Korean Ground Beef Bowl (Printable)

Savory beef with spicy gochujang glaze served over rice with crisp vegetables and tangy kimchi.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Beef

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef
02 - 2 tablespoons gochujang
03 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
04 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
07 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
08 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ For the Bowl

09 - 4 cups cooked short-grain rice
10 - 1 cup shelled edamame, cooked
11 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
12 - 1 cup carrot, julienned
13 - 1 cup kimchi, chopped
14 - 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

# How-To:

01 - Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic and ginger for 1 minute until fragrant.
02 - Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, approximately 5-6 minutes.
03 - Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and coat the beef.
04 - Remove from heat and stir in half of the sliced green onions.
05 - Divide cooked rice among 4 serving bowls. Top each bowl with ground beef mixture, edamame, cucumber, carrot, and kimchi.
06 - Sprinkle with remaining green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's ready in 30 minutes, which means you can have restaurant-quality food on a random Tuesday without planning ahead.
  • Every bite tastes completely different thanks to the layers of textures and flavors hitting at once.
  • Gochujang becomes your secret weapon—that umami-rich, slightly spicy backbone that makes everything else shine.
  • You can prep components ahead and assemble in seconds when you're hungry.
02 -
  • Don't skip blooming the garlic and ginger in oil—it transforms them from sharp and harsh into something sweet and rounded that builds instead of burns.
  • If your sauce looks too thick after a minute, you've either used too little soy sauce or cooked it too long; a little splash of water fixes this instantly.
  • Room temperature kimchi works, but if you chill it first, the cold creates an even better contrast against the warm spiced beef.
03 -
  • If you can find gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) in addition to gochujang, sprinkle a tiny pinch on top for extra complexity and a slightly different texture than paste alone.
  • Crack a fried egg on top right before serving—the runny yolk becomes an instant sauce that ties everything together.
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