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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.
Recipe is delish! I fried sweet bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms in a different pan and added it to the bowl, my husband loved it, he put his ingredients in a romaine leaf and made a lettuce wrap. He said it tasted like a p.f. chang’s appetizer lol
I have been using this recipe for some time now. The whole family loves it! Tonight I am going to make them into egg rolls, Yum!
What is another substitute for ginger for this recipe?
You are welcome to leave it out and there will not be a huge difference in taste.
I have to ask, is the ground beef drained first?
Yes, if you have a lot of excess grease. I use a lean ground beef that doesn’t leave grease.
Is there another oil that we can substitute in for the sesame oil… like olive, avocado, or grape seed oil?
Yes, all of those will work too. It may just alter the taste of the beef. You can also use teriyaki sauce for a sweeter taste.
do you think it would be okay if I used half the soy and dilute the rest of it with water?
You are welcome to try that if needed. It is a delicious beef bowl!
made this recipe but it kinda seemed very salty is that because i used regular soy sauce and not reduced sodium soy sauce?
Yes, that is probably why. It is best to use the reduced sodium soy sauce.
Yes! It called for reduced sodium soy sauce and Regular soy sauce would make it too salty. Try it again but use reduced sodium soy sauce. I think you will like it!!!
I used ground turkey instead of beef and added baby spinach and mushrooms
You can also use lime to cut the salt if you don’t have reduced. That’s what I did turned out great
Wonderful, quick and easy dinner. My family loved it. I added fresh spinach and sliced mushrooms because I had them on hand.
Thank you!
We must have this once a week it is so good! I buy a bag of broccoli slaw at the grocery store and throw some of that in at the end and double the sauce. SO SO good and quick and easy!
I’ve tried many versions of this from other sites, and this is the ONE. So easy and yummy. I added shredded carrots for some added color and crunch.
This is absolutely wonderful! It is so simple and yet it can be elevated and able to swap ground beef or pork. You can basically modify this to your own personal preference. I decided to add Frozen stir-fry veggies with mine and it elevated it and it was so wonderful. My youngest daughter who is quite picky when it comes to food absolutely love this! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
This is amazing and sooooo easy!!! Like something you would find in a restaurant
Delicious! Made it vegan with Beyond Meat. My husband loved it! Added some mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots) and served over jasmine rice. Could use Tamari or coconut aminos to make this gluten free, also. Will definitely make again!
My sister sent me this recipe and I had to try it. It was so quick and easy and incredibly flavorful and delicious. I had it over jasmine rice. Definitely a keeper. Thanks so much for this great recipe.
Super yummy. I didn’t have any ground ginger but I had some fresh and I grated a small piece and used that and it was really good. You could really taste the ginger ? I am not a huge fan of ground beef but I had a bunch in the freezer because it was super cheap like $2/lb ? and found this and glad I tried it I had everything on hand. Simple but delicious. I had it with rice and broccoli ? this will become a monthly meal 🙂
Made this tonight, wife & I throughly enjoyed this dish. Quick & easy and full of flavor!!
This turned out to be a decent dinner, it was very quick and easy to do in case you are squashed for time or for a busy evening after work. I will try and saute onions at the beginning next time to add a bit more flavour. Overall it was good.