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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 is amazing and so easy! I used ground turkey and added cooked cauliflower in for a vegetable. Thank you for a new favorite.
Made this tonight, it was good but I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce so I used regular. Would not recommend. That made it way too salty!
@Jamie, I double the recipe and use 3/4 cup of regular soy. Like it better because it is less liquid.
Great recipe! It is easy and quick. I used this over two pounds of ground turkey and added cabbage and carrots because I had some and didn’t want them to go to waste. I usually offset the sweetness of this recipe with pickled jalapeños I make with soy, rice wine vinegar and sugar. It is a perfect tangy complement! Thanks for the recipe!
What can I use instead of sesame oil? Also I only have ground ginger is this okay?
Wanting to make this tonight but can’t get to the store
sesame oil is such a unique flavor that i’m not sure anything can replace it so i would skip it and just know you might not get the intended flavors of the dish. ground ginger should be ok but be light-handed with it and use a little at a time and taste along the way :)
@Julie Chiou,
My mom makes this for me all the time and I finally asked her for recipe not realizing how easy it is!
I know it won’t taste quite the same but I’m sure it will still be absolutely delicious!
Thanks for your help :)
Wow!! This recipe is so easy and SO GOOD! I felt like my family needed more vegis in this meal so I like to hide riced cauliflower in my regular rice. We also added some salted sautéed red cabbage. I will definitely be adding this recipe to my dinner plans. I have a family for 3 and had plenty of left overs for a day after lunch.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipe! I can’t wait to try more!
I apologize for the TMI post but…
…WOW. Did anyone else (and their dinner companions) suffer from horrific gas the day after this meal????
Yes. The recipe tasted ok. No. I won’t make it again. Yikes.
did anyone added some liquid cornstarch? it seemed too watery in my taste, i like my sauce to be kinda thick. other than that it smells and taste delicious!
yup, you totally can add some cornstarch to thicken up the sauce if you prefer!
@paige, Same. I added some cornstarch and it thickened right up!
I made this! Based on some of the comments, I scaled back on the sugar and added a dash of rice vinegar. I also, added the sesame oil after I drained the beef. It turned out yummy! Thank you!
Love it!!! So easy to make but amazingly good!!!
Love it.Easy and yummy.