Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls + Video

Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls (Ground Beef Bulgogi) are loaded with sweet and aromatic flavors. Great for rice bowls, lettuce wraps and tacos.

Skip the fast food beef bowl joints and make your own Korean Beef Bowls in your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker at home.

In under 30 minutes, you will be enjoying a nice bowl of beefy goodness. So, if you are looking for a quick meal, this is for you! It as easy as my Instant Pot BBQ Chicken and Instant Pot Pesto Chicken recipes, which have gone viral.

Instant Pot Korean Rice Bowls are pretty close to a dump and push start recipe. In order to keep the beef from clumping, we will give it a super quick saute, just to break up the beef. Other than that, everything just gets dumped right into your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker.

 

We love to eat Pressure Cooker Kalbi Korean Short Ribs {Flanken} and when we are grilling outside, it is one of our favorite recipes to make. The sweet and complex sauce of so many Korean dishes are fantastic and this Pressure Cooker Korean Style Barbecue Country Pork Ribs recipe is no exception.

Hiya. Ed is back there washing the rice, so that we can cook the rice right along with the Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls. This is my rice pot in pot (“PIP” method).

Low Carb / Keto Option

• Many of us are low carbing these days, so please just substitute the sweetener like Brown Sugar or Raw Sugar for a Brown Sugar Alternative.

 

When browning or sautéing it is important to first heat up a stainless steel pot or skillet.

Your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker will become close to non-stick. If there are brown bits stuck on the bottom, they release easily with just a spatula as you are deglazing! Clean up is a breeze.

Why Use Olive Oil to Sauté and not Sesame Oil?

• Olive oil can stand high heats and keeps the food from burning.
• You don’t want to ever sauté with sesame oil as it will burn and turn bitter.
• Sesame oil is use for flavor and not for stir frying, browning or sautéing and is best added in towards the end, to preserve the flavor.

It is important to use good quality oils when cooking.

 

We are not browning or sautéing the ground beef, so don’t worry about actually “cooking” the beef in this step.

This step is just to break up the beef, so that it does not cook in a clump while under pressure. This meat masher does a much better (and faster) job of breaking up the meat.

Can Ground Turkey or Ground Pork Be Used?

• Definitely, this beef bowl recipe can be made with any type of ground meat. Ground turkey, ground chicken, ground bison, ground pork, ground chicken are all great alternatives.
• Ground turkey and ground pork have a lighter flavor, so add a Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce to beef up the flavor.

Any type of meat you like is fine and the process is the same. Similarly, in my Instant Pot Meatloaf recipe, any type of ground beef or combination of meat is just fine. In that recipe, potatoes are cooked in the same pot for mashed potatoes.

 

The diced onions will help to break up the ground beef.

They can go in at the same time as the beef.

What If I don’t Have Asian Pear?

• No worries, use uunsweetened applesauce instead!

 

The fact that you are cooking Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls, rather than driving to a Korean bowl restaurant is commendable!

My recipes are created with you, the user in mind. You will make restaurant (or better) qualify meals following my very detailed directions and photo descriptions. Cooking should be fun and not frustrating and my recipes will make you look like a rock star in your own home. I love to use fresh ingredients, but I understand that sometimes you don’t want to have to peel and/or grate garlic and ginger.

In many cases powdered or jarred spices and seasonings can be substituted in for fresh ingredients. Sometimes, like in my Air Fryer Low Carb Garlic Mushrooms recipe, garlic powder is preferred. Jarred minced ginger and jarred minced garlic are next in line to fresh ingredients.

If you don’t have the jarred aromatics, please use ground ginger and garlic powder, but cut the amount of powdered spices in half, as they are usually extra potent. You can always add more after cooking and adjust for your own taste.

 

Brown sugar adds a nice sweet and molasses flavor to the Korean Beef Bowls. If you prefer your beef bowls to be sweeter, please add more.

For those following a low carb or keto diet, please use Lankanto Brown Sugar Substitute.

 

Sambal Oelek Ground Chili Paste is an ingredient I use in many of my recipes.

Some people have questioned whether this is an ingredient which won’t be used much, but I assure you, you will use it more than you think.

What Can Be Use Instead of Sambal Oelek Ground Chili Paste?

• Red pepper flakes
• A red chili
• Cayenne pepper

I always have a jar in my fridge since I use it so often. The flavor is very pure and won’t interact negatively with the flavor of the other ingredients.

To give you an idea, here are a few of my recipes, which use Sambal Oelek:

• Instant Pot Bang Bang Chicken (Pressure Cooker)
• Instant Pot Low Carb Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Jalapeno Popper Soup (Pressure Cooker)
• Crazy Good Bang Bang Shrimp {Bonefish Grill}
• Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken [Pressure Cooker]

They are used in all kinds of recipes, not just Asian recipes. It’s inexpensive and I know you will love this product.

 

Asian pears are delicious, but if you don’t get one perfectly ripe and juicy, they are rather bland.

My Instant Pot Japanese Beef Curry recipe uses applesauce and it is seriously, the best beef curry I have ever had.

Therefore, I tried applesauce in this Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowl recipes and it works super well (and keeps you from having to go find an Asian pear).

 

Can Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls be Frozen?

• Easily. In fact, they freeze nicely. There are two ways.
  • Freeze already cooked beef bowls into individual or family servings, right along with the rice.
  • Mash up the ground beef with the onions and all seasonings and place into a FoodSaver Bag (or other system). Don’t add the rice to this, as it can be added PIP when ready to cook.

A FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System will keep food the freshest the longest, but there are other products to use, like containers and baggies.

 

Sesame oil is very strong, so make sure you don’t add more than the recipe (which is found below) calls for.

How to Reheat Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls

• If you have frozen the cooked Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls into separate containers, reheating is very easy.
• Add a cup of water to the cooking pot and use the PIP method for reheating.
• If the beef bowls are total frozen, set your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker for 8 minutes.
• For thawed beef bowls, set the cook time for 5 minutes.

For raw Freezer Meals (where you start with raw ingredients), just dump all the ingredients for Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls into the pot and follow the directions below, including the PIP rice.

 

Many of my recipes have instructions for pot in pot rice. I use the Ekovana pans set when making pot in pot rice. 

I also use a tall legged trivet when using the Ekovana pans for rice, potatoes, veggies and more.

My Instant Pot Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy, which is hugely popular recipe, uses this PIP system. At least half of my recipes has the option for cooking a second layer of food.

 

This Ekovana pan set is my preference as it offers the largest diameter for the various sizes of Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker and because it has the steam holes in the lid. This way, the rice is protected from the food in the bottom of the pot, leaching into the rice and will keep the rice nice an white.

Ways to Eat Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls

• On top of rice
• Over mashed potatoes
• Inside a lettuce leaf
• Inside a tortilla, like a taco

Another idea for serving is making my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Pressure Cooker) and scooping the beef right on top, with all the gravy. That is also fantastic.

 

For this recipe, we use Calrose rice, as it is one of the preferred types of rice in Korean kitchens. We love that it is a bit sticky and holds together nicely. You can see how perfect the rice looks in the above photo.

The juice from the Korean beef can be used over rice for more flavor.

Toppings for Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls

• Cucumber – so refreshing, cucumbers cool and mellow out the spices.
• Carrots – shredded carrots add a nice crunch.
• Radish – the bitter radish pairs nicely with the sweetness of the meat.
• Fried egg – adding a fried egg takes the beef bowls up several notches. The pairing of the runny yolk with the beef is incredible.
• Sesame Seeds – add a nutty taste.
• Scallions – a garnish of scallions is pretty, but also adds a nice onion flavor.

Watch the video below as I walk you through every step and detail of this recipe. I’ve given you a ton of information above, but sometimes a visual of the process helps so you can follow along. I have my own cooking show on my YouTube Channel, so be sure to check it out and subscribe!

Watch my video and then scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card.

Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls

1. Use very lean ground beef and quickly break up the beef with the onion in the Instant Pot. An Meat Masher for Breaking up Ground Meat works wonders.
2. Calrose rice is great with Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls.
3. The gravy is awesome over the rice and over mashed potatoes.

What do you like over your Korean beef bowls?

A sunny side up fried egg over the beef bowls adds such a highlight in flavor. It may sound odd, but we never leave off an egg. I can’t wait to see how you eat it!

 

This is a recipe you will eat over and over. Start out with a nice green salad and then enjoy a delicious meal.

You will thank me for saving you so much money from those beef bowl joints.

More Instant Pot Bowl Recipes to Make:

• Pressure Cooker Kalbi Korean Short Ribs {Flanken}
• Pressure Cooker Korean Style Barbecue Country Pork Ribs
•  Pressure Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls [Instant Pot]
• Instant Pot Egg Roll Bowls [Low-ish Carbs]

How will you eat your Instant Pot Korean Beef Bowls?

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

• Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
• J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
• Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
• Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
• Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
• di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
• Rachael Ray Stoneware EVOO Oil Dispensing Bottle
• Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
• Gravity Electric Salt and Pepper Grinder
• Meat Masher for Breaking up Ground Meat
• My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
• Salbree Steamer/Strainer Basket
• Ekovana Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker Stackable Pans Set
• Stainless Steel Tall/Short Trivet & Egg Cooker Set

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Here is the handy printable recipe:

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