Korean Beef Bowls are the perfect answer to "what's for dinner tonight?" Seasoned lean ground beef in a savory sauce is served over white rice and veggies for that take-out taste without the extra money and calories.
This one-pan dinner comes together in less than 30 minutes, and thank goodness - because I promise you'll be chomping at the bit to make a bowl for yourself! Korean Beef Bowls are a great high-protein dish that can be meal prepped for the week as well.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $2.87
- Total Cost (4 servings): $11.48
- Those Other Guys: $14.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Ground Beef - For optimal macronutrients, try 93/7 ground beef. You can also substitute this for ground turkey or vegan grounds.
- Coconut Aminos - This is a soy-free, gluten-free alternative to soy sauce. You can use regular soy sauce if you prefer.
- Sesame Oil & Ginger Paste - Both sesame oil and ginger are key to the flavor profile we're aiming for. Finely minced ginger works as well if you don't have the paste.
- Brown Sugar - Brown sugar lends a hint of sweetness in the sauce. Try coconut sugar as an alternative.
- Cornstarch + Hot Water - We're going to make a cornstarch slurry in the pan. This thickens up all of our liquids to create a sauce that clings to the beef. Don't worry, you won't taste the cornstarch!
- Toppings - At the end, top the beef with freshly chopped green onions, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes for color and extra flavor.
- Green Cabbage - I like to beef up the nutritional value of Korean beef bowls by adding sautéed cabbage! The recipe below instructs how to quickly soften the cabbage in the same skillet for ease of preparation.
Variations and Substitutions
Alternative Proteins: You can make this recipe with ground turkey, ground chicken, or meatless crumbles.
No Refined Sugar Korean Beef Bowls: Instead of brown sugar, use coconut sugar or maple syrup to add a bit of sweetness. I've also used date paste with good results!
Accompianments: The photos show Korean Beef paired with sautéed cabbage and white rice. You can also serve this over shredded brussels sprouts, roasted zucchini, udon noodles, or purple rice.
How to Make Korean Beef
This recipe is extremely popular on the blog because of how quickly it comes together... and with the depth of flavors, you would never guess how easy it is to create!
Step 1: To begin, sear and crumble the ground beef in a large skillet, seasoning with the black pepper. Add in minced garlic and ginger paste, and cook until fragrant.
Step 2: Stir in the brown sugar, coconut aminos, sesame oil, cornstarch, and hot water. A thick sauce will begin to form on the beef.
Step 3: Push the meat to one side of the skillet and add the shredded cabbage to the other side. Sauté until softened, then season the cabbage with salt.
Step 4: Finally, remove the pan from heat and top the beef with chopped green onions and sesame seeds. I also add red pepper flakes for a hint of spice - but this is optional.
Recipe Pro Tips
- Be mindful of the sodium. Coconut aminos/soy sauce both have tons of sodium. Because that makes up the base of our sauce, I don't recommend seasoning the ground beef with any salt. It should be salty enough once it's finished cooking, but if you want any extra you can add it at the end of the recipe!
- Salt your cabbage at the very end. Salting the cabbage will release extra moisture into the pan, which can water down the Korean beef sauce. To avoid that, sprinkle some salt onto the cabbage once it's softened and you're about to remove the pan from your heat source.
- Time it well. The beef and sauce comes together pretty quickly - so I like to already have my rice already in the rice cooker and ready to go. That way, everything is hot and ready to serve!
Recipe FAQs
I recommend 93/7 lean ground beef. It's lean, with lots of protein, and cooks well in the skillet without the need to drain any excess oil. You could use any type of ground beef, or even ground turkey/chicken if you don't do red meat.
The classic way is to serve over white rice - either jasmine or basmati. However, you can serve over shredded cabbage and carrots - similar to my egg roll in a bowl recipe - roasted carrots and zucchini, or udon noodles. You could even do ramen noodles - yum!
Definitely! All of the components of Korean Beef Bowls sit well in the fridge. You can store them in separate meal prep containers so it's super easy to assemble and reheat.
The cornstarch, along with the hot water, creates a cornstarch slurry which is used to thicken liquids in cooking. For this particular dish, the slurry will help create a thick, flavorful sauce that clings to the beef. Don't worry, the cornstarch itself has no taste.
Other Quick Weeknight Meals You'll Love!
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Korean Beef Bowls
Equipment
- Chef's Knife
- Skillet
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
Korean Beef
- 1 pound ground beef I recommend 93/7 lean
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup hot water
Accompaniments
- shredded cabbage
- ½ teaspoon salt
- cooked white rice
- green onions chopped
- sesame seeds
- red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Sear the ground beef in a large skillet, seasoning with the black pepper. Use a silicone spatula to crumble the meat as you're cooking.
- Drain any excess grease (if using a fattier beef), then add in the ginger paste and minced garlic.
- Cook for another two minutes or until aromatic.
- Pour in the brown sugar, coconut aminos, sesame oil, cornstarch, and hot water.
- Stir well until combined and a thick sauce begins to form on the beef.
- If you're serving with cabbage, push the meat to one side of the skillet and add the shredded cabbage to the other side.
- Sauté for a few minutes until softened, stirring occasionally, then season with salt.
- Finally, remove the pan from heat and top the Korean Beef with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
- Spoon over cooked white rice. Serve with extra green onions, sesame seeds, and (optional) red pepper flakes for a hint of spice. Enjoy!
Britni R. says
Saw this on TikTok right before the new year, and this has been on my meal prep menu all of January! My wife and I can’t get enough!
Shani W. says
Sounds so good Britni! Thank you!