Easy Korean Beef Bowls

The combination of flavorful beef, zesty coleslaw, and spicy garlic sauce makes these easy Korean beef bowls an amazing weeknight dinner.

Get to know one of our ALL-TIME favorite dinners. Inspired by these favorite Korean beef tacos, this “bowl” version is faster, easier, and just as delicious. (Scroll down for a quick and easy version with salmon.)

Coleslaw + Sauce + Beef

This recipe has three main components:

• Fresh, flavorful coleslaw with crunchy cucumbers
• The sauce to top all sauces (creamy, spicy, garlicky)
• Korean-style ground beef with tons of flavor

While the recipe’s ingredient list may seem a bit long, each component comes together incredibly quickly. The coleslaw and sauce can be made ahead of time to speed up dinner assembly.

And to make preparation even simpler, you can use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrots called for in the recipe.

How to Make Korean-Style Beef Bowls

These Korean-Style Beef Bowls are delicious served with the three main components of the recipe above. But they’re even more delicious with a few additions.

Here’s how we like to serve them:

• Hot cooked rice
• Korean-Style Beef
• Coleslaw
• Salsa (and more salsa)
• Lime slices
• Chopped cilantro
• Avocados

We sometimes add naan bread as a side dish, too. DELICIOUS!

Build-Your-Own Meal

The great thing about this recipe and why it’s a fabulous, family-friendly dinner is that it’s a build-your-own meal where everyone can create the beef and rice bowl of their dreams.

I, for one, always add more meat, more salad, more salsa, and lots of fresh lime juice. Sometimes a little extra sriracha sauce. Oh, and a good amount of chopped cilantro.

My family? They may have used less cabbage and a bit less individuality in their bowls, but I don’t hold that against them. Especially since that means more leftovers for me.

These Korean beef dishes are amazing.

They’re easily one of my favorite dishes to have for dinner, and no complaints from my family (see the DIY appeal mentioned above).

The flavors are so delicious! I love how quick and easy this meal is to make. Seriously, I could eat it over and over again and never get bored.

And if you’re looking for a little change, try using your beef sauce as a marinade for your salmon. After marinating the salmon for a few hours, grill, air fry, or bake it and serve it with all the other ingredients in the recipe. So, so delicious.

What to serve with it:

This is practically a full meal! Some additional suggestions for sides:

• Fresh fruit
• Easy yogurt flatbread

Easy Korean Beef Bowls

Makes: 6 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Quick Slaw:

• 4 cups shredded cabbage (napa, green, purple or a combo) – see note
• 1 cup shredded or grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped cucumbers
• ¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Sriracha, to taste

Sauce to End All Sauces:

• ½ cup sour cream½ cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Korean Beef:

• 1 ½ to 2 pounds lean ground beef
• ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger or ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or 1 tablespoon of finely chopped raw garlic (4 to 5 cloves)

For serving (optional but tasty):

• Hot, cooked rice
• Naan bread
• Avocado slices
• Fresh lime wedges
• Chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. For the coleslaw, in a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, and cilantro. Combine the lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper in a small bowl (start with a pinch of each and add more to taste, if needed).and sriracha sauce. Drizzle the coleslaw with the dressing and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to serve (can be made 4 to 6 hours in advance).
2. For the sauce, mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve (can be made several days in advance).
3. For the beef, in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces, until no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
4. To the pan, add the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic or garlic powder. After giving it one last stir, reduce the heat to medium and simmer the mixture. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until heated through.
5. To serve, to each plate, add a spoonful of rice (if using), a portion of meat, and coleslaw. Drizzle with sauce. Serve with lime wedges, avocados, and naan bread, if desired.

Notes

Coleslaw: This recipe makes quite a bit, as we like to load up our plates with lots of salad. If you think you’ll need less, you can halve the salad ingredients.
For the cabbage and carrots called for in the recipe, you can substitute a portion of a 14-ounce package of pre-shredded coleslaw mix (without the dressing) to cut down on prep time.