This easy Keto Korean Beef is so full of flavor, your tastebuds will sing. It’s a delicious way to serve zucchini noodles, and using ground beef makes it extra fast and easy.
Pardon the interruption, folks, but you need to drop whatever you’re doing right now and put this keto Korean beef on your menu. And then you need to check your cupboard and make sure you have all the necessary ingredients.
Because this one ranks up there as one of my all time favorite easy keto meals. I knew it would be good but I was truly blown away by just how good it was.
Since I cook and bake for a living and I literally wrote the book on Easy Keto Dinners, that’s saying a lot!
It’s a perfect dish to work in some of that summer zucchini, just like Cheesy Zucchini Casserole and Keto Zucchini Bread.
Korean beef bulgogi with a keto twist
I haven’t attempted Korean food at home in a long time, not since before I was keto. In those days, I would have used bottled Korean BBQ sauce without even considering the sugar content.
With all the modifications I made to this, I won’t even pretend that it’s remotely authentic. But it does capture the spirit and flavors of the original. I recommend this article from My Korean Kitchen if you want to great tips on how to make authentic Bulgogi.
In addition to making mine sugar free, I also used ground beef rather than sliced beef. This eliminates the step of cutting up the beef and makes the recipe even easier.
And then I added some zucchini noodles to make it a full one-pan meal. Delicious!
How to prep zucchini noodles
There are many ways you can prep zucchini noodles, but for a stir fry like this I recommend salting and draining in advance.
Zucchini is a wonderful and healthy low carb pasta substitute, but if you simply add it raw, it turns your dinner into a soupy mess. It’s a common error I see in a lot of recipes.
By salting the noodles and letting them drain for an hour, you draw out much of the moisture and will have much better results. It also softens them somewhat, so they don’t need to be cooked very long.
Unlike shredded zucchini, however, you don’t want to squeeze it out as it will break up your noodles. Simply lay out a tea towel and spread your noodles on top, then pat dry with another tea towel.
How to make Keto Korean Beef
This is a fast and easy one-pan meal with fabulous flavors. Here’s how it’s done:
- Spiralize the zucchini. If you have a spiral cutter like this one, then I recommend using the plate with the larger holes for more sturdy noodles. But if you don’t, thinner noodles will work fine.
- Salt and drain the noodles. Place them in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with salt, then toss to combine. Let drain 1 hour. Then pat dry.
- Whip up the sauce. Simply add all the sauce ingredients into a glass measuring cup or bowl and whisk to combine.
- Cook the beef. Sauté the beef in a hot skillet until no longer pink.
- Stir in the sauce and the noodles. You only need to cook the noodles until they are warmed through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Grab a plate and dig in!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure thing! Try shiritaki noodles or hearts of palm noodles, both would be delicious. But trust me, you cannot taste the zucchini in this recipe.
Tamari is a kind of gluten free soy sauce. I prefer it over things coconut aminos for two reasons: it’s lower in carbs and has much more flavor. If you avoid soy, then coconut aminos will be fine but less flavorful.
Yes, but there are a few things to keep in mind. A brown sugar replacement like Swerve gives the sauce the proper Korean BBQ flavor. The allulose helps it thicken and become syrupy. Other sweeteners may not give you these qualities.
Sure, you can make it easily with ground or sliced chicken, or even turkey. It will still be delicious.
They do! I ate some for lunch the next day. The noodles get a little mushier but it’s still a great meal.
More delicious keto one-pan meals
Keto Korean Beef Recipe
Ingredients
Zucchini Noodles
- 1 ½ lb zucchini (you will end up with about 18 to 20 ounces)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Sauce
- ¼ cup tamari
- 3 tablespoon Swerve Brown
- 2 tablespoon allulose (or BochaSweet or xylitol)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon sriracha optional
- 2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Korean Beef
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 ⅓ lb ground beef
- 1 medium green onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Zucchini Noodles
- Cut the ends off of the zucchini. Use the spiral cutter plate with larger holes to make zucchini noodles. Chop them slightly a few times to break up the long noodles.
- Place the noodles in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Toss to combine and drain for 1 hour, then pat them dry between tea towels (do not squeeze them out). Set aside.
Sauce
- In a glass measuring cup, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Korean Beef
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Once hot, add the beef and stir fry until no pink remains, about 7 minutes. Break up the clumps with the back of a wooden spoon as you cook.
- Stir in the sauce and green onion and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickenend, another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the zucchini noodles, toss to combine, and cook 2 to 3 minutes to heat through.
- Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
Kristen Drake says
My husband said these are the best Asian flavors he’s ever had. I look forward to making this again with different meats.
Julie Mineely says
OMG what a great simple, quick and oh so tasty recipe. Hubby and I both thoroughly enjoyed dinner tonight. I love your recipes and your commitment to keto and helping those of us who have little time and/or considerably less talent in the kitchen. Thank you.
Joyce says
If you use frozen zucchini, do you still need to salt the noodles and let it sit for an hour?
Carolyn says
No idea, I’ve never used frozen zucchini noodles. I’d check the packaging instructions.
Susan says
I’ve read your comments about sweeteners and how they affect the outcome of this recipe. However, I am not comfortable using allulose. My question is, can one increase the amount of Swerve and then add a little bit of xanthan gum or glucomanan to thicken the sauce? When I made your wonderful keto smoked sausage casserole, the glucomanan worked very nicely as a thickener. Thank you.
Carolyn says
Sure you can try that but it will likely recrystallize as it cools.
katerina @ diethood.com says
This Keto Korean Beef was fantastic! Everyone loved it! I can’t wait to make it again and again!
Toni says
Everyone at my house loved this meal! Such a great meal!
Matt Taylor says
I love Korean food! This keto version for Korean beef is so amazing, and perfect for someone on a Keto/Low carb diet. The zucchini noodles are perfect!
Laura says
This was just delicious. I made the sauce, and used it on chicken wings and grilled shrimp. It will be a staple from here on out. SO good!!
Kelly says
Thank you for sharing all your recipes. They are outstanding and never disappoint! Made this for dinner and served over cauliflower rice. The whole family loved it! This will definitely be on the meal rotation.
Crystal Johnroe says
Oh my this is good!
Angie says
This sounds delicious! Must make it soon!
Deb says
This is the best dish ever. We grow zucchini so I’m always looking for ways to use it. I found this recipe on Facebook and decided to try it. Omg, it’s so easy and so delish. It has the perfect amount of kick to it as well. My husband has already requested it soon, before our zucchini stops growing. You can bet this will be made frequently in our house.
Kelly says
Made this for dinner tonight. Delicious!! Will definitely make it again. Even my picky husband loved it!
Kate says
Just want to cllarify something before I make this – the sesame oil is regular. not toasted right? This always confuses me in recipes. Thanks.
Carolyn says
Not toasted, no. Unless toasted is specified, use regular. (FYI… toasted should be used as a finishing oil, not a cooking oil, since it’s already been cooked).
Jeff S says
This one’s a keeper. Best part was the leftovers – warmed and rolled in a low carb tortilla.
Jackie Butts says
Just made it for dinner. Hubby said “If I pick up some ground beef and zucchini can we have it again tomorrow?” I guess that makes it a big hit.
Thanks for another delicious meal.
Aimee says
AMAZING!! Just finished making this with a zucchini from my sister-in-law’s garden. I kind of hope no one else likes it, so I can keep it all for myself 😈 I made it with all the optional heat, so it has a ‘sweet heat’ that’s really incredible. Thanks so much for all the amazing recipes!
Carolyn says
Yay! We loved it too and I am eager to make it again.
Kim says
Just made this for me and my husband. It was delicious and so easy! Definitely going to make this again and again and agian. Thanks for sharing. Your recipes are always amazing!
Carolyn says
Yay, so happy to hear it!
Chris David says
Hi Carolyn, your biggest fan here! Really enjoyed this article. I am a little meat-ignorant,so deeply appreciated it. Decided to research meat in my area (San Diego) and found a site in which you or your readers may be interested. https://www.beckandbulow.com/ They are in the Sierra Nevada foothills and have some very unconventional but sound ways of doing things and are a CSA, as well. The articles in the blog are very informative, I mean VERY. A little hard to read at times, because historically we have done some pretty rude cattle raising, but a great read. Thanks for everything that you do.
Eileen says
This sounds good as is ,but what kind of beef do you recommend if I wanted to make it with sliced beef?
Are any other changes to the recipe needed if using sliced beef?
Thank you–I enjoy your emails.
Carolyn says
Check out the article I linked to for authentic Bulgogi, she’s really specific on the meat you should use. 🙂