Takoraisu (Okinawan Taco Rice)

A recipe for Takoraisu (Okinawan Taco Rice)! Taco-seasoned ground beef is arranged in a bowl with rice, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and cheese.

Takoraisu (タコライス) was created in the 1980s by Matsuzo Gibo. He was the owner of Parlor Senri, a restaurant near the U.S. military base, Camp Hansen, in Kin, Okinawa.

It soon became a favorite with military members stationed on the island and is now one of the most popular Okinawan dishes.

Bringing together the Tex-Mex flavors brought by the Americans and the Japanese rice bowl (Donburi,丼) style, this dish layers the rice with taco-seasoned ground beef, shredded lettuce, cheese, tomato, and other optional additions.

Overall, everything comes together in about 30 minutes for a quick and easy meal. It can even be used in a bento.

The Okinawa Taco Rice (沖縄タコライス) is best served immediately after layering. Leftovers can be stored separately in the refrigerator in airtight containers for up to three days.

Serving Ideas

Along with the ground beef, I covered the Takoraisu with shredded lettuce, cheese, avocado, sour cream, and a light tomato salsa (diced tomato, red onion, and lemon juice).

Other toppings may include Japanese mayonnaise, salsa, fried or onsen egg, cilantro, and/or broken tortilla chips.

Another variation, Omutako/Omutaco (オムタコ), places an omelet over the Taco Rice.

A Few Taco Rice Tips

For the light tomato topping, I tossed together two diced Roma tomatoes, 1/4 of a diced red onion, and freshly squeezed juice from one lemon. The tomatoes can be swapped for a couple handfuls of halved cherry tomatoes.

Toss the avocado pieces in a little lemon juice as well if not eating immediately after dicing.

I used a combination of finely shredded Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese. You can go with one or the other or pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend.

Simmer the beef in the spices and water until most of the liquid has evaporated. It shouldn’t be completely dry. Keep a little of the thickened sauce to season the rice.

To make the sour cream easier to drizzle, transfer it to a pastry bag (or a ziplock bag with a small corner snipped off) to pipe over the top.

Notable Ingredients

I seasoned the ground beef with 2 tablespoons store-bought taco seasonings. If you want to try homemade, RecipeTin Eats has a single batch recipe for Taco Seasoning using only 8 ingredients.

The spice level can easily be adjusted for more or less heat if using homemade taco seasoning.

Looking for more taco inspired recipes?

Try my:

• Mini Taco Bites
• Tacopaj (Swedish Taco Quiche)
• Chocolate Tacos

This recipe was originally posted in August 2016 and updated in March 2023.

Takoraisu (Okinawan Taco Rice) Recipe

Adapted from No Recipes

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Takoraisu (Okinawan Taco Rice)

A recipe for Takoraisu (Okinawan Taco Rice)! Taco-seasoned ground beef is arranged in a bowl with rice, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and cheese.

Course Main

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword beef, Japan, Japanese, meat, Okinawa, Okinawan, rice, rice bowl, taco

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

Tomatoes:

• 2 tomatoes diced
• 1/4 red onion peeled and diced
• 1 lemon

Ground Meat:

• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) vegetable oil
• 3/4 red onion peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1 pound (450 grams) ground beef
• 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) sake rice wine
• 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) ketchup
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) water

For Serving:

• 4 cups (720 grams) steamed Japanese short-grain rice
• 10 ounces (283 grams) iceberg lettuce shredded
• 4 ounces (113 grams) cheddar cheese, low moisture mozzarella cheese, or a combination freshly shredded
• 1 avocado peeled, pit removed, and diced
• Sour cream

Instructions

To prepare the tomatoes:

• In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes and red onion.
• Squeeze out the lemon juice and add to the tomato mixture. Toss and set aside while you assemble the remaining ingredeints.

To prepare the ground meat:

• In a large pan, drizzle the oil over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened.
• Stir in the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Add the ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking up into little pieces, until browned.
• Add the sake, stirring the bottom and sides well to deglaze the pan if needed.
• Stir in the ketchup, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, then the taco seasonings and water. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has dissolved to create a thickened sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste and remove from heat.
• Divide the rice among four bowls.
• Top with the seasoned beef, then desired toppings- lettuce, cheese, tomato mixture, and sour cream.
• Serve immediately.