This Quick and Easy Korean Beef Rice Bowl is an easy solution to your dinner problem! If you are looking for a quick and easy meal that is full of flavor then you are going to LOVE these easy to make Korean Beef Rice Bowls also sometimes referred to as Korean Ground Beef and Rice. Flavorful ground beef cooked on the stove and served over rice for a tasty filling meal.
Korean Beef Bowl Recipe
You will love this quick and easy dinner recipe for Korean ground beef and rice bowls. Made with simple ingredients and pantry items you probably have everything you need on hand already. We like Korean ground beef served over rice and with a side of veggies.
The sweet and salty mix in this Korean Beef Rice bowl dish is amazing, and you can make this so quick and easily that it is perfect for those nights when you really do not want to cook. No one in my house realizes this is considered my lazy dinner meal. The flavors are amazing and bold and it totally tastes as it took me forever to make it, however, it is done in under 20 minutes!
It is easy to make and healthy to eat which makes Korean rice bowls a great busy night dinner or a prep ahead meal. I even like to make life easier by having rice made in advance and in the freezer so while the meat is cooking on the stove I can just reheat the rice and the whole meal is done with very little work. Add a bag or two of steamer peas, broccoli or sugar snap peas and dinner is done with very little work.
What is Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls?
Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls are a Korean dish, either a rice bowl or a stir-fried bowl of ground beef and vegetables. The dish is usually served with rice, but in some restaurants, the dish is served on a bed of lettuce, in which case it is known as a lettuce rice bowl. You can also serve the Korean beef over zoodles if you are wanting to keep it low carb or over asian noodles too! We prefer serving it over white rice.
Why You will Love this Recipe
- Easy to make. With only a handful of pantry ingredients, ground beef and rice this recipe can be made quickly and easily.
- Quick to make. From start to finish the meal is done in 20 minutes.
- Full of flavor. The homemade Korean beef sauce is full of flavor, mixed with the cooked ground beef there is lots of yummy flavors!
- Perfect for meal prep. If you want to make an easy to make meal prep meal for lunches for the week you can make this easily. Then put the rice and ground beef along with veggies in a meal prep container. Then when it is time to eat just reheat in the microwave.
What is the best rice to use?
There are many different types of rice available that will work with Korean Ground beef and rice bowls. The best rice to use is short grain white rice. Brown rice is a healthier option than white rice. Jasmine rice is a type of aromatic rice that has a sweet flavor and delicate aroma.
What to Serve with Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls
If I am making a quick and easy main dish then I am also making quick and easy side dishes. I am not all about spending hour in the kitchen every night. Sure sometimes I make huge meals that are all fancy but that is not all the time, I don’t have time for all that.
You can make your favorite Korean side dishes or an asian side dish like asian cucumber salad or copy cat pf changs lettuce wraps. If you add veggies to the dish then you can make it a one dish dinner and it is all done.
On nights that I am not in the mood to make any thing else I throw a few bags of frozen veggies like sugar snap peas and carrots in the microwave and call it done. Trust me, it is ok to take things slow and make a quick and easy dinner sometimes, actually it is good for your sanity to not stress to much over dinner every night.
Variations of this recipe
Change up the rice. We use brown rice for them but you can use white rice if you want to.
Add veggies. Also making veggies like snow peas and adding them to the Korean Beef Rice Bowl, will give you even more colors and flavor in the dish. Carrots, peas, sugar snap peas, broccoli even cauliflower are great veggies to add to this dish.
Make it low carb. If you are low carb and want to enjoy this easy Korean Beef Bowls recipe just switch out the rice for cauliflower rice.
Change up the Spicy. If you don’t like spicy foods then you can omit the red pepper flakes completely. Want more heat, add more red pepper flakes, some sriracha sauce or Korean chili sauce.
Tips For Making The Best Korean Beef Rice Bowls
Increase or decrease the spiciness of this dish by adding more or less crushed red pepper flakes to suit your tastes.
When you are cutting the green onions use a pair of kitchen shears, it makes it a lot easier to but then a knife.
Add a bit of coconut oil to your rice for that extra flavor and richness.
Can you make it ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this recipe ahead of time. The seasoned ground beef can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 4 days and then reheated in a skillet to serve.
Cooked rice will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave, with a couple of tablespoons of water, cover with a damp paper towel and reheat on high for about 20 seconds per cup.
How to store Leftovers
Let the beef cool before storing. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave or on the stovetop.
Can I free Cooked Korean Ground Beef?
If you’d like to freeze it just seal it fully cooled in freezer bags or an airtight container and it’ll last for up to 4 months.
When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Korean Beef Rice Bowl Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups Cooked rice, for serving
How to Make Korean Beef Rice Bowl
Start cooking your rice, you can cook it on the stove or in a rice cooker.
In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, oil, pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and ginger and mix well.
In a pan over medium heat add the ground beef and garlic and cook until the ground beef is cooked all the way. Make sure you are chopping up the ground beef while it cooks, I find it best to use this meat smasher. It makes life so easy.
Once you have browned the beef add the sauce to the pan and mix to coat all of the ground beef in the sauce.
Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the green onions.
Put rice in a bowl and then top the rice with the beef mixture.
Easy Ground Beef Recipes
Korean Beef Rice Bowl
Tools
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 cups Cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Start cooking your rice, you can cook it on the stove or in a rice cooker.
- In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, oil, pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and ginger and mix well.
- In a pan over medium heat add the ground beef and garlic and cook until the ground beef is cooked all the way. Make sure you are chopping up the ground beef while it cooks, I find it best to use this meat smasher. It makes life so easy.
- Once you have browned the beef add the sauce to the pan and mix to coat all of the ground beef in the sauce.
- Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the green onions.
- Put rice in a bowl and then top the rice with the beef mixture.
Comments & Reviews
Lorene says
Delicious! I cooked some broccoli and carrots with it for the last 5 minutes, covered. This made too much liquid and thinned out the great flavor. Next time I will cook the veggies separately. Very tasty! Thank you.
Stephanie says
Oh yummy!
Mary Ellen says
Awesome recipe! Easy too. I added coleslaw mix to it at the end. So good. I definitely will make this again.