Name: Easy 15 Minutes Ground Beef Bulgogi Rice Bowl
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 350 g ground beef; 1 tbsp minced garlic; 1 tbsp plum extract ((The substitute ingredients are in the blog post above)); 4 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp matsul ((The substitute ingredients are in the blog post above)); 1 tbsp sugar; 1/2 onion; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 4 eggs; 1 handful spring onion ((garnish)); 2 bowls rice; 1 pinch sesame seeds ((option, garnish))

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This Ground Beef Bulgogi rice bowl is the ultimate solution for a delicious, authentic meal that can be prepared in just 15 minutes. If you’ve struggled to find traditional thinly sliced bulgogi cuts at your local grocery store, this Korean Ground Beef recipe is designed for you. Using accessible minced meat, I’ll show you how to achieve that signature sweet and savory flavor without the hassle.

Why This is the Best 15 Minute Korean Beef Bowl

Many people think authentic Korean BBQ requires expensive cuts and hours of marinating. However, this Ground Beef Bulgogi breaks those rules:

Fast & Efficient: It’s a true 15 minute Korean beef bowl – perfect for busy weeknights.
Accessible Ingredients: No need to visit a specialty butcher; any standard ground beef works.
No Marinating Required: Because the surface area of minced meat is larger, this Korean ground beef recipe absorbs the marinade instantly.

Easy Korean Ground Beef Bulgogi Rice Bowl Recipe #Koreanfood

What Makes This Korean Ground Beef Recipe Unique?

The Simple Bulgogi Marinade

Traditional recipes often use grated Asian pear to tenderize the meat. Since we are using ground meat, we can skip that step. Our Ground Beef Bulgogi marinade uses a clean mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and garlic, creating a deep umami flavor in minutes.

Texture and Sweetness

To elevate this 15 minute Korean beef bowl, I highly recommend adding finely chopped onions. They provide a natural sweetness and a pleasant texture that pairs perfectly with the savory beef.

Can You Use Minced Meat For Bulgogi?

Absolutely! In Korea, using minced meat for bulgogi is a popular modern twist. It is often called “meat soboro.” This Korean ground beef recipe is a favorite for young families because it’s cost-effective, easy for children to chew, and much faster to cook than traditional sliced beef.

What’s The Difference From Regular Bulgogi?

The marinade is similar to bulgogi marinade, but since most cuts used for traditional bulgogi are tougher, fruit like pear is grated to tenderize the meat. Ground beef, on the other hand, doesn’t require this, making it much simpler to prepare. The marinade soaks in right away, so there’s no need to marinate it for a long time like traditional bulgogi.

If you want to enjoy the chewy texture of the meat and the rich beef flavor along with various vegetables, I recommend the original bulgogi. However, if you want something quick and easy to top on rice or eat as a side dish, ground beef bulgogi is the way to go.

What Cut of Meat to Use for Original Bulgogi?

Cuts for Bulgogi

Traditional bulgogi uses cuts such as neck, loin, chuck, and round. These are leaner, tougher cuts of meat. While these cuts would be very tough if used for Korean barbecue, they work perfectly for bulgogi.

By slicing them thinly and marinating them in a bulgogi marinade, which tenderizes the meat, you can make them soft and flavorful.

Best Bulgogi Cut

Sirloin and rib cuts are the most tender and flavorful, but they are expensive. For a more affordable option, neck or chuck cuts are recommended.

However, today, we’re making bulgogi with ground beef, so there’s no need for the tedious tenderizing process. It will be tender and delicious, and also much cheaper.

What is bulgogi sauce made of?

Bulgogi sauce is based on soy sauce, sugar, and corn syrup, providing a balance of sweetness and saltiness. Traditionally, fruits such as pear or apple are grated into the sauce to tenderize the meat and add natural sweetness. Today, however, we’re making a super-simple ground beef bulgogi that doesn’t require tenderizing, so there’s no need for fruit in the sauce.

Quick Ttukbaegi Beef Bulgogi. No Marinating Required!

Let’s make Quick Ttukbaegi Bulgogi, a bulgogi recipe that doesn’t require marinating for a long time. This is actually a common way busy Koreans enjoy bulgogi at restaurants or at home. It has a light, savory broth that makes it perfect for mixing with rice—just like a comforting bulgogi stew.

CHECK OUT THIS RECIPE

This is Ttukbaegi Bulgogi recipe that doesn’t require marinating—perfect for busy people! Instead of making traditional bulgogi at home, Koreans often buy pre-marinated bulgogi meal kits or make this quick and easy clay pot bulgogi in just 15 minutes. It’s a common dish in lunch restaurants for office workers, snack bars, restaurants for taxi drivers who need a quick meal, and rest stops.

What is a Good Substitute for Beef in Bulgogi?

In Korea, bulgogi is divided into beef bulgogi and pork bulgogi. Since beef is very expensive in Korea, pork bulgogi is often enjoyed as an alternative. Pork bulgogi has the advantage of being fattier and more tender.

In Europe, many Korean BBQ restaurants sell chicken bulgogi, a dish not commonly found in Korea. While you might find it if you look, it is not part of traditional Korean BBQ.

Advantages Over Regular Bulgogi

Quick and Easy to Cook: Ground beef is easy to prepare and cooks quickly in just 10 minutes, making it perfect for busy days. The flavor absorbs evenly, enhancing the taste.
Tender Texture: Ground beef tends to be more tender than cuts of meat, providing a pleasant, easy-to-chew texture that many people enjoy.
Versatile: Ground beef bulgogi can be used in various dishes like rice, gimbap, bibimbap, and more. It pairs well with different seasonings, allowing for a wide range of flavors. I will explain the various ways to use it in detail below. I hope you can enjoy this dish in many different ways!
Cost-Effective: Ground beef is typically more affordable, and you can prepare a large quantity at once, making it an economical choice.
Simple Seasoning: Unlike traditional bulgogi, there’s no need to grate pear or onion for tenderizing. You can make a simple and delicious bulgogi marinade using just soy sauce and sugar.
No marinating: Since it’s ground beef, the marinade soaks in deeply without the need for marinating. This makes the cooking time much faster.

Ingredients for Your 15 Minute Korean Beef Bowl

350g Ground Beef: The star of our Ground Beef Bulgogi.
The Marinade: Soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, and matsul (cooking wine).
The Toppings: Scrambled eggs and fresh spring onions to balance the richness.
Serving: 2 bowls of steamed rice.

(Tip: If you don’t have plum extract for your Korean ground beef recipe, you can substitute it with a bit more sugar as mentioned in my substitution guide below.)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep the Veggies: Finely chop the onion and slice green onions for garnish.
Mix the Beef: Combine the ground beef with the marinade ingredients in a bowl. This ensures every bit of this Korean ground beef recipe is seasoned perfectly.
Stir-Fry: Heat a pan and cook the beef mixture until the moisture evaporates.
Final Touch: Add sesame oil at the very end to preserve its nutty aroma.
Assemble: Create your 15 minute Korean beef bowl by placing the beef on one side of the rice and fluffy scrambled eggs on the other.

Versatile Ways to Use Your Ground Beef Bulgogi

Once you master this Ground Beef Bulgogi, you can use it for more than just a rice bowl:

Bulgogi Rice Balls (Jumeokbap)

In Korea, we make rice balls shaped like snowballs called jumeokbap. You can make bulgogi rice balls by filling rice balls with ground beef bulgogi and rolling them in seaweed flakes. Alternatively, you can mix bulgogi with rice and seaweed to make simple and tasty rice balls. This has a different charm from the bulgogi rice and is also a favorite dish among children.

Bulgogi Kimbap

Replace the usual ham with ground beef bulgogi in your kimbap. This makes for a healthier and tastier version of the traditional dish, without using processed meats.

Bulgogi Burger

Form the mixture into patties for a delicious Korean fusion burger.

Lotteria Bulgogi Burger Recipe with Bulgogi Sauce

Make the famous Lotteria Bulgogi Burger at home with homemade bulgogi sauce. This Korean burger is juicy and simple to cook in your kitchen!

CHECK OUT THIS RECIPE

Bulgogi Noodles

Mix ground beef bulgogi with cold noodles like bibim guksu or add it as a topping for noodle soups like janchi guksu. Either way, it’s a delicious addition to any noodle dish.

Soy Sauce Korean Noodles (Ganjang Bibim Guksu)

Do you have a special food memory from childhood? 'Aegi Guksu' (Baby Noodles) was a simple dish served to children in Korea, and today’s recipe brings that same warmth and love to your table.

CHECK OUT THIS RECIPE

Substitute Ingredients

Ground Beef: If you don’t have ground beef, you can use ground pork, or even a mixture of pork and beef. While Koreans typically don’t make bulgogi with ground chicken, it would still taste great with this bulgogi marinade.
Plum Syrup: If you don’t have plum syrup (매실청), you can substitute it with a little more sugar. However, since sugar is sweeter, you’ll need to use much less than the amount of plum syrup. Another option is to use sugar with a small amount of lemon juice, but be careful, as it could make the dish too sour. If you’re unsure about balancing the flavors, I wouldn’t recommend this method.
Matsul: If you don’t have Korean cooking wine (Matsul), you can substitute it with Korean soju or white wine. Both will work well to add depth of flavor to the dish.

Side Dishes to Enjoy with Bulgogi

Actually, with bulgogi, eggs, and the fragrant green onions to balance out the richness, you technically don’t need any side dishes. However, here are some recommendations for dishes that pair well with bulgogi rice bowl.

Kimchi: Kimchi is a classic side dish that goes with any Korean meal. When enjoying bulgogi rice, most Koreans pair it with kimchi to balance the rich flavors of the dish with its tangy and spicy taste.

Pickled Radish (Danmuji): Kids often enjoy pickled radish as a side dish. Rice bowls are a common menu item at Korean snack bars, school cafeterias, and lunch spots for office workers, and many of these places serve pickled radish alongside. The sweet and sour taste of danmuji helps cut through the richness of bulgogi, complementing the dish perfectly.