Easy Korean Beef - Healthy Recipes Blog

Name: Korean Beef
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce (or a gluten-free alternative); 2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers; 2 tablespoons avocado oil; 2 pounds top sirloin steak (cut into strips); 1 tablespoon fresh garlic (minced); 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root (minced); 1/4 cup green onions (green parts only, thinly sliced); 1 teaspoon sesame seeds; 1 tablespoon sesame oil

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This easy recipe for Korean beef is ready in 30 minutes, making it ideal for a weeknight dinner. There's no need to marinate the beef! Simply stir-fry it, add the tasty sauce, and serve.

Korean beef is served in a bowl with chopsticks.

I love the flavors of Korean cooking and make this recipe often, not just because of its flavor but because it's so easy. I regularly make stir-fries, including steak stir-fry, pork stir-fry, and shrimp stir-fry. But these require prepping vegetables, which is time-consuming. When pressed for time, I appreciate how quick this recipe is. A delicious variation on this recipe is Korean ground beef.

Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.

Soy sauce: I use reduced-sodium soy sauce in most of my recipes. You can use a gluten-free alternative.
Honey: Adds just a touch of sweetness. Even with the honey, a serving of this recipe only has 9 grams of carbs. However, you can use a sugar-free alternative if you wish.
Cornstarch: Helps thicken the sauce without adding too many carbs, since I only use 1 tablespoon.
Top sirloin: You can splurge and use beef tenderloin, which is more tender but also more expensive.
For garnish: Green onions, sesame seeds, and sesame oil.

Variations

You can make this dish extra spicy by increasing the crushed red peppers to a full teaspoon.
I sometimes make this recipe with refined coconut oil or ghee instead of avocado oil. I especially like ghee - it's very flavorful.
You can replace the green onions with chopped chives. They are milder in flavor.

Instructions

Here are the basic steps for making this recipe. The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below.

You start by whisking together the ingredients for a sauce made with soy sauce and honey.

Next, slice the beef.

Brown the beef in avocado oil, then add garlic and ginger. Add the sauce and cook until it thickens.

Adding the sauce to the beef in the skillet.

Garnish the dish with green onions, sesame seeds, and sesame oil, then serve!

Expert Tip

Top sirloin is appropriate for this recipe because it's lean. While it's not super tender, it's not overly tough, so you can avoid marinating it.

You can splurge on tenderloin, which is very tender but expensive. I almost always go with top sirloin. However, make sure you're getting top sirloin. Bottom sirloin is tough and won't work in this recipe.

To make this recipe as easy as can be, you can buy pre-sliced beef strips such as those sold by Whole Foods, U.S. Wellness Meats, or Wild Fork Foods. If they are frozen, you will need to fully thaw them before using them in this recipe.

Recipe FAQs

Should I marinate the beef before cooking?

No! There's no need to marinate it if you use a tender cut such as top sirloin or tenderloin.

Can I use sesame oil to cook the meat?

It depends. Refined sesame oil is OK to use in stir-fry recipes. But dark or toasted sesame oil is appropriate as a finishing oil, not a cooking oil.

Can I omit the honey?

You could, but I like how it balances out the other flavors. You can use just one tablespoon of it or a sugar-free honey substitute.

Serving Suggestions

Traditionally, Korean beef is served with white rice. I serve it on top of cauliflower rice, adding a vegetable to this dish. You can also mix it into cooked shirataki noodles, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash noodles.

Storing Leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. This is one of those dishes that keeps quite well. Just make sure you reheat it gently - you don't want to dry out the meat.