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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
I made these tonight and my whole family loved them. I have three little people, ages 7, 5, and 1. All three are with no complaints and cleared their plates. Thank you for this fabulous recipe! Not only was it delicious, but it was quick and simple to make. Two thumbs up!
Oh wow! We’re happy to hear it was such a big hit!
The most mind-blowing tacos ever!!!
Oh my goodness. These tacos. I made them the other night and they were spectacular! Thanks for the recipe!
Is it really only 1/2 lb beef and yields 12 servings?
12 servings = 12 tacos. The number of servings depends on how you want to serve these (ex. appetizer, main, etc.). Hope that helps, Sarah!
This is the most mind-blowing tacos ever!!!
what would you recommend as a side to go with the korean tacos?
Tortilla chips or french fries would go so well with this! 🙂
This recipe is amazing! I didn’t have kimchi so I caramelized onions with sesame & vegetable oil and added pickled carrots and daikon to the tacos. My entire family LOVED them. Thanks for the awesome recipe ☺️
Sounds yummy!
This looks scrumptious. I was wondering however if one could use kochujang with perhaps soy sauce and sesame oil for the beef stir fry ingredients? Unsure of the ratios here? Would appreciate your expertise! Thank you for always producing such delicious recipes!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Huge hit with everyone!! I wondered how the kimchi would go over with the kids, but the caramelization mellowed it nicely. This will be made often
Awesome! Thanks for sharing with us.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Taco is always my favorite dish to go, and I love Korean beef! What a combination. Thank you for sharing!
Could the ground beef be substituted with thinly sliced flank or skirt steak that was marinaded in the soy sauce mixture?
Yes, of course! What a great idea!
There’s a lot of stupid people on this site.
What is Sriracha? What is kimchi? Do Koreans actually eat?
WOW!!
Not everyone who reads blogs is as worldly as you are. This newfangled interweb contraption serves all types: from snobs to those trying to broaden horizons and everyone in between.
Apparently there are complete jerks on here as well!
BTW, your comment should have said “There are a lot of stupid people on this site”. The way you wrote it is saying “There is a lot of stupid people on this site” which isn’t proper grammar. It just goes to show that everyone has strengths in different areas. They don’t know what kimchi is and you don’t know proper grammar.
I understand your frustration with the above comment. However, his grammar is correct. There is a lot of stupid people on this site. In this sentence, LOT is the subject of the sentence, is singular in form, and a noun. IS is the verb which is singular and describes the singular noun, LOT. OF STUPID PEOPLE and ON THIS SITE are prepositional phrases.
Respectfully, LOT is not the subject of the sentence “There are a lot of people…” A Lot is used as a quantifier (an adjective) and quantifiers are never subjects. People is the subject of the sentence; therefore, you use are. Consider these examples: A lot of people ARE there. A Lot of oil IS necessary for this recipe. “People” is driving the verb choice, and “oil” is driving the verb choice– not “a lot.”
Now let’s get back to the delicious Korean Tacos!!! 🙂
This recipe is a family favorite and is requested for birthday dinners. I use ground turkey with diced criminis and it is absolutely delicious. Before this recipe I had never experienced kimchi and now it is always in my refrigerator and I am going to start making my own. Thank you so much for this family favorite we all absolutely love it!!
Made these tonight and HOLY delicious. I’m pretty sure everything on your site is yummy as I’ve tried three recipes and all are keepers. Just subscribed to your emails! Thanks for the yummy meal.
Thank you, Megan!
These look delicious! Any tips on how to prep the tortillas before filling? The ones in the picture look beautiful and toasty 🙂
They were toasted for photographic purposes. 🙂
Would corn tortillas be an okay sub for flour in this recipe? We have Celiac disease so we can’t eat flour tortillas.
Can you please tell me the tortillas you used? Did you roast them in a dry pan as they look puffy? Also, can this be made with chicken?
They were toasted for photographic purposes. And yes, you can substitute ground chicken.
Do you have a recipe for shredded beef vs ground beef?
Not at this time.
Oh my lord, these are SO good! I used leftover steak, which I chopped up and sauteed with the sauce for the beef. SO good. And that sriracha mayo though… Sadly, no leftovers for my lunch tomorrow.
You’ll just have to make more next time! 🙂
Absolutely amazing!! Bursting with flavor!
Can you use corn tortillas instead? This recipe looks delicious! Can I easily double this?
Absolutely!
Do the Korean have tacos? Anyway, the recipe sounds delicious!
Of course they do! 🙂