Korean Beef Bowl Recipe (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

By Amy Dong
Updated Jan. 8, 2024

Not only is this Korean Beef Bowl Recipe easy, fast, and healthy…it’s absolutely scrumptious! Our family and friends eagerly devour their beef bowls every time. Bonus: This Korean beef bowl recipe happens to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free!

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Korean Beef Bowl Recipe (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

We’ve long been crazy about Korean beef; I’ve been making our own Kalbi and Bulgogi Korean beef dishes for over almost two decades now. It’s a mystery why I haven’t posted those recipes yet, but they’ll be coming your way soon. Since I make my Kalbi over the grill, I may have to wait until the icy landscape around here melts away. All the grills in the Bold North are currently in hibernation because nobody wants to get swept away by snowy blizzards while heroically attempting to manage a grill in their down parkas.

In the meantime, can we give a delicious shout out to this mouthwatering Korean Beef Bowl recipe here, loaded with all the amazing flavors of classic Korean BBQ meats?! This Korean beef bowl is a dinner superstar, with its unbeatable ease and speed. We’re talking irresistibly simple and fast. As in 20 minutes tops.

When a meal is as delicious [and healthy] as this and comes together in 20 minutes, it immediately goes into regular dinner rotation. It’s more than okay to jump for joy when you realize there is zero marinade time, just one skillet needed, and the ingredients are easy to find.

I’m pretty sure I mentioned how jaw-dropping delicious this whole situation is and how everyone will put away their beef bowls like it’s going out of style. Except it won’t…

How to make the best Korean Beef Bowl

This is seriously so easy, my fellow cooks. You only need a handful of ingredients: ground beef, soy sauce, honey, Asian sesame oil, red pepper flakes, ginger, garlic, onions, and some olive oil for cooking.

I routinely use extra virgin olive oil for all my cooking, as its flavor is light and doesn’t clash, and it’s healthier in general for your peeps. Plus, it does well on the skillet and is perfect for sautéing anything. I even use it in this lemon cake, and nobody can ever tell.

I almost always opt for 90% extra lean ground beef, which obliterates the need to drain the fat. A tiny bit of fat from the extra lean ground beef is good, providing flavor in the finished dish.

Other notable tips: I use Tamari soy sauce (my all-time seasoning addiction) which is naturally gluten-free and lower in sodium. It tastes so much better than soy sauces that contain wheat. Be sure to grab dark, toasted Asian sesame oil in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores. It’s entirely different from regular sesame oil. Asian sesame oil is highly aromatic and basically tastes awesome in all the stir fry and beyond. {Pssst: here’s a side tip for those of you who are actually reading this text — next time you want a crazy easy and delish dip for your potstickers, just stir together some Tamari soy sauce and Asian sesame oil to taste. It’s SO easy and YUM!}

In the recipe, you’ll see that I opted for pure honey instead of refined sugar. It’s my general preference to use raw honey whenever possible, in lieu of highly processed sugar. I know my brain [probably] doesn’t know the difference because sugar is sugar, but using raw unfiltered honey makes me feel So. Much. Better. So I just go with it. Plus, I have beekeeper friends.

You’ll simply whisk together the simple sauce ingredients, cook the aromatics and beef together, and spoon it all over some fluffy Jasmine rice. By the way, in real life we mostly use brown rice. But brown rice doesn’t photograph nearly as beautifully as Jasmine rice does when paired with browned beef. Plus, no rice is as deliciously aromatic as Jasmine. Just keepin’ it real.

Why we think this is the best korean beef bowl

Here’s our humble little lineup of reasons we 200% adore this Korean Beef Bowl:

It’s way healthier than any takeout and healthier than most versions of Korean beef bowl recipes
It’s gluten-free and dairy-free and even refined-sugar-free, meaning almost all our non vegetarian friends can grab a bowl
It comes together in 20 minutes, give or take. If you’re a fast chopper, you’ll close this dinner deal even faster. If you scroll social media in between measuring spoons, it may take a tad longer. I’ve been on both sides of the equation.
This Korean beef bowl tastes awesomely delicious. It’s reminiscent of having Kalbi beef for dinner, in a fraction of the time.
This is your budget friendly meal. Ground beef is cheaper than many other proteins.
Korean Beef Bowl = Affordable and Healthy and Delicious. The ultimate triple threat. The end.

What to serve with your Korean Beef Bowl

This Korean beef bowl recipe goes hand in hand with Jasmine rice. Or brown rice, if you’re full on healthifying the meal. The beef mixture alone, served over your favorite rice and some veggies, makes an amazing weeknight meal that you can pull off within minutes after work.

We also suggest the following simple recipes to pair with your Korean beef bowl, should you be so inclined:

If you come up with other drool worthy ideas, I’d love to hear them! If you love this beef recipe I think you might also enjoy this lomo saltado recipe or these Korean BBQ ribs.

If you make this recipe or any recipes from Chew Out Loud, tag me on Instagram @chewoutloud so we can all see your awesomeness!

Did you make this?

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Korean Beef Bowl Recipe (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

4.87 from 46 ratings

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Prep Time: 12

Cook Time: 8

Servings:

Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients

For Sauce Mixture:

For Beef Stir Fry:

3 TB olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb extra lean ground beef, I use 90% lean
Optional Garnishes: thinly sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, more red pepper flakes, Gochujang Sauce
Other: Cooked Jasmine rice or other favorite grain for serving

Instructions

In a bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and stir to combine well. Set aside.
In a wok or large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat until slightly smoking. Add onion and garlic, stirring 2-3 minutes or until aromatic and translucent.
Add ground beef and stir while breaking the beef up into small bits, about 1-2 min. when beef is about halfway cooked, add your sauce mixture and stir to combine thoroughly with beef. Continue to cook until beef is browned and cooked through.
Serve immediately over bowls of warm rice, gently mixing the beef into the rice a bit. Serve with garnishes of your choice. We recommend Gochujang sauce.

Notes

We prefer tamari sauce over regular soy sauce, as it is naturally gluten free, is generally less salty, and has more depth of flavor.
Korean beef bowl tastes best when beef is mixed into the rice so no plain rice is sitting by itself at the bottom 🙂

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