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Quick, easy, and bursting with flavor, this Korean Beef Bowl is a perfect weeknight dinner! Finish it off with crisp vegetables and spicy mayo.
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Fresh and flavorful, easily create your own Korean Beef bowl with ingredients you love. Mix rice, veggies, egg, and delicious Korean beef to make a delicious bowl that you can change into something new every time. Fresh flavors and a little bit of spice make this an unforgettable meal that is easy and fun to make.
Ingredients in a Korean Beef Bowl
- Korean Beef
- Rice
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Green Onion
- Sesame Seeds
- Spicy Mayo
Korean Beef
We use ground beef because you don’t have to marinate it, it’s easier to cook, and the meal comes together faster. Not to mention, using ground beef saves money, too! The flavor of the sauce is sweet and slightly spicy. It has a delicious taste that goes well with so many different toppings!
Variations
Typical toppings include sliced cucumbers, carrots, and green onion. Try these variations for a unique bowl:
- Egg- fried egg, or even a boiled egg make a great addition to this bowl. The rich flavor of the yolk adds so much!
- Sriracha mayo- if your marinade doesn’t have enough heat, or you want a creamy spice added to your bowl, try this addition. It tastes great!
- Rice- make your dish over a pile of cauliflower rice instead of regular rice, or even brown rice for a nutty flavor
Recipe Tip
Add more red pepper flakes to the sauce if you like it spicy!
Frequently Asked Questions about a Korean Beef Bowl
Store leftovers separately. Reheat the rice and beef together in the microwave, and then add your cold toppings after. This does great for meal prep. You can keep your hot ingredients in one storage container, and cold in another. Bring it to work, keep in the fridge, and you have easy Korean beef bowls for days!
Vegetables you can add are zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper, broccoli, and (not a vegetable, but) tofu. All of these things can be stir-fried for added flavor in the sauce mixture, or your own sauce concoction.
You can also add kimchi, seaweed sheets, or seaweed salad.
You start with your rice on the bottom, add the cooked beef on top of the rice, add vegetables such as sliced cucumber and sliced carrots, add other toppings you might want, such as a fried egg or kimchi, dress with sauce such as spicy sriracha, and enjoy!
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How to Make a Korean Beef Bowl
Korean Beef Bowl
Video
Ingredients
For the Korean Beef
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 3 green onions sliced
For the Bowls
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 1 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 6 persian cucumbers or mini cucumbers, sliced
- spicy mayo see notes for recipe
- green onion sliced
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
For Korean Beef
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook until golden brown and fragrant.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain excess grease.
- Add sauce and green onions and cook until the sauce has reduced a little and is clinging to the beef.
To Assemble:
- To each bowl add ½ cup rice, 2/3 cup beef, ¼ cup shredded carrots, 1 sliced persian cucumber, green onions, and sesame seeds.
- Top with spicy mayo and serve.
Notes
- Add Sriracha or Gochujang paste to the beef sauce for extra spice.
- If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can replace it with ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
- You can use thinly sliced sirloin steak instead of ground beef. Just marinate the beef in the sauce overnight before cooking to ensure tenderness.
