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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WOW! I tried this recipe yesterday and was a bit skeptical but wanted to try something new to add to the dinner rotation. It was as promised, fast and delish!!
Most certainly will make again and again and again.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I wish dinner could always be as easy as this one
Really quick and delicious! This has become part of our regular weeknight dinner rotation and is so satisfying considering how easy it is. Usually serve with steamed veggies and basmati rice. I like to 1.5x the sauce.
This dish was delish and really did take only 15 minutes to make. I served it with sautéed veggies – snow peas, mushrooms and onions – that you could add or not. I also included crushed peanuts in addition to the sesame seed topper. My picky eating kids loved this too.
I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count. I double the sauce and add whatever vegetables I have on hand (shredded carrots, broccoli, etc) and serve with chopped daikon kimchi.
This recipe has been a staple in our house ever since I discovered it. I usually make it with gochujang instead of red pepper flakes, and I usually make a double batch for our family of 7. We like it with wonton chips for scooping, and we usually have veggies in bowls or on the side. Occasionally, we throw a fried egg on top for an extra treat!
Delish leftover as well. I would suggest having some warm beef or chicken broth on the side to add just in case as we all know rice is dry and the Korean beef can be a little on the dry side.. I also steam my rice in chicken or beef broth to carry additiinal flavor. This dish is so yummy and easy peasy.
This is a weeknight staple in our house! Absolutely delicious and so easy to make.
My kids love this and is a family favorite…
One added thing I do is buy a package of broccoli slaw and fresh pineapple I put both of those in separate dishes and allow family to add to their liking. Also have experimented with cooking ramen noodles (no flavor packet) drain water and allow family to substitute noodle for the rice or add to dish. Usually make once a week
My kids love this and is a family favorite…
One added thing I do is buy a package of broccoli slaw and fresh pineapple I put both of those in separate dishes and allow family to add to their liking. Also have experimented with cooking ramen noodles (no flavor packet) drain water and allow family to substitute noodle for the rice or add to dish.
This has become one of my favorite weeknight meals! I use ground turkey instead of beef and it’s just as yummy. I like to do 1.5x the sauce and add in some steamed broccoli or any other veggies I have laying around. Perfection and so quick and easy!
this recipe is excellent we make it often. the only thing we add is a layer of cold shredded carrots between the meat and the rice. My family requests this all the time.
Really delicious. Super quick and easy to make. Will definitely make again. Love this recipe.
This is also great with ground turkey! I actually think it turns out a little better this way than with ground beef and is much cheaper where I live!
One of our favorites! I love to serve it over sautted peppers and rice! I keep frozen ginger root in the freezer so I always have it on hand! Everytime I make it and have lunch leftovers my co-workers want to know what smells so great!
Best quick Asian meal EVARRR. My kids loved it and I have since doubled the recipe when I make it because everyone wants leftovers the next day.
So good! The whole family loved it and that almost never happens.
We’ve made this recipe countless times! It’s so damn delicious!!!
This was so good. I added broccoli and sliced carrots for color. Definitely making again.
This is so yummy! I actually use ground turkey to make it a little healthier and add gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) instead of red pepper flakes. It’s awesome, and I like it with rice or in lettuce cups!
I love this dish! Simple, fast, and delicious!