Slow Cooker Korean Beef
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
Amazingly tender, melt-in-your-mouth Korean beef easily made right in the crockpot – 10 min prep! So easy, so good.
Featured Comment
Korean beef? In a crockpot? Really?
Yes, really! It is packed with the most tender chunks of beef chuck roast that cooks oh-so-perfectly right in your slow cooker, swimming in that gravy-like sauce. And don’t worry. The crockpot is doing all the heavy lifting for you.
All you have to do is gather a handful of pantry staples and throw them right into the slow cooker – beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, Sriracha, onion powder and white pepper. This is that lovely gravy-situation I mentioned.
You’ll want all of this on a bed of rice to sop up every last drop. A side of kimchi + cucumbers is also a very nice-to-have.
Did you miraculously end up with leftovers? Serve with eggs for breakfast or stuff it in tacos, quesadillas, or even a burrito.
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt slow cooker
Slow Cooker Korean Beef: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can follow this recipe here.
This stovetop Korean beef bulgogi is another reader favorite!
You can serve this with white rice or our favorite no-fuss sheet pan fried rice!
Slow Cooker Korean Beef
Ingredients
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 3 pound boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, Sriracha, onion powder and white pepper.
- Place chuck roast into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in beef broth mixture until well combined.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Stir in mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
I made this with a whole chuck roast, rather than cutting it into cubes. We liked the flavor a lot. It was a tiny bit too sweet, so the next time I would reduce the amount of brown sugar to 1/3 instead of 1/2. We will definitely make it again. I used to use a Campbell’s crockpot mix before it was discontinued (or became outrageously expensive). This will be our new go-to recipe for Korean beef. Thanks!
I loved this, but it was definitely missing some veggies. I think next time I’ll add some onions and maybe carrots. The green onions def helped a lot though, I can’t wait to make this again!
Oh, I should add though…
• I didn’t have Sriracha, so I used gochujang.
• Didn’t have low sodium soy sauce, so I used regular.
• Didn’t have beef stock, so I used some chicken stock I had saved from when I poached chicken thighs.
• It seemed like too much sugar, so I used 1/2 to 2/3 of what the recipe called for. Tasted great to me.
• I always have trouble using up my peeled garlic, so I used double what the recipe called for. Good thing I like garlic anyways.
• Was too lazy to grate ginger. Didn’t have sesame seeds, onion powder, or white pepper. Used black pepper instead.
Just wanted to add for anyone who was like me years ago and didn’t ever substitute, add, or omit ingredients in fear of messing it all up. I used to spend so much money buying things for specific recipes and then would end up not knowing what to with the remaining portions besides making more of the same thing. Don’t be afraid to experiment and just make the most of what you have!
I love to experiment with recipes myself, and especially like ones where I can make the same basic recipe idea in different ways. However, I don’t think it’s fair to rate the given recipe unless you make it the specified way. Maybe you would have rated it higher if you had used beef broth and/or fresh ginger and/or onion powder, etc. You are actually rating it with all the changes you made, not the way the author intended. But – keep on tweaking recipes and making them your own! I definitely agree that we shouldn’t be afraid to tweak and experiment, especially as we become more experienced at cooking and taking our own tastes and preferences into account..
Oh, one more thing. Holy crap, this was so easy to make!! Thank you so much
I made this in my instant pot and it was delicious! I just seared my (whole) roast, combined everything else (except the cornstarch, sesame seeds and green onions) and cooked on high pressure for 60 minutes. I allowed a natural release for about 10 min, then removed the meat, turned the instant pot to sauté and added the cornstarch/water and let it boil a few minutes until thickened. I shredded the meat, added it back to the pot and was good to go! We served it with rice and it was more than enough for my family of 4. What a great recipe!
How many lbs was your chuck roast?
I purchased some “beef for stir fry” but I am always concerned about beef being touch which I do not like! So I started looking for recipes to use that beef other than stir fry and ran across this one. I happened to have everything on hand to make it which never happens. I mixed the sauce in less than 5 minutes, tossed it all in the slow cooker and waited. It… was.. delicious AND tender! I have yet to try a single recipe from this site that wasn’t wonderful. It has become my “go-to” website for quick and easy recipes. Thank you so much!
I made this for my beef-loving family and it was a big hit! I can’t wait to make it again – I have visitors coming, and I know they’ll just LOVE it! Thank you so much for sharing, Chungah! I love your recipes.
This came out great! I didn’t have time to slow cook so I just adjusted for sauce pan and seared the meat first.
Thanks!! My boys enjoyed as well!
Excellent! Very flavorful. Didn’t use the cornstarch and water to thicken. Ate it over rice with the juices as is. Squeezed some lime juice on at the end, and garnished with green onions.
Thanks, Ellen!
Very easy, very yummy! My brother made white rice and we each had a serving of rice and beef, and had one serving to put in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.
So good and so easy! Quickly becoming a family favorite!
I tried this recipe (crock pot) two times already and it was a hit with my family. I’m cooking this again for my brother’s birthday. Delicious! Thank you for sharing!
That’s great!
If I decide to sear the beef before putting in the crockpot, will that change the cooking time in the crockpot?
Cooking time should remain the same, but as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Just made this—came out great! The beef was so tender. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you!
This is super easy and great flavors ! DO IT ~
Thank you so much for this recipe!
My whole family just loves this.
Used tamari to make it gluten free, and served over rice with steamed broccoli.
Your recipes are spot on, and you have a great thing going here. Thanks!!
Great way to serve it!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
My whole family just loves this.
Used tamari to make it gluten free, and served over rice with steamed broccoli.
Your recipes are spot on, and you have a great thing going here. Thanks!!
What if you are using a gas cooker ?
I really hate Sriracha, could you use gochujang instead?
Hi Linda, you can omit the Sriracha or substitute with something you like better 🙂
My girlfriend and I tried this. While we like it very much, it’s more like a beef stew. We did not taste anything “Korean” about this.
Just made this in my crock pot and can’t stop eating it. Pretty soon won’t be enough for dinner. I love it. This will be a meal I make often. Thanks I love all your recipes.
Haha, yeah, happens to me all the time! Glad you are enjoying it Carol!
This looks amazing! Finally I have a reason to use the slow cooker option on my instant pot!
Exactly! 🙂