Easy Korean Beef Bowl

This Korean Beef Bowl is the super quick-and-easy version of the traditional Beef Bulgogi. With only a 15-minute cook time and a few simple ingredients, this dish will be your new favorite go-to weeknight meal! 

Meet your new favorite go-to weeknight dish! This Easy Korean Beef Bowl is a shortcut version of the traditional Korean Beef Bulgogi. 

This is my favorite all-time go-to meal on busy weeknights. All of the ingredients are simple and very accessible, so I almost always have them on hand at all times. 

Traditional Beef Bulgogi is typically prepared with thinly sliced beef marinated for a few hours (or even overnight). Ground beef is a fantastic substitute when you’re in a pinch. These Korean Beef Bowls take just literally minutes to prepare. 

Ground beef is the star ingredient in this dish. The beef is stir-fried in a yummy sauce, topped with scallions, sesame seeds, and crushed red pepper then served with steamed rice.

As a low carb option, you can serve this Korean Beef over cauliflower rice, or even as lettuce wraps.

So simple but incredibly delicious. Even my extremely picky 6-year-old son absolutely loves this dish! 

How to Make Korean Beef Bowl

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. 

Add 1 pound of ground beef to the wok.  Spread the ground beef out as much as possible into a thin layer so that the beef cooks quickly and evenly. 

Stir-fry the ground beef until fully cooked.

It’s not necessary to drain the liquid that is expelled from the beef when it cooks; this will create a nice sauce. If you prefer less sauce, simply let the liquid evaporate before you add the rest of the ingredients.

Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce…

and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. 

Add 3 teaspoons of sesame oil, then give all the ingredients a good stir to combine all the ingredients.

Serve these Korean Beef Bowls right away with steamed white rice and garnish with chopped scallions, sesame seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes.

For a low carb option, serve with cauliflower rice, or as lettuce wraps.

I recommend always serving the scallions separately on the side. If you get any leftovers, you can refrigerate or freeze the ground beef without worrying about the scallions getting all mushy. 

I like to pack any leftover rice and beef together. When the beef is packed with the rice, the rice will absorb more of those yummy flavors.

These Korean Beef Bowls will keep in the fridge for about 3 – 4 days. To reheat, add about 1 tablespoon of water to the rice, then microwave for about 2 minutes. The water will help to steam the rice to make it nice and fluffy. Top with fresh chopped scallions before serving.

To freeze the ground beef, allow the beef to cool completely, then pack it into Ziploc bags (without the rice). This can keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. To reheat, simply thaw then microwave or stir-fry the ground beef. Serve with fresh chopped scallions over steamed rice. 

I know that you and your family will love these Easy Korean Beef Bowls!

Enjoy! 

PS – you may also enjoy this Korean Bulgogi Burger with Gochujang Mayo recipe!