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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 added a little extra soy sauce and I topped it with a little spicy mayo! SO GOOD!!
Took your advice and made it this way last night & my family raved about it. I also used ground pork instead of the beef. It was a hit!! I’ve made this recipe many, many times, but they say this time I “took it up a notch”, so thanks for the suggestion!
Quick. Easy. Tasty. The whole family loves this one!
Can I omit the sesame oil?
Yes, but I would substitute it with canola oil or sunflower seed oil if you can!
Quick, easy, and tasty! Perfect for a mid week dinner.
Very food! My picky 12 year old had 2 servings and told me I could make it again for him. Lol
Going with a consensus of adding ingredients, I added shredded carrots and sliced onions, the whites of the green onions, and added an extra helping of garlic.
I didn’t have low-sodium soy sauce. So I used three parts tamari and one part water. Keeping the rest of the ingredients the same, everything turned out amazing. I think this will become a family favorite dish. As long as I don’t tweak it too much, it will be a weekly dish. Thanks for sharing!
Can you freeze the cooked beef for easy weeknight thaw out protein over rice?
Yes! That’s a great idea!
Very tasty. I add julienned cucumbers but would be great with a ton of other things. Lots of good suggestions in this comment section. We make it weekly here! Thank you for your hard work on these recipes.
Just too sweet for me
Just use less brown sugar! To your taste!
So far tastes great! I do have a question though. Do you guys dispose of the fat from the ground beef before putter the sauce on? I did not remove it when I poured over the sauce. Just seems like a lot of liquid and flavor going to waste or going to go hard. Thank you in advance for the help!
Yes, get rid of the fat first!
Sounds like ‘dinner’ tonight!
I recommend this recipe to a lot of people! The base recipe is fantastic, but after two times making the base, we switched things up!
Our alterations:
-We use 2 packages of shredded beef in place of the 90% ground
-We double the sauce mixture for each pound of meat
Our recommended toppings:
-Shredded carrot
-Fried egg
-Sautéed spinach with garlic
-Beni shoga (pickled red ginger)
-Sliced zucchini
-Green onion
-Toasted sesame seeds
-Gochujang sauce (for extra kick!)
Great and easy – usually just follow the recipe, but this time I had leftover greenbeans which I blanched and added for the last few minutes of cooking. This is the 4th time I’ve made it and it’s always good – the grandkids even like it! (that’s what the brown sugar does, I guess!)
So delicious and simple. I added some ginger paste into the meat while cooking alone with the minced garlic, and some frozen peppers and onions. Added a extra crushed red pepper cause I like a little kick. Simple, easy and good! Definitely adding this to my repertoire.
How would this taste without so much sugar
I haven’t adjusted the sugar before. Let me know how it turns out!
This was a very quick and delicious dish. Used cauliflower rice and it was o so yummy!!! Thank You.