This super easy Korean Ground Beef Recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes and is bursting with a sweet and spicy flavor.
If you’re looking for an easy ground beef recipe to serve your family that uses that last bit of beef in your fridge or freezer, than this is it!
Easy Korean Ground Beef Recipe
This easy dinner is one of my go-to recipes, because it uses a handful of ingredients I keep in my fridge and comes together in under 15 minutes. This dinner has a lot of similar flavors to Korean Beef Bulgogi, but it’s way quicker to make!
Ingredients Needed –
*you can find exact measurements in the printable recipe below
- Lean Ground Beef – you could also use ground turkey for a leaner option!
- Garlic
- Ginger – I like to use the fresh ginger in the tubes
- Sesame Oil – I use light sesame oil, but dark would work too
- Brown Sugar – gives the dish it’s signature sweetness
- Soy Sauce – use low sodium soy sauce if desired
- Chili Garlic Sauce – like Huy Fong
- Green Onions
How To Make Korean Ground Beef
- Start by browning your lean ground beef in a skillet with garlic and ginger.
- Drain any excess fat and then return to the stove top.
- Season with a little sesame oil, brown sugar, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce (or Sriracha if desired).
We love to serve this deliciously seasoned ground beef right on top of a bed of hot rice.
To make it a full meal – I’ll add sliced cucumbers and matchstick carrots alongside the ground beef and rice.
How Can I Make this Ground Beef Recipe Low Carb?
Believe it or not, this Korean Ground Beef Recipe can easily be converted to a low carb meal!
- Swap out the brown sugar for a low carb brown sugar sweetener.
- Serve the ground beef over a bed of hot cauliflower rice instead of regular rice.
- Try serving the Korean Ground Beef mixture in a lettuce wrap for a fun taco-inspired dish!
This super easy ground beef recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes with ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
PRO TIP: start cooking the rice before I even start browning the beef because it cooks that fast! If you’re using minute rice, you’ll be sitting down to eat dinner even quicker!
What To Serve With Korean Ground Beef?
Try pairing this easy dish with a side of Egg Drop Soup or these Crispy Chicken Egg Rolls.
My kids went nuts for this super quick dinner recipe. It was perfect for our busy weeknight when I had to run two kids to gymnastics, one to mountain bike practice and help the other with a school project.
More Ground Beef Recipes To Try –
Looking for more ground beef recipe inspiration? I’ve got you covered with these quick and tasty meal ideas…
- Kung Pao Ground Beef
- Italian Beef and Pasta Skillet
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta Skillet
- Easy Mongolian Ground Beef
- Ground Beef Enchiladas
I’m sure you’re going to love how quickly and easily this dinner comes together for you as well!
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Easy Korean Ground Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ginger, minced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tsp chili garlic sauce, or Sriracha hot sauce
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions, divided
- 2 cups hot cooked rice
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- 1 tsp sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef, garlic and ginger in a skillet over medium heat, breaking the ground beef into small pieces until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat and return skillet to stove top.
- Add in the sesame oil, brown sugar, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring until the meat is moistened and the glossy. Add in half of the green onions and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Serve the ground beef mixture on top of the hot rice along side the cucumbers and carrots. Garnish with additional green onions and sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE:
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Christie
Absolutely love this simple dish! I used gochjang for the chili sauce since that’s all I had on hand and low sodium soy sauce but the taste was amazing! I may reduce the sugar some next time but only to see how it comes out. This recipe is still a favorite for me!
Natasha
My boyfriend and I love this recipe. We make it once a week sometimes and love to variate with different cold veggies. Sooo goooof!
Natasha
*good
Erin
I did reduce the sugar a bit (1/4 cup), otherwise followed the rest of the recipe. We served over zoodles instead of rice. It was delicious! We’ll be adding this to our dinner rotation.
Mimich
Love this recipe. It quick and easy.
Colleen
Delicious! Added sliced onion, zucchini, peas and mushrooms. Will definitely make it again and again!
Jen
Simple & Delicious!!
Shell
So easy!! Sooooo tasty!!! The only complaint I had at the table tonight was I should have doubled the recipe. It immediately went on our favorite’s list!
Island Breeze
Made this as written, using low sodium soy sauce, and it was delicious! Served it with bok choy in black bean garlic sauce. I ate it 3 times in a row for dinner and once for lunch and wish I had even more. By the way I LOVE cooking, usually more elaborate dishes, but this is certainly simple and a make again meal. Thanks!
CatGoTail
So easy, so delicious! The only change I made is that, since I had no fresh ginger, I used 1/2 tsp of ground ginger instead.
The chili garlic sauce is a perfect spicy balance to the sweetness of the brown sugar. My kids and I enjoyed it. I can’t wait to make it again!
Desiree
This is one of our go to meals. So much flavor! The only thing I do differently is add my carrots in the beef with the green onion. I like them slightly cooked.
Ashley
Delicious. So easy and so tasty. My family likes flavorful things, so I put about an extra teaspoon of fresh ginger and an extra teaspoon of the chili garlic sauce which made it perfect. Definitely a new favorite recipe! Thank you!
Tammy s
I made this and it was great when i added the soy sauce I also added a couple cups of beef broth. When it came to gether I mixed cornstarch and seasoned rice vinegar. It thickened it up and made it like a gravy sauce.
Jerry
I gotta say you hit this out of the park with recipe. I ended up making naan for the starch to go with. The pockets were extraordinary. I also added some of the carrots to beef mixture to give it some colour. Killer good flavors The cucumbers add a prefect crunch, taste, and excellent mouth feel to the whole dish. New regular addition to my menu.
dan Colwell
i made this recipe with 1 1/2 lbs of beef and even though i had a half a lb more then the recipe i found it extremely salty from the soy sauce. i had plain rice but it still didnt cut down the saltyness. i didnt notice anybody else mentioning how salty it was so i was beginning to think it was me and that i may have added too much soy sauce. when i looked at the recipe it did ask for 1/4 cup.
Shawn
Hi Dan, I’m sorry you found it too salty. I would recommend using a low sodium soy sauce instead of the full sodium and you should be good.