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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
- Beefy Enchilada 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 have done this recipe soooooo many times!!! So yummy!!
Great recipe! Easy and delicious. Silly question, are the nutritional facts based off per serving?
Hi Blair, thank you for your comment and review! Yes, the nutrition facts are based off a serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe, so the nutrition facts are for 1/4 of the dish.
This is a weekly staple at our house! I like to grate carrots or zucchini into the meat and let it simmer with the sauce. We also like it saucy so I’ll do 1.5x the sauce. So fast and easy!
I love this dish, I also add veggies, whatever I have on hand, onions, carrots, mushrooms, pea pods etc. And usually double the sauce.
I don’t remember when I first came across this recipe (it’s been years ago) but I’m still making it! Tonight is the first time I had to double it (growing children!) and I only had one pound of ground beef, so I added a pound of ground turkey, too. Still tasted the same! Tonight I served alongside the rice, some sliced apples, and baby carrots steamed in the microwave. Simple and quick.
Delicious! Husband even loves it! Easy too!
This is an easy go to recipe. I actual doubled the beef, but left all the other ingredient portions the same and I added a little water to the sauce mix. And it was still delicious and flavorful. I have made this a few times already.
This was a diversion from what I normally cook. I hadn’t cooked Korean previously but with the cost of food these days I’ve got to become more creative with ground beef and cheaper meats (and poultry). I dreaded serving this to my family who are not rice fans. It was way better than I ever expected and will make a definite improvement to my meal offerings. Thank you so much for an excellent, quick, easy and affordable recipe. Oh yeah, for other diabetics, use Swerve for the brown sugar and a limited amount of brown rice. You should be all set.
My husband is Korean and I’ve been looking for an easy but authentic Korean beef and rice bowl for a long time. I tried this a few weeks ago for the first time and it is absolutely delicious and tastes very close to bulgogi!
Delicious!!! Thank you for this amazing easy dish.
I made this but browned the ground meat by itself, then added the fresh garlic and ginger puree.
For sauce cut down soy sauce and brown sugar to about 1 tbsp each because I didn’t have low-sodium and didn’t want it too sweet with the sugar. Added to the sauce a splash of red wine, rice wine vinegar, Korean chili flakes and a drop of hoisin sauce, whisked and poured when garlic/ginger heated through. Added green onion and toasted sesame seeds and another dash of sesame oil.
Made with Jasmine rice, sprinkled furikake on the rice with a side of edamame beans.
My husband, daughter and I loved it and will make it again for sure.
It’s always a great recipe! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Very easy, way to sweet!
It was just okay. I like that it was quick and easy, but I probably won’t make it again.
I have not tried this yet but will! Our daughter in law is Korean so we absolutely love Asian food. What veggies did you add?
Hi Carey! Thank you for your comment and question. I often make broccoli with this meal. Another fun side you could make with a bunch of veggies is this vegetable lo mein! Let me know how it turns out!
I add peas to this for some veggies and color. It is very good.
My son is a very picky eater but he absolutely loves this! It’s his favorite meal so I make it once a week or every other week. The only thing I change is, I don’t have low sodium soy sauce so I do regular and dilute it with water.
Wow Jordan! This is so great to hear that your son loves it so much! What an honor! Thank you for coming back to review and comment!
I dropped the brown sugar and cut the sesame oil in half and instead used 1 tsp mirron. It was great.