Lotteria Bulgogi Burger Recipe with Easy Homemade Bulgogi Sauce

Today, let’s make the original Lotteria bulgogi burger 불고기버거. If you love Korean style burger, you’ve probably tried Loteria’s iconic burger with a bulgogi patty. Now you can make this juicy, sweet-savory burger at home with my easy recipe and homemade bulgogi sauce. Perfect for Korean burger fans and burger lovers everywhere!

What is a Lotteria Bulgogi Burger?

A bulgogi burger is a Korean-style burger featuring a patty made from marinated beef or a beef-pork mix, topped with a sweet and savory bulgogi sauce instead of traditional ketchup or mustard. The combination of juicy meat, flavorful sauce, crisp lettuce, and mayonnaise creates a comforting and nostalgic taste, loved by Koreans of all ages.

I once tried a burger with bulgogi patty in Belgium, and it was topped with an artificial sauce that tasted nothing like the real thing. That experience made me appreciate the authentic Lotteria burger with bulgogi even more. Today, I’m excited to share how to make this classic Korean burger at home, so you can enjoy the nostalgic taste anytime.

The original Korean burger with bulgogi patty is the Lotteria Bulgogi Burger. So when any Korean thinks of a bulgogi patty burger, the first taste that comes to mind is definitely the Lotteria burger It’s a really simple menu item with a sweet bulgogi sauce smeared over the bulgogi patty, yet it’s one of the most popular items at Lotteria and a beloved nostalgic food for many Koreans.

What is Bulgogi? 불고기

Bulgogi is a traditional Korean dish made by marinating beef or pork in a sweet and savory sauce and grilling it until tender. The most common type is beef bulgogi, prepared with thin slices of chuck, sirloin, or round beef. The marinade typically includes soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and sesame oil. Vegetables such as mushrooms, onions, and carrots are often added for flavor and texture.

Other variations include gochujang bulgogi (spicy red pepper paste marinated) and pork bulgogi.

Traditional Bulgogi Sauce

The bulgogi sauce for the traditional dish and the bulgogi burger sauce are slightly different. Both sauces are based on soy sauce and sugar, giving them a sweet and savory flavor. The traditional bulgogi sauce includes fruits like pear to tenderize the meat, onions, and garlic to allow the seasoning to penetrate deeply into the meat. While bulgogi patty burger sauce can be made with the same ingredients as traditional bulgogi, it is usually made with powders for simplicity. Onion powder is used instead of fresh onion, and garlic powder is used instead of fresh garlic, making the sauce quicker and easier to prepare.

What Does Bulgogi Taste Like?

The taste of bulgogi is a balance of sweet, savory, and slightly smoky flavors. The thinly sliced meat absorbs the marinade deeply, staying tender and juicy after grilling. Grilled vegetables like mushrooms and onions add texture and complement the rich flavor of the bulgogi, making it a perfect filling for the Bulgogi burger or other Korean dishes.

Lotteria: Korea’s Famous Burger Chain

Lotteria is Korea’s largest fast-food chain, renowned for its distinctive Korean-style menu items. One of its most iconic offerings is the Bulgogi patty burger, which is popular for its simple yet flavorful combination of a patty, bulgogi sauce, and fresh toppings. Many Koreans associate this burger with childhood memories and comfort food.

Bulgogi Sauce for Burgers (Quick Copycat Version)

Making the sauce at home is simple and gives the burger its authentic flavor. Here’s the quick copycat version:

Ingredients

• Soy sauce
• Cooking wine
• Sugar
• Corn syrup
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Ginger powder
• Black pepper
• Sesame oil
• Water
• Potato starch

Introductions

• Mix all bulgogi sauce ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer.
• Stir cornstarch slurry into the sauce to thicken. The sauce will thicken more as it cools, so keep it slightly runny while cooking.
• Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

Ingredients for Bulgogi Burger

Burger Patties

• Ground meat (60% beef, 40% pork) – pork is essential for a tender patty
• Salt
• MSG
• Black pepper

For Assembly

• Lettuce leaf
• Onion
• Sesame buns
• Cooking oil
• Mayonnaise

Step-by-Step Bulgogi Burger Recipe

Make the Bulgogi Patties

• Season ground meat with salt, MSG, and black pepper.
• Shape the meat into round patties.
• Let the patties rest for 30 minutes to absorb the seasoning.

Prepare the Vegetables

• Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
• Thinly slice the onion.

Cook the Bulgogi Patties

• Heat a pan with cooking oil.
• Place patties on the pan and press lightly while cooking.
• Cover with a lid to cook evenly and keep the patties juicy.

Toast the Burger Buns

• Reduce the pan to low heat and melt 10g butter.
• Toast sesame buns until golden brown.

Assemble the Burger

• Spread bulgogi sauce on the bottom bun.
• Place the patty on top and brush more sauce.
• Add lettuce and onion slices.
• Spread mayonnaise on the top bun and close the burger.

What to Serve with Bulgogi Patty Burgers?

• Fries or sweet potato fries – classic side for any burger

More Korean Burgers Recipes

Korean burgers go beyond the basic beef patty, with varieties like rice burgers and shrimp burgers making them truly diverse. To non-Koreans, these may seem like strange burgers, but once you try them, you might open your eyes to a whole new flavor and keep coming back for more. Living in Europe (Belgium), I miss Korean-style burgers, haha. Although there are some Korean-style burgers in Europe, most of them are Korean BBQ burgers with gochujang sauce. Let’s explore the variety of unique and interesting Korean burgers.

• Rice burger: The most famous rice burger brand in Korea is ‘Bongousse Rice Burger’. The rice bun is seasoned with seaweed, salt, and sesame oil, and is typically filled with tuna mayo, kimchi, spam, and egg. It’s a popular food among students and a nostalgic dish for Koreans.

• Shrimp burger: Shrimp burgers are popular in Korea, some made with shrimp patties fried like katsu, and others, like at Burger King, topped with whole shrimp. Unlike meat patties, tartar sauce is used, and the crunchy texture of the shrimp bursting in your mouth makes for a delicious burger. This is the best shrimp burger recipe!

• Korean Fried Chicken Burger: Korean chicken burgers are very popular. A crispy and juicy Korean fried chicken patty is placed inside a burger bun. A popular brand of Korean chicken burgers is ‘Mom’s Touch’. While they originally specialized in Korean fried chicken, they are also famous for making excellent chicken burgers. Recently, they’ve gained even more popularity with a menu collaboration with Chef Edward Lee of Culinary Class Wars, Netflix.

• Buldak Burger: Capitalizing on the global trend of buldak (spicy chicken), ‘Shake Shack’ introduced a Buldak Galbi Burger. The burger is topped with green onions and perilla leaves and drizzled with Buldak Galbi mayo, making it a very Korean burger. The Buldak Burger includes Buldak Galbi glaze sauce, Buldak Galbi mayo, and cheese, recreating the flavor of Cheese Dakgalbi (spicy fried chicken with cheese). As someone who loves Buldak, I really wanted to try this menu but couldn’t since I was in Korea. I hope to make it soon and share the recipe!

Lotteria Burger FAQ

Kitchen Guide

• Jin Ganjang (Soy Sauce): US
• Mulyeot (Corn Syrup): US
• MSG: US
• Matsul (Korean Cooking Wine): US

Disclosure: Blonde Kimchi is part of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that allows websites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and promoting products.