Beef Bulgogi · Ground Beef Bowls
Korean-Inspired Ground Beef Bulgogi Bowls
All the sweet, garlicky bulgogi flavor with ground beef and no marinating. Spoon it over rice with crunchy cucumbers and green onions for a 25-minute dinner.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- Sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
Swaps for soy sauce
Instead of soy sauce
- Tamari: The same amount. Richer and a little less salty.
- Coconut aminos: The same amount, plus a pinch of salt. Sweeter and much less salty.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Swaps for brown sugar
Instead of brown sugar
- White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
- White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
- Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp gochujang, or a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- Beef
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Swaps for vegetable oil
Instead of vegetable oil
- Another neutral oil: The same amount. No difference.
- Melted butter: The same amount. Richer, buttery flavor; cakes are a little less moist and firmer once cool.
- Light olive oil: The same amount. "Light" olive oil tastes mild.
- 1 lb ground beef, 85 to 90 percent lean
Swaps for ground beef
Instead of ground beef
- Ground turkey or chicken: The same weight. Leaner and milder; burgers and meatballs are a bit drier.
- Ground pork: The same weight. Richer and slightly sweet.
- Plant-based ground: The same weight. Close in tacos and sauces; cooks faster.
Cook ground beef and pork to 160°F (71°C) and ground turkey or chicken to 165°F (74°C).
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Swaps for garlic
Instead of garlic
- Garlic powder: ⅛ tsp for each clove. Mellower and sweeter, with no bite.
- Jarred minced garlic: ½ tsp for each clove. Milder and slightly sour from the preserving liquid.
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
Swaps for fresh ginger
Instead of ginger
- Ground ginger: ¼ tsp ground for each 1 tbsp grated fresh. Warmer and less bright, with no zing.
- Ginger paste (jar or tube): The same amount. Close; slightly salty or sour from preservatives.
- Bowls
- cooked rice
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 3 green onions, sliced
Swaps for green onions
Instead of green onions
- Chives: The same amount, for the green tops. Milder and more delicate, without crunch.
- Shallot or red onion: Half as much, chopped fine, for the white parts. Stronger; best cooked or soaked in cold water first.
- Leeks: The same amount, sliced thin. Milder and better cooked than raw.
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 4 large eggs, fried, for topping (optional)
Swaps for eggs
Instead of eggs
- Flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Binds well but gives less lift, so bakes are a little denser and flatter, with a mild nutty taste and brown flecks.
- Chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Works like a flax egg: good binding, little lift, slightly denser crumb.
- Unsweetened applesauce: ¼ cup for each egg. Moister and denser, with a soft, slightly gummy crumb if you swap more than one egg.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.
Cook to 160°F inside (check with a thermometer).
Steps
- Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and gochujang together in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef and cook, breaking it into small crumbles with a spoon, until browned with no pink left and it reads 160°F (71°C).160°F⏱ Brown beef: 7 min
- Tilt the pan and spoon off the extra fat.
- Push the beef to the side, add the garlic and ginger to the cleared spot and stir until fragrant.⏱ Garlic + ginger: 30 sec
- Pour in the sauce and stir everything together.⏱ Simmer: 2 minuntil the sauce is mostly absorbed and glossy.
Simmer (how to simmer)
Simmer Cook liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles breaking the surface now and then. 1. Bring the liquid up over medium-high heat.2. As soon as bubbles rise steadily, turn the heat down.3. Adjust until only a few small bubbles break the surface every second or two.4. Stir now and then and check that it hasn't crept back to a boil. Done when: You see lazy, small bubbles, not a rolling boil. A "bare" simmer has just a bubble here and there. Safety: Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to simmer: mistakes to avoid - Divide rice among bowls and top with the beef, cucumber, green onions, sesame seeds and a fried egg if you like.
Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.
Tips
- Ground turkey works too; cook it to 165°F.
- Gochujang is a Korean chili paste found in most grocery stores' international aisle. It adds gentle heat and depth.
Storage
Refrigerate the beef up to 4 days. Pack bowls with the cucumbers in a separate container.
How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: cucumbers (June to September).
Quick answers
- What can I swap?
- Instead of soy sauce: Tamari, the same amount.
- Instead of brown sugar: White sugar + molasses.
Ground turkey works too.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 1,590 kJ
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbohydrates
- 12 g
- Fiber
- <1 g
- Sugars
- 8 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Saturated fat
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 740 mg
Whole recipe, 4 servings: about 1,530 calories.
Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 10 of 10 ingredients.
How we estimate
We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 4 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.
Not counted: gochujang, eggs (optional); cooked rice (to taste or as needed).
Estimated cost
About $2.40 a serving
About $9.65 for the recipe as written (4 servings).
Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 9 of 10 ingredients, 100% by weight.
How we estimate
Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.
- ground beef $6.80 BLS
- cucumber $1.30 ERS
- sesame oil $0.40 ERS
- soy sauce $0.35 ERS
- green onions $0.35 ERS
- sesame seeds $0.15 ERS
- garlic $0.10 ERS
- brown sugar $0.10 ERS
- vegetable oil $0.05 ERS
Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): fresh ginger.
Not counted: gochujang, cooked rice, eggs (optional, or to taste).
More dishes for less: cheap eats.
Goes well with
Picked by our pairing rules: the same kind of kitchen, room in the oven and on the stove, ready in time, and a balance of starch, vegetables and richness.
- Side Garlic Sesame Roasted Broccoli 30 min Uses the oven while the beef bulgogi is on the stove. Ready in 30 min, inside the main's 25 min. Brings the vegetables the beef bulgogi doesn't have.
- Side Garlic Butter Green Beans 25 min Ready in 25 min, inside the main's 25 min. Brings the vegetables the beef bulgogi doesn't have.
- Dessert Lemon Cream Cheese Bundt Pound Cake 3 hr 45 min Make it ahead, so it's ready when dinner is.
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Cleanup score 4/5 (easy cleanup): 2 things to wash, nonstick skillet, mixing bowl. More skillet recipes.
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