Korean BBQ Ground Beef
Korean BBQ Ground Beef features bold flavors from ingredients like soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and more! This recipe is seriously one of my most favorite ways to dress up your every day package of ground beef. It’s incredibly easy to toss together in just a few minutes and is loaded with Korean-inspired flavor!
Korean BBQ Ground Beef
You know that package of ground beef that’s sitting in your fridge right now that you’re just not sure what to do with? I have the answer for you! Korean ground beef is super easy to make with a handful of bold (yet very accessible) ingredients that you may already have on hand. If not, no worries – you can easily find everything you need at the grocery store and it’s all budget friendly.
Soy sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, brown sugar and more lend the most mouthwatering flavor to ground beef. Plus, there are no complicated steps or a tricky new cooking process to learn. You pretty much just toss it all into a skillet and call it dinner! For more serving suggestions, scroll down – but I love this ground beef piled high on top of white rice with some veggies and green onions.
When you need a protein-packed dinner on the table that’s quick, easy, and hassle-free, this is the recipe for you! Plus, it’s easy to adjust the ingredients (like the spicy crushed red pepper flakes) so you can easily make it as kid-friendly as you need it to be. Personally, I love a little extra red pepper flakes for some heat, but that’s just me! You can customize this Korean BBQ ground beef recipe with ease.
How to Make Korean BBQ Ground Beef
You’re going to love how quick and easy this Korean ground beef recipe is! For more details about ingredients and step by step instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Cook the beef. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until it’s fully browned. Break it up into small pieces as it cooks. Drain the excess grease.
- Make it flavorful. This is the fun part! Mix in the garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Cook for just about 2 minutes or until everything is nice and fragrant. Then, stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Cook until the sauce starts getting absorbed, which should take about 5-7 minutes. Add some green onions and serve!
Serving Suggestions
There are plenty of ways to enjoy this Asian ground beef recipe! Here are just a few of my favorites:
- Make it a rice bowl: As you can see in the pictures, this Korean ground beef is great for tossing on top of some fluffy white rice! I love to pair it with fresh sliced cucumbers, kimchi, sesame seeds (toasted is best) and lots of chopped green onions.
- Make it a little healthier: If you’re not into the white rice, just swap it with cauliflower rice.
- Or make it a salad: Want to avoid the rice bowl idea all together? Sounds good! Let the ground beef cool a little, then toss it onto some leafy greens and enjoy it as a salad instead of a rice bowl.
Ingredient Notes
Take a quick look at these little tips and tricks before you head to the grocery store:
- Ground Beef – I like to use lean ground beef since it renders the least amount of fat. You can always swap it with ground turkey or chicken if you’d prefer.
- Garlic – Crush your garlic cloves before you mince them for the most flavor!
- Ginger – Freshly grate a peeled knob of ginger for the absolute best fresh flavor.
- Sesame Oil – While you can swap this with another oil if you need to, I highly recommend using sesame oil! It not only helps the consistency, but it does wonder for the flavor. You really can’t replicate that flavor with anything else.
- Soy Sauce – Low sodium soy sauce is best to avoid your beef being overly salty. Tamari or coconut aminos are also great options.
- Brown Sugar – Add more or less to control the amount of sweetness in the ground beef.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – These are tamed by the other ingredients like brown sugar and soy sauce. Keep in mind that a little bit or crushed red pepper flakes go a long way! Adjust to your tastes accordingly.
- Green Onions – I love a lot of green onions! They add the best pop of fresh, vibrant flavor.
- Rice – White or brown rice both work well.
- Sesame Seeds – Toss them in a pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes to lightly toast them for the very best nutty flavor.
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Get the Recipe: Korean BBQ Ground Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- ½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup gochuchang
- 1/4 cup honey
- 6 green onions, chopped, divided
- 4 cups hot cooked rice
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- Sliced cucumbers, optional
- Kimchi, optional
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef and cook breaking it up into pieces with a spatula until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic, ginger, and sesame oil and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, gochuchang, and honey, stirring to combine.
- Continue to cook until the beef begins to absorb the sauce, about 7 minutes. Add 1/2 of chopped green onions and stir.
- Serve over rice garnished with the remaining green onions, sesame seeds, cucumbers and kimchi.