This Korean Beef is a one-pan dish that is ready in 25 minutes! Tender beef is cooked in a flavorful Korean-inspired sauce that pairs perfectly with cauliflower rice! You can enjoy a serving of this tasty dish for just 3 net carbs!
Korean Beef
This Korean Beef is the ideal meal for the end of a long day! It’s super flavorful, it’s not at all complicated, and it’s ready in 20 minutes. It also makes amazing leftover lunches (who doesn’t love a good lettuce wrap?!), so you don’t have to stress about wasting anything!
Traditionally this dish requires a little more work… The beef was originally marinated steak cut into tender thin slices and fried up quick. While that is AMAZING and so worthwhile, sometimes we just don’t have that kind of time or the budget. So instead, we skip the marinating and have ground beef simmering in a delicious sauce with the same classic flavors.
This quick weeknight dinner recipe is also gluten free and low carb! A 3/4 cup serving of this is just 3.1 net carbs, so it makes an excellent keto meal with some cauliflower rice or stir fry vegetables! It’s also freezer friendly and reheats easily for the ultimate convenient meal prep recipe.
Korean Beef Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this recipe. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card.
- Monk fruit sweetener, Tamari sauce or soy sauce, Sesame oil, Grated ginger, Crushed red pepper flakes, Black pepper, Cornstarch – These are mixed to provide an amazing sauce, giving the beef its amazing, distinct flavor. The sweetener can be any keto-friendly, granular sweetener (I use Lakanto Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener).
- Lean ground beef – Traditionally this recipe usually uses flank steak, but we love the texture ground beef adds. Plus, it’s usually less expensive, more easily available, and requires less prep work.
- Minced garlic – This is cooked with the beef to provide a strong, delicious flavor in every bite. Fresh has the most flavor, but you could easily use the jarred, pre-minced kind as well.
- Sliced or chopped scallions – This is more for garnish, but it adds a fantastic taste and texture! I highly recommended including these if possible.
How to Make Korean Beef
This recipe is incredibly easy and quick enough for a busy weeknight! Here’s the step-by-step guide for creating this saucy, flavorful keto recipe.
Make sauce
In a bowl, mix together sweetener, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, pepper flakes, black pepper, and cornstarch. Set this aside.
Cook beef
In a skillet (preferably non-stick) on medium-high heat, add the ground beef and minced garlic. Break up the ground beef into small pieces and cook for about 10 minutes. Mix occasionally until nearly cooked through.
Discard grease & add sauce
Push the beef and garlic to one side of the pan, then tilt the pan to move all the liquid to the other side of the pan. Use a spoon to remove as much of this excess liquid as you can, discarding it. Once that grease has been removed, pour in the sauce mixture and stir.
Simmer
Bring the beef and sauce to a simmer, cooking for about 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. It should fully coat every piece of the beef. Serve immediately.
Serve
We love this Korean Beef with a sprinkle of chopped scallions (LOVE that flavor and crisp texture!). We often eat it with cauliflower rice for dinner. Then spoon any leftovers into lettuce wraps for lunch the next day! Stir fried veggies would also make a great side.
Store
Allow the beef to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container. This will keep in the fridge up to 3-4 days.
Freeze
This Korean Beef freezes and reheats very well, so it’s great for a meal prep recipe! Simply transfer the cooled beef to a freezer-safe container and enjoy within 3 months for the best texture. We like to freeze it flat in a ziplock bag, then we can just stand it up against the side so it takes up very little room. It also thaws very quickly when spread out flat!
Reheat
You can reheat Korean beef in a skillet, the oven, or a microwave. The microwave is quickest and perfect for individual servings–Just blast for 30 second increments until warmed through, stirring and repeating as needed.
To reheat in a skillet, warm a non-stick skillet to medium low and add the thawed leftovers. Top with a lid and warm for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until warmed throughout. For large batches, you can place in a baking dish and reheat at 350 degrees F. Cover with foil to prevent it drying out.
The sauce might have thickened a lot during the cooling process. If it is thicker than you prefer, add a teaspoon or two of water and mix it in while you’re reheating the beef.
If you love this Korean Beef, you’ll love these easy keto dinners:
- Chicken Stir Fry – Using ground chicken makes this an easy one pan meal perfect for beginners. Super healthy and great for leftovers, too!
- Keto Cheeseburger Casserole Skillet – Talk about easy and kid friendly! This tastes like a cheeseburger in a bowl. Easy to make and low in carbs.
- Steak and Shrimp Skillet – This quick dinner is super filling and perfect on the stove or off the Blackstone!
- Asian Pork Tenderloin with Air Fryer Vegetables – This delicious meal includes super tender pork with crispy veggies you’ll love! So quick and good enough for company.
- Butter Chicken – Super flavorful and surprisingly easy! This one pan recipe can be whipped up quickly on a busy night but tastes like it’s been cooking all day.
Korean Beef FAQs
Traditionally this dish uses super tender steak, ribeye and sirloin being most common. We replaced this with ground beef because…1. You don’t have to pre-slice it, 2. It’s cheaper, and 3. It’s more easily accessible. If you prefer, you can easily use this recipe with thinly sliced steak instead.
Yes, absolutely! This sauce is also delicious on pork or chicken if you’d like to mix it up. Impossible or Beyond brands carry ground beef alternatives, or you could replace the beef with sliced mushrooms.
This dish is usually served with rice, noodles, or vegetables. To keep things low carb, stick with some basic cauliflower rice or stir fry vegetables. You could try this Low Carb Stir Fry with Shirataki Noodles.
Yes, you can use molasses, honey or brown sugar if not watching your carbs.
Korean Beef
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons monk fruit sweetener (molasses or honey if not keto)
- 3 tablespoons tamari sauce or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cornstarch ( or 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup sliced or chopped scallions as garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the monkfruit sweetener, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes, pepper, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a non-stick fry pan over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and garlic. Break up the ground beef so it resembles small pieces and cook for about 10 minutes, or until nearly fully cooked through, mixing occasionally.
- Push the beef to one side of the pan and tilt the pan to allow any excess liquid to move to the other side of the pan. Use a spoon to scoop out all the excess liquid and discard.
- Pour the liquid mixture from earlier over the cooked beef and mix together. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened and coats the beef.
- Serve beef alongside your favorite keto side, such as cauliflower rice or even in a lettuce wrap. Sprinkle with chopped scallions when ready to serve. Enjoy!
