These homemade Korean Beef Bowls are a family favorite! Filled with flavorful ground beef in a rich asian sweet and savory sauce, rice, cabbage blend, and cucumbers, this bowl is as hearty as it is delicious. It is a crowd pleaser and perfect for picky eaters since each bowl can be customized to personal preference.
Korean Beef Bowls – The EASY Way!
If you have a pound of ground beef in the fridge, you are on your way to a great family dinner. I use our Korean Beef recipe in many ways, but this one is a family favorite. My kids love that they can pick toppings and make their bowl just as they like it. This Korean Beef Bowl is so tasty and has all the classic Asian flavors like garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. It even makes great meal prep.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Quick – If you are making everything in this recipe from scratch, it still only takes 15 minutes to put together. So, super quick and super tasty!
- Customizable – Like I have said, bowls are truly the best because everyone gets to pick a little of what they like. This makes dinner inclusive and fun.
- Good For Leftovers or Fresh – These Korean ground beef and rice bowls are just as tasty with leftovers as they are with fresh items. You can use leftover Korean Beef and Asian Cucumber Salad for an even faster dinner.
Recipe Notes
This Korean Beef Rice Bowl recipe is as simple as promised! Just 20 minutes for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Ground Beef – I prefer to use a leaner ground beef, like 93% or higher ground beef to minimize the fat. However, use whatever you have and simply drain any excess fat.
- Onion – Cooking the ground beef with a yellow or white onion is a great way to pack in more flavor!
Sauce
- Soy Sauce – Soy sauce adds a salty and umami element without having to add salt. It is a staple of many Asian-inspired dished. I use normal soy sauce, but you could use low sodium or coconut aminos if needed.
- Brown Sugar – A little sweetness is another signature flavor of a Korean BBQ beef bowl. It adds a lovely caramelization.
- Ginger and Garlic – Fresh is best! Fresh ginger and garlic impart so much flavor into the sauce for this beef. In a pinch, you can use pre-minced garlic or ginger (found in the refrigerated produce section).
- Sesame Oil – Sesame oil is a nutty and very pungent oil that is awesome for sauces. It adds warmth with only a small amount of oil added.
- Garlic and Onion Powder – You can never have enough garlic and onion!
- Red Pepper Flakes – These can be left over if you or your family do not like spice, but I highly recommend trying it with the red pepper flakes.
- Cornstarch – We use a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce and encourage that slightly sticky texture that most Korean beef has.
- Water – The water is used to thin the sauce out a little bit and ensure it can fully coat the ground beef.
Bowls
- Rice – Simply cook the rice as directed on the package. You can cook it in water or in chicken or beef broth for added flavor.
- Coleslaw Mix – This is such a life saver! Tons of crunch with no work of cutting up cabbage. You of course can use and chop whole cabbage but I just don’t have it in me to do that on busy nights.
- Carrots – shredded carrots are another great topping that add a fresh sweet element to these bowls.
- Cucumbers – While you can use sliced cucumbers, another delicious option is to use my Asian Cucumber Salad recipe. It is made with a tangy ginger dressing that goes great with these easy Korean beef rice bowls!
- Spicy Mayo or Yum Yum Sauce – I typically prefer spicy mayo but the kids always like Yum Yum sauce because it isn’t spicy. Use which ever your family prefers! You can also buy premade versions of these sauces if you are short on time.
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make Korean Ground Beef Bowls.
Start by browning lean ground beef with chopped onion.
Whisk together the Korean beef stir fry sauce.
Combine the ground beef with the stir fry sauce and simmer until thickened.
Assemble the Korean Beef Bowls by topping rice with the Korean style ground beef, sliced cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, and green onions.
Recipe Tips
- Mix up the toppings – Toppings can be anything you like so don’t feel limited but the ingredients I list. Besides the toppings listed above, some other great veggie options are avocado, broccoli, zucchini, peppers, and brussels sprouts.
- Cook the rice in broth – By cooking rice in chicken or beef broth, you can add so much flavor into the rice itself. This doesn’t require any extra work but results is such a tasty meal!
- Make a cornstarch slurry – The cornstarch must be mixed with a little water to be turned into a slurry before adding to the hot pan. This ensures it does not turn clumpy upon hitting the heat. If you do end up with clumps, you may be able to salvage the texture (it won’t affect the flavor much), by removing from heat, draining the sauce to one side of the pan, and whisking vigorously to work out the lumps.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Use leftovers – While this recipe details how to make 4 bowls with fresh Korean beef, you can speed up the process by using leftovers or making a large batch of the beef at once of Korean Beef Bowl meal prep.
- Use pre-made where you can – This can mean Instant white rice or sticky rice, pre-chopped cucumbers and carrots, a bottle of Yum Yum sauce, coleslaw mix, etc. The options are unlimited when looking for premade components to build these bowls.
Recipe Variations
If you love this easy Korean beef bowl recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Korean Beef Bowls with Veggies– While this bowl has some veggies, you can also try adding roasted vegetables to the bowls. Roasted bell peppers and broccoli are my favorites!
- Korean Beef Bowl with Egg– This is where we are really starting to feel like a restaurant! Top your bowl with an over-easy fried egg for a real treat and some extra protein. You could also scramble 4 eggs and mix with the rice for a fried rice base with eggs.
What to Serve with a Korean Ground Beef Bowl
Since this dish has classic Asian flavors, it will pair well with many of your favorite Asian side dishes. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light. I have also included some of our favorite toppings for ideas.
Side Dish Ideas
- Spicy Asian Coleslaw
- Asian Style Cucumber Salad
- Easy Steak Fried Rice
- Rolls
- Seaweed wrap (for a sushi taco)
Topping Ideas
- Shredded cabbage (or short cut use coleslaw mix)
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Spicy Mayo
- Fried Egg
- Fried Jalapenos
- Tempura Crunch
- Sesame Seeds
- Green Onions
- Carrots
- Pineapple
- Pickled Jalapenos
You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner.
Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowl Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making these Korean Beef Bowls, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to a month
More Easy Bowl and Skillet Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my Asian-Inspired recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Carnitas Bowl
- Hibachi Chicken
- Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Taco Skillet Dinner
- Big Mac Skillet
- Turkey Teriyaki Stir Fry
Korean Beef Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
For the Korean sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons water
For the Bowls
- 1 cup rice
- 16 ounces tricolor coleslaw mix
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced, or Asian cucumber salad
- 1/4 cup spicy mayo
- yum yum sauce
Instructions
To prepare the Korean Ground Beef
- Prepare the Korean sauce by combining the soy sauce, brown sugar, fresh garlic, ginger, sesame oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until it becomes a thin paste. Then stir it into the Korean sauce.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion over medium high heat, breaking the meat up with the spoon as it cooks, until no longer pink.
- Add the Korean sauce to the beef and bring to a simmer. Cook about 5 more minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
To assemble the bowls
- Cook rice per package directions
- Place 1/4 of the rice in the bottom of each bowl. Top with 1/4 of the korean beef, coleslaw mix, shredded carrots, and cucumber salad. Drizzle with your choice of spicy mayo or yum yum sauce.
- Optional: Cook the cabbage down in a skillet to soften it if you want less crunch. Leave it raw if you enjoy the crunch (our preference!)
Recipe Notes
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Fried Egg
- Fried Jalapenos
- Tempura Crunch
- Sesame Seeds
- Green Onions
- Carrots
- Pineapple
- Pickled Jalapeños
- Onion – Cooking the ground beef with a yellow or white onion is a great way to pack in more flavor!
- Soy Sauce – You can use low sodium or coconut aminos.
- Ginger and Garlic – Fresh is best! Fresh ginger and garlic impart so much flavor into the sauce for this beef. In a pinch, you can use pre-minced garlic or ginger (found in the refrigerated produce section).
- Red Pepper Flakes – These can be left over if you or your family do not like spice, but I highly recommend trying it with the red pepper flakes.
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to a month
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