Korean Beef Bowl
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Easy Korean beef bowl made with ground beef, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil. Inspired by bulgogi, this Korean beef recipe is ready in just 15 minutes.
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. For deeper Korean flavor, try adding a spoonful of gochujang (Korean chili paste) for heat and depth.
- 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
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Sheet Pan Fried Rice
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Korean Cheese Corn
- Vegetable Potstickers
Also serve with kimchi, pickled radish, or steamed bok choy for a more authentic Korean side dish experience.
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet – ideal for quick searing ground beef and mimicking Korean BBQ flavors at home.
Large cast iron skillet
Korean Beef Bowl: Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop (adding a tablespoon of water as needed).
100%! This is one of our favorite crockpot recipes, perfect for those chilly months.
Answer: Bulgogi uses marinated sliced beef grilled or pan-fried, while Korean beef bowls use ground beef for a faster weeknight version.
Yes! Add gochujang, crushed red pepper flakes, or sliced fresh chilies to taste.
Korean Beef Bowl
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
Equipment
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.
Video
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This has been a family favorite for years. Flavorful and fast! I use half the sugar and sesame oil and serve it with a mix of rice and Cauli rice, plus kimchi when I have it.
This is delicious! I add cut cabbage to the beef before a stirring in the sauce. Serve over basmati rice. We love it!
So good! And very easy to make. I will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotation.
This has been on our regular meal rotation for years. I double the sauce because we like it saucy but I put a little less sesame oil by preference. We absolutely love it.
I make this for the fam all the time! It’s a favorite! I make it will some soy stir fry veggies (squash, zucchini, and broccoli) and it goes great together!
This has become the new weeknight favorite! The only thing I can add is to double and triple the recipe so you can use it on salads, etc.
This was INCREDIBLE. Sprinkled a little sesame seed and green onion on top, w sticky rice. So incredibly easy? And with such few ingredients? And so yummy and filling? Immediately went into the weekly rotation.
Oh man I tried making this as a first meal in my new home and it tastes amazing! I do find it on the sweeter side, but other than that, it is very beginner friendly and yummy!
Absolutely AMAZING delicious! will definitely cook again. *Chef’s Kiss*
I followed the recipe to a T and even my 7 year old thought it was too sweet. I would use less sugar next time.
What is the nutritional breakdown, i.e. calories per serving, carbs, fat, etc?
Nice recipe; I’ve tried different versions, this is the best so far. I added extra ginger and tried maple syrup sub for the brown sugar. I also used grass fed goat ( it’s very mild and lean) as my mince. Such an easy delicious dinner!
Can I use dark soy instead of regular soy sauce? I want to use what I have in the fridge.
Absolutely delicious! I’ve been making this recipe for a couple of years for both family and friends, and there are never any leftovers. A few months ago I realized I had a sweet red pepper that needed to be used and my husband suggested I add it the Korean beef bowl. Although this may not be a traditional ingredient, thus affecting the authenticity of the recipe, we liked it enough that we’ve decided to make it part of our recipe. This recipe is, however absolutely delicious as is! Thank you for posting/sharing.
Wow, this was so good. I wasn’t expecting much just using ground beef but I saved this recipe after the first bite. Thank you!
I’ve made this several times over the years and it never disappoints! So delicious!
SO GOOD and easy!! We make this all the time and never get tired of it.
This recipe caught me by surprise how good it was! It was so simple and quick to make too, definitely saving this one!
Very good
This was good! I added vegetables and served it over Ramen Noodles thanks!