Korean Beef Tacos
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The most mind-blowing tacos EVER! Filled with everyone’s favorite Korean beef, caramelized kimchi + Sriracha mayo!
I feel like I have been all over the place these last 10 days. I was in Arkansas last weekend, then flew off to Minneapolis for a quick work trip at the General Mills headquarters, then worked at the studio in downtown Los Angeles for two days, and now I’m off to Ecuador tomorrow morning!
I literally have been all over the place. But the only thing keeping me sane right now are these tacos.
These Korean beef tacos that are absolutely to die for.
I don’t know if it’s the Korean beef, the caramelized kimchi or the Sriracha mayo, or the combination of everything neatly tucked in a mini flour tortilla.
It’s just amazing. And I’ve had about 17 of these while packing for my next trip.
Maybe I can pack 3-5 for the flight? The passenger sitting next to me probably won’t mind, right?
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Korean Beef Tacos: Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! Ground pork or ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef.
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 such as Whole Foods.
Yes! You can freeze the Korean beef leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop (adding a tablespoon of water as needed).
Korean Beef Tacos
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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20/10!! These were so good! I didn’t caramelize the kimchi because I didn’t want to dirty another pan haha. I also added fresh ginger about the size of a thumb instead of the ginger powder. Huge hit and will be in our regular rotation. ❤️
These are bomb! Highly recommend. I used ground venison and it turned out great. This will be a part of our regular rotation.
Ahmazing.
These were delicious! I agree with the other comments that 12 servings seems high. My husband and I each had 3 full sized tacos splitting 1 lb of meat (we eat a lot!). I also skipped caramelizing the kimchi and I cooked the red onions with the beef just before taking it off the heat.
This recipe was just what we needed for a boring Monday night! I didn’t cook our kimchi because we eat it for the probiotics, but I did caramelize a little extra in some leftover rice for a side dish. I always hesitate to make Korean tacos on a busy night because I’ve always used shredded meat that needs to cook longer. I couldn’t believe how good the ground beef turned out, we liked it better than the shredded version I’ve been making for years. Thank you! I find your recipes reliable every time I try them!
gud *thumbs up*
gud
These are officially in rotation at our house. They are one of the few dishes that everyone loves. I quadruple the recipe and it is still not enough.
Thanks for another great recipe
Going to make them tomorrow ..they sound delicious. Was watching 101 Mystery. And the made and look great
I lived in Austin, TX for many years, and the food truck scene there is absolutely bonkers. Among the best is one called Chillantro, and their specialty is Korean street tacos. I have been craving them lately, but having moved a couple hours north of Austin, and not really knowing of any nearby Korean restaurants or food trucks, I set out to make my own…
This one had good reviews, so I checked it out first. I was a bit skeptical because it used ground beef instead of flank steak, but I decided to give it a go, since I actually had all the ingredients on hand. I was not disappointed!
These are so easy to make – especially compared to some other Asian dishes my wife and I have made at home. Because of the simplicity, I was even more skeptical… And my wife – who recently went vegetarian to help with some health issues – asked me to cook something for her. So I made the same sauce, but put in in a mixture of pan-fried bell peppers, portabella mushrooms, and onions.
The flavor of the beef was spot on – of course, it is a bit different texture with ground beef instead of flank steak, but these are absolutely delicious. I got the smaller “street taco” tortillas, and they were absolutely perfect. I probably ate like 5 of them, lol.
My wife said that the tacos I gave her were the best vegetarian dish she has ever had. Straight up. She is not easy to please when it comes to food, so if you want to make a vegetarian version of these, go for it – you will not regret it!
I used pork belly with the same sauce. Stuck it in the broiler for a nice carmelized crust.
This recipe will make you the MVP of the house!
I have been doing a year of Taco Tuesdays and this popped up in my list. Definitely one of the more unique recipes I’ve come across, and one that I will DEFINITELY be making again!! Deeeelicious. The kimchi was such a pleasant addition. A great meld of different food cultures.
Outstanding. Zero leftovers!
Making these Friday night – what do you suggest to serve with them? Can’t wait!
The ground beef mix was terrific. I’m not a fan of kimchee–to be honest, I’ve not tried it often, and none I’ve had was homemade. Millions of folks can’t be wrong, so why did I hate the 3-4 samples I tried? I added sesame oil, soy, brown sugar, and rice vinegar to finely chopped cabbage. Then I thought–why on earth would anyone use sriracha with “Korean” tacos? Doesn’t sriracha scream Thai? Instead, I used 1 T of gochujang, which I bought in my local–rural, mid-Atlantic–supermarket. These tacos were delicious!!!
Just Yum! I don’t even like ground beef that much but loved these. All ingredients are available year round which is awesome too!
Absolutely loved this recipe! Thank you for Sharing! It was so simple yet so dynamic and delicious!
I did substitute mother-in-law‘s kimchi for making my own and sir Kensington‘s Sriracha mayo.
These are now my favourite tacos!! I love Korean food and the taste of these with the flavours of the kimchi and Korean inspired accompaniments were amazing! The only thing was this recipe makes quite a small mixture for 12 servings, I would say probably 6-7 servings.
These were freaking amazing! A great new recipe for ground beef. I can’t wait to make them again, nothing was left in the pan.
I made this for my husband and for myself just made another portion of the sauce but on tofu (cuz I eat plant based) and it was very good both ways. I will say he ate 3/4 of the food so idk how it’s supposed to feed more than 2 ppl. Maybe as one of many appetizers?