This easy Korean ground beef recipe is a quick weeknight dinner recipe that’s big on flavor. The ground beef only takes about 15 minutes to make.
My family loves my Instant Pot Korean beef recipe, but I wanted to make a faster version that’s perfect for cooking up on busy weeknights. So, I made this easy Korean ground beef recipe that only takes about 15 minutes to make.
This is an easy weeknight dinner that is big on flavor but can be made with little effort. Another great thing about this recipe is that the flavors can be changed up to fit your tastes. You can easily make it a little spicier (or sweeter) depending on how you like it.
Korean ground beef is also great for meal prep and makes tasty Korean ground beef bowls. Give it a try, and your entire family will love this delicious Korean ground beef!
How to make Korean ground beef
Step 1: Stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, beef broth, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, grated ginger, Gochujang sauce, onion powder, and black pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. Drain any excess fat and return to the pan.
Step 3: Pour sauce over browned ground beef, and stir in.
Step 4: Cook until the sauce has cooked down and only about 1/4 cup of sauce remains.
Step 5: Garnish the sliced green onions.
Recipe Tips!
- Ground Beef: A different ground meat like ground pork or ground turkey could also be used in place of the ground beef.
- Soy Sauce: I prefer to use reduced-sodium soy sauce so that I can control the sodium level. If you prefer, you can use regular soy sauce.
- Gochujang Sauce: Gochujang has a lovely sweet and spicy flavor that’s key for the simple Korean-inspired sauce. Feel free to adjust the amount of Gochujang sauce depending on your desired spice level.
Just be sure to get sauce and not paste as the paste is concentrated and will be much hotter with the amounts given in the recipe. - This is a great meal-prep recipe! Just add the beef, your choice of white rice, sticky rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice, and vegetables to your meal prep container for a quick and tasty meal.
Serving suggestion
To make a complete meal, I serve this ground beef over rice with a side of steamed vegetables, like broccoli. I top it with sliced green onion and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
If you want a low-carb option, serve over cauliflower rice or use the meat as filling for lettuce wraps.
Storage
Store any leftover Korean ground beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The beef will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.
More easy dinner recipes!
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Korean Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons Gochujang sauce1
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound lean ground beef
Instructions
- Stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, beef broth, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, grated ginger, Gochujang sauce, onion powder, and black pepper.
- Set aside.
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet.
- Drain any fat and return to the pan.
- Pour sauce over browned ground beef, and stir in.
- Cook until the sauce has cooked down and only about 1/4 cup of sauce remains, about 1-3 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Ground Beef: Ground pork or ground turkey could also be used in place of the ground beef.
- Soy Sauce: I prefer to use reduced-sodium soy sauce so that I can control the sodium level. If you prefer, you can use regular soy sauce.
- Gochujang Sauce: Feel free to adjust the amount of Gochujang sauce depending on your desired heat level. Just be sure to get sauce and not paste as the paste is concentrated and will be much hotter with the amounts given in the recipe.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Darrell says
This is a great recipe and adds a lot to basic ground beef. Could this recipe be used with spaghetti sauce over pasta?
Kate says
You could serve it over noodles or rice, but I haven’t tried adding this ground beef to spaghetti sauce to say how that would work.
lil says
Tried this and enjoyed the great flavor and how quick it was to make. I also was looking for a new recipe to freeze for family and turned this into a Korean shepherd’s pie with some added peas and diced carrot. Maybe not a traditional approach but everyone loved it. This is a keeper, however it is served.
Kate says
What a fun idea!
Deb says
What a great change from plain hamburgers. Will have to make again because we had no leftovers. Btw, love the Niman brand.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that it was a hit! That’s so good to hear! =)
Jan says
Loved this Korean ground beef. Will make it again.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that. Thanks for commenting!