This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure form more information.

This Korean Ground Beef recipe is perfect for an easy dinner on busy weeknights and comes together in minutes! Serve over rice for a quick meal the whole family loves. Great for meal prep, too!

Plate of Korean ground beef over rice on the table.

Easy Korean Beef and Rice

I make this easy Korean-style beef and rice when I need a quick dinner that even my picky eaters will eat without complaining. It is a delicious way to change up our usual ground beef dinners, and it takes about 15-20 minutes, tops!

I also have an Instant Pot version of this recipe, but I actually like this stove-top version better. You can let the meat simmer and thicken in the sauce without using any thickeners like cornstarch.

We make a bunch of Instant Pot jasmine rice while the beef is cooking. Then, we make Korean beef and rice bowls and serve broccoli or other veggies, egg rolls or dumplings on the side. While it’s not authentic Korean recipe, it’s so simple, and the flavor is amazing!I

ground beef, beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, spices, sesame oil and sriracha sauce.

Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients from the grocery store in this easy recipe. Full amounts and video are in the printable recipe card below.

  • Ground beef — Choose lean ground beef if possible. You can sub ground turkey or ground chicken.
  • Soy Sauce — I like low-sodium soy sauce.
  • Beef Broth — to flavor the sauce
  • Brown sugar — for a little sweetness. You can sub honey if you have it.
  • Seasonings — garlic powder, ground ginger, sea salt, dried minced onion
  • Sriracha sauce — for a little heat. You can sub red pepper flakes or another spicy sauce like gochujang sauce.
  • Sesame oil — Just a little at the end of cooking adds so much flavor!

How to Make Korean Ground Beef

First, brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break up the meat as it cooks.

brown hamburger meat in skillet.

Then, add the broth, sauces and seasonings. Stir everything together until well combined, and let it simmer until the meat mixture is thickened.

stir sauce ingredients into beef.

Right before you are ready to serve, stir in a little sesame oil. This is meant to be more of a finishing sauce, so it goes in at the end of cooking.

serving spoon with Korean ground beef over skillet.

I like to add some sliced green onions for extra flavor and color. It’s not necessary, though. You can skip this part if your picky eaters aren’t fans of onions! Or let people add their own toppings for this Korean beef bowl.

Korean ground beef bowl with rice and green onions.

Storage

Store leftover beef and rice in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. This is also great recipe for meal prep. You can make small containers to use for lunches! You can also freeze the beef and rice or the beef by itself for up to 3 months.

Recipe Tip

Start cooking the rice when you star the beef, as it does not take long at all. You can also use quick-cooking rice like Minute Rice.

More Easy Ground Beef Recipes

Try my easy Sloppy Joes or my easy baked tacos or one pan taco pasta next! Or search more beef recipes, your family will love.

5 from 3 votes

Korean Ground Beef

By: Dee
This Korean Ground Beef recipe is perfect for an easy dinner on busy weeknights and comes together in minutes! Serve over rice for a quick meal the whole family loves. Great for meal prep, too!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients  

  • 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
  • ½ cup beef broth
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Save this recipe!
Enter your email and get this recipe sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Instructions 

  • Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink, breaking up with a spatula as the meat cooks
  • Add the remaining ingredients, except the sesame oil, and stir until well combined
  • Allow to simmer on medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed and the sauce has thickened
  • Stir in the sesame oil, and serve

Video

Notes

If serving over rice, start the rice when you start the beef, as the meat does not take long at all.
If you’re not using lean meat, you may want to drain the grease after browning.
You can sub red pepper flakes or chili sauce or your favorite hot sauce for the Sriracha or leave out for milder flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 746mg, Potassium: 480mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main
Cuisine: Asian
Like this? Leave a comment below!

For more easy recipes, sign up for the weekly newsletter and follow me on social media.

ebook cover.
Download my free eBook!
Fill out the download form to get this collection of easy dessert dips. You'll also receive free recipes each week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

You May Also Like

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. Yvonne says:

    This is so easy and tons of flavor! Wanted something really quick and was out of ideas so I tried this one! Wow! Going to make this often!5 stars

    1. Dee says:

      So glad you liked the Korean beef, Yvonne. Thanks for the wonderful review!