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 the easiest and most delicious dish! It literally takes the amount of time that the rice cooks in the instant pot. Made it for lunch yesterday – homeschool hot lunch. Oh, yeah! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!!
I add some Panko breadcrumbs and an egg and make these into meatballs. I double the recipe and freeze half. It’s one of my 3 year old’s favorite meals, and mine too! This is a delicious recipe!
Excellent. We make it just about once a week now.
Amazing recipe!!! This is my second time making it. I use Kobe beef. Love it!!!
We love this recipe so much! I’ve made it so many times over the past few years for my family. I often sub sriracha for the red chili flakes, and sometimes use ground turkey instead of ground beef. Thanks for the great recipe!
We LOVE this recipe, either as is or topped with some local jalapeño kimchi! I’m wondering if you think the cooked ground beef mixture would freeze well for reheating? 32 weeks pregnant over here and looking to stock the freezer with as many of our go-to meals as I can! I usually make everything fresh, especially when it’s as quick as this recipe, but if there was an occasion to try to turn this into a freezer meal this seems like it! Any input appreciated 🙂
Such a quick and easy recipe to make on a Monday! We made bowls with sushi rice, shaved carrot, kimchi, and Korean cucumber salad. Will be adding this beef recipe into the rotation! Thank you.
This is a family fav! I add cashews to my bowl and it adds SO much!!
Wonderful!
My wife is a “picky-eater” and she enjoyed this one.
I served it with some Mandu(만두), Oi Muchim (오이무침), Cheongyeongchae Muchim (청경채 된장무침), and Beosot Namul (버섯 나물).
What is the Korean name for this dish?
bulgogi
A family favorite. Easy, cheap, and quick. I add whatever veggies i have.
I admit I’m a lazy cook so this recipe was perfect and delicious! Highly recommend! I used a little less sugar and a little more garlic and ginger than the recipe called for (I just prefer things less sweet in general) but next time I’ll also add more of the red pepper flakes as it wasn’t nearly as spicy as I thought it would be even with a half teaspoon as the recipe calls for. Might also add in some veggies as others have suggested. This time I served it on rice and topped it with some marinated bean sprouts and kimchi I bought from HMart.
Excellent dinner. I’m definitely not a cook. First time cooking this but my wife has made this several times and this is a family favorite! Mine came out great too. Added broccoli to mine and doubled the ground beef and sauce. Thank you for the easy to understand recipe!!
Delicious! I’ve made it as written but my family prefers if I double the sauce recipe except for the brown sugar so it’s not quite so sweet. I usually add finely chopped veggies to add nutritional value and cut back on the red meat per person. Usually add zucchini, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes finely chopped in the food processor. Less authentic but still delicious!
Wow, this dish sure is delicious. It’s a winner every single time I make it for my husband and two daughters (and one of them is very particular). I’ve make it a dozen or so times and overtime have made a few adjustments: we use ground chicken instead of beef, cut back a little bit on the soy sauce and brown sugar (sometimes I use honey), omit the red pepper flakes for the kids, and add a splash of rice vinegar (to give it some acid). It’s an easy, tasty 20 min meal and we love it! Thank you Damn Delicious 🙂
My family really likes this. I do halve the red pepper flakes so it isn’t too spicy for the kids. I serve it over fried rice made with veggies in it so that we have a complete meal.
This is a family favorite and perfect for those evenings that everyone seems to be going in a different direction. I always make it as written and sometimes add broccoli and carrots or edamame. It’s always a hit and never are there leftovers. I’ve also served this as Korean beef tacos topped with Asian slaw. Thanks for this easy versatile recipe! It is dayum delicious!
I make this once or twice a month. Best korean beef recipe ever. My 4 year old loves it.
This is a huge hit at our house and I use it to smuggle in lots of veg for our picky eater. I shred Napa cabbage, carrots, and (shh!) broccoli, and cook those down before carrying on with the recipe. I go for a 1:1 ratio between veg & beef, double the sauce, and he’s none the wiser. It’s also amazing as written, of course!
Absolutely delicious!
So yummy and quick! I doubled the recipe hoping for some lunch leftovers but four adults inhaled it. I sautéed some veggies to make it a meal. I will definitely be making this again!
I love this super easy tasty recipe! I like to add shredded carrots and cucumber with it!
This is in our favorites rotation for sure! So easy, great flavor and we all love it.
Can I cook the meat and sauce and then warm it up for supper when I cook the rice?
Add brocoli slaw at the end and let it steam.