Keto Korean Beef is an easy low carb version of bulgogi, the classic Asian dish. Adding zucchini noodles turns it into an easy one-pan meal that will have everyone coming back for more!
My family loves Asian food of all kinds. Thai, Chinese, Japanese, you name it, they will devour it. So I am always on the hunt for Asian-style dinners that cut out the carbs but don’t skimp on flavor. And this Keto Korean Beef satisfies all of those requirements. It’s been one of my family’s favorite keto ground beef recipes for years now.
It has all the hallmarks of a great meal: easy, flavorful, and family friendly. It tastes just like classic Korean bulgogi, without the sugary sauce. Using ground beef instead of sliced beef simplifies the cooking process even further. Delicious!
★★★★★
Jo says: “I made this recipe last night for my long-time Keto self and a non Keto friend. We both LOVED it. Hers was served with thin spaghetti. Mine was as written.“
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Zucchini: If you don’t enjoy zucchini, you can omit this and skip ahead to making the sauce. Serve with cauliflower rice instead.
- Ground beef: You can also use ground chicken or turkey.
- Tamari: This is a kind of flavorful soy-sauce that is also entirely gluten-free. You can also use regular soy sauce.
- Sweetener: A little sweetener helps give the dish a more authentic flavor.
- Sriracha: This adds a bit of a kick, along with the red pepper flakes. It’s not much and you can increase or decrease as desired.
- Ginger and garlic: Opt for the fresh versions where possible. If you need to use powdered, try 3/4 teaspoon of each.
- Oil: You some oil for the pan, as well as sesame oil for the sauce. If you have toasted sesame oil, it adds fabulous flavor!
- Other seasonings: Red pepper flakes, green onion, sesame seeds
How to Make Keto Korean Beef
- Spiralize the zucchini: If you have a spiral cutter like this one, I recommend using the plate with the larger holes for more sturdy noodles. If not, thinner noodles will work fine.
- Salt the noodles: Lay the noodles out on a tea towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let sit for 20 minutes, then pat dry with another towel.
- Prepare the sauce: 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 noodles: Cook until everything is warmed through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then sprinkle with the green onion and sesame seeds.
- Serve and enjoy!
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
Don’t skip salting the zucchini to draw out the excess moisture. It can be a wonderful low carb pasta substitute, but if you add it raw, it can turn your dinner into a soupy mess.
Unlike shredded zucchini, however, you don’t want to squeeze it out as it will break up your noodles. Simply lay them out a tea towel and spread your noodles on top, then pat dry with another tea towel.
If you are sensitive to salt, be sure to use low sodium tamari or soy sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try shiritaki noodles or hearts of palm noodles – both would be delicious. You can also serve the beef over cauliflower rice.
Absolutely. While it won’t be Keto Korean Beef, it will still be an absolutely delicious meal!
Most soy sauce contains gluten, and most tamari does not. But be sure to check the labels carefully. I really like the San J brand, which is certified GF.
They do! I enjoy this Keto Korean Beef for lunch after we’ve had it for dinner. I’ve also eaten it for breakfast with a fried egg on top!
More Popular Keto One Pan Meals
Keto Korean Beef Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Zucchini Noodles
- 1 1/2 lb (680.39 g) zucchini, (you will end up with about 18 to 20 ounces)
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Sauce
- 1/4 cup (58 g) tamari
- 3 tbsp granular sweetener, allulose, erythritol, or a mix
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sriracha, optional
- 2 tsp grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) red pepper flakes
Korean Beef
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil
- 1 1/3 lb (604.79 g) ground beef
- 1 medium green onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp 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.
- Spread the noodles out on a tea towel and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 20 minutes to draw out the excess moisture, then pat them dry with another towel.
Sauce
- In a glass measuring cup, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Korean Beef
- Add the oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. 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.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Hi Caroline,
Because I live in Canada (BC) I can’t get allulose. Bochasweet disagrees with me and xylatol is out because we have two dogs – lol! I made this dish using all Swerve brown and used 1/4 tsp. Konjac power to thicken it. It was delicious! Thought your other Canuck fans might be interested.
Love this site and your humorous and down to earth writing style.
Thanks! I do know that people are getting allulose at one place online in Canada. Can’t remember which one!
Delicious! My whole family loved it!
Super easy, surprisingly flavorful and family loved!
This was so much more than I expected!
When I saw it, I knew I had to try it. It was easy, though the need to salt and drain the zoodles meant it was not fast from start to finish. Still, I just started early and played Dragon Question until time for Phase II.
The flavors were excellent and most items are pantry items – I only needed to buy fresh garlic, ginger, zucchini, and pull ground beef from the freezer. And is is as economical as it is tasty! And, today I bought more zucchini to see what else I might do now that zoodles are a delicious thing in my life!
Delighted to hear it!
This was so delicious! I didn’t have zucchini, so I made with fresh broccoli florets. Made the beef according to directions, then moved to a bowl to keep warm. Added a little avocado oil to the same pan and then the broccoli. Allowed to stir fry for a few minutes, then added a little water, covered it so it would steam.
Even my picky 11 year old said it was so good! I don’t normally post comments, but wanted to say thank you for this! It will definitely be in my dinner recipe rotation.
Wonderful!
We made this with a Wagyu Ground Beef our grocery had on sale and served it in lettuce cups and it was delicious.
Making or own zoodles with the salting technique was so much better and cheaper than buying them prepared.
So glad you liked it!
Bulgogi is absolutely one of my favorite dishes and I had been so tempted to indulge so wow! This is a life saver, delicious and easy! Another spot on recipe- thanks Carolyn ❤️
I am so glad!
This is a fabulous dish! It has become one of the two most requested dishes at our biweekly potluck lunches (the other being pesto pizza with cauliflower crust). I discovered shaved beef at Trader Joe’s, and that makes it just about as authentic as the bulgogi we enjoyed on our trip to Seoul almost every day. Also easier to eat with Korean metal chopsticks than ground beef. ???? Thank you for this recipe, you Keto Magician! ????
I made this for dinner tonight and it is delicious and so easy!
Have you ever tried this sauce on chicken? I’m just wondering if it would taste good on chicken thighs.
It’s somewhat similar to my keto yakitori so yes, I have! 🙂 Use my search box and type in yakitori for that recipe.
Loved the flavor! Simple and delicious! For my tastes, I’d use thinner noodles or cut them up further as was slightly challenging to eat.
Oh my this was so good!!! So fast and easy. Thank you for yet another fabulous recipe.
My husband said these are the best Asian flavors he’s ever had. I look forward to making this again with different meats.
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.
If you use frozen zucchini, do you still need to salt the noodles and let it sit for an hour?
No idea, I’ve never used frozen zucchini noodles. I’d check the packaging instructions.
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.
Sure you can try that but it will likely recrystallize as it cools.