Instant Pot Korean Beef is tender, flavorful Korean beef made in a pressure cooker. Recipe includes explanation of gochujang and gochujang substitution.
This Instant Pot Korean Beef recipe is a variation on my slow cooker Korean beef recipe, which is one of my favorite crock pot recipes.
Rather than cooking all day, the Instant Pot cuts the total time from 6-8 hours to just over an hour. Most of that time is hands-off, which makes this a pretty simple recipe.
What is gochujang?
Gochujang is a key ingredient in this Korean beef. It’s a sweet and spicy red chili paste that’s commonly used in Korean cooking. Not to be confused with Thai sweet chili sauce or a spicy chili sauce like Sriracha, gochujang sauce adds unique flavor to this dish.
There are several different brands of gochujang sauce available, and I’ve seen it everywhere from my local supermarket to Walmart, Target, and Amazon. We prefer it to Sriracha, and even my kids love the flavor of the sweet and spicy sauce.
**Note – be sure to get gochujang sauce, not paste. The paste is more concentrated and will give you a much spicier result.**
What can you substitute for gochujang?
I highly recommend buying a bottle of gochujang sauce. If you can’t gochujang sauce (or just don’t want to purchase it), you can substitute a mixture that consists of a little Sriracha, a dash of additional soy sauce, and a little additional brown sugar to taste instead.
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Instant Pot Korean Beef
Pressure cooker tender Korean beef.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 2-4 tablespoons Gochujang sauce* depending on desired heat
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3-4 pound boneless beef chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, whisk together first 10 ingredients (up to roast).
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Place cubed roast into Instant Pot.
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Pour sauce over cubed meat.
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Close the lid, and make sure the pressure release valve is turned to "SEALING".
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Press the MEAT program button, and adjust time to 40 minutes. The pot should reach pressure within 10-15 minutes.
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Once the pot reaches pressure, it will begin counting down.
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Once it has finished cooking, it will beep and switch to keep warm.
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Allow beef to remain in pot for 25 minutes NPR (natural pressure release).
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Carefully release any pressure left at that time by turning the pressure release valve to "VENTING".
Recipe Notes
*See notes above recipe for an explanation and substitute. Also, be sure to get gochujang sauce, not paste.
**Nutrition facts are estimates.
Nutrition facts per serving (1serving)
Leftovers? Try the Korean beef in this Korean Beef Taco Cup recipe.
Carol says
This was delicious! Followed the recipe exactly, and it was hands down the best dish I’ve made in the InstantPot so far.
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad that you liked it! =D Thank you for coming back to comment!
Tara says
This was absolutely amazing! I used a 4# chuck roast (extra fat cut off), thickened the sauce with cornstarch, and served with toasted sesame seeds + sliced green onions over rice (also in the instant pot). AMAZING! No leftovers… Myself and my three grown sons polished it off completely. Yum!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that it was a hit! That sounds like how we like it, too. =) Thanks for coming back to leave a comment!
Jeannie says
Loved this, thanks for the recipe… one comment, since you take the time to explain about Gochujang, it might be good to add a blurb about Gochujang sauce vs paste, or highlight that there is a difference at least. I am Korean and use the paste in everything, and I have a high tolerance for spice.. I didn’t read your recipe carefully (my fault) and used the paste instead of sauce. My husband, who is not Korean and has low spice tolerance, nearly died haha! But anyway, he enjoyed it nonetheless, it was very tasty but a little spicy for him. I’ll try it again with sauce for him ;) Thank you!
Kate says
Thank you! Such a helpful comment! I will add a note about that so that no one mixes up the two. Thank you again for taking the time to come back to comment! =)
Sandy Arthur says
Lol- I use the paste too and made this- my kids thought too hot, but it was still so good we demolished it!
Diane says
This was a huge hit for dinner tonite. All the boys in the house enjoyed the flavours. I enjoyed the “set it and forget it” ease of dinner prep. I used just 2 tbsp of the Korean pepper sauce but think I will up to 3tbsp next time…..and there definitely with be many next times. Thanks
Kate says
That’s awesome!! Yes! This is one of those recipe that you can easily adjust. Thank you for taking the time to come back to comment! =)
Sara says
This is so good! I have never had anything Korean before so I was a little nervous to try this but it was amazing. The meat gets so tender in the instant pot!
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you liked the beef. =) Thanks for coming back to comment!
Susan O’Shea Smith says
This recipe is so easy and absolutely delicious. I just got my IP yesterday. Other than the 2 mini test with 3 cups of water, your recipe was the first that I tried. Thank you so much. I can’t believe how tender, juicy and flavorful the meat is.
Kate says
Thank you! Congrats on your new IP! I’m so glad that you liked it and that it came out well for you. Thank you for coming back to comment!
SK says
I have a really dumb question….very new to instant pot cooking so appreciate the patience. Are you supposed to eat the meat with the sauce? As in serve the meat almost like a stew? I thought the sauce was more like a marinade (so you wouldn’t eat something drenched in marinade) and so when I ate the meat on it’s own it was a bit dry.
Kate says
That’s ok! Yes, you eat the meat with some of the sauce. However, the meat should be tender on its own, so you may find that you need to adjust the cooking time if it’s dry. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
ron says
390kcal…is that 390 THOUSAND calories per serving?
Kate says
Actually, yes. =) The “calories” that we’re used to seeing on food labels are actually “Calories” or “kilocalories”. And there are 1000 calories in a Calorie or kilocalorie. However, if you’re asking whether or not the dish has 390,000 Calories per serving, then no. No, it doesn’t.
Marlene says
Very easy to make & absolutely delicious! I served it with rice, broccoli, and carrots. This is definitely our new favorite meal. Used leftovers for lunches.
Kate says
Thank you so much! That’s fantastic! I like to serve it with rice and broccoli, too. =) Thanks for coming back to comment!
Tiffany says
Would it be possible to substitute gochujang sauce with the paste, and just try to dilute it with the rest of the liquid?
Kate says
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work. Good luck! =)
Liz says
Delicious! This is now one of my ‘go-to’ super easy recipes after a long day’s work. My husband loves it, and the leftovers are always a hit for lunch the next day. And because of how tender meat turns out in the Instant Pot, I just use whatever cut of beef is on sale.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you like it! One of my fave things about this beef is how well it reheats. =) Thanks for coming back to comment!