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Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls are so incredibly easy to make and will become a family favorite! This makes the perfect weeknight meal.
Such a simple meal with all the flavor! Try these different variations of Korean beef in these recipes: Korean Beef Noodles, Korean Ground Beef Stir Fry, or Slow Cooker Korean Beef.
Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls
This right here is my boy’s favorite weeknight meal. They beg me to make it every week. Since we have been so busy with Lacrosse, we have been having it every week. It requires minimal ingredients and little effort to make.
With minimal ingredients and big flavor, my kids devour it every time. The ground beef browns in minutes but still brings that classic Korean taste with brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger. I always have these simple ingredients on hand, so all I need is a pound of ground beef to make it happen. Serve it over rice, toss in some veggies, and top with sesame seeds and green onions for a quick, delicious dinner you’ll make again and again. If you love these flavors, try my Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Chicken next!
How do you make Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls?
- In a large skillet cook the ground beef and garlic breaking it into crumbles over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the grease.
- In a small bowl whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and pepper. Pour over the ground beef and let simmer for another minute or two.
- Serve over hot rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
What temperature should ground beef be cooked to?
The interior of a raw hamburger usually does contain bacteria, and is safest if cooked well done.The USDA sets the minimum safe temperature for ground beef at 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Can you make this with chicken?
Yes! This is a great chicken flavor as well. Sauté your chicken with all the ingredients. Cook until it is no longer pink.
What is the best rice to use?
- White rice
- Brown rice
- Jasmine rice
Looking for more simple ground beef recipes?! Here you go!
- Salsa Verde Beef and Mushroom Enchiladas
- Beefy Baked Tacos
- Tater Tot Nachos
- Cheesy Baked Ziti
- Classic Baked Spaghetti
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Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef 90% lean
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups hot cooked white or brown rice
- sliced green onions and sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook the ground beef and garlic breaking it into crumbles over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the grease.
- In a small bowl whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and pepper. Pour over the ground beef and let simmer for another minute or two.
- Serve over hot rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I had sleeve surgery and rice doesn’t go down very well. I eat meat and veggies and not much else. This meal is so great! I just stir fry what ever veggies and mix with the Berger. No rice or very little rice. It is so tasty, easy, and different.
Could I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. I’ve used it in a diff recipe. Just curious on your input. ??♀️ TIA
I haven’t tried that before but that sounds great! Let me know how it turns out!
Made this for dinner last night, and currently enjoying the leftovers for lunch. Due to what I had on hand, I omitted the red pepper flakes and used 5 cloves of garlic. I had the meat, rice and a nice bunch of green beans cooked and ready to serve in about 30 minutes.
This is an excellent recipe if you’re feeling lazy or are limited for time. It’s so simple and so flavorful. Warms up great for lunch leftovers, too! Also I like that using ground beef makes it more friendly for those of us with limited budgets. I may try to use this sauce with minced mushrooms for a vegetarian-friendly option.
This dish was a winner! I kept to the recipe except I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and Coconut Aminos instead of soy sauce. The flavors were amazing! My son who is Gluten Free and very picky wanted seconds! Simple and delicious…only took 15 minutes to make! ?
This is bomb! Everyone in my family loves it. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!!!
This recipe tastes great..I put less crushed red pepper and doubled everything else..except the rice. Added Green Bean
Wow, this was amazing!
I misread the recipe and added the garlic to the sauce instead of frying it with the beef, but it was still fantastic. I’m sure when I make it properly the garlic-infused meat will be to die for.
Thanks for a great, fast, easy recipe!
I have everything except Ginger. Will it taste the same without ginger??
Yep! It will still be amazing!
What about using white sugar instead of brown?
Yes, if that is what you prefer! That will be great too!
Will try this evening, sounds yummy!
What are people serving with this? Broccoli? I need a veggie here…
I made it tonight and will serve tomorrow. Even with low sodium soy it seems a bit salty but maybe that is because I just tested it w/o the rice.
Look on google or maybe here on Pinterest for a recipe called Chinese Blanched broccoli. I have had it for quite a while but am not at home so no access to it. Just a little work to make but I swear it is the best broccoli ever. Would go great with the Korean beef and rice.
Do you drain the beef of the excess fat?
Yes, I like to do that before adding the other ingredients. Hope that helps! Enjoy!
I make this about once a week and I still love it. Thanks for the recipe!
The Korean ground meat and rice bowl was so easy, yummy, and very forgiving to alterations; i.e. chopped onion for green onion and vegetable oil for sesame oil. I’ve already sent the recipe to many of my friends.
I’m usually not as crazy about the “5 ingredient dinners” because they usually end up lacking for me, but this was so much better than I expected. I used 5 cloves of garlic instead of 3, added fresh ginger instead, and used a jalapeño as well (since I needed to use it up anyways) and it taste just like spicy beef you would get at the mall. It’s really cheap and easy to make, and without any changes I think it would still be great!
My 12 year old son requests this regularly. I usually make it with beef, but tonight I tried ground turkey. We loved it. Thanks for a great recipe.
That is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing!