Korean Beef Tacos
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The most mind-blowing tacos EVER! Filled with everyone’s favorite Korean beef, caramelized kimchi + Sriracha mayo!
Featured Comment
WOW!! It felt like a little bit of the Kogi food truck in my kitchen, these were so good!! We moved away from LA where we were able to go to Roy Choi’s restaurants regularly…and now we miss the Korean taco flavors. This recipe was pretty close to those flavors we miss!! This is going into the regular recipe rotation for us!! I would even say toddler friendly as quesadilla filling. Thank you!!
why i love this
- Flavor explosion. Say goodbye to boring tacos. Not sure if it’s the crumbled, juicy, flavorful Korean beef, the caramelized kimchi, the Sriracha mayo drizzle or the combination of everything neatly tucked into a mini flour tortilla, but these Korean tacos will knock your socks off with every single bite.
- Budget-friendly. This is one of those affordable, budget-friendly dinners that uses ground beef + pantry staples, and tastes like a million bucks (truly, restaurant-quality).
- Speedy weeknight meal. This is a very quick dinner that is oh-so-perfect to keep in your back pocket for those hectic weeknights. The best part? The Korean beef can be frozen ahead of time, making dinner prep that much easier.
- Flexible recipe. These tacos can easily be transformed into quesadillas, burritos or beef bowls. Use corn or flour tortilla, and top with all the desired, favorited toppings. There is no wrong way to have a taco!
What is kimchi?
Kimchi is a fermented vegetable dish made with napa cabbage. It is a staple in Korean cuisine, and can be found in most grocery stores in the refrigerated aisle such as Whole Foods.
tips and tricks for success
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- 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 leafy greens can be added for a more heartier meal.
- Use flour or corn tortillas. Tacos are traditionally made with corn tortillas but small flour or corn tortillas can be used depending on personal preference.
- Double up the tortilla. Street tacos are typically served on two tortillas, known as la copia or “the copy”. This practice helps keep the filling together, and if the first tortilla breaks, the back up tortilla can be used for the rest of the filling.
- Make ahead of time. The Korean beef portion can easily be made in advance and frozen as needed, and the Sriracha mayo can be made a few days beforehand and placed in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Serve with your favorite toppings. Serve with caramelized kimchi, Sriracha mayo, diced red onion, avocado, shredded cabbage or Asian pickled cucumbers.
more favorited korean recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Korean Beef Tacos: Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use ground beef?
Not at all! Ground pork or ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef.
Where can I find kimchi?
Kimchi can be found in most grocery stores in the refrigerated aisle by other fermented items such as sauerkraut and pickles.
How can I store leftovers?
The leftover beef can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Is this freezer-friendly?
Yes! You can freeze the beef leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop (adding a tablespoon of water as needed).
Korean Beef Tacos
The most mind-blowing tacos EVER! Filled with everyone's favorite Korean beef, caramelized kimchi + Sriracha mayo!
Ingredients
For the Korean beef
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces ground beef
For the kimchi
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 cup chopped kimchi
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For the Sriracha mayonnaise
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
For the tacos
- 12 mini flour tortillas
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
for the korean beef
- 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 until well combined, allowing to simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes; set aside.
for the kimchi
- Heat sesame oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add kimchi and sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, until caramelized and heated through, about 3-5 minutes; set aside.
for the sriracha mayonnaise
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Sriracha and lime juice; set aside.
for the tacos
- Serve ground beef mixture in tortillas, topped with kimchi, red onion, cilantro and sesame seeds, drizzled with Sriracha mayonnaise.
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Unbelievably good! We can’t stop talking about how great the flavors were. Super easy to make too!
These Korean Beef Tacos were so good, and easy! I didn’t have kimchi so I topped with grilled red pepper and onion strips. We could not have been more pleased. This is a keeper going into weekly rotation. I am already thinking of ways to adapt into a crispy cup appetizer. Your cookbook is my next purchase. Thank you for all the great recipes that you share.
My 20 year old son has basically eaten these tacos most every day for the past 2 years. We call it his dog food. Haha.
I’m confused about the serving size? 8 oz ground beef for 8 servings? In 12 mini tacos?
Amazing!!!!!
I may have commented on these before, but they’re so good they’re worth another one! So easy and max flavor. I don’t add sugar or sesame oil to the kimchi and I don’t sauté it, but other than that I follow the recipe exactly. We have a food truck in town that has super popular Korean tacos and we think these could give them a run for their money!
I love these! Load up the tacos with all of the fixings. This might be one of my favorite recipes ever.
DELICIOUS! Like all your recipes – never disappoint!
Very excited to try these ! I just started making my own corn tortillas (game changer ) I was considering making this recipe with my tortillas fried up lightly with sesame oil . Too much ?
Awesome recipe. Soo good
These were a huge hit! Some of us don’t love kimchi so I did some quick pickled vegetables (english cucumber and shredded carrots) to go with.
Seriously, great recipe. But, sriracha mayo whaaaaat? No, no, no. Mince some kimchi fine and mix it with homemade soy yogurt. Can you say “Oh mommy!” (umami). Julienne’d daikon is also a great topping. But NEVER forget the cilantro 🙂
WOW!! It felt like a little bit of the Kogi food truck in my kitchen, these were so good!! We moved away from LA where we were able to go to Roy Choi’s restaurants regularly…and now we miss the Korean taco flavors. This recipe was pretty close to those flavors we miss!! A few subs: Trader Joe’s Gochujang for the sriracha and instead of the cracked red pepper we had Gochugaru on hand. I wonder if regular white sugar could be used and how much. Either way- this is going into the regular recipe rotation for us!! I would even say toddler friendly as quesadilla filling. Thank you!!
These are AMAZING. My husband and I have probably made them at least 20 times, and every time it’s like we’re surprised all over again by just how good they are. We make and/or recommend them to family and friends just about every chance we get. We’re obsessed!
Incredible!
Everyone in my family loves these tacos! They do not take long to make and are absolutely delicious. I think you need to double the recipe to feed 8 people, but maybe we are big eaters. This will be in our regular rotation.
I had this today at a work lunch and loved it so much that I asked for the recipe. I made it tonight for my family since I already had most of the ingrents on hand. It got a thumbs up from everyone. Thank you!
So, so good. Never had kimchi before and we were a little leery, but gave it a try. The combination of flavors is amazing and I have already made this recipe twice for company!
Made the recipe as a bowl meal instead of tacos; served meat over white rice. No siracha available so subbed Franks Hot Sauce for the dressing. Put chopped cilantro into the slaw and topped the bowl with chopped scallions. Delish!
Very good meal. My kids and wife loved it