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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
Thanks for the recipe. I really wanted to love it. And while my boyfriend did, it was way too much soy sauce for me. I think I would have been ok with about half the ammount. I will make it again because I love how quick and easy it is, but try with less soy. Thanks!!
This is a favorite dish for us and I make it often.
Great recipe! Easy to follow instructions and easy to make. Turned out delicious!! I used toasted sesame oil…everything smelled so wonderful while it was cooking. Will definitely make this dish again.
My husband (a good Jewish boy) absolutely fell in love with this recipe the first time I made it. I’m making it again. Food really is a great uniter.
I don’t know what’s up with the onion guy, but my fiance and I cooked this recipe tonight and loved it. The only thing we did differently is substitute red onion for yellow and it turned out great. A much appreciated twist to our normally “boring” ground beef recipes.
Following Pinterest recipies is a great way to ruin good food. Why wouldn’t you sauté your beef with the 1/2 onion? At what step do you add onion? In the already cooked beef? so annoying with the way some of these people manage to promote their self acclaimed “cooking sites”. THANK YOU NEXT.
i’m sorry this is how you feel towards my recipe. how is adding in an ingredient at a later step than what YOU would personally do a “great way to ruin good food?” – i mean, sheesh, if you want to add in the onion at the same time as you cook the beef, then go for it. at the end of the day, it all gets added and it all gets cooked together. bye felicia.
@your, loser
I made this again this time with chicken thighs…YUMMY.
Made this for dinner tonight, so good! Did half the amount of brown sugar and it was just the right amount of sweet for us. So easy to make, will definitely add it to my list of quick dinners.
Having so much fun on your website! I think this will be another great meal to prep for my new-mama and her hubby and be delicious for both of them, easy to prepare, customizable and not have a negative effect on her breast milk. She has Celiac so I only have to substitute Coconut Aminos for the soy sauce and slightly back off the garlic and red pepper so that new baby doesn’t object. ;) She and hubby are very healthy eaters so they can either have this atop white or brown rice or even cauli-rice. Thank you!
This was definitely yummy! I did agree with it being slightly sweet so I added a tiny bit of rice vinegar and that did the trick!