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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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.
I love this recipe, it’s easy and almost a one pot meal! I usually add grated veggies, I’ve done carrots and zucchini the most, but almost any veggie could be added to this delicious dish.
This was an absolute hit! So delicious. It was gobbled up.And so, so easy. I added some garlic pea shoots, a bed of shredded carrot, some iceberg lettuce on top with a drizzle of sesame oil. Also, I used extra lean ground sirloin, so didn’t even have to remove any fat.Will definitely be on regular rotation. Thank you!!
I made this last night following the recipe (doubling the sauce). I also added sautéed mushrooms and steamed broccoli when I poured in the sauce as others had suggested. Wow! Simple but quick and my family advised it’s a keeper.
I’ve never felt inclined to leave a review on a site regarding recipes but had to do so on this one. Thank you for posting the recipe as I now have a new option for ground beef.
I’ve made this several times since seeing the recipe, and it’s been a hit each time! Made it tonight too! Definitely would recommend
This is sooo good- and fast!! I added some sauteed veggies on the side (carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms) . The sauce is amazing!
This is my favorite meal EVER and I could have it every night! You need to try this.
This is my go-to recipe when I am short on time or do not feel like fussing. Love it!
DEEELICIOUS! So quick to prepare. Make sure your rice is already cooking :). I doubled the sauce as some recommended, but mine was a little thin, so I’m going to add a little cornstarch next time, because we’ll be making this again! Added some red bell pepper and broccoli and was a perfect, well rounded meal.
I made this for my husband and 2 children. They LOVED it! This will definitely be a staple as one of our household meals. So simple and easy to put together and so deliciously tasty! Thanks so much!
Have made this with beef and with “Impossible beef” and was great either way! Romaine lettuce wraps work well here, with or without rice.
I loved this. So tasty and easy. I had some mushrooms in the fridge. So I sautéed them and added at the end. I also preferred it with fresh ginger. But it was excellent with the powder ginger also. I made it two nights in a row. Now I have to look into your Korean Chicken bowls.