Instant Pot Korean Beef:
Sweet and spicy, this deliciously flavorful Korean Beef is cooked in an Instant Pot pressure cooker with fluffy rice for a truly Eazy Peazy meal.
This Instant Pot Korean Beef is one of my favorite things I have made in the pressure cooker thus far. It was super simple to make, has a ton flavor, and I loved being able to cook the rice and the beef at the same time.
Instant Pot Korean Beef
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If you do not have an Instant Pot yet, it is time to get one! This meal was cooked in a 6 QT pot, which you can find on Amazon for around $100.
This Korean Ground Beef is as good, if not better than what you are going to get at a restaurant, but it comes in an easy to make, kid friendly, and budget friendly version here.
If you haven’t noticed by my recent influx if instant pot recipes, I am a little obsessed with pressure cooker cooking. I have read a lot about it, and how to use it properly, and have tested and tested and tested, to come up with some of the most flavorful, easy, and delicious meals possible.
One of the things I truly love about this method of cooking is how you can cook a complete dinner all together at the same time in the one pressure cooker. I used the pot in pot method, and the trivet the pressure cooker came with to cook my rice at the same time I cooked the beef. It was quick, simple, and turned out perfectly.
I use a 6 inch x 3 inch Wilton cake pan I picked up at Walmart, but you can buy inserts. Here is the pan I use from Amazon.
Did I mention it only takes 4 minutes of pressure to cook rice in the instant pot? So while the Korean beef cooked through, and those awesome sweet and spicy flavors melded together, my rice cooked and became awesome and fluffy! And I did not have to watch it at all. I just set the time, walked away, and the pot beeped at me when it was done. If that isn’t Eazy Peazy then I do not know what is.
And I have been slightly obsessed with the flavors of this Korean Beef. It is sweet and just a tiny spicy, not so much that my kids didn’t want to devour it, but enough to add just that little depth of flavor I was looking for.
Tips for making Instant Pot Korean Beef
- Use a low fat beef option, or drain your beef after browning. Draining the fat will help it be more flavorful.
- Use dark brown sugar. The recipe calls for it, and trust me it makes that beef all the more flavorful. But in a pinch, regular brown sugar will do.
- Use the pot in pot method to cook your rice, I used this pot, and fluff the rice with a fork after removing. Do not skip the butter, it makes it fluffy and delicious.
- If you don’t want to use ginger paste, or can’t find it (look near the produce section, it comes in a tube by the fresh herbs), you can sub equal parts fresh minced ginger, or half the amount in dried ginger.
Other EZPZ Instant Pot recipes you will LOVE:
Instant Pot Korean Beef
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil
- 2 Lbs ground beef 80/20 lean or leaner
- 1 Tbs minced garlic
Sauce
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 Tbs sesame oil
- 1/2 Tbs ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 Tbs mirin or rice wine
Rice
- 1 cup rice rinsed well
- 2 Tbs butter
- 2 cups water
Garnish
- Green onion
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Turn instant pot to saute mode.
- Add olive oil to the bottom and ground beef
- Brown the ground beef, add the minced garlic, and stir.
- Once browned, add all sauce ingredients.
- Stir well.
- Add a trivet to the pot, and a 6 Inch pot on top of the trivet.
- Add the rinsed rice, the butter, and water
- Put the lid on, and lock it into place.
- Set valve to sealing.
- Use the manual setting to set to 4 minutes.
- Let naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release
- Remove rice and fluff with a fork
- Serve by adding rice, Korean Beef, and garnish with green onion and toasted sesame seeds.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Katie says
Your recipe doesn’t say how much ginger paste to add.
Kathy says
Katie, it says 1/2 Tablespoon ginger paste. Sounds Delish, going to try it myself tonight.
Margaret says
What about non pot owners? How prepare?
Rachael says
Brown beef on the stove top, add the sauce ingredients, and cook until sauce is reduced, and beef is cooked through. Prepare rice according to package directions.
Rachael says
I have updated with instructions!
kathryn phillips says
Authentic Korean flavor! With the leftover beef, I made Korean street tacos which were sensational for lunch the next day.
My son is a carnivore and loves our local Korean restaurant. He wasn’t feeling well so I found this recipe hoping it would make him feel better (and we had to stay home because he was sick). Loving my new Instant Pot I got for Christmas, I made your recipe and it was absolutely fantastic! The flavor of the sauce it makes is authentic and quite frankly, I think it’s better than the restaurant version. My son gave it two thumbs up and went for not only seconds but thirds!
Rachael says
I am so glad your son liked my Korean Beef. The Instant Pot is a dream isn’t it? I hope he is feeling better, thank you for taking the time to comment!
gay hickman says
calories???
Angela says
Have you ever subbed brown rice?
Rachael says
I know you can, it has a different cooking time. I am sure you can google how long to cook brown rice in an instant pot and get it! Thanks, happy cooking.
Ada says
Are you using fragrant rice , or regular white rice, 4 minutes seems too little time for reg
Rachael says
It is Jasmine rice.
Lizette Carnell says
You used 2cups of water to one cup of rice. Isn’t that too much water? I normally use 1:1.
Rachael says
I am not sure, this is how I made it, but it might depend on the type of rice you use. If that is how you normally make it in the Instant Pot, I would do that.
Karen R. Boots says
Oh SWEET mother of all things delicious! I made this tonight and, instead of serving over rice, we put it in lettuce wraps with a bit of the rice (OMG, that’s the best rice I’ve ever made!). We are hooked! This was SUCH a treat, and the word “WOW” was muttered over and over. This is worth making just to freeze and have for a busy (or not) night. Toasting plenty of sesame seeds is a must, as is finely diced green onion. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow night. Thank you for sharing this excellent recipe!
Rachael says
Karen, thank you so much for taking the time to post your thoughts. You are great! And eating it as a lettuce wrap! Freaking genius, I might just have to make a separate post for that. Thanks for the idea.
Karen says
Maybe some chopped cashews for a wrap…but I think unsalted. 🙂
Rachel says
Anyone add veggies to it too? If so, what kind of veggies?
Jennifer Freitas says
I added frozen broccoli florets after it was done and simply placed the lid back on and let it steam for a couple of minutes in the hot pot. I also added grated carrot when I was browning the ground beef. Next time I will add the carrots at the same time as the broccoli as the little shreds have pretty much melted into the sauce by the end of the cooking time.
Rachael says
Thank you for the great tips Jennifer! We love this recipe, and I love that you added the veggies!
Sue Marie says
I made this last night with 1/2 beef and 1/2 pork, just because I had a pound of each on hand and I didn’t want to 1/2 the recipe for just beef. I love it. I had some broccoli that I made in the IP beforehand and added that to the final toppings with the green onions and toasted sesame seeds. I have done PIP rice before for 6 mins but this 4 mins turned out so much better. Next time I’m going to make more rice though. Had some for lunch and it had much more taste. Looking forward to using it in wraps like another poster mentioned. Thanks for sharing!
Patricia says
Do you think long grain white rice would work with the 4 minutes as well?
Rachael says
I think so, test it and let me know.
Eileen says
Is cooking time the same if I don’t cook the rice? I use a steamer. Thx
Rachael says
Yes! Thank you for asking.
Erin says
What if i don’t have a pot for inside my instapot? Can i just add water, rice, and then beef on top?
Beverly Dolfini says
This was amazing!!! Thank you for giving us such a great recipe!
Alissa Keefer says
I have 2 pounds of thin sliced beef that I would like to use would the cook time or amount of seasonings change? My boyfriend LOVES this recipe ?
Rachael says
Oh I am not sure, I would guess it is going to be very similar. So I would say try it and let me know! Double the sauce for that much meat.
Alissa Keefer says
I did make this tonight with the beef…I made the sauce and put it in a ziplock bag and added the beef marinated in the fridge for 4.5 hours cooked on manual for 10 min and then NPR. I think I will make it this way from now on it was just superb. Thank you for a great recipe
Rachael says
Oh that sounds amazing! I am so glad it turned out for you. Thanks for sharing the results.
Alissa Keefer says
I did make this tonight with the beef…I made the sauce and put it in a ziplock bag and added the beef marinated in the fridge for 4.5 hours cooked on manual for 10 min and then NPR. I think I will make it this way from now on it was just superb. Thank you for a great recipe
Nancy says
I added a can of water chestnuts drained and chopped. It adds a nice crunch to an awesome recipe!
Rachael says
What a great idea!