Slow Cooker Korean Beef - Dinner at the Zoo

This slow cooker Korean beef is flank steak simmered with soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a crock pot. The meat is fall apart tender and perfect served over steamed rice!

My family loves sweet and savory Korean style beef, and this slow cooker version couldn’t be any easier to make! If you’re looking for Korean beef in a hurry, try my Korean beef bowls or Korean BBQ tacos.

Slow cooker Korean beef with flank steak slices in a sweet and savory sauce, all inside a crock pot.

Korean beef is popular for good reason – that sweet and savory combo just can’t be beat! This slow cooker Korean beef takes just minutes to prepare. Place it in the slow cooker in the morning and come home later to dinner waiting for you.

Slow Cooker Korean Beef Ingredients

To make this recipe, you will need flank steak, cornstarch, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, beef broth, low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame seeds and green onions.

How Do You Make Slow Cooker Korean Beef?

Place the steak and cornstarch in a bowl. Toss the two ingredients together, then transfer the meat to a slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce over the meat, then stir everything together. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-3 hours. Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds and green onions, then serve and enjoy.

Flank steak strips tossed in cornstarch inside a slow cooker.

Tips for Slow Cooker Korean Beef

I like to save on prep time by slicing my meat and mixing up my sauce the night before. That way in the morning, it takes literally 2 minutes to toss everything together and be out the door.
I really think that fresh garlic and ginger give the best flavors in this dish, but if you don’t have them on hand, you can use bottled minced garlic and ginger or even ground garlic and ginger. If you use ground garlic and ginger, try using 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of ginger for best results.
I use flank steak for this recipe because it’s relatively inexpensive and always comes out super tender. If you don’t want to use flank steak, you could try a tougher cut of meat like beef stew meat cubes, but you’ll have to cook it for a few more hours.
Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Quick Tip

The easiest way to get thin strips of meat is to partially freeze your steak before you slice it.

Flank steak strips in a soy, ginger and garlic sauce.

Recipe FAQs

What is Korean beef called?

Korean beef is typically referred to as bulgogi. This is a specific dish that consists of marinated meat that is grilled. For this particular recipe, the dish contains Korean flavors, but is not a true bulgogi as it is cooked in a crock pot.

What goes best with Korean beef?

I typically serve my slow cooker Korean beef over rice, but sometimes I mix things up a bit and serve it with quinoa or noodles. If you’re watching your carbs, you can even try using zucchini noodles.

Slow cooker Korean beef served over steamed rice.

Flavor Variations

This dish is fabulous as-is, but you can change up the ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.

Meat: You can make this dish with other types of protein. Some great options include thinly sliced pork tenderloin, chunks of boneless chicken thigh or even cooked and crumbled ground beef!
Vegetables: Feel free to add some vegetables during the last 30 minutes of the cooking time. Some great options include broccoli, snow peas, thinly sliced carrots, cabbage or green beans.
Flavorings: Add some kick to the sauce by stirring in some Korean gochujang sauce. You can also use a little sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes.

A crock pot of Korean beef with serving tongs in it.

This dish is great for meal prep. Simply divide equal amounts of beef and rice into meal prep containers and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. I make this slow cooker Korean beef constantly, it’s so easy and flavorful and tastes just like the restaurant version.

More beef Recipes You’ll Love

Slow Cooker Korean Beef Video

Love This Recipe?

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This slow cooker Korean beef is flank steak simmered with soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a crock pot. The meat is fall apart tender and perfect served over steamed rice!

Place the flank steak and cornstarch in a bowl, stir to coat the meat evenly.
Place the meat in a slow cooker.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, beef broth, soy sauce and brown sugar.
Pour the sauce over the meat and stir to combine.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, then serve.

The easiest way to get thin strips of meat is to partially freeze your steak before you slice it.
I use flank steak for this recipe because it’s relatively inexpensive and always comes out super tender. If you don’t want to use flank steak, you could try a tougher cut of meat like beef stew meat cubes, but you’ll have to cook it for a few more hours.

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