(Last Updated On: September 22, 2022)
A super easy ground beef recipe to make – Korean style ground beef that tastes fantastic! Lean ground beef and minced garlic mixed with a sauce made of brown sugar, soy sauce, minced ginger, and sesame oil. Sliced green onions and sesame seeds are added and served over rice. So delicious!
🥘 Key Ingredients for Korean Ground Beef
- 2 pounds of lean ground beef (93%)
- 8 teaspoons of minced garlic
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons of minced ginger
- 4 teaspoons of sesame oil
- 1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce
- 6 green onions (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
- 2 cups uncooked white rice (one cup uncooked is 3 cups cooked)
🌟 How to Make Korean Style Ground Beef (Step-by-Step Instructions with Detailed Photos)
Step 1. Cook the White Rice
Prepare the uncooked white rice according to the directions on the back of the package. One cup of uncooked rice makes approximately three cups of cooked rice. You can adjust this amount for your size family if need be. While the rice is cooking, continue to step 2.
Step 2. Make the Brown Sugar and Soy Sauce Mixture
In a medium-sized bowl, add 1/2 cup of brown sugar together with 2 teaspoons of minced ginger, 4 teaspoons of sesame oil, and 1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce. Mix until well blended into a brown sugar soy sauce mixture.
Step 3. Brown the Ground Beef
In a large frying pan, brown 2 pounds of lean ground beef together with the minced garlic on medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef until no more pink is showing.
Step 4. Add the Brown Sugar Mixture to the Ground Beef
Pour the brown sugar and soy sauce mixture into the frying pan together with the browned ground beef.
Note: This is a reflection from the camera in the bowl of brown sugar and soy sauce mixture. We apologize.
Step 5. Simmer the Ground Beef Mixture
After adding the brown sugar soy sauce mixture, bring the ground beef mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 6. Add Green Onions
Slice the 6 green onions, including the green leaves. Discard the roots. Mix the green onions in the frying pan together with the ground beef mixture, then continue to simmer for about 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 7. Add the Sesame Seeds
Sprinkle in the 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds together with the ground beef and onions, then simmer for 1 to 2 more minutes.
🥢 Ready-to-Eat
When you want something different to make for dinner but want it to be quick and also delicious, you can make this Korean ground beef meal in a matter of minutes with its unique flavors. Served over a bed of cooked white rice. So good!
If you love and want spicy hot and even more flavor, very lightly sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top of your Korean ground beef dinner. It is wonderfully hot and tasty!
❔ FAQs for this Recipe
Can You Freeze Korean Style Ground Beef?
Yes, you can freeze Korean style ground beef in a freezer bag or a freezer food storage container. You can pre-make the sauce and freeze it, then use it when you are ready to make this recipe. Or you can make the entire recipe, minus the rice, and freeze it to serve another day. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Note: The soy sauce may not freeze completely due to the salt content.
🤔 Final Thoughts
The sesame seeds, sliced green onions, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, and ginger bring out the Korean flavor so beautifully.
Also, a lettuce salad and or fresh vegetables go great as a side dish. You can even serve this Korean ground beef over a bed of shredded lettuce, or as a lettuce wrap, which by the way, tastes terrific. Enjoy!
👩🍳 More Recipes You Will Love
If you love to make delicious ground beef dinners here are a few that are quick to fix and taste amazing!
- Lasagna – A lasagna recipe that is pure Italian taste with flavorful spices, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, lasagna noodles, and topped off with more cheese. Delicious!
- Easy Ground Beef Enchiladas – Filled with lean ground beef, fire-roasted green chiles, and Mexican cheese blend, then topped with enchilada sauce and sprinkled with more cheese. Yum!
- Cabbage Rolls – Ground beef, onions, and white rice wrapped in cabbage leaves, topped with tomato sauce, and then baked in the oven for 2 hours. So simple!
Korean Style Ground Beef
🫕 Equipment
🧂 Ingredients
- 2 lb lean ground beef (93%)
- 8 tsp minced garlic
- 6 green onions (sliced)
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 4 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 2 cups uncooked white rice (1 cup uncooked equals 3 cups cooked)
👩🍳 Instructions
- Cook the white rice. Prepare uncooked white rice according to instructions on the package. One cup of uncooked rice equals about 3 cups cooked. (You can adjust this amount for your size family)
- In a medium bowl, mix the minced ginger, low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil.
- In a large frying pan, brown the lean ground beef with the minced garlic on medium-high heat. Brown until no pink is showing in the ground beef.
- Add the soy sauce and brown sugar mixture to the browned ground beef.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Slice the green onions including the green leaves.
- Mix the green onions with the ground beef mixture. Continue to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top of the ground beef mixture.
- Serve this Korean style ground beef over cooked white rice.
*️⃣ Recipe Notes
- If you like green onions raw, eliminate adding them to the ground beef in the frying pan, and instead use them as a garnish over the top of the Korean ground beef when ready to serve dinner. Same for the sesame seeds.
- A lettuce salad and or fresh vegetables go great as a side dish.
- You can serve this Korean ground beef over a bed of shredded lettuce, or as a lettuce wrap.
A wife, a mother to a son and a daughter, and a grandmother to three granddaughters. Flo loves sharing recipes passed down from her own mother, her mother-in-law, and her grandmother as well as new recipes created with her daughter, Tamara Ray.
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