Korean Beef Bowls

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A Korean ground beef bowl is a delicious Asian inspired dish you can enjoy for lunch or dinner tonight. Full of flavor and fresh ingredients you can have this prepped and ready in less than 30 minutes! It's a Whole Lotta Yum!

Our Korean Ground Beef Recipe is so good!

A healthy spin on the popular Korean bulgogi beef recipe, we make it budget friendly by using ground beef. The addition of our spicy mayo adds some Japanese flare to the recipe. For a healthy low-carb and calorie version, we used cauliflower rice instead of white rice.

Quick recipes like this are perfect for doubling, especially if you're meal-prepping for yourself and your partner. Not only that, the flavors will continue to meld and deepen as the week goes on. Easily customize based on what you have on hand while still maintaining those rich Korean flavors.

For a truly authentic Korean recipe, check out Sue's Korean BBQ Beef over at My Korean Kitchen. If you're looking for more Asian inspired recipes then you'll love our low carb fried rice with cauliflower and our weight watchers eggroll in a bowl.

Great for meal prep- When you're short on time during the week, this dish is quick and flavorful.
Super yummy- Simple to adapt by adding noodles, more spices, and other veggies like carrot ribbons or bell peppers.
Quick and easy! Quickly prep your sauce, brown the meat, and steam the veggies. If you don't use this recipe as a meal prep, it's still great as a quick and easy weeknight meal or lunch.
Healthy - Gluten-free, dairy free and you can make easy swaps for other dietary needs.

Ingredients list

Bold spices like red pepper, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, and soy sauce season the ground beef. Top with a spicy mayo, and serve with steamed veggies.

Brown sugar - In place of brown sugar, you can also use honey or monk fruit.
Low sodium soy sauce - Braggs liquid aminos or Tamari sauce will be tasty as well.
Ground ginger - Fresh ginger that's been grated, or ginger paste works just as well.
Red pepper flakes - For more spice, use more red pepper flakes.
Onion powder - Garlic powder can also be used in place of onion powder.
Sesame oil - A small amount goes a long way, but definitely recommended as its flavor is strong and unique.
Mayo - Use your favorite mayo.
Sriracha sauce - Or other spicy sauce like a chili garlic sauce or Korean chili paste like gochujang.
Avocado oil - or Vegetable oil
Minced garlic - Jarred or fresh minced garlic
Ground beef - Instead of ground beef, you can also use thinly sliced cuts of high-quality beef such as ribeye steak, sirloin steak, or New York steak.
Green onion - Chopped green onions (greens and whites), or thinly sliced red onions.
Garnishes: Sesame seeds, cucumbers, green onions, and spicy sauce
Broccoli - A whole head of broccoli chopped into florets.
Cauliflower rice - Regular white rice like jasmine rice or basmati rice are delicious varieties. Try brown rice or wild rice as well.

** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **

Variations

Leaner meat: Reduce the calories in this dish and substitute ground turkey, lean ground beef, or ground chicken.
More protein: Top your Korean beef bowl with a fried egg, marinated tofu, chickpeas, or edamame.
Salad: Swap the rice bowls and serve the ground meat, veggies, and sauce over a bed of baby bok choy, iceberg lettuce, or in lettuce wraps or cups

Equipment

Slow cooker or Crock pot

How to Cook Korean Ground Beef Bowl

Prepare your sauces, cook the ground beef, steamed broccoli, and cauliflower rice. Season the ground beef with your sauce, simmer, and serve. Add the ground beef mixture to your meal prep dishes, then add rice and broccoli.

Prep Sauces

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and sesame oil.

In a separate small bowl, combine the mayo and sriracha sauce to make spicy mayo. Set aside.

Cook Beef

Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook it for 1 minute (stirring constantly), or until fragrant.

Add the ground beef to the pan and cook it until browned. Drain the excess fat.

While the beef cooks, microwave the broccoli and the cauliflower rice. Broccoli: Place bite-size broccoli pieces in a microwave-safe dish, add 3 tablespoons of cold water, and cook for 4 min, or until done, drain excess water. Cauliflower rice: Place in a microwave-safe dish, add 3 tablespoons cold water, and cook for 4 min, or until done, drain excess water.

Before and after the ground beef is cooked.

Assemble

Stir in the sauce mix and the green onions. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until it's heated through, or at least for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with steamed broccoli or spinach and cauliflower rice. Garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, spicy mayo sauce, and sliced cucumbers. Enjoy!

Dietary Swaps

As written this recipe is gluten free and dairy free.

Keto: Replace the brown sugar with a keto-friendly brown sugar substitute like the Swerve brand brown sugar replacement.
Whole30: Replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos. Use a whole30-compliant mayonnaise, and eliminate the brown sugar.

💡 Recipe Tips

Feel free to double the recipe if you're serving 2 people for meal prep lunches for the week.
If you want your bowls extra saucy, you can increase just the sauce ingredients by ½ or double.

🥡 Storing and Reheating

Storing: Store your Korean beef bowl containers, sealed, and in the fridge for up to 5-7 days.
Freezing: You can freeze your ground beef mixture, sealed in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 4 months for maximum freshness. Keep some frozen broccoli florets and cauliflower rice in the freezer. These can be easily steamed in the microwave.
Reheating: Reheat fresh Korean ground beef bowls in the microwave until heated through. To reheat frozen ground beef, remove it from whichever container it's in. Place in a microwave-safe bowl and defrost until fully thawed. Either reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

❓ FAQ's

What to serve with?

The great thing about rice bowls is their ability to be customized. Add pickled red onions, kimchi, sauteed zucchini, or radishes. Korean ground beef can be served on top of a fresh fried egg, udon noodles, rice noodles, or fried rice.

What is bulgogi beef?

Bulgogi beef is popular in Korean cuisine and is made from thinly sliced beef that's marinated and then grilled or fried. The beef used for bulgogi is usually a tender beef like rib eye or sirloin that is sliced very thinly against the grain which helps it cook quickly.

Is bulgogi healthy?

Bulgogi has lots of protein, and depending on which cut of meat you're using its fat content varies. Depending on your dietary goals could determine whether or not bulgogi is healthy or not for you.

What kind of beef is this typically made with?

Bulgogi beef is typically made with thin cuts of ribeye or top sirloin beef.

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Korean Ground Beef Bowl

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons Brown sugar
¼ cup Reduced sodium soy sauce or Tamari sauce
¼ teaspoon Ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon freshly grated)
½ teaspoon - 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Onion powder
2 teaspoons Sesame oil
¼ cup Mayo
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon Avocado oil or Vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoon Minced garlic (jar or fresh)
1 pound Ground beef
2 Green onions, thinly sliced (+ more for garnish)
Garnishes: Sesame seeds, cucumbers, green onions, and spicy sauce
1 head Broccoli, cut into florets
1 bag Cauliflower rice

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and sesame oil.
In a separate small bowl, combine the mayo and sriracha sauce to make spicy mayo. Set aside.
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook it for 1 minute (stirring constantly), or until fragrant.
Add the ground beef to the pan and cook it until browned. Drain the excess fat.
While the beef cooks, microwave the broccoli and the cauliflower rice. Broccoli: Place bite-size broccoli pieces in a microwave-safe dish, add 3 tablespoon cold water, and cook for 4 min, or until done, drain excess water. Cauliflower rice: Place in a microwave-safe dish, add 3 tablespoon cold water, and cook for 4 min, or until done, drain excess water.
Stir in the sauce mix and the green onions. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until it's heated through, or at least for 2-3 minutes.
Serve with steamed broccoli or spinach and cauliflower rice. Garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, spicy mayo sauce, and sliced cucumbers. Enjoy!

Notes

For Meal Prep: Divide the beef between 4 meal prep containers. Add steamed broccoli or spinach on one side and steamed cauliflower rice or brown rice on the other side. Garnish with green onions, cucumbers, and sesame seeds. You can drizzle the Korean beef bowl with spicy mayo or serve it on the side in a small container. The bowls will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Instead of ground beef, you can also use thinly sliced cuts of high-quality beef such as ribeye steak, sirloin steak, or New York steak.
Feel free to double the recipe if you're serving 2 people for meal prep lunches for the week.
If you want your bowl extra saucy, you can increase just the sauce ingredients by ½ or double.
In place of brown sugar, you can also use honey or monk fruit.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 642Total Fat 44gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 29gCholesterol 107mgSodium 1315mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 6gSugar 14gProtein 38g

The nutrional information is just an estimate and was calculated by an automated calculator. If you're on a restricted health program please manually calculate this information using the brands of ingredients you have since brands can vary.

Korean Ground Beef Bowl

Our Korean Ground Beef Recipe is so good!