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Delicious Korean Ground Beef is made with basic pantry ingredients and served over rice, for and easy 30 minute meal everyone loves!
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.
Next add the sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Stir in brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha (or crushed red pepper of chili sauce).
Add half of the chopped green onions, reserving the rest for garnish.
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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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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe February 2018. Updated May 2021 with process photos and a video.
This is the first recipe from Lauren that I truly disliked. I cannot imagine this recipe not being a mistake. I love cooking and scanning through recipes, and I went against my better judgement and made this dish anyway. One cup of soy sauce for a pound of hamburger meat is way too much! I didn’t do low sodium because we like salty, and I never do when a recipe calls for it, but nonetheless, it was waaaayyy too salty and too much soy sauce taste and ginger. I never leave reviews, but this one was not okay. I actually threw it all out. We couldn’t even eat it. Hopefully, people will read the reviews and adjust the measurements! This could be a great dish with the right tweaks!
Thanks for your comment. This recipe was developed using low-sodium soy sauce, and that swap does make a big difference here. Using regular soy sauce will create a much saltier result than the recipe intends. I’m sorry it was a disappointing experience.