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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 was thinking about maybe thinly slicing some sweet red peppers to add as well?
That sounds delicious! Let me know how it turns out.
This recipe is on regular rotation at our house because my kids love it. Since I usually have regular soy sauce on hand I add some extra water to lighten it up a bit and a bit of corn starch to thicken the sauce. My kids like the extra sauce anyway. I always make a double or triple batch and serve with a steamed veggie
Just made this and my boyfriend loved it! So did I. I put it over jade pearl rice, and paired it with blanched spinach + matchstick carrots.
For the spinach I boiled it for 30 seconds before straining and sautéing with the carrots in sesame oil, salt, and sesame seeds. This is a common bi bimbap topping and went great with this.
Thus recipe would rock with a over easy egg on top!! Also I highly reccomend crispy garlic in chili oil to go with this
I have used your recipe multiple times now & just wanted to thank you for a simple, delicious meal! My kids are picky eaters, & they both adore this. My husband does as well. I make a bag of steamable broccoli & throw it in a bowl so we can use that as a topping. Sometimes I use ground turkey or ground chicken. Everyone leaves the table full, satisfied, & happy. Thanks so much for this recipe…I’m putting it on a card to throw in my tried & true box! 🙂
This is requested once a week at my house too! So glad to hear that your kids love it as well.
No brown sugar at home. 🙁 Can I use white?
Yes, the sauce may end up as a different texture though!
What can I use instead of sesame oil
You could try olive oil or peanut oil. They will bring a slightly different flavor to the dish though!
TY so much for the recipe!!! Made it tonight & it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten ?
Recipe is delish! If anyone is looking to add veggies, I put in some bagged coleslaw mix (shredded carrots, red + green cabbage) at the very end and which added a slightly crunchy texture without interfering with the authenticity of the recipe. Will definitely make again and again. Thank you!
Sounds delicious!!
I’ve done this too and it’s great, especially if you want to leave out the rice and make it low carb.
I had this is at my daughter’s after a long day together at the zoo. It’s her go-to recipe when getting home late. She added steamed broccoli, which was delicious. I’ll be making it at home with cauliflower rice, since I follow the Keto diet. So glad to have this easy stand by recipe that doesn’t call for pricy cuts of beef!
I’ve made other Korean ground beef recipes but tried this one because the others were too salty. This was just right. I think the only thing I added was about 2 tsp of rice vinegar in the sauce bowl to give it a little zing. My new favorite way to use ground beef. I’m printing this for my own recipe book. Its a keeper.
I’m glad you love it! My family requests this recipe every week!
Try thickening up the sauce with a cornstarch slurry at the end!
I just made this and put it over my salad greens. Omg so awesome
IT was a simple recipe, I don’t like sweet overpowering the taste I will use 1 tablespoon. Of brown sugar next time.
Looks yummy! Do I have to use fresh ginger?
You can use ground ginger instead if that’s what you have on hand!
I am making this with my cooking group. I am going to add matchstick carrots and onion to the hamburg while browning the meat. Wonder if anyone else has done this?
I literally just made this the same with onions and matchstick carrots! I also added broccoli for some extra veggies.
I made this recipe tonight, with a few twists (mainly because I had left over veggies that needed to be used)..but I did add some diced carrots and it was so tasty! I also added half an onion to the beef and carrot mixture, turned out pretty darn good! I’ll be making this again in the future.
Ooooooooh SOOOOOOO good – I used Jasmine rice and it tasted amazing. I’d like to rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‼️
This recipe was perfect for the whole family. We tripled it because we are a family 7 and the kids like that it was not super spicy cause the adults enjoy spice and it had enough heat for us but not to much to overpower. This disappeared in 40 mins when everyone went for a second bowl. We had shrimp skewers as well as a nice fresh garlic bread to add to the meal and we rounded it out with a lovely pecan pie and vanilla ice cream with coffee. Was a decadent meal i have to admit it’s printed and in my personal recipe binder now ❤️
I’m so glad that you loved it!! Thanks for letting me know!
My 12yr old son has made this for us a few times and we LOVE it.
He does?? How awesome!