Sweet and Spicy Korean Ground Beef with all the flavors of your favorite Korean BBQ but for a third of the cost and kid friendly!
Korean Ground Beef
Korean Ground beef is the quick weeknight version of your favorite Korean restaurant. A plate of sweet and spicy beef made easier with the use of ground beef instead of short ribs.
Cooking with ground meat is an easy way stretch your dollar and you don’t have to sacrifice flavor. Two of our favorite dishes we’ve been eating recently have been Ground Kung Pao Chicken (1 Pan!) and Ground Orange Chicken (1 Pan!) which taste exactly like takeout, but much easier to make and with less fat!
This recipe was originally posted with a wilted slaw. If you’d like to make the slaw it is listed in the notes under the recipe card.
If you look at the bottom (admittedly tiny) pictures you’ll see a creamy sauce on there. Here is one of my favorite hacks. I hesitate to even post it but we love it so much I’m going to.
If you’re a fan of Sriracha.
Japanese Spicy Mayo Recipe:
- 2 cups Mayonnaise
- 2-3 tablespoons Sriracha
- When you finish a bottle (or if you’re not close, use a new squeeze bottle) take off the top and wash it really well.
- Add the mayonnaise (we use light) to the bottle using a funnel into your almost completely empty bottle.
- Shake it up, test the flavor. Add more in 1 teaspoon at a time from your new bottle.
- When you’ve got the right heat level, shake really well then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
In a day or so the flavors will meld together perfectly making the classic Japanese Spicy Mayo you love and pay way too much for in the restaurants. 😉 That’s what the lighter bottle in the background of the pictures below is.
Some tips for this Korean Ground Beef:
- Make sure you drain off some of the fat you’ve rendered from the beef. Or use a leaner cut of beef.
- You can have an even deeper flavor with dark brown sugar.
- If you don’t have fresh garlic or ginger, use ground garlic and ground ginger in its place (1/2 teaspoon of each)
- To make this taste more like takeout brown the beef really well and keep the chunks larger.
Want more Asian Food Recipes?
- Crispy Sesame Chicken
- Cheesecake Factory Mandarin Cashew Chicken
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Easy Mongolian Beef
- Panda Express Recipes… every single one in fact: Panda Express Recipes Index
- Many more options…
Tools used in the making of this Korean Ground Beef:
Sesame Oil: The flavor of sesame oil in this dish is unmistakeable and not really able to be substituted. Some Asian grocery stores will try and sell less expensive options that aren’t actually sesame oil, so just be sure the one you’re buying is authentic sesame oil.
Korean Ground Beef
Sweet and Spicy Korean Ground Beef with all the flavors of your favorite Korean BBQ but for a third of the cost and kid friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger , minced
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup lite soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 green onions , only the green parts
Wilted Slaw:
- 6 cups napa cabbage , sliced
- 2 carrots , grated
- 2 green onions , diced from tip to tail, excluding the root
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
Instructions
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Heat a large pan over medium high heat.
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Brown the meat with sesame oil, garlic and ginger.
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Drain 75% of the fat, add brown sugar, soy sauce, and Sriracha.
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Cook until the liquid has reabsorbed and the meat is shiny but not soupy.
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Top with green onions, toss together and serve.
Wilted Slaw:
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To make the slaw, put the Napa cabbage, carrots, sesame oil and canola oil in the skillet the meat just came out of.
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Cook for 4-5 minutes until the water has evaporated.
Recipe Notes
Wilted Slaw:
- 6?cups?sliced napa cabbage
- 2?carrots?, grated
- 2?green onions?, diced from tip to tail, excluding the root
- 2?teaspoons sesame oil
- 1?teaspoon canola oil
- To make the slaw, put the Napa cabbage, carrots, sesame oil and canola oil in the skillet the meat just came out of.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes until the water has evaporated.
Old photos of the recipe from when it was first posted.
Made this last night when we suddenly realized it was 5:30 and feeling hungry. Only substitution was bok choys for cabbage since I didn have any.. perfectly sweet an spicy
Fantastic!
Absolutely delicious! Whole family enjoyed. Thank you for a great dish.
A half cup of sugar for one pound of meat? Traditional Korean bulgogi recipes will call for maybe 2 TBSP of sugar for a pound of beef. This recipe calls for 8 TBSP, four times as much. Bulgogi is not meant to be a sweet dish.
Made this for the first time and it was delicious. I will definitely be making this recipe again.
I love this recipe so much I make it all the time. I didn’t have sriracha a couple times so I replaced it with franks red hot and it was still perfect.
Perfect substitution!
I’m always looking for new yummy recipes to try and this one is great! The only thing I changed was adding 3 tablespoons of Siracha as I really love spicy stuff. Thanks for the great recipe!
This has become one of our weeknight staples – it’s just so quick, simple, and delicious!
I cut the sugar to a heaped tbsp and add some chopped red chillies on top. I love it served over coconut rice or plain jasmine rice.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
This has become my family’s favorite dinner. Everyone asks for this-unlike anything else in our dinner rotation. Tonight, we will have stir fry vegetables and rice as a side. Thanks for the great recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight and it came out great. Made exactly as recipe called for — I mixed my sriracha, brown sugar and soy sauce together before pouring into pan with beef. Great flavor overall!
Slaw came out good too — need to slice my cabbage thinner/smaller next time to pair well for eating w/ ground beef though.
Will definitely be making this again!
We loved everything about this recipe! served with basmati rice, the slaw, along with the siracha mayo. Delicious!! Making it a second time tonight.
Quite good. I added 1 1/2 T gochujang in addition to the sriracha. Nice spicy/sweet flavor.
This was great! Perhaps a little sweet. It will become a staple easy dinner. Loved the veggies.
Does the 346 calories include the slaw or just the meat?
Just the beef. 🙂
Great recipe but 1/2 cup of sugar was too much, had to drain the syrup it formed and had to had like a 1/2 cup more of soy sauce, and it is still sweet. Will try next time with less sugar. Thank you.
My two picky eaters and hubby loved this dinner. I thought it was a bit sweet; but hey, no complains here! Thanks for this great and simple recipe.
A lot of sugar but excellent flavor and easy to make.
This was amazing! I looove Korean bulgogi, but I’ve never been able to successfully recreate it at home. This tastes just like bulgogi, only so much quicker, and cheaper. My husband inhaled his, and I had to act quick to save some for lunch tomorrow. 🙂 This will be going into heavy rotation.
Yay!! So glad you decided to give it a try, Lisa. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Turned out so delicious thank you!!! Was a hit with my family too.
This was super delicious!! My husband loved it. Quick and Easy dinner right here!
This recipe was a hit and so easy to make! Will definitely keep it in the rotation.
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it, Tamara. I appreciate the 5 stars.
This was really great! Question, in the Wilted Cabbage area, step 2 says to ‘cook until the water is evaporated.’ There isn’t any water in the list of ingredients. How much water is supposed to be used?
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Sorry about the confusion, I just meant until the moisture had evaporated.
Made this last night for dinner. It was quick & tasty. I didn’t have rice so I used ramen instead.
This was not only an easy dish to make, it was a hit. A true Korean taste. I always like to add more garlic and also added more siriacha. Will definitely be making this again.
Our family are this up. No leftovers. Hot
Damn so good! Sooo good! Pop an egg on top, put it over some jasmine rice, and you are good to go!!
Very easy and tasted great. I don’t use siracha so I substituted cayenne instead.
Do you think toasted sesame oil would ruin the flavor?
I’ve already got a bottle of that, but I’m willing to buy normal kind.
I prefer the flavor from sesame oil in this recipe.
Loveeee this recipe! Decided to try something new and it was a total hit. My daughter is extremely picky and barely ever finishes her food. I have to say, with this dish she stuffed her face. Haha she ate the entire plate and asked for seconds. Oh, and I’ll be adding a little more Siracha next time though, it was not noticeable this time around but none the less it was still delicious. I will most definitely be making this more often. Thank you!
So glad you liked it and it won over a picky eater! I’ve got one at home too so I know it feels like a huge win when they love something! 🙂
Delicious! I omit the sriracha because of the kiddos, but the meat is still extraordinary. Thanks for sharing such a fantastic and easy recipe. It has become a staple in our home since we first tried it.
You’re so welcome! Most of the time we take out the sriracha too. Hopefully the kids grow into the spicy spice love! 🙂
Just wanted you to know, this has become a staple in our family. I am a bit lazy with the slaw. I just buy a bag and I don’t even bother to heat it, I just add it after the fact. I reduce the sugar by a bit but by the time I mix it with the slaw and rice, it’s not too sweet. I do add a little extra heat to it and I cook finely chopped onion and pepper in with the ground beef to sneak in a bit more vegetables. Thanks for an easy, tasty, flexible weeknight supper we all like!
Delicious! Has anyone ever tried freezing the leftovers?
We’ve never had leftovers, haha, but you can definitely freeze them in a freezer safe container once it’s cooled. So glad you love it so much!
This was amazing!
Omg this is fantastic, I am always looking for new dishes to keep dinners interesting and that taste good. Well this recipe definitely fills the bill, I did not make the same and only served it over rice, I also don’t use surfaces but I used ground pepper flakes, it added a heat that doesn’t hit you in the face but seems up on you. My family ?Loves it. This is delicious. I will definitely be making this again I think it will be a very requested dish. Sabrina you are a genius. Thank you!!
Awww, that’s so sweet! You totally made my day! I’m so glad you made it and then came back to tell me about it!
I have been making this recipe for awhile since I pinned it a few years ago. I just use a bag coleslaw just to make it even easier on myself. My whole family absolutely loves, loves, loves this dish! Thank you so much for sharing it. Such great flavors!
This was so delicious! My daughter, niece and nephew totally enjoyed it! Will definitely make it again, soon. I only did the beef with some jasmine rice, sprinkled with chives and sesame seeds….really really yummy!
Happy to hear you all enjoyed it!
I made this without the slaw. I served it over rice with some quick pickled cucumber and the sriracha mayo. Best dinner I’ve had in quite awhile. There wasn’t a crumb left after my husband and I got done. This is definitely going in the dinner rotation. Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
Sounds like a winner to me! Thanks for coming back to let me know.
You WON’T be disappointed!! So easy, and SO good! I added a little bit of MaePloy and Soy sauce to the sauce when I wilted the slaw.
Thanks so much for the compliment, Katie! So glad you enjoyed it.
I am obsessed with this recipe! I put it on rice, I have also put it on kale and butternut squash!! It’s a recipe I make weekly now.
I’m so glad you love it so much, Tania!
This is so, so good. The slaw and spicy mayo make it over the top delicious (for the adults, anyway – still trying to get my kids to eat those veggies!). For those concerned about sugar, I double this and don’t add any extra sugar – effectively cutting the sugar in half. It is still wonderful. A true family favorite.
I’m so glad you loved it! Keep working on those kids, haha!
Really, really good! What’s even better is it is a very fast meal, using an economical, and just a bit different to get out of a dinner slump.
I doubled the recipe so we’d have leftovers for lunch but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
I served with steamed rice and the cabbage. The cabbage really adds to the dish. I was in a rush so I used prepackaged shredded cabbage and carrots.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Wonderful Recipe! Instead of making the slaw i sauteed carrots, mushrooms, and the white part of the spring onions in some Sesame oil. Piled it all on and topped it with some nice kimchi and seseame seeds
Sounds delicious!
Wow, really tasty, super easy, and both my picky boy eaters (8 and 6) liked it! Only change was half the sugar.
I tried this tonight. I added small cuts of carrots for some texture. My only negative is that it is over the top sweet so I would only add half the sugar next time. The family liked this!
Is there any version of this that is more… mild… I love spice, but my wife is a little on the weaker side of the spectrum lol. Maybe subbing a sweet ginger sauce or a teriyaki? Definitely want to try this as is though…
Yes, you could use a sweet chili sauce instead to cut the heat. Hope she enjoys it!
I don’t normally comment on recipes but holy goodness this was delicious!! I eyeballed the ginger and did extra garlic so both those may have been extra. I also free styled the Sriracha. But otherwise followed the recipe. I put over rice, garnished with the wilted cabbage, and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top (not in recipe but a good add). My family LOVED it!! We’ll be making often.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
This was SOOO delicious!! I used 1.5 lbs of ground meat, and added 50% more of the rest of the ingredients. I used the wrong measuring cup and accidentally added too much soy sauce, but no problem – just added a bit more brown sugar. The extra sauce gets soaked up by the rice, and it’s just so good! For something as mundane as ground beef, this recipe is cram packed with flavor!! Thanks for the great recipe, I can’t wait to try your others!
So glad you enjoyed it, Ray! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Tried this last night and OMG it was so good. Super easy to make and we actually did the slaw as a side because we only had 3 cups of cabbage. I tried a similar recipe recently and this was WAY better. Thanks so much for posting!
Made this last night and O.M.G this was hands down delicious and easy! Family loved it! Will definitely be making this dish again!
Made this tonight. Family loved it! Thank you!
10/10 WILL MAKE AGAIN!
I Made this over the weekend and it was DELICIOUS. I didn’t deviate from the recipe, and I can’t think of a way to change it that would make the recipe better.
I will say that the ground beef dries out a bit when reheated. Any suggestions there, or is it just best to not make extra?
I’m so glad you love it! You can add a bit of water when reheating to help give it some moisture. Hope this helps!
Ohhh my! New favorite in our house! Thank you so much. I made cauliflower rice for the first time, this served with the rice?! Heaven!
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I made this for dinner tonight and the whole family loved it!
A few changes I made was adding 3x the Sriracha (we like spicy) and I added Bok Choy to the wilted slaw.
Thank you so much for a new innovative way to use ground beef!
We will be definitely be making this again!!!
Sounds amazing!
Very simple and the FAMILY loved it.
We loved this recipe!!!! It is spicy and sweet. Leaving the hamburger in larger chunks, as recommended, made a great looking dish. Definately adding to my recipe box! Really a great change from the usual 1 dish hamburger meal!!!
Yay!! Thanks for the 5 stars!
This beef is amazing. You definitely need sesame oil for this recipe.
This recipe turned out great, delicious. I did add some shiitake mushrooms just because. The siracha mayo really takes it up a notch. I’m excited now to try more of the recipes on this site.
So glad you enjoyed it, Lanet. I look forward to seeing you around the site. 🙂
Fast, Easy, and everyone loved it!
This dish sounded yummy but was a big bust! The spices all being on the outside meant each bite had bland ground beef, note to brown a little extra did not increase the flavor and turned the kids off. I thought it would be zippy and flavorful but it was so bland, even with extra seasoning afterwards, we gave up on it.
Wow! New family favorite. Made the wilted slaw and served it with jasmine rice. It all went together perfectly. Can’t wait to make this for my grandkids.
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Flawless and delicious! Came upon this recipe in my search to not waste some left over ground beef. So easy with what I had in the kitchen. I did use normal kikkoman soy sauce as I didn’t have light on hand, and ground dried ginger. Still fantastic. Greatly appreciated the tips in the recipe too to drain the fat or I definitely would have had issues. Sautéed with some chopped onions and it was sealed to be a staple in my family dinners. Thank you!!
I’m so glad you made it and then came back to tell me about it! I look forward to seeing you around the site!
Too much sugar. Used two table spoons and still way to sweet.
Just made it. It was incredibly easy and it tastes delicious. My kitchen smells terrific now, too.
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars!
This dish is SO good. My husband and I LOVE it. It hasn’t quickly become a favorite. This recipe doubles very easy to make a larger portion.
The first time we made this we didn’t care for the slaw on the side. Now when I make it, I add a handful of shredded cabbage and carrots and the green onions at the very end and continue to cook for about 2 more minutes to allow the cabbage to wilt a little.
Serve this on top of cooked white rice and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds on top.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I can’t wait to try the other Ground beef versions of my favorite Asian dishes.
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Made this and have had requests for it again… with a teenager!! When you first make it dont be shocked by the dark colour.
Came out sooo good! My husband was skeptical but he loved it. I served it with steamed broccoli. I added more sriracha once served because I love spice. Will be making this again! Thanks for the recipe
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, especially your skeptical husband, haha!
Looks like an easy weekday dinner to pair with a light cucumber salad…perfect for the summer heat! So ready for this.
Enjoy!
Done! It was heavenly! Really hit the spot for Korean BBQ flavors until my next restaurant fix.
Made it once and now I make it weekly. Now I use the seasonings in burger patties and meatballs as well with a bit less sugar and a bit more spice but it’s delicious. Tha nk you
That’s a great compliment to be added to a weekly dinner rotation! Thank you for taking the time to come back and letting me know.
I followed this to the tee and it is truly a 5-star. Will double it next time for leftovers. So yummy.
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it!
PERFECT IN LETTUCE WRAPS TOO !!
Easy to make. Delicious doesn’t cover it. I have made tacos, spread it over cauliflower rice, and just eat it with a spoon, dip chips in it….It is that delish. It is now a weekly feature at the dinner table.
Love it!! Thank you so much for the 5 stars!!
We loved it! I made it with venison. I added grated carrot and made extra sauce for our baked broccoli. My husband says we can add this to our stock recipes but I just can’t bring myself to regularly eat a dinner with so much added sugar. I’m going to try using grated sweet potato to see if we can really cut back the sugar. Thanks for an awesome inspirastion!
So glad you both loved it!
Try grating an apple or pear!
This was so good. We always are getting giant packs of ground beef from Costco and finding another thing to make with it is wonderful. We did put about twice the ginger in it (we like a lot of ginger) and it was very tasty. Next time we might try making it as lettuce wraps.
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This is a wonderful dish that can be made in a jiffy. I didn’t have sesame oil but had sesame seeds which I added to the hot canola oil, which I almost all the time do. Since I don’t cook Asian food that often. I also didn’t have the spring onions, but added a little onion powder. It sure is a hit at home. But I feel the sugar should be reduced to 1/4 cup. Its a little too sweet. Maybe that’s how its supposed to be. I’d at least reduce it next time. But its a beautifully glossy, aromatic dish.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Great Recipe. Wife was wondering if cabbage could be added to the dish and if so would it just mean increasing the ingredients to compensate for adding cabbage and the water it would give off?
Cabbage is great with this dish but you’ll have to make it separately. There’s just so much water that comes from it, it’s not possible to make together.
This dish is so easy and quick to prepare. I followed it to the letter, just added steamed broccoli to the meat at the end, then served over rice. It was delicious and I will definitely serve it again
So glad you enjoyed it Donnar!
My sister and I LOVE this recipe. It was super simple to make. Thank you!!!!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Absolutely tremendous. The wilted slaw was perfect with this. We will definitely be having this again.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
This was wonderful! My husband heard Korean Beef and kind of just shrugged until he got himself a bowl and hasn’t stopped saying how great it is since he took his first bite. Thanks for an quick and easy yet flavorful dinner tonight!
How amazing!! Thank you so much for the 5 star rating too!
Made this for Sunday supper and it was fabulous !
Made recipe exactly as posted and it came out perfectly. I will definitely prepare this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
How do you know when it’s done? I kept waiting for liquid to go away but it never did, it tasted good but it was not shiny. Did I cook it too long or not long enough? Is it shiny first and soupy if cooked too long or soupy if not cooked enough?
It sounds like maybe you needed to drain more of the fat. I used lean ground beef and needed to drain about 75% but maybe your was fattier and producing more liquid. Hope this helps!
I made this for dinner tonight. I used turkey because I did not have any ground beef and haven’t gone to the store yet. It is like mother Hubbard’s cupboard right now. Had the rest of the ingredients to make this amazing dish. This exceeded my expectations. AMAZING!!!
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Easy and yummy!
Thank you!
My husband would love this, I have to make it for him!
Perfect!
The recipe includes 3 green onions and then later 2 green onions but they only added to the dish one time (in the slaw). Should it be 5 onions or am I missing something?
Two of the green onions are for use as a garnish – sorry, I left that out of the recipe but it’s been fixed!
What a beautiful dish. I’ve never really tried Korean food. Will have to give this recipe a try.
I’ve only had a few Korean dishes and loved them. This recipe sounds like a really good one! Thanks for sharing.
This dish looks quite delicious! I am sure it is something my family would enjoy!
Mmm, this sounds great! My daughter has been asking for a meal with rice for dinner!
That’s a new way to switch things up. I bet my husband would like it with the ground beef on top like that.. usually he won’t eat slaw of any kind (crazy, right?).
My hubby hates cole slaw [works for me, I always end up getting his portion too!] but he loves this slaw. I think it is because it doesn’t have mayo and it is warm.
Ok, holy yumminess! Being Korean, I’m totally hankering for this dish 🙂
Hahaha that was adorable! Yes very very yummy 🙂
Looks like something to have my husband make for our house. He seems to do a much better job at making ethnic dishes here. Now if only we could agree on the spice factor we would be all set lol
I don’t think I’ve ever tried a Korean dish. This one looks pretty appetizing. Maybe I need to give it a try!
Yes!! The flavors are very approachable!
We have Korean BBQ on occasion, but that’s the only time I really prepare any Korean-style cuisine. I need to branch out because this sounds incredible. Can’t wait to try it.
It’s so easy it will end up in your rotation for sure!
This looks delicious! I bet this is just beyond incredible. Looks like a dish both my husband and I would enjoy! Yum
This looks amazing! What a presentation and I am so hungry now!
Thanks!
What a fabulous idea to serve spicy ground beef on a bed of coleslaw instead of rice! The flavours must have been amazing!
It took me back to one of my favorite takeout meals!
I don’t eat beef but it seems like I could use ground turkey in this recipe. It looks delish!
This looks so delicious. I’ll definitely have to try this recipe soon. I think my entire family would enjoy it!
I am all about Asian flavors and really appreciate this easier at home version of a favorite dish. I am sure the savory meat and crisp cabbage make for the perfect combo!
This looks so good. I don’t think I have ever had Korean food.
Wow, that looks really good! I am going to try this one.
Hope you enjoy it!
I need to try this out. I can’t make many korean recipes but I could manage this one!
How delish. That looks good on that slaw.
This looks and sounds really great. I can’t wait to make this.
Hope you enjoy it!
We had some of this when we visited Korea. It was the tastiest thing I’ve ever had.
It is amazing how there is so much flavor in just a few ingredients! I bet the food in Korea was amazing!
That looks absolutely fantastic. I’ve never had wilted slaw before. I’d love to try this.
This is such an inventive dish. I bet the flavor is fantastic!!
Thanks! The flavor is great for all ages, my hubby and I definitely like to add a bit of spice after serving. Keeping it milder in the pan means the littles ones love it too 🙂