Korean Beef Bowl
by Chungah
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Tastes like Korean BBQ (bulgogi) and is on your dinner table in just 15 min! Quick, easy, budget-friendly, and a hit with the entire family!
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.
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. Throw in any lingering veggies (ex. chopped bell peppers, carrots or broccoli florets) for an easy clean-out-the-fridge meal.
What is the difference between bulgogi and Korean beef bowls?
Bulgogi uses marinated sliced beef, grilled or pan-fried, while Korean beef bowls use ground beef for a faster, budget-friendly weeknight version. 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.
How to make korean beef bowls
- Prep the sauce. Combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and ginger. To make the bowls more spicy, swap out the red pepper flakes for gochujang (Korean red chili paste).
- Crumble the ground beef. Sauté the garlic first in a large cast iron skillet, then crumble the ground beef (or desired meat), draining the excess fat.
- Add the sauce and simmer. Add the sauce, simmering until heated through, about 2 minutes. This would be a great time to add in any leafy greens (baby spinach or kale) for those picky eaters!
- Serve. Serve warm over rice, topped with a fried egg for additional protein.
What to Serve with Korean Beef Bowls
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Korean Beef Bowl: Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! Use ground pork, chicken or turkey, tofu or plant based ground beef in place of the ground beef.
Add a fried egg on top (sunny side or over easy), breaking the runny yolk into a rich, velvety sauce to mix with the rice.
Yes! Swap out the soy sauce for gluten-free tamari.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Absolutely! Here are detailed instructions on how to meal prep this for the week.
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
Notes
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Pick your favorite protein. Ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey, tofu or plant based ground beef will all work very well here. In need of more protein? Top your bowl with a sunny side up fried egg.
- Add vegetables. Mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers or snow peas can be added for a more heartier meal, perfect for picky eaters and grown ups!
- 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 solid options.
- Meal prep as needed. Perfect for on-the-go, these Korean beef bowls can be conveniently meal prepped for the week ahead.
Did you make this recipe?
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This is one of my favorite recipes! I make it every other week.
This was one of my kids favorite recipes while they were growling up. I sometimes use half the amount of brown sugar. So quick.
Perfect for weeknight dinner in a rush.
I altered mine a bit though by adding a few Tbs Worcestershire sauce bc I didn’t have all of the 1/4 cup of soy sauce. Still tasted delicious. I doubled the recipe bc I had 2lbs ground beef. The sesame oil is key! I added fresh ginger with the garlic bc I had some to use up and it was awesome. Also added finely diced bell pepper and half a bag of spinach leaves bc I had those to use up. It really came out fantastic. Will absolutely make again.
Can you use beef stew meat?
So flipping good! It’s my youngest’s absolute favorite!!
This is delicious. I added chopped jalepeno peppers for added spice
So good and a lot of flavor and easy to make!
Flavorful and amazingly quick and simple to make. We served this with rice garnished with julienned cucumbers and carrots. We also made lettuce wraps with the beef. So good!
This recipe is delicious, it will become one of our bi-weekly recipes. Thank you for sharing!
So delicious! A favorite of our family. Thank you for the recipe!
We make this weekly! Love how flexible the recipe is. We make a double batch so we have leftovers for kids’ lunches the next day. It is enjoyed by adults, teens, younger kids and my toddler. Toss in grated apple or asian pear and carrots, edamame or green peas, whatever you have on hand or as is. Serve with broccoli or fine green beans, or kimchi or banchan if you have it and want it. We also always serve with roasted seaweed packets, a little salty and sesame oil and nice crunch. No its not bulgogi but when you’re craving it on a weeknight, this is pretty good!
10 out of 10 wonderful, I agree on doubling the sauce amount!
❤️❤️❤️ I love this it’s so delicious! ☺️
Really yummy! I mixed the sauce in with the beef and cooked them together. Saves one bowl to clean and comes out tasty. I added like 1 tbsp of gochujang which was perfect. Loved it. Tastes just as good as regular bulgolgi without having to wait for it to marinate
I’ve been making this for years and everyone I make it for loves it. It’s so simple, delicious, and filling.
Delicious!! I didn’t have any sesame oil so I did what someone else did and added a little peanut butter. I also didn’t have the green onions. I sliced carrots and zucchini into ribbon slices and cooked until soft and added to dish for some veggies. So good!!
So darn tasty and an easy fast one too. Can you freeze the dish? Thinking to try it, but curious if you have?
This recipe is not only easy but my family says it’s fantastic.
So delicious! Thanks for a great recipe
Easy. Fast. Damn delicious . I’ve never tried it with the seeds because I don’t ever have them, but it tastes just as great without them. However, if you’re like me and like your sauces to be extra saucy, I strongly recommend doubling everything except the beef. I believe this makes a better beef-to-sauce ratio. Otherwise, perfect!
Agreed, I always make double the sauce when I make this! I also steam some veggies (broccoli, carrots, pepper, whatever I have on hand). I’ve made it many times and it’s always delicious!