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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.
Really nice dish! Flavor is very well-balanced. If you want it a bit less sweet, you could go with 2/3 to 3/4 of the sugar. I used regular soy sauce (instead of low-sodium) and it came out great. Also be sure to use asian sesame oil which is made from toasted sesame seeds and has a darker color. If you use raw sesame oil from a health food store, it won’t taste right (made that mistake once many years ago).
This recipe was so delicious, thank you so much! I didn’t have any red pepper flakes, so I used some sweet chili sauce instead, and topped it all with a bit of shredded lettuce in addition to the scallions. The cool crispy lettuce and scallions went so well with the warm soft meat and rice!
Made this today and it was yummy! Everyone in the house enjoyed it.
Needed a different recipe for ground beef and found this. Succeeded all expectations. Made it exactly as the recipe. Fantastic! Will go into our regular rotation. So easy and everything I had on hand. Will try adding some onions and broccoli next time.
Are you supposed to drain the ground beef?
If your meat is lean enough you do not need to but if there is a substantial amount of grease it is best to drain it before adding the sauce.
My family loves it with beef or chicken! It is so quick and easy too!
This was so good, and so easy! I added what was left from a bag of frozen mixed soup veggies just about the time the beef was through cooking. Thanks so much!
Delicious!
I would double the sauce, but not the meat, so you could have some extra sauce for the rice.
It was good by the recipe. However I added chopped bell pepper and blanched cabbage to it for crunch on the second time. I also used some terriaki glaze to add moisture.
Terrific. I cooked some sliced bell pepper and onion in the skillet first then added it to the bowl at the end along with shredded carrot. Also served with kimchi for Korean flair. This was a big hit with both my husband and me.
So easy and good! I used a TB spoon of fresh ginger, added some sriracha, and paired w spicy kimchi and steamed broccoli…yum! Leftovers would be good w a fried egg for breakfast.
Quick, easy, and delicious! The rice didnt work out, so we ate in tortillas like tacos..
Teenaged son and adult son said to make it again!
Korean tacos!! Use cabbage vs. lettuce for extra crunch. Shredded carrot adds color.
This was really good. It exceeded my expectations and was quick and easy.
Next time I plan to add a bunch of veggies (red peppers/sugar snap peas/mushrooms) and double the sauce to account for all the add-ins.
But for this first attempt I reduced sugar by 25%, skipped the red pepper flakes and green onion, and added diced onion. Served over cauliflower rice and it was perfect!
Wow! So easy and delicious! I was looking for a simple recipe for ground beef and saw this one. I checked the ingredients and had all of them in the pantry. It smelled fabulous when cooking and tasted even better! I want to try it with thinly sliced beef and maybe jasmine rice instead of plain white rice. Will definitely be making this again and again!
This recipe is so delicious, I’m so glad I came across it!!! I make it at least once a week!
Perfect! So good! Quick, easy, and delicious. I substituted peanut oil for sesame oil.