Korean Ground Beef Bowl (Printable)

Savory seasoned beef over rice with crisp pickled vegetables

# What You Need:

→ Beef

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef
02 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
03 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
04 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
05 - 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 teaspoon gochujang or sriracha, optional
08 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
09 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

→ Rice Base

10 - 4 cups cooked jasmine rice or cauliflower rice

→ Quick Pickled Vegetables

11 - 1 cup carrot, julienned
12 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
13 - 1/2 cup radish, thinly sliced
14 - 1/2 cup rice vinegar
15 - 1 tablespoon sugar
16 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Garnish

17 - Additional green onions, sliced
18 - Extra sesame seeds

# How-To:

01 - In a bowl, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, stirring until dissolved. Add carrot, cucumber, and radish, tossing to coat evenly. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
02 - Cook jasmine rice or cauliflower rice according to package instructions. Keep warm until assembly.
03 - In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add ground beef and cook, breaking apart with a spoon, until browned and fully cooked, approximately 5-7 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
04 - Add soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and gochujang if desired to the cooked beef. Stir thoroughly and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and saucy.
05 - Remove from heat and stir in sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
06 - Divide warm rice among serving bowls. Top each portion with seasoned beef and a generous handful of pickled vegetables.
07 - Garnish with additional green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Insider Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like restaurant-quality Korean food but takes less time than delivery would arrive.
  • The pickled vegetables give you something bright and crunchy that makes every bite feel fresh, not heavy.
  • You can swap the rice for cauliflower rice or use turkey instead of beef without losing any of that deep, satisfying flavor.
02 -
  • If you skip the pickling step or use raw vegetables instead, the bowl becomes one-dimensional and heavy—those pickled vegetables aren't optional, they're the thing that prevents this from tasting monotonous.
  • Let the pickled vegetables sit in their liquid for at least fifteen minutes before serving, and stir them occasionally so they pickle evenly rather than having some pieces crisp and others mushy.
03 -
  • Don't skip toasting your sesame seeds in a dry pan for a minute before sprinkling them on—it wakes them up and makes them taste nutty and intentional instead of flat.
  • Taste the beef seasoning before you plate it and adjust the soy sauce or sugar to your preference; everyone's palate is different, and this is your bowl, not mine.
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