.
Is boy kibble healthy?
Boy kibble is a high protein meal. In its white rice and ground beef iteration, it’s not particularly balanced nutritionally as white rice is probably one of the lowest nutrient carbs out there. As a girl, I’d love to get more nutrients to go along with the protein, although the boy in my life says that guys don’t really consider this much.
The best way to make boy kibble healthier is to swap out the white rice for brown rice or another grain. I love the nuttiness of brown rice, so for me, that’s a no brainer. If you want boy kibble to be even more balanced, add in a leafy green for some extra vitamins, nutrients, and fiber.
Why is boy kibble trending?
It’s cheap, easy to make, and has an interesting name. Personally, I see the appeal. It’s low effort for a lot of reward. If you’re eating for fuel and you don’t have a lot of time to prep ingredients or just aren’t interested, boy kibble is a really good meal prep recipe to have in your back pocket.
Why is it called boy kibble?
Much like “girl dinner,” boy kibble is something old that’s been rebranded for the viral hit. Ground beef rice bowls aren’t anything new, but you have to admit the name kinda hits.
Happy kibble-ing,
xoxo steph
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice from 1 cup uncooked
- 1 lb ground beef regular or lean
- 1 tbsp soy sauce sweet soy sauce preferred
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp chili crisp optional
- 1 tbsp green onion optional
- 1 tbsp fried onions optional
Instructions
- Season the ground beef with salt and pepper, then lightly brown over medium high heat.
- Add soy sauce and sriracha and continue to brown until cooked (or alternately use one of the other seasonings suggested in the post, or your fave seasoning).
- Serve over rice.
- Add garnishes if desired and enjoy hot!
