Delicious Korean Ground Beef is made with basic pantry ingredients and served over rice, for and easy 30 minute meal everyone loves!
![Korean Ground Beef served over rice, in a bowl.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Korean-Ground-Beef-1.jpg)
Ya’ll know I’m all about easy, family-friendly dinners and this Korean Ground Beef is always a winner! I love that it uses simple ingredints I always have on hand.
If you want some more great dinner ideas, check my list of 30-minute meals or one pan meals!
How to make Korean Ground Beef:
Start by browning your ground beef in a sauce pan. I season it with salt and pepper as it cooks. Remove grease. This is totally optional, but once it’s browned I like to put the meat in my food processor. I pulse it 2-3 times into very small pieces, and then return it to the pan. I love the way the sauce and flavor soaks into the meat when it’s finely ground like this.
![Ground beef browned in a skillet next to a food process with crumbled ground beef.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Korean-Ground-Beef.jpg)
Next add the sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Stir in brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha (or crushed red pepper of chili sauce).
![Crumbled ground beef in a skillet with spice and seasonings added on top.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Korean-Ground-Beef-6-1.jpg)
Add half of the chopped green onions, reserving the rest for garnish.
![Chopped green onion added on top of Korean ground beef cooking in a skillet.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Korean-Ground-Beef-5-1.jpg)
Serve over hot cooked rice, garnished with chopped green onion. I like to serve sliced cucumber on the side. It adds a wonderful fresh crunch and flavor that really compliments everything.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
This is a great meal to make a few hours or day ahead of time–it reheats well on the stove!
To Freeze, allow the mixture to cool, then place in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then rewarm on the stove.
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Recipe
![Korean Ground Beef served over rice, in a bowl.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Korean-Ground-Beef-1-500x500.jpg)
Korean Ground Beef Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger *
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce , crushed red pepper flakes, or chili garlic sauce
- 1 bunch green onion , chopped
- hot cooked brown or white rice , for serving
- Fresh cucumber , sliced, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Season beef with black pepper and add to skillet. Cook, stirring and crumbling into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned. Drain excess grease. (Optional: put beef in a food processor. Pulse it 2-3 times into very small pieces, and then return it to the pan.)
- Add sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Stir in brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha (or crushed red pepper of chili sauce). Cook for a few minutes, allowing some of the sauce to absorb into the meat.
- Add half of the chopped green onions, reserving the rest for garnish. Serve over hot cooked rice, garnished with chopped green onion.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe February 2018. Updated May 2021 with process photos and a video.
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Horrible! 1 cup soy sauce is way to much. Do not make this.
Horrible! Way too much soy sauce. Don’t make this.
I used low sodium soy sauce and found the flavor to be great. It was pretty liquidy – next time I’ll halve the soy sauce and sugar and add a tsp of corn starch. Roasted green beans made an excellent side for this.
Made this today – much too salty with 1c soy sauce. Ended up draining and washing the meat, unfortunately, then adding about 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar and around 1/2 c water with a tsp corn starch to thicken. It then ended up very good. But with just the sugar and soy sauce it was much too salty.