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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
Such a quick and delicious meal. I share this recipe a lot.
I’ve used the sauce for beef when I was still eating meat and now I use if for tofu. Very delicious and I like to serve mine with bing! Would definitely recommend <3
I’ve made this recipe with ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey and ground chicken… every time it turned out great! I think my family liked ground pork best … I added some oyster sauce, some garlic chili paste & extra sesame oil…. they like it saucy !!! It’s quick & easy … takes longer to cook the rice than the meat!
I really loved this recipe! So quick and easy to make. My kids loved it too, and my teenagers wanted more, so I’ll probably double it next time (yes there will definitely be a next time)
I made this with white sugar instead of brown sugar because I didn’t have any brown sugar. It is sooooo delicious! I added lots of red pepper flakes! YUM!!
Yikes! Onion guy is CRAB-BY!
I didn’t have onion do I subbed in some dehydrated onion. Added a bit of rice vinegar and stirred in some peas before serving. This was super delicious!! So fast, too!! Will for sure be adding it into our dinner rotation! Thank you!
Hi Julie thank you so much for sharing I only have 1 quick question as we are meal prepping and trying to portion control I see one serving caloric count can you kindly tell me what is the size of the 1 serving? Thank you so much!! We are looking forward to adding this to our meal peeps!!
Sam
Hi! Typically I do about 8-12 ounces per serving but honestly that’s just eyeballing.
Have you tried it with ground turkey?
i haven’t but it would definitely work!
What an amazingly simple yet delicious recipe! I’ve made the original recipe and even though I have a sweet tooth, this was a tad too sweet for me. I still put 1/4 cup but don’t pack it. I’ve made it with beef and with ground turkey whatever you chose you can’t go wrong. Also I replacedthe soy with coconut aminos and it’s amazing.
I’ve made this a few times and we live it! Thanks for a quick easy recipe that looks like you worked so hard on! ??♀️