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GET IT NOWLooking for a new addition to your fast and healthy dinner lineup? Say hello to my Korean beef bowl recipe! It ticks all the boxes for me. Quick and easy? Check. Full of flavor? Check (thanks, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil!). Not too many ingredients? Yep, that too. Affordable? Definitely. It’s all the things I love about bowl meals, rolled into one. I like to serve my Korean ground beef over cauliflower rice to keep it light, but you can opt for regular rice if you like!
Why You’ll Love My Korean Beef Bowl Recipe
- Perfect balance of flavors – It’s savory. It’s (a little) sweet. It’s nutty. It’s umami. This dish has many of my go-to Asian-inspired cooking vibes, and you’re going to love them.
- Variety of textures – My favorite part is how the tender, juicy, ground beef gets a little crispy from the stir fry sauce. But you’ve also got cool, fresh cucumbers and soft cauli rice to tie it all together.
- Made in one pan – Say goodbye to piles of dishes! You can make my Korean beef bowl in one pan for easy cleanup.
- Fresh, light meal – My recipe is naturally gluten-free, has no refined sugar, and it’s packed with protein and veggies. It will leave you feeling… just good.
- Ready in just 20 minutes – Just like my burger bowl and egg roll bowl, using ground beef helps this one come together fast. It takes me only 20 minutes from start to finish. Your busy weeknights will thank you!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my Korean beef bowl, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Korean Ground Beef:
The beef is the heart of my recipe. You can build your bowls however you want, but it’s the meat that makes it shine! You’ll need:
- Ground Beef – You can really use any type of ground meat you’ve got (like ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork), but this is a Korean beef bowl, so I recommend using beef! Thinly sliced flank steak or skirt steak would also work nicely, though.
- Olive Oil – For your pan. Any heat-safe oil will work.
- Garlic – I used fresh garlic for the best flavor, but you can swap in 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder for convenience.
- Coconut Aminos & Beef Broth – Together, these make up the base of the sauce and give my Korean ground beef those savory, sweet, and umami flavors. I prefer coconut aminos as a healthier soy sauce substitute, but feel free to use conventional low-sodium soy sauce or tamari instead. You can also swap in bone broth instead of regular, for an even richer sauce.
- Sesame Oil – Adds a nutty taste and aroma. I prefer toasted sesame oil here, but regular also works.
- Seasonings – I add ground ginger for fruity sharpness, crushed red pepper flakes for heat, and sea salt because… always. You can substitute a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger instead of ground (saute it together with the garlic), or omit the red pepper flakes if you don’t want it spicy.
VARIATION: Make the sauce sweeter!
The coconut aminos already contributes very mild sweetness, but if you like it more sweet, adding 1-2 tablespoons of honey (or my natural sugar-free honey) pairs nicely with the other flavors here.
The Base:
I use cauliflower rice for my base. I love that it’s light and cooks quickly in the same pan as the beef, with just a little olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. You can also use leftover cooked cauliflower rice or frozen cauliflower rice.
If you prefer your Korean beef bowls with regular white or brown rice, just cook it using your favorite method and use that as the base instead. They are amazing with my easy fried rice for something more hearty.
Toppings:
Feel free to customize these bowls however you’d like! I top mine with a fanned out cucumber, and a sprinkle of sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
You can mix it up and throw in shredded carrots, thinly sliced radishes, leftover stir fry vegetables or sauteed broccoli, or a fried egg on top to make it more filling. Once, I even added sauteed shiitake mushrooms.
How To Make Korean Beef Bowls
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Cook the cauliflower rice. In a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat, cook the cauliflower rice in olive oil until tender. (Or just cook your favorite rice instead.) Transfer to bowls and cover to keep warm.
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, beef broth, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes. Set aside, but make sure it’s nearby and ready to go!
- Brown the beef. Add the ground beef to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, until browned.
- Saute the garlic. Push the beef to the sides of the pan, and add the minced garlic. Saute until fragrant, then mix into the beef.
- Add the sauce. Pour the sauce over the beef, bring to a boil, then simmer until most of it absorbs into the meat.
- Assemble your Korean ground beef bowls. Top each bowl with the ground beef and fan out the sliced cucumbers. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
My Recipe Tips
- Drain the beef if needed. I always get 85/15 ground beef and don’t usually need to drain it, but you may need to if you use 80/20 that’s higher in fat.
- Crank up the heat. The crispy browned edges are one of the best parts of this Korean beef bowl, so I highly recommend medium-high heat for browning the meat. And wait for it to actually darken, not just turn light brown. I use medium-high for the cauliflower rice as well, as browning is delicious there, too!
- It’s normal for the sauce to be thin, but it will reduce. Just let it simmer for a bit, and the meat will absorb all that flavor.
- Want it extra saucy? The meat soaks up most of the sauce in my Korean ground beef recipe, but if you want enough sauce to coat some of your rice, double or triple the amount of sauce. It’ll take a bit longer to reduce. I also once drizzled on extra sauce I had left from gochujang cauliflower and that was so flavorful.
Storage & Meal Prep
- Store: You can store your Korean ground beef on its own in the fridge for up to 5 days, but if you’ve already assembled the bowls, they are best within 2-3 days. So far, my fave way to repurpose leftovers was when I stuffed the meat into lettuce wraps with taco slaw and spicy mayo. Seriously amazing!
- Meal prep: Korean beef bowls make great meal prep lunches! I portion them into these glass meal prep containers, which are the perfect size for them. Add the cucumbers and green onions fresh if you can.
- Reheat: I prefer to reheat in the microwave if I’ve got the bowl in a meal prep container (just don’t heat the cucumbers, ha), but for the beef by itself, it tastes better heated in a skillet with a little extra oil.
- Freeze: You can freeze the cauliflower rice and ground beef separately for up to 3-4 months.
More Healthy Asian-Inspired Bowls
If you love a good bowl meal like I do, try one of my other easy ones next time:
My Tools For This Recipe
- Large Skillet – This wok is great for lots of surface area, but I just used my basic ceramic skillet this time.
- Stainless Chopsticks – Not required, of course, but I love these for all my Asian meals. They are shown in my pictures above.
Korean Beef Bowl (Easy In 20 Minutes)
Make this Korean beef bowl recipe with ground beef, flavorful sauce, cauliflower rice, and cucumbers. An easy 20-minute weeknight meal!
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Cauliflower Rice:
Korean Ground Beef:
Toppings:
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, beef broth, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes. Set the sauce aside.
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Turn the heat back on to medium-high. Add another tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil to the pan. Add the ground beef and season with sea salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking up with a spatula and stirring occasionally, until browned.
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Push the beef to the sides of the pan, and add the minced garlic in the middle. Saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant, then mix into the beef.
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Pour the sauce over the beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and mostly absorbs into the meat. There won't be much liquid left.
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To assemble your Korean beef bowls, top each bowl of cauliflower rice with ground beef. Fan out the cucumber slices, and sprinkle with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 bowl, or 1/4 of the entire recipe
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my 30 Dinners In 30 Minutes, Keto Ebook Bundle, and Winter Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Korean Beef Bowl
193 Comments
Kim
0This could have been much better but holy moly sodium overload! Next time I will not add the sea salt and use a reduced sodium broth. I did add some chili paste for a bit more flavor.
ASIA Love
0I do not think I was much of a fan. It Could have been better. It was a bit too bland for me and did not have a spice that I was looking for
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Asia Love, Sorry this didn’t suit your tastes. Spices can be adjusted to meet your preferences if need be.
Stacy
0Made the Korean Beef bowl and was great! Going to be a go to meal for dinner. My husband said where did you get this recipe this is so good, please make again!
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi, I would like to make this for someone who doesn’t like spicy foods. How spicy is this with the red chili flakes? Should I omit them or halve the amount?
Tracy M
0I used a TB fresh ginger and I think that made a big difference. Also used a TB of monkfruit sweetener. You could easily adjust the spices to your liking. Thanks for the recipe!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Amanda, This dish is not especially spicy, but you can half the amount just to be on the safe side for your friend.
Angela Mogharehabed
0This easy recipe came together beautifully, in under 30 minutes, with minimum fuss. For a pleasant change, I had all the ingredients on hand. I added 2 tsp Besti Monkfruit Allulose blend for a bit of sweetness, and it was deeelicious. It got the husband’s approval so this one’s a keeper for sure! Thank you for sharing this gem.
Cindy Lieberman
0This is fast and super flavorful! I made it with meatless grind/beyond beef for a hearty and filling vegetarian entree. I served the dish alongside broccoli florets and cubed roasted eggplant over rice. Delish! We will definitely make this again. Thanks, Maya, for another great recipe!
Patricia Fitzpatrick
0I’ve made this twice. Love it.
Lori
0Can I use Liquid aminos instead of coconut aminos and if so how do I change the recipe to accommodate?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lori, These are the same. Use the amount listed in the recipe.
Mich
0We LOVED this! Hubby and I ate the beef recipe over string beans. Son put it in a taco. All went back for more :0) I halved the aminos and subbed water since I don’t like salty taste. Versatile recipe! Thanks so much!
Lisa
0Super yummy-quick and easy too! Added a little more coconut amino and really browned up the meat-so delish! Even the hubs liked it! This will be a new recipe in the rotation – thank you!
maria
0This was awesome! As a diabetic and a person who loved her Teriyaki bowls… I was so glad to find this Keto Korean bowl recipe! I even liked the cauliflower rice ( I was worried because I loved rice) but cauliflower rice actually GOES WELL with this recipe! I even added some STEAMED CABBAGE PIECES on the side— omg! Thank you over and over- family put panko crumbs— I used a little pinch of pork rinds… and I had all ingredients so it was really divine.
Heidi
0Thank you! This is delicious – easy to make, flavorful and ingredients I usually have stocked. This will be a great go-to weekday meal.
Michelle
0This was really really good. Sauteed cauliflower with a little sesame oil and splash of coconut aminos. Key was really browning the beef well. Next time I’m going to add lots garlic and onions. Thank you. So tasty so easy. A new go to for me!
Sonja
0Quick fresh and wonderful
Chelsea Santos
0I tried this last week, and it was fantastic and super easy! I made sweet pickled cucumbers (rice vinegar and granular sweetener), and used them as a topping for the bowls. It was heavenly. Thank you!
Lori
0So good and easy – THANK YOU. Used chicken bone broth because I did not have beef and no sesame oil but that will likely make it even better. I doubled the recipe and we ate the entire thing. I did add siracha to mine but no one else did. I also like the lettuce wrap idea. Super YUM!!
Linda
0What are coconut aminos and where can I buy them? I read that I can substitute soy sauce but would like to make it as written.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Linda, Coconut Aminos is made from the sap of coconut blossoms and salt. It creates a flavor similar to soy sauce. You can pick up a bottle of Coconut Aminos here.
Alyssa
0Finally got around to trying this, delish and so quick and easy to make!
I didn’t have sesame oil, but did have sesame seeds to top it, will be even better next time! Also agree the cucumber is essential!
Susan Blissett
0We are both vegan so I easily substituted Beyond Meat and veg stock. This dish was outstanding. It will be a regular addition to our weekly meals from now on. Thank you so much. So simple and so tasty.
Rick
0This was really good. It will definitely be added to our regular “quick meal” rotation.
I had to make a few minor modifications, but it didn’t change much. The first one was that I don’t own a wok, so I just used a skillet. Second, I didn’t have sesame oil, so I substituted with peanut oil, and really couldn’t tell the difference (I will try for sesame oil next time). I also added a tablespoon of Sambal Oelek chili paste right at the end of the reduction for some extra heat and “gooeyness”. Finally, I added some Siracha to my bowl because I love it. I felt like it accented the dish perfectly.
I was nervous serving such a simple dish to my wife. She’s normally a pretty tough customer, but she absolutely loved it. She even asked for seconds and mentioned several times that she wants to have it again.
**I will say that I still feel like it’s missing something. Next time, I’m going to try quick pickling the cucumber with some carrots and add cilantro for some more texture and freshness (similar to Bahn Mi vegetables).
carrie
0It seemed a little bland, but I added a bit of chili garlic sauce to spice it up and it was YUM!
Rick
0Carrie, thanks for this tip. I did just that and feel like it made a huge difference for us.
Trish
0We made this tonight and it is SOOO good. I’m on Keto OMAD but my kiddos and husband are not and they loved this too. Thanks for always having the best recipes!
Gina
0I made this tonight, for the week. Not what I expected. But I just saw the part about liking it sweeter. Too late. But it will do what I need it to for lunches.
Trying the Mongolian Beef next.
Rebecca
0Made this just now for lunch and it’s delicious. I didn’t have cauliflower so I sautéed in some coleslaw mix, yum!
Holly
0This was so flavorful. It is definitely a new favorite and so easy to make.
Stephanie
0This was a big hit with my entire family – even the 3 and 5 year olds! Just enough spice to make it zippy, without burning any tastebuds off. And the sesame oil was a nice touch!
I’m planning to make a double batch to freeze next month before our next little one comes along. Thanks for another great recipe!
Rebecca
0Sounds delicious! I don’t have any coconut aminos. Can I use soy sauce instead? If so, how much. I do have extra virgin coconut oil (unrefined) & coconut cooking oil. Would either of those sub. For the coconut aminos? Also my cauliflower rice is frozen in a bag.
Do I prepare it in the microwave per the instructions & then stir fry it or just skip the microwave & stir fry it from frozen?
Thanks
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Rebecca, Soy sauce is really the only replacement for the coconut aminos, coconut oils will not provide the flavor that this recipe calls for. You can just stir fry the cauliflower rice, no need to microwave first.
Holly
0You are brilliant! I made this recipe exactly as written and it was utterly amazing! I will definitely be making this over and over again!
Thank you SO much for sharing this!
Denise Payne
0Really enjoyed this. I used cauliflower that I processed a year ago and froze, so my hubby could taste the it. He OD on cauliflower when we started KETO. Maybe if I used fresh cauliflower it would not taste like it. I did sweetened it with monk fruit.
Kristi
0We really enjoyed this recipe! The cucumbers were a great pair with it also!!
Karine Hilton
0I realized I didn’t have ginger, I replaced by horseradish and a little bit of real maple syrup. Oh my! It was sooooooo good!!
T Bennett
0I opted to add the sweetener- I lived in South Korea for a year and fell in love with their food! So adding the sweetener really made this taste so close to what I used to eat. Thanks so much for this inventive interpretation .
K Jimenez
0This is a very flavorful recipe. I doubled the recipe and added monk fruit sweetener. Thank for the recipe that will be used many more times in my house.
Sunshine
0I was wanting to double this…did you double all the ingredients including the liquids?
Christine Phillips
0Absolutely delicious… . Nothing left to say.
Lisa Schroeder
0do i drain the fat from the beef?
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Lisa, I don’t, but if you’re using a particularly fatty ground beef blend you can. Draining can help make it more crisp and improve texture.
Lorraine
0Hi can I use liquid aminos instead of coconut aminos?
Wholesome Yum A
0Absolutely, Lorraine!
Cara
0This is my husband’s new ‘favorite thing I make’ – I can’t believe how simple it is to get that yummy Korean BBQ taste. I added habañeros & serano Chile with the garlic to kick up the heat when I made this today and it worked out amazing! The cucumbers in my opinion are necessary for texture and freshness. We’ve also only eaten the beef on lettuce wraps as we’re a little burned out on cauliflower rice, but SO GOOD!
Trish
0This recipe was absolutely delicious. My husband and I both loved it. We will definitely make this again and again.
Suzanne
0This looks fabulous! I can’t wait to try it! What would the net carbs be without the “rice”?
By the way, I ordered your new book already on Amazon, I’m excited for the release! Love your site!
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Susanne, thank you for ordering the cookbook! I don’t have the measurements for the dish without the cauliflower but you could use an online calculator to figure it out.
Gennesa
0Could this be good on zoodles? How do you fry cauliflower instead of steaming it? I need some pointers please.
Wholesome Yum
0This would taste great on zoodles, Gennesa. For cauliflower that has been riced (not florets), you can simply pan fry it and stir often until soft.
Amy
0This was so good! One of the best things I’ve ever made!
Lynda
0Can I leave out the sesame oil?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lynda, you can do that but you might miss out on some flavor. You’ll also want to substitute with a different fat, like avocado oil.
Fifi
0Very delicious recipe l made it exactly as written. It’s a keeper. Thank you
Rachel
0This was good! I only had the coconut aminos and sesame oil in the house, but I added garlic powder and it was tasty. I liked the cauliflower option and I had a bag of frozen which heated up nicely in a large frying pan.
Courtney
0I love all the flavours in here, and although I’m not keto I don’t eat sugar often and my husband limits his carbs so I appreciate that this recipe is sugar-free!
Shanika
0This Korean Bowl was so amazing! I love that it’s Keto and so flavorful!
Beth Neels
0I love that you used cauliflower rice in these bowls! The spicy hint made these beef bowls right up my alley too!
Krissy Allori
0This looks so good! I have been loving bowls lately. Looking forward to trying it.
lisa
0What a delish and easy dinner!! Making this again next week for sure!
Tanya Schroeder
0I loved everything about this recipe!