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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Just made this for dinner and it is excellent and was very easy. I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect for 2 adults, one tween and a toddler. I made a extra side of veggies that includes thin sliced carrots, orange pepper, thinly sliced ginger and some spinach. I sautéed the veggies in some sesame oil. It paired great with this meal. Will make again. Thank you!
You explained each and everything to make Korean beef in quite easy steps. Your video tutorial is also simple. Thanks for sharing this easy guide with us. Keep sharing the good work ahead…
Excellent recipe as is. Quick, easy, and very tasty. Thank you for all your work giving us the great recipes I’ve used for years. Your website is my favorite go to place for recipes. I recommend it highly.
This is an often requested dish around our house. I made it once and it became an instant family favorite. To top it all off, it is easy to make. Thanks for posting. This recipe is Damn Delicious!
One of my favorite quick recipes to make! I usually pickle some sliced cucumbers and carrots to serve with – they are a great addition. Also, I make a Sriracha mayo and drizzle it over the top. Add some cilantro and yum!!
I absolutely love the recipe! I’ve made it many times with beef, but I’m now allergic to beef so I’m going to try it with tofu and I’m so excited Thanks for such a great quick recipe!
This is so easy and completely DELISH!!! I always make a little more of the sauce to add to rice or what have you… Try it!!!
Made this last night for dinner! Turned out very well! Think I might add some hot sauce next time!
Made this last night. Didn’t have any sesame oil. But followed the recipe exactly. Was a big hit !!! Will definitely be making this again! Thanks!
OMG, this recipe is INSANELY good!!!
So easy, uses pantry staples, takes literally no time at all and the flavour is out of this world! I only had about 200g of mince (half a pound?) so blitzed 250g of mushrooms and added them to bulk out the beef. Then added broccoli stalks for greens. Yep, def making this again, and again, and again 🙂
I’ve been making this for a couple years now based on this recipe. I HIGHLY recommend replacing the pepper flakes with 1 tbsp gochujang (or more/less, depending on how spicy you like it). The flavor is much better and I guess it makes it a bit more Korean!
An amazing recipe! I added fried eggs on top which really brought the flavors together.
I’ve been making this delicious recipe for years, everyone loves it; it’s so flavorful and easy! I substitute the ground beef for ground turkey and find it just as tasty.
My husband found this recipe and I can’t believe how easy and delicious it is! Given the bland name for the recipe, I figured it would be quick to make but average tasting…a lazy weeknight dinner when you don’t want to make an effort. This was UNBELIEVABLY delicious. We have made it 4 times already and will make it a go to meal with or without time constraints. It is truly simple to make.
If we are adding a mushrooms or another vegetable, we do 1.5 times the sauce so it isn’t too dry with the extra food.
I never used this site before but I am now scouring the it for another new favorite recipe. Thanks for making dinner delightful!
Have been making this recipe for years now! Absolutely perfect. Just realized I don’t have brown sugar, can I go without it or use regular sugar?
I made this tonight and my family loved it. I added a small onion, half a red pepper and maybe 1/2 cup julienned carrots. I doubled the sauce but cut back in the brown sugar and added extra garlic. I did make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Topped it with pickled onions and served it over brown rice with steamed edamame and broccoli. My husband and son added sriracha. Thanks for the great recipe!
I love this!! A quick and easy recipe, I follow the recipe great every time.
Fantastic and quick dinner! Perfect for busy afternoons and late baseball game nights. I added steamed broccoli, and my 6 & 9 year old absolutely loved it! I ate my portion over riced cauliflower and my 1 year old preferred my dish! I’ll definitely double the sauce next time and add a drizzle of spicy mayo to top it off. Highly recommend.
Scrumptious as is and I change it up by adding 1/4 c gochujang, 1 tbsp. honey and the juice of 1 lime. Always add chopped veggies on hand. Great in lettuce wraps.
Followed the exact measurements of this recipe to give a fair review. I love it! For my palate, it is the right balance of ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. Of course, anyone can tweak the proportion according to their liking but this will be the constant ratio I will be using in marinades as well.
This is a crowd pleaser for both vegans and carnivores. I have used a hamburger substitute like beyond burger and no one complains! My family and grandkids cheer when they know this is for dinner. Easy too.
Made it today for the third time. It’s so easy and fast and delicious! I don’t use soy or even reduced soy but rather liquid aminos. Adding veggies is a great idea as I’ve read many do.
This is absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe almost exactly and doubled the sauce as others recommended – however I didn’t use salt-reduced soy sauce, so it was a bit too salty for me. I didn’t double the sauce the next time and the recipe was perfect. Just the perfect blend of spicy, sweet and salty.