Instant Pot Korean Beef
by Chungah
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The BEST and easiest Korean beef with 10 min prep or less! And the meat comes out amazingly juicy, flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth tender!
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reasons to make korean beef in the instant pot
- Quick prep. All you need is 10 min of prep time. There’s no searing, no sautéing, no nothing, perfect for those super busy weeknights between soccer pick up and homework!
- Tender beef. Thanks to the Instant Pot®, the beef comes out so tender and juicy, simply melt-in-your-mouth perfection, infusing the meat with so much flavor (as if it’s been simmering for hours on end!).
- The sauce. The sauce is simply the best part about this recipe, the quintessential balance of sweet and savory. Serve it over rice, serve it over noodles, serve it over all the things.
- Freezer-friendly. Instant Pot Korean beef freezes and reheats like a dream, great to have in your back pocket for weeknight meals, lazy weekends, or for a friend recovering from surgery.
tips and tricks for success
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Add vegetables. Mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers or snow peas can be added for a more heartier meal.
- Add some heat. For a spicy kick, add gochujang (Korean red chili paste), contributing a slightly savory, spicy, sweet taste to the dish.
- Make a cornstarch slurry. Adding cornstarch directly into the pressure cooker can cause lumps. Always use a mixture of cornstarch and cold liquid (aka cornstarch slurry) to thicken the sauce, yielding a smoother, gravy-like consistency.
- More protein. In need of more protein? Top your Korean beef bowls with a fried egg.
- Serve with your favorite grains. White rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa or farro are all great options.
- Freeze as needed. Korean beef freezes like a dream! Label, date and freeze up to 2 months, great for meal prep and making weeknight (and weekend) meals even easier and quicker.
freezing and storing korean beef
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating
Let the meat sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Reheat over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
Freeze after cooking
Let cool completely. Transfer the meat into individual servings in plastic freezer bags. Label, date and freeze up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
more favorited korean recipes
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Korean Beef: Frequently Asked Questions
Black pepper can be substituted but because black pepper has a stronger, spicier flavor than white pepper, start with a smaller amount and adding more, to taste.
Gochujang is a red chili paste, a pantry staple in Korean cooking. It can be found in most grocery stores in a red, rectangular tub.
A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of cornstarch and cold liquid (such as water or stock) used as a thickening agent. To avoid over thickening, always add the cornstarch slurry towards the end of cooking time.
Korean beef can be served over a bed of white rice (or your favorite grains) with a side of kimchi, cucumbers, perilla leaves and ssamjang.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Yes! Let cool completely; portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
100%! This is one of our favorite crockpot recipes, perfect for those chilly months.
Instant Pot Korean Beef
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup beef broth
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ 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 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
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 Instant Pot®. Stir in beef broth mixture until well combined.
- Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 15 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water; set aside.
- Select high sauté setting. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
Equipment
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What should the recipe measurements be for a 8 qt instant pot?
When using an 8qt Instant Pot, the measurements will stay the same and the timing should stay relatively the same. It would just take a little longer for it to come to pressure. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
This is a really delicious recipe! I made this as per directions, but with more liquid as my multi cooker requires a minimum of 1.5 C. for pressure cooking. I used 3/4 C. of broth, 1/3 C. of soy sauce, and made up the rest with water. When the cooking was done, I let the liquid simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce it a bit, then used an extra Tbl. of cornstarch. It came out perfectly. Of course there was more sauce, but it’s so tasty it’s great with to have alone with just rice. Like another commenter, I might add some green veg during the sauté stage the next time.
No review, but a question. Been debating whether to get and instant pot. Your opinion — is it worth it?
I absolutely love mine and totally recommend getting one. Meals come together so fast and easy!
So delicious!!!! Made recipe to spec the first time, added mushrooms the second time during the sauté and considering adding broccoli as well next time. My 10 yr old asks for it almost every week now!
We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe! Have served with steamed broccoli and matchstick cut steamed carrots. Great combination & the colors are very appealing. I definitely recommend the broccoli 🙂
I made some adaptations, and overall it came out good. (I will also add that I have tried the slow cooker version, but this is MUCH better!)
Instead of chuck, I used 1 lb stew meat but kept the same cook time.
I added extra ginger.
Instead of sriracha, I used a sprinkling of red chili powder.
Came out nicely! This is a great baseline recipe from which you can adapt to your tastes.
Newbie here. Do you cut up the chuck roast before putting it in the instant pot? Or you put it in whole?
Erin, the recipe calls for 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes. 🙂
This was good, but I thought the sauce needed a bit more flavor. Think I will increase the seasonings and brown sugar. Also for me, 15 mins was not quite enough. Think I will try 20. My husband did love it though. Served over rice
We LOVE this recipe! Love. It. Made it exactly as written, which I never do. But this time, I happen to have a beautiful 3 lb. sirloin tip roast … can I substitute it?
Sure! 🙂
I never thought that my husband loved it much. Thanks for your recipe. I would try this for my friends to taste and give reviews.
This was super yummy. I used sriracha and a big spoonful of gochu jang. The sauce was delicious and the meat tender! Thanks!!
Can’t wait to try this. I have all the ingredients already. I’m in no doubt it’s going to be perfect.
Made this last night! A.MAZ.ING!!! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try more recipes!!!
This was so dang good!!!
This is the best meal I’ve made in my Instant Pot! I didn’t have chuck roast, but I did have tenderized round steak, and since my InstaPot is the mini version, a whole chuck roast would have been too big. I served this along with rice noodles (for the sauce) and stir fried vegies. Fabulous!
This was really, really amazing! Was trying to recreate a dish I had at an Asian restaurant in Brooklyn , NY. I added a soft boiled egg and organic ramen noodles. It was heavenly… and very close to the dish I was trying to imitate. Thanks, damndelicious….. I’ll be back!!
Looks AMAZING but is there anyway to make this in an oven or a slow cooker?!
You can try this recipe instead:
https://damndelicious.net/2015/02/21/slow-cooker-korean-beef/. 🙂
Can’t wait to try this recipe! With our little family of 3, I’d like to cut the meat down to 1-2 lbs. Should I cut the rest of the ingredients down to about half as well? Thanks!
Yes, absolutely!
This was soooo amazing and tender! Made it exactly like the recipe. Family says it’s a keeper! Add red hot pepper flake to mine just because I love spice. So flavorful!
We love it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ok, so I haven’t tried this recipe yet…but I cannot WAIT to try it! I am going to use wild meat, most likely Deer, Elk, or maybe Antelope. I love my instant pot! By the way, you always have such amazing recipes. I’ll let you know how it goes for me on this one. I have been trying to make a tender, moist wild meat roast for the past 17 years and thanks to my instant pot I finally did! I am confident this recipe will be AMAZING!
I’m making this for dinner tonight. It will be our 6th or 7th time! Hubby requests it a lot and it’s oh so yummy. Thanks so much! Found you in pinterest about 3-4 months ago and we love your simple yet wonderful tasty recipes!
We love it! 🙂