Korean Beef Tacos
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Wow! Amazing tacos. So easy to make, and they came out really well 🙂
Aren’t they great? Thank you for your feedback, Nina!
Love these tacos! I am vegan and this recipe was really easy to veganize. I substituted the beef for Gardein Beefless Tips and swapped out the dairy mayo for a vegan mayo. I also bought vegan kimchi from Wegman’s. So good. This recipe is a keeper!
Your vegan version sounds amazing, Nicole!
Just finished dinner and got rave reviews from my foodie family! They loved it and it’s a keeper for sure. I doubled it and we don’t have much left over for our family of 4 adult eaters. I added a pinch more sugar to the kimchi but didn’t change much else. It hits all the notes; sweet, sour and spicy. I served it with spring greens tossed with a peanut sesame dressing. This would be great for a party. Thanks so much!
Oh my GOD made the Korean Tacos dish and the family loved it. No left overs I used the soft mini tortillas bowls instead of mini taco soft tortillas. So much flavor packed with this recipe I will be doing this dish again, again, and again thank you guys.
One of the best meals I’ve eaten in a long while, thank you Chungah! This was perfect.
My husband and three year old loved it! We were in a food rut, so this was a welcome change.
That’s so great to hear! 🙂
How many calories is in these?
Hi Noelle! Nutritional information is provided only for select recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
These are delicious! I prefer to use shaved beef for the texture but otherwise followed the recipe. We use lettuce wraps rather than tortillas, I think they are even better .. a flavor explosion! served with Asian slaw – looking forward to my leftovers for lunch
Flavor explosion is the perfect description! Thanks, Marta. We’re happy you enjoyed them!
These were delicious! Made with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Toasted the tortillas (corn and flour) in oven at 350 for about five minutes or until the flour ones bubbled up a bit. Made with sautéed zucchini and cherry tomatoes and corn as a side. Wasn’t really that Korean inspired but it worked . Thank you for the easy and inexpensive recipe— I had all but kimchi and cilantro around already !
Thank you for your feedback, Christie!
These are amazing! I made them for the first time last week and my Husband and I loved them. So full of flavor. The Sirarcha mayo sauce makes it come to life. Im making them again this week too 🙂
The sauce is the best! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe sounds great and although I haven’t made it, I’m curious how a half-pound of meat translates to 12 servings/tacos???
Lauren, serving size is simply an estimation. It also truly depends on how much meat you add in your tacos so if you prefer more meat, you would fill less tacos.
This was incredible. I couldn’t get enough! It’s so tasty and easy to make. The carmelized kimchee was just the right addition to this dish, and every ingredient was an integral part of the taste experience. I will be making this again many times.
The kimchi is amazing! Glad you liked it! 🙂
Aside from being one of the more professional looking things I’ve made (I even took a photo of it, which is the most millennial thing I’ve done in a while), these were very good. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 since I thought they were a touch on the sweet side. I’m going to halve the brown sugar next time. I also had trouble caramelizing the kimchi, but I think I just had a little too much liquid in it and not enough heat. I don’t look for perfect recipes, I look for recipes that I can perfect for me, and this is one of the best I’ve found in a while. Thank you!
WOW! These little beauties were a homerun with the kiddo. Only change I would make is to double the recipe because we can eat these forever.
Great recipe. Thank you so much!!
Awesome!
I made this easy dish tonight and it checks all the flavor boxes. This is an awesome recipe!!
Great!
I cannot wait to try this, all your recipes are fabulous!! I do have a question:
Can I substitute saurkraut for kimchi? I know there are differences in the two, I just don’t have kimchi or time to go get it. I have all other ingredients including any Korean/Asian spices I might need to substitute ( I do a lot of cooking with Asian ingredients)
THANK YOU!
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! 🙂
Fabulous!!! and really a 30 minute meal!! I had leftover rare steak that I sliced very thin and used instead of ground meat and I used lettuce as a wrap – husband used flour tortillas. Both were amazing! Husband also loved them. Could serve at a casual get-together or small ones as appetizers – these are better than most restaurants!
Thanks for your feedback, Marta!
Delicious!!! We used Elk Meat instead of Beef and tasted amazing! We also used flour tortillas instead of corn. Definitely making this meal again. Thank you!
That sounds very good!
I do not often comment on recipes, even when they are great, but this one was stellar in my book and I felt compelled to share. I am often looking for that combination of sweet/savory/spicy, and with that hit of Kimchi (which I have NEVER tried until this recipe)…WOW!
I love your take on fusion recipes and this one did not disappoint! I used carne asada (skirt steak) and did street style tacos, because I only had little corn tortillas, and they were delicious in every bite.
If you are on the fence with this one, take the risk. It was delicious and I am happy to have some leftovers for lunch!
Thanks for sharing with us, Candice!
These are so FREAKING DAMN good!! Making them for the second time tonight.