What our readers are saying about this recipe
I have made this multiple times and LOVE ❤️ it. The flavors are amazing! Thank you for the great addition to our “go to” recipes.
Jen
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This recipe is a reader favorite, with over 500+ ratings! Browse more reader comments below.
Why this recipe works
The trick with this one is letting the seasoned beef cook on medium-high heat in the pan long enough that the bottom layer starts to caramelize and stick to the pan. Those crispy, browned bits are what give the dish its actual Korean inspired flavor, the kind you’d get from a restaurant. If you stir constantly or cook on too low a heat, you don’t get the same result.
Optional: a 2-ingredient spicy mayo on top, mayo plus hot sauce, that takes about 30 seconds to mix together.
Ingredient notes
Fresh ginger: Grated, not powdered. Powdered ginger doesn’t have the same punch of flavor. A microplane works perfectly.
Shallot: Finely diced. Half a small yellow onion works as a substitute, but shallot is the go-to for balance in this dish.
Red pepper flakes: Brings the heat. Cut back to taste if you’re cooking for kids or anyone heat-shy.
How to make Korean-inspired ground beef bowls
Looking for more? Here are all of our quick + easy recipes!
What to serve with Korean beef bowls
- Over white rice or jasmine rice for a classic bowl
- Over cauliflower rice if you want to keep it lighter
- With sautéed greens (spinach, bok choy, or cabbage) for extra veggies
- With shredded carrots, cucumber slices, and green onions for crunch and freshness
- With a fried egg on top, the runny yolk mixes into the beef and rice
- In lettuce wraps for a no-rice option that’s still filling
Testing notes from our kitchen
Be sure to cook the beef in the sauce for a while at the end: Let the coconut aminos and fish sauce cook down with the beef. The sauce caramelizes onto the meat instead of just sitting on top.
Cauliflower rice tip: If you’re going the lower-carb route, cauliflower rice mixed with the beef and the spicy mayo is so good. Cook the cauliflower rice dry first so it doesn’t water down the bowl.
Toppings galore: Avocado, jalapenos, sliced green onions, sesame seeds. There are so many options here, make it your own. Did I mention the 2-ingredient spicy mayo?
Weeknight Korean Ground Beef Bowls (with Crispy Caramelized Bits)
Ingredients
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated on a microplane
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 pounds ground beef, (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, (omit if you don't want it spicy)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos, (can sub 2-3 tbsp soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce, (see notes)
- 4 cups cooked rice
Optional sauce:
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 tbsp hot sauce, (adjust to taste)
Optional toppings:
- chopped green onions
- sliced avocado
Instructions
- Start by preparing rice to have it ready.4 cups cooked rice
- Dice shallot and grate ginger to have it ready.1 shallot, diced, 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated on a microplane
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add sesame oil. Once hot, add in ground beef. Break the beef up into small bits.1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 2 pounds ground beef
- Add the shallot, ginger, red pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and mix with the beef. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned and developing some crispy bits, about 8 minutes.1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Add the coconut aminos and fish sauce and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the liquid evaporates and the beef develops crispy, caramelized bits on the bottom.1/2 cup coconut aminos, 2 tbsp fish sauce
- If you are making the optional sauce, mix the mayo and hot sauce in a small bowl.1/4 cup mayo, 1 tbsp hot sauce
- Serve beef in a bowl over rice. Top with optional sauce and any other desired toppings and enjoy.chopped green onions, sliced avocado
Notes
- Nutrition estimates are per serving and estimate provided for reader benefit. Estimates do not include optional toppings or sauce for this recipe. See our full nutrition information disclosure here.
- The coconut aminos linked to in the recipe are the aminos we use (Coconut Secret coconut aminos). Braggs brand aminos are NOT the same thing. Braggs liquid aminos are a soy-based and much saltier than coconut aminos. If you use Braggs aminos, we suggest using only 2-3 tbsp to start and adjusting to taste.
- As an alternative to coconut aminos, you can make your own using our DIY coconut aminos substitute recipe.
- If you wish to omit the fish sauce, you can replace it with more coconut aminos. Since fish sauce is salty, you may need to add salt to suit your taste.
I needed something fast to make for my grandson. This was perfect. It took me about 20 minutes from start to eat. It was yummy!
Thank you so much for posting your recipe.
You’re welcome, glad your grandson enjoyed it!
This is was so good and so easy. Made white rice. Used steamed snow peas under the beef and added cole slaw mix on top. This recipe really had amazing flavor!
Very ,very good. Made it with ground pork and will definitely make it again.
I’ve never commented on a recipe before but this is such a family favorite over the past few years I have to give it a shout out. Both of my kids request this as their dinner of choice for a special occasion. So easy to prepare and so, so good!
What a great review, thanks for coming back to let us know!
While this recipe took a lot of time to prep (grating fresh ginger, ricing the cauliflower), the end result was what we call in our house, “RQ,” meaning “Restaurant Quality;” we would pay a lot of money to eat it in a restaurant! This dish is bursting with spice, flavor, heat and was amazing with cauliflower rice and the spicy mayo. Be sure to make this with the fresh ingredients, especially the ginger and shallot, and don’t skip the spicy mayo. Best part is we got to enjoy it for two nights with leftovers – AMAZING!
“RQ”, I love that one! Thanks for the review, so happy your family enjoyed the recipe 🙂
This is a super easy and tasty meal. I made it one time with the cauliflower rice and i highly recommend it. It will be a regular meal that I cook from now on. I also used chopped baby spinach raw, that when added to the cooked meat and cauliflower wilted a little as if partially cooked. Yum!
Fast, easy … and absolutely delicious!
Will be making this often.
I made this for myself tonight-so good! I can’t wait to make it again and have my husband eat it. It was an easy recipe too.
I am always looking for quick Paleo meals. This is one I have made quite a few times for our family, and it received the “make it again” category status. As I am teaching my daughter to cook, this recipe is perfect too. We often make cabbage and broccoli to serve with it as well.
I used ground turkey meat. Served over white rice and topped with avocado. The spicy mayo throws it over the top! Absolutely delicious! Even my 3 year old loved it! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe 😊
You’re welcome!
This is, by far, the best recipe I have ever come across. My husband and I don’t cook. We don’t know how, we don’t have time, and we don’t really have the desire. This recipe is easy enough that I will make it a few times a month. The taste is amazing! Everyone in our family craves this meal at least once a month. So much flavor. So many textures. Filling. Satisfying. I can’t say enough about it. It’s so good. Make it!!
What an amazing review, thank you!
Easy and always a hit with my family!
Favorite dish in our house, for the greens I use a bag of Cole Slaw mix, stays nice and crunchy and adds flavor.
What would you suggest for a non-spicy sauce?
Our sweet potato fry sauce or our chipotle aioli (minus the chipotle) would be great! Any store bought sauce you like would work too.
Someone had made me a Korean beef bowl I absolutely loved so I was trying to find a recipe to imitate what I had. This looked like the closest recipe I could find. Tried it last night.
Super easy to make. Will use this recipe again however omit the fish sauce, it’s SO salty! I think the rest of the flavors I’m looking for are there somewhere under the saltiness. Bummed for now as this was my meal plan meals for the week but hopefully the next batch is perfect!
Hopefully so! Omitting the fish sauce will make it less salty for sure.
Fantastic quick dinner. It tasted amazing!
Wow! This was really good. I substituted ground beef for turkey. Everyone loved it!
Happy to hear that! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, we appreciate it 🙂
Very delicious meal
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was great! I also added broccoli to it which was good
I may have commented before because this recipe has become a staple in our home. Last time I made it, we subbed ground turkey for beef and served it over cilantro lime rice with a bag of broccoli slaw and some snap peas on the side. Total hit with everyone in the family! We use chili garlic sauce to flavor our mayo aioli and add a little extra garlic powder.
Happy to hear this one is a staple in your house! It’s so easy to modify with whatever you have or want 🙂
Such a fantastic easy recipe! Always a win in my house of 4! I make Kim chee cucumbers to go with this if I plan ahead… this recipe is a go to.
Been making this recipe for a couple of years now and it is always a family favorite!
Happy to hear that Mary!
Absolutely delicious!
So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to leave a review!
Made this tonight with my teenage son. Oh my! It was delicious. Everyone in the family liked it! We did add in some shredded cabbage toward the end of the cooktime just for a bit of a crunch. Yum
Could have this every night !
Agreed, we have this one often 🙂
I added freshly squeezed lime juice and zucchini. All of the flavors were delish!
I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I was anticipating a large amount of leftovers, as there are only 3 people in my family, but we ate all of it. I can’t wait to make this again. It is definitely a new family favorite. Thank you!
Hahaha! We’ve had that happen, too! We think we’re meal prepping a big enough batch and it never lasts as long as we think. Thanks for giving our recipe a try and also for coming back to share how it went. We love hearing from you. 🙂
This was EXCELLENT!!! Soooo savory and delicious! Served as suggested with cauli rice on a bed of spinach…Lawrd, it’s so good!
This is such a great recipe! It’s delicious, easy & kid-friendly! Everyone in my family, including my 5 year old twins ate every last bite!
That’s the best review! We love hearing it’s a hit for the whole fam! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review for us. We appreciate your support! 🙂
I just made this and it is DELISH! I made it with chicken, but I bet the beef would give it even more flavor! The sauce adds a nice kick. So glad I found this recipe!
I made this last night and it was definitely easy and delicious. We served over rice w/ sauteed spinach and kimchi, as well as the sauce/green onions. Fantastic as a leftover lunch too!
I made this a couple weeks ago, but doubled the sauce & served it with broccoli, zucchini, onions, and garlic sautéed in toasted sesame oil and my picky almost 7 year old ate two full bowls, zucchini & all. Being put into our normal rotation.
Love the pairing with different veggies, we need to try that! Thanks so much for coming back over to leave a rating and review, we appreciate it 🙂
We love this recipe! I make it with stir-fry veggies instead of the greens (family preference) and often double the sauce because it’s just soooooo good. Thanks for a great recipe!!
You’re welcome! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review, we appreciate it 🙂
Printed this recipe a while ago; finally tried it. It was a big hit with the family! Used cauliflower rice for whole 30 and rice for those who are not.
As promised it’s quick and simple to make. Very tasty.
Thanks Wendy, glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This recipe is always a hit in our house. It’s easy to modify and delicious as written.
This recipe was delicious and easy to prepare. So flavorful and came together quickly! Enjoy!
What are the calories on each bowl?
We don’t have that information available but you can plug the recipe details into an online calculator like myfitnesspal if needed.
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a while and have finally made it! We LOVED it! My husband wants it added into the rotation and my girls (11 & 13) enjoyed it as well! I made steamed broccoli as a side and hubby and 11yo tossed that in with the beef and rice! I made jasmine rice instead of cauliflower and we used baby spinach as our green!
So glad to hear that you tried and enjoyed this recipe, it’s one of our family favorites too 🙂
So easy and delicious
We absolutely love this recipe! My daughter has insisted that it’s on our weekly menu! We eat it with spinach and rice, and drizzle Hoisin Sauce on top.
Love hearing that, thanks for coming back to leave a review!
I love the flavor of this dish but when I make it again, I’d use cabbage/slaw and not lettuce. The lettuce wilts and gets slimy from the heat of the rice and meat. I’d probably add the slaw to the meat at the end of simmering so soften it up.
What kind of hot sauce do you use? Or what kind do you think works best for this recipe? Thanks!
We just use whatever we have on hand at the time. Typically, it’s a jalapeno based hot sauced. Really, whatever kind you enjoy will work great! Let us know how it goes. We’d love to hear. 🙂
A friend made this for me and my 4 kids when my husband was out of town and one of my kids got sick. It was delish!!! I cannot wait to try it myself. I’m wondering if this freezes well?
What a lovely friend you have! We haven’t tried freezing this one, but I think the beef would be fine. I’d just make whatever rice or cauliflower rice to go with it the day you plan to actually eat it. Hope that helps! And we hope you find many new favorite recipes on our site! 🙂
Such a simple and delicious recipe. Easy to add any veggies you want to the bowl.
Could I cut this recipe down to 1lb of ground beef? If so, do I need to cut the rest of the ingredients by half, too? It’s just two of us and 1lb is usually plenty including leftovers.
Yes you can cut it to 1lb and yes you should cut the rest of the ingredients. If you change the servings in the recipe card, all of the ingredients will update automatically for you 🙂