Ground Beef Bulgogi (Easy Korean Beef Bowl)
Make delicious ground beef bulgogi in just 15 minutes! This quick, budget-friendly Korean beef bowl uses simple pantry ingredients for an easy weeknight dinner.
“Ever since I made this it’s one of my most requested dishes from my daughter. Quick, easy, and tasty!”
Alexis
If you’re craving a delicious Korean beef rice bowl, try this Korean ground beef bulgogi recipe. It quickly turns a pound of ground beef into a tasty meal.
Traditional beef bulgogi, made with sliced beef, requires lengthy marinating and some prep work before cooking. While it’s a fantastic dish, it can be time-consuming.
In contrast, if you’re short on time, this ground beef bulgogi is a lifesaver. It only takes 15 minutes to cook, and you’ll have a scrumptious dinner ready, especially if you have pre-cooked rice.
It’s fantastic as a topping—especially for my easy bibimbap with ground beef! Or, take a fusion twist and stuff it into a quesadilla or pile it over noodles. However you serve it, this recipe is a total win-win!
Ingredients for Ground Beef Bulgogi
If your Asian pantry is well-stocked, you’re already ahead of the game. If not, no worries—you can grab everything at your local grocery store. Bonus: this recipe is easy on the wallet!
For the ground beef, go for a leaner cut, like 90%. It brings all the rich, meaty goodness without the greasy aftermath, making it the perfect match for the savory sauce.
How to make ground beef bulgogi
First, make quick bulgogi sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Now, grab a skillet and cook onion and garlic in a little bit of oil.
Add ground beef and cook until beef is browned and fully cooked.
Pour the sauce mixture over the beef and let this thing to simmer until the sauce reduces.
Finally, garnish the bulgogi with green onion and sesame seeds, if desired.
Serving Suggestions
For a simple yet satisfying meal, sprinkle a modest amount of this meaty topping over a bowl of steaming rice or hearty multigrain rice.
Pair with your choice of fresh vegetables or a side of kimchi. You an also complement this dish with an assortment of traditional Korean side dishes for a complete, flavor-packed meal.
Storage and Reheating tip
Store leftover beef in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze it in a freezer-safe zip bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, either microwave to heat through or cook in a skillet with a little bit of oil over the stove top.
Ground Beef Bulgogi (Easy Korean Beef Bowl)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb (450g) ground beef, preferably 90% lean
- 2 green onion , finely chopped, optional
For bulgogi sauce
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2-3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirim)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix all the bulgogi sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until beef is browned and fully cooked.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the beef and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to simmer until it is heated through and the sauce reduces, about 2 minutes. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately.
This is a fantastic recipe that I have happily made many times and also shared too!
Once you have everything on hand it is so easy and quick to make and so delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe, my husband and I are so grateful!
Amazing! Had it with some white rice and kimchi. Will make again
One of my favorite recipes to get out of a dinner inspo rut! It’s so easy to pair with different sides and comes together quickly for a great weeknight option.
Love this recipe, makes for an easy dinner while still scratching the itch for Korean food. We make it almost weekly. Delicious paired with bok choy and kimchi
I added the Trader Joe’s squiggly noodles to this and it was AMAZING!
That sounds delish! Thanks for sharing the idea.
Ever since I made this it’s one of my most requested dishes from my daughter. Quick, easy, and tasty. Love to eat mines with some kimchi and a veggie in or on side or both and today I tried a fresh cucumber and it was great with the dish and kimchi as well.
So easy and so good. Simple fast recipe for when the craving won’t quit. I live where Asian restaurants are not readily available. Saved me from waiting for my fix. Thanks!!
Delicious
Kind of like a Korean sloppy Joe. Just ok.
This is one of the best posts I’ve ready in quite a while. Nice work.
This recipe is delicious, I did add some gochugaru for some heat and it’s amazing! Thank you for this recipe!!
Wow, this recipe is absolutely amazing!! I made it for the first time today and I’ll definitely be making it more in the future.
so good. Added a thumb of ginger plus more on the garlic and onions. So good and medicinal.
Awesome and easy recipe. Thank you. I added a thumb plus of ginger, and added more garlic and onions than stated. Soo good and medicinal.
Loved this recipe! Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Modified this recipe to make it gluten free by using tamari instead of soy sauce, and it still tasted great. Thanks for this recipe!
Simple, delicious & satisfying without the expense of eating out! My girls couldn’t be happier to take these leftovers to school.
Hi Gina
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it. Thank you so much!
This is my go to recipe for a quick bulgogi craving. I chop steak and marinate it in the bulgogi sauce . If you have Maggi Seasoning, I use 2tbsp of soy sauce and 2 tbsp of Maggi Seasoning. The recipe is already delicious but this makes it even more flavorful.
This was super good. The only thing I did different was add a little ginger and had gochujang paste on the side. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this today for lunch and it was super easy and delicious. Usually I make bulgogi and let it marinade for a day but this was a great substitute for that! I added 1/4 tsp grated ginger, about 2 tbsp grated Korean pear, and some diced mushrooms. Ate it over rice with kimchi and kakdugi 👍🏻
Hi there,
I don’t have mirin. Could I sub sweet rice vinegar?
You can just omit the rice wine and add 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar in the sauce. Thanks!
Fabulous flavor, so easy to prepare!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Hi Camilly
Im’ thrilled to hear that you liked this recipe. Thank you so much for your comment!
Hi!
I’ve made this a couple of times now. I love how it is so easy and quick and comes out delicious. I sometimes add sliced mushrooms, julienne carrots, paprika.
Thank you!
Hi
I am so glad that you like this recipe. Yes, mushrooms and carrots are great additions to make this dish hearty. Thanks for your comment.
Add gochujang flakes, serve with pickled carrots and cucumber
I have made this recipe probably 5 or 6 times. AMAZING!
Instead of the beef, I used ground chicken which is equally as good. This is a crowd pleaser and will be in my list of keeper recipes forever. Thank you!