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This easy Korean beef recipe turns a pound of ground beef and a handful of pantry staples into a sweet, savory, garlicky dinner in about 25 minutes. It has all the flavor of Korean bulgogi with none of the slicing, marinating, or fuss. You just need a skillet, a bowl, and some rice.
My Favorite Weeknight Korean Ground Beef Recipe
This Korean beef is one of those dishes I go back to on autopilot when I don’t have the bandwidth to think too hard about dinner. It’s made with ground beef, so there’s no marinating and no fancy cuts of meat to track down, and the whole thing is done in the time it takes my rice to cook. If you’ve made my Korean bulgogi, think of this as its faster, more weeknight-friendly cousin. It’s not traditional, but it’s certainly delicious.
Toasted vs. Regular Sesame Oil
Toasted sesame oil is more flavorful than regular sesame oil, and it’s what I always reach for in this recipe. Look for it near the other Asian condiments at your grocery store. It’s usually in a small bottle, and it’s a bit darker in color. If you can’t find it, regular sesame oil will still give a great flavor.
How to Make Korean Beef
Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Brown the beef in a sesame-oiled skillet set over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Pour the sauce over the cooked beef, stir to combine, and let everything simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the beef. Spoon over white rice and dig in!
Can I Make it In a Crockpot?
Yes. Brown the ground beef first in a pan—don’t skip this step; it adds tons of flavor! Transfer it to your slow cooker with the sauce ingredients, and cook on low for 2–3 hours. This is a great option if you want dinner ready and waiting when you walk in the door.
Swaps and Substitutions
Here are a few common ways to change up this dish:
- Protein: Ground pork or turkey both work well in place of beef. Sliced flank steak or sirloin will also work here—slice against the grain, sear, and serve.
- Veggies: Add sliced cremini or shiitake mushrooms alongside the beef for earthy depth.
- Aromatics: I prefer fresh ginger and garlic for the punchiest flavor, but ¼ teaspoon of dried ginger and ½ teaspoon of dried garlic will work in a pinch.
- Spice: Stir in a spoonful of gochujang or a squeeze of sriracha along with the sauce for a little extra kick.
- Make it vegan: Swap the ground beef for crumbled tofu or your favorite plant-based ground “meat.” Press the tofu well first so it browns.
Serving Suggestions
This Korean beef recipe is endlessly versatile. Here’s how I like to serve it:
- Spooned over a bowl of white or brown rice, optionally with a fried egg on top for a quick and easy version of my fav Korean Galbi Bowls
- Wrapped in butter lettuce cups for a lighter, low-carb dinner
- Tossed with cooked rice noodles and a little extra sauce for a quick noodle bowl
- On buns topped with kimchi and extra sauce for a Korean-style sloppy joe
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store leftover Korean ground beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a skillet set over medium heat until warmed through, or microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between. This is a fantastic recipe for meal prep!
Korean Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (59 ml) low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) packed dark brown sugar
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound (454 g) lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, onion, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes together.¼ cup (59 ml) low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons (24 g) packed dark brown sugar, 1/2 yellow onion, 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- In a skillet, on medium high, cook your ground beef with the sesame oil until well done.1 pound (454 g) lean ground beef, 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Pour in the soy sauce mixture over the meat and combine together. Let it simmer for a few minutes.
- Serve over white rice.
Nutrition
Photographs by Eat Love Eat
This was amazing!! My whole family loved it! I cooked MANY dishes… this was their favorite! Thank you.
Can I make this with tempeh?
i could see that working, yes!
After reading the comments, I cut down the soy sauce a bit and then cut the sugar a bit too. I used ground beef and ground turkey. Since I reduced the soy sauce, I added a bit of water just to ensure enough liquid. The whole family enjoyed it. I could see using any type of meat.
Super easy 20 minute meal. I made it over Jasmine rice which only takes 15 min. The only thing is I sautéed onions before adding ground beef and then added garlic half way through cooking meat. And then added sauce. Excellent meal prep. Wish I could add photo
Great flavor and easy to make, love that. Only 1 problem, it could have used a light less soy sauce. Otherwise I will definitely make this again. Thank you.
Not at all what I expected. It was super sweet and even my sweet tooth husband had to add a ton of hot sauce to balance out the flavor. I would take the brown sugar down to 1/4 cup.
Way too much soy sauce. We used the low sodium and it was way to salty. Sorry to say we could not even eat it. We ended up getting carryout for dinner. The picture doesn’t show much liquid, but mine was swimming in the sauce. Was 3/4 cup soy sauce a misprint? My husband said 1/4 cup would have been more like it.
@boje, maybe switch to a soy sauce alternative- coconut aminos. I used what the recipe called for and found it ok. but I also used about 1.5 pounds of gr chuck and added sliced green peppers then I let it simmer while I got ready some udon noodles which I served it over.
Can I use regular oil instead of sesame oil?
no, sesame oil is what gives a lot of flavor to this dish
My fiance brought home antelope from a hunting trip, I found this recipe and made it one night and it was a HUGE hit for the entire family! Will definitely be making this again. It was SO easy and so flavorful! Thank you a million!
Thank you so much for sharing. We absolutely love this recipe!