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Korean Beef and Rice Recipe

Name: Korean Beef and Rice Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef; 3 garlic cloves (minced); 1 Tablespoon sesame oil; ½ cup brown sugar; ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce; ¼ teaspoon ground ginger; salt and pepper; 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes ((more or less depending on how spicy you like it)); 2 cups cooked rice; 1 bunch green onions (diced)

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5 from 7 votes

Published: June 4, 2021Updated: February 3, 2022Author: Camille Beckstrand

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Our Korean Beef and Rice is the easiest meal you'll make ALL week. It's ready in less than 20 minutes, and it tastes just as good as takeout! Using ground beef instead of sirloin slices, it's not only budget friendly, but KID friendly, too.

Our Korean Beef and Rice recipe has been one of the most popular ground beef recipes on our site for YEARS!

It’s a fun way to mix up your ground beef recipes and I love that dinner is completely ready in less than 30 minutes.

If you have an Instant Pot, be sure to check out our Instant Pot Korean Beef and Rice version.

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Ingredients in Korean Beef and Rice:

lean ground beef
garlic
sesame oil
brown sugar
soy sauce
ground ginger
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
Rice
green onions

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Looking for more easy skillet recipes? Check out our Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Skillet, 20 Minute Skillet Lasagna, and our popular 20 Minute Skillet Pork Lo Mein!

How to make Korean Beef and Rice:

We love that this recipe is only a few ingredients – and it’s ready in 20 minutes!

Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown beef with garlic in the sesame oil. We love to brown ground beef using this tool.

Step 2: Drain most of the fat (don’t skip this part!) and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper and red peppers. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors.

Add sauce ingredients to skillet on stove

You can also use ground beef with a lower fat content, or use ground turkey to cut down on fat.

Step 3: Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions.

Korean Beef served over white rice in a white bowl

Add-ins or substitutions for this Korean Beef and Rice Recipe:

We love how easy this recipe is to make your own. You can take a look at some of the comments below to see how others have tweaked the recipe, or you can try some of our favorites:

Add in more veggies (we love green beans, kale, broccoli, or shredded carrots)
Substitute the sugar for honey if you’re wanting to cut back on added sugars
Serve over brown rice or quinoa
Use ground turkey or ground bison in place of ground beef
Use steak strips instead of ground beef
Serve with sesame seeds

Serves: 6