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
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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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Go ahead and double the recipe…IT IS THAT GOOD. My husband takes the leftovers on the road with him and eats cold and he never eats anything cold. We started adding snow peas that we microwaved in bag then dumped in after the meat cooked. I also use the Sriracha brand ground chili paste instead of liquid chili sauce. We used to stir fry beef using Grace Young’s wonderful wok recipes but this recipe is so damn faster with amazingly the same salivating satisfaction.
Hi! Just wondering if any modifications should be made when using a 8 qt instant pot? I just made this recipe and everyone loved it but the beef was a tiny bit dry…I’m wondering it that’s because my instantly pot was t 6 qt.
When using an 8qt Instant Pot, 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.
I have hit or miss luck with beef in the instant pot, but I keep trying, and this recipe came out great! I used the siracha but also equal amount of Gochujang red chili paste since we like a little more spicy. This was a hit, and even better leftover. Thanks!
Absolutely amazing! I buy 3lbs of beef cut for stir fry (not stew) to save time. I make it exactly as written, except I use 1t of dried ginger instead of fresh because it’s easier for me. There is never anything leftover and I’m only feed 4 people, 2 are kids & 1 of those kids is super picky. The sauce to meat ratio is spot on, something many IP recipes have an issue with. We serve over brown rice. Highly recommend this recipe!
Made it! Came out great! Used pepper flakes and a local hotel sauce instead of saracha sauce used riced cauliflower , very tasty thank you!
I made this exactly like the recipe and it was delicious. My PICKY kids ate it up, leaving no leftovers. My question is if I can use pork shoulder instead?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Second recipe made in my instant pot! Used venison meat cooking the meat 1 minute less. Turned out great. Meat was tender. Sauce was delicious!
So easy to make once you trim the fat from the meat. My husband has never had Korean beef, and he LOVED IT!!! Thank you for posting!
Love the recipe!
Used an Instant Pot. I had to use the Pressure Cook options vs, DIY. At 15 mins, it was still tough so put in for longer. At 30 mins it was tender, just a bit dry. Will make note what time is best on my post, but it was a big hit. My son asks for it when he comes home from college.
Very very tasty and easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Lori!
Tasted good, but the timing was way off, and ruined my dinner. 15 minutes wasn’t even close, the beef was rubbery and tough. I had to put it in for 5 more minutes (which took a lot more than 5 minutes, since it had to get to pressure and release) TWICE before it was tender. Other commenters noticed the same thing. Not impressed.
The sauce is great but unfortunately after 15 minutes at high pressure, my beef was still quite tough. I tried again and doubled the cooking time of the meat to 30 minutes and it turned out much better! Served with lots of veggies sautéed in the sesame oil. It’s a wonderful quick and healthy meals that keeps well for days. I make mine on Sunday afternoon and eat it for lunch all week! Thank for the idea.
Could I make this exact recipe but just swap chicken and chicken broth for beef and beef broth?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know! 🙂
This was excellent. So spicy and the meat was so tender! Great sauce recipe. Thanks!
Great recipe. The beef was melt in your mouth tender and the sauce was so delicious and flavorful. Mom tested and kid approved!
We wanted to try something different so this was our choice. We enjoyed it very much and served it over brown rice. Next time I’d add a little heat. Thank you for a great weeknight meal recipe!
This was very, very good! I rarely write reviews but this recipe convinced me to write one. I have struggled with getting instapot recipes to turn out well; so glad this one did! Thank you so much for posting the recipe!
Thank you for sharing!
Please excuse me if this is a silly question, but is Korean beef spicy/hot? If so, would taking the sriracha sauce out be an option to tame it down?
This dish is not spicy but you can always omit the 1 teaspoon Sriracha to suit your needs. 🙂
Wow, this was sooooo good! The sauce is amazing and the beef was so tender! I’ve made 2 of your recipes this week and they both were amazing, this was my fave! Thanks so much!
So good!!! I used this recipe for an open face sandwich with some rice vinegar pickled cabbage, cilantro, and sliced scallions on a hard roll/bun. It was definitely an immediate family favorite.