Korean Beef Bowl
by Chungah
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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.
- 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
Video
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
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.
Equipment
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This recipe is a perfect blend of flavors. I did add about 1/2 cup of broth to the sauce when added and simmered the beef (grass fed so less fat) slowly for about an hour and until liquid absorbed and thickened. I added the green onions and also some cilantro at the end. Very very good and soooooo easy.
I made this!! Insanely easy and yummy.
I’m so excited to try this! Could I sub vegetable oil for something else? What oil would be best?
This dish is on regular rotation in our house. It’s one that EVERYONE loves. We make a veg heavy toppings bar and let everyone build their own bowl. Julienne carrots, cucumber salad, green onion, edamame, red pepper, roasted broccoli, Asian cabbage slaw, siracha mayo and crispy fried onion and wonton strips. Fast, healthy and delicious. Thank you Chungah!
Came out perfect! Will admit did not use measurements but still tasted yummy! Even added a fried egg on top for a lul razzle dazzle! Easy ingredients too as I had everything in my pantry and stored the rest in tupperware! Me and my roomie thank you for this yummy meal!
Love this recipe! I have been making it for years as rice bowls and serving with cole slaw, pickled red onions and cubed cucumbers. Have made it for friends too and they have all asked for the recipe! I usually double the sauce amount but not the sugar amount.
What a wonderful go to recipe.
I cook every night and this is one I end up failing on at least 3 times a month.
The family always loves it.
And you can use this same
Sauce on several dishes.
Really awesome and grateful to the chef.
Love this recipe! I was out of ground beef, so, I made it with shredded beef. Still delicious! Taking a little for lunch today.
Love this recipe – right amount of flavour!
Fantastic. Better than paying for takeout. I love knowing the ingredients in my food, too.
Thank you!
I make this recipe pretty regularly. I use ground turkey, less brown sugar and leave out the pepper flakes (kids). With a side of either roasted broccoli or brussel sprouts. My 4 year old requests it all the time! It’s a family favorite.
I have been making this for years and it is probably the recipe I come back to the most consistently. It’s so versatile and every variation I’ve tried is great. My favourite way to add some veggies but still keep it quick and simple is to add a whole bag of pre shredded slaw at the same time as the sauce and let it soften – delicious and so easy!! I want to give this a million stars
Super easy and super delicious! I added baby spinach and cut down the chili flakes and my three teens loved it over steamed basmati rice. Quick prep and a great recipe for my teens to easily make any night of the week. Will definitely be adding to my weekly rotation.
Been making this for years both my teenage boys love it! So easy and delicious. Thanks for providing me with a recipe that my kids request all the time and will remember for years to come.
I also diced an onion and cooked with beef. Taste good.
Thank you
This is pretty much in our weekly rotation!! Delish!!
I’ve made this many times, it’s a great simple recipe-easy to turn out in a half an hour. The only change I make is to halve the sugar. I serve it with optional garnishes of grated carrots, diced cucumbers, slivered scallions, kimchi, diced avocado, sriracha, and sesame seeds. My peeps request it when I haven’t made it in a while. Thanks for the well-written recipe.
Love this recipe, have made it for years. Wanted to come here to ensure it continues on
Super easy and FAST to make with ingredients I’d say most people would have in their kitchen. I put it over riced cauliflower and broccoli….delicious!
Definitely a new favorite in the recipe book.
This was a 10/10 for everyone in my home, including a culinary student and an Asian. (Although the Asian added a fried egg and some kimchi). I added some stir fried cabbage, carrot & broccoli. Even w low sodium soy sauce it was a little salty for me but I’m sensitive to salt. My culinary expert said to save this one, no need to ever try another recipe for this dish!
This is my go to recipe for a quick tasty meal, and easily doubled for company. I normally use ground pork, and Korean red pepper from the Asian market, and additional green onion.
This is delicious. FYI I added a bit of fresh minced ginger as well as a bit of beef bouillon to make it taste richer.