Korean Beef Bowl
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
Tastes like Korean BBQ (bulgogi) and is on your dinner table in 15 min start to finish! Doesn’t get any easier than this!
Featured Comment
Please welcome our favorited Korean beef bowls, one of our most popular recipes on Damn Delicious. This recipe is a special twist on the traditional Korean dish, bulgogi, but as a cheater version, we are swapping out thin slices of sirloin with ground beef. Bulgogi is also marinated overnight to enhance its flavors and tenderness but with this quick ground beef version, you can have the same flavors in lightning speed time.
Why You’ll Love This Korean Beef Bowl
- Weeknight hero. With a short ingredient list, these beef bowls come together incredibly fast. The cooking process itself takes just about 10-15 minutes, and if you have some leftover cooked rice lying around, dinner will be on the table in 20 minutes or less. It’s a budget-friendly alternative to traditional bulgogi while still capturing authentic Korean BBQ flavors.
- Budget-friendly. Using pantry staples, ground beef and rice, this dish can easily feed a family of four without breaking the bank.
- Flexible recipe. Any lingering veggies (ex. chopped bell peppers, carrots or broccoli florets) can be thrown right in for a great clean-out-the-fridge meal.
Tips for the Best Korean Beef Bowl
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor. For deeper Korean flavor, try adding a spoonful of gochujang (Korean chili paste) for heat and depth.
- Use your favorite meat. Ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey, tofu or plant based ground beef will all work very well here.
- Add vegetables. Mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers or snow peas can be added for a more heartier meal.
- More protein. In need of more protein? Top your bowls with a fried egg.
- Double the sauce. Need extra sauce for sopping with rice? The sauce portion can easily be doubled or tripled for those saucy folks!
- Serve with your favorite grains. White rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or farro are all great options.
- Meal prep as needed. Perfect for on-the-go, these Korean beef bowls can be conveniently meal prepped for the week ahead.
What to Serve with Korean Beef Bowls
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Korean Beef Bowl: Frequently Asked Questions
Bulgogi uses marinated sliced beef, grilled or pan-fried, while Korean beef bowls use ground beef for a faster, budget-friendly weeknight version.
Not at all! Ground pork, chicken or turkey, tofu or plant based ground beef can be used in place of the ground beef.
Absolutely! Here are detailed instructions on how to meal prep this for the week.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
100%! This is one of our favorite crockpot recipes, perfect for those chilly months.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop (adding a tablespoon of water as needed).
Korean Beef Bowl
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes, or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ginger.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in soy sauce mixture and green onions until well combined, allowing to simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds, if desired.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
So delicious and easy to make! Gets 100% from me!
I made it with low-sodium soy sauce the second time, and it was still too salty for me. Otherwise loved it. Maybe I am sensitive to salt since I rarely use it in cooking. Otherwise, it was good!
We make this quite often. Easy and delicious, the whole family loves it!
I make this recipe pretty often, I previously commented but I forgot to add that I add finely chopped onion, broccoli, and carrots to the meat as I cook it with the sauce + honey subbed for the sugar. I also serve with green onion and cilantro, delicious. Highly recommend!
This is a keeper!
YUM! I’ve made this twice now and it is delicious every time. I love packing it for lunch as it re-heats really well. Instead of brown sugar I use honey and it is sooo delicious. Highly recommend!
So good!! Try the taco version of this as well!
This recipe was so YUMMY and SUPER EASY to make!
Thank you
Amazing, my 3 kids love it!
Broccolini and kewpie mayo on the top is delish!
I’ve made this several times and always do a double batch as it is good for leftovers for lunch the next day. I do up the sauce a little as I enjoy adding some fresh vegetables to the mix at the end.
Absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it. Definitely adding to the regular rotation
Just like it’s described. Super easy, super fast, and a tasty cheat on beef bulgogi!
This is my top favorite weeknight dinner to make for the whole family.
Delicious and easy way to create your own Korean beef bowl. The sauce for the beef is really good, I just added a small half of a pear which turned out nicely.
Simple recipe with ingredients we always have on hand. Will definitely make again.
Favorite household recipe!
I add gochujang to the sauce mixture for a little more spice
We enjoyed this with sticky rice and accompanied the meal with steamed broccoli. It was just as easy to make as you said it was and required only pantry staples. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi! For the Korean Beef Bowls, which type of sesame oil do you use? Roasted? Something else? Thanks so much!
I’m excited to try this
But Why does this recipe say to eat immediately when it’s also a make ahead meal?
I made 1.5x the recipe and added 1lb of fresh chopped broccoli. My picky eater cleaned their plate. This is a keeper!
Delicious, coming from me who never leaves a comment. The fact it is so quick and easy. I served on rice. Next time I will double quantity because I could have eaten a lot more due to the delicious taste, Suzy from South Australia