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.
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This is a family favorite! It’s an easy weeknight meal that make often.
I’ve been making this for awhile now, and it’s so yummy and EASY!
Pure comfort food on a cool Fall evening.
I’ve been adding in extra finely shredded veggies such as bagged cabbage slaw (so easy!) just to make it less rice heavy,
fast easy and delicious, perfect weeknight dinner
I love this recipe, even my picky eaters love this. So quick and easy. When I don’t have sesame oil on hand, I sub in some peanut butter instead and it’s still delicious
Everyone in my family of 5 loves this, and that’s a big deal! We’ve been making it at least once a month for years. It’s fast, easy, and delicious!
10/10, have made 4 or 5 times now with a vegan ground beef substitute.
Pretty quick and tasty. The kids liked it too. Maybe mention in recipe to make rice and serve with beef over rice. Seems obvious I know, but I’m a dude and forgot about the rice and had to scramble to make in time for supper. Thanks!
This has been a fav go to for a quick and delish meal for years!
Thank you so for this recipe!!
Great recipe and, as advertised, EASY!
This is in the rotation as one of my staples, served on top of white rice w a side of sea salted edamame.
It’s good. I added more for a little more pronounced flavor. 1 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar 1tbsp Sriracha (only because I love it). It’s good either way. A nice, quick, filling dinner on a busy work night. It’s the one dish no one complains about
I love this dish! I’ve made it many times and love it. Always some leftovers as there are just two of us and it freezes beautifully. I never thought about taking it camping. Next year for sure.
Fast, easy and delicious !
Is this something that can be made and frozen (just the meat/sauce)? I think this would be a great meal camping but like to precook as much as possible so I don’t spent time cooking while on vacation.
I always make more sauce than recipe calls for. I serve the bowls with sliced avocado, sriacha mayo and cilantro. Last night i added chow mein noodles and it added a bit of crunch, yummy!
Haven’t made this yet as I’m wondering what I could sub for brown sugar. I can’t do refined sugar. It looks amazing though.
I’ve used stevia and it’s just as delicious!!
I made this last night and I couldn’t believe how quick, easy and tasty it was! Such simple ingredients but great flavor, and an excellent option for busy weeknights. Served it over rice with a side of roasted broccoli and it was a hit all around. Thank you for another terrific recipe!
Pinterest has been my “cook book” for years now but this is the 1st time I’ve ever commented on a recipe. I feel I owe it to you because I’ve made this dish at least 20 times because it’s so darn good! My family requests it all the time. I’ve made it just as your recipe states, and sometimes I get fancy and add veggies like shredded carrot, edamame, red bell pepper, or shredded cabbage. Thank you for sharing this recipe with all of us!
One of my favorite recipes! Thank you for sharing 🙂
My daughter has a sesame allergy (and we loooove Korean food – my husband is Korean!). Any substitute ideas? I usually just leave it out, but hoping for other ideas!
Use olive oil! I ran out of sesame oil when I made this one night and substituted with EVOL. Still tastes great!
Hey my son has a sesame allergy as well. I have started using “House of Tsang stir-fry oil” as a substitute. It isn’t perfect but it will definitely give you a little more flavor than a standard cooking oil. Hope this helps!
I have been making this for years. It’s a family favorite. Came here today to print it out for a friend and drop it in the mail. He’s not into the net.
This recipe is incredibly easy to make, and so YUMMY! Thanks for the recipe!
Made this for the first time tonight. Absolutely delicious and will make again. It’s salty, sweet, spicy perfection!