Korean Beef Sloppy Joes made with sweet and spicy flavors with a punch of garlic that’s a fun change from the classic sloppy joes.
One of the most popular recipes on the site is super easy Korean Ground Beef and these sloppy joes are a delicious sloppy Korean take on the ever popular Ultimate Sloppy Joes.
Korean Beef Sloppy Joes
Happy Monday everyone! August is so confusing to me because as a kid we all used to have August as a non-school summer month. All the kids in our neighborhood are either starting this week or next week and some of my client’s kids have already started school!
These sloppy joe recipes we’ve been posting every Monday are our ode to the school week. A quick and easy dinner recipe you can change up with easy pantry ingredients that your kids will love.
That’s the idea anyway. We find ourselves looking forward to these Sloppy Joe’s even more than the kids are! These Korean Beef Sloppy Joes are no exception, they’re the sloppy answer to the kid friendly ground beef bowl that is ALL over Pinterest.
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Can I serve this mixture instead of the regular Korean Ground Beef? Yes, this mixture is a saucier version of that recipe but you can absolutely serve it over rice. In fact you may even prefer this version.
Sometimes when we make the regular version and we reheat leftovers they can get a bit dry. If you serve this version over rice even when you reheat it you’ll still have plenty of moisture in the mixture.
The original sloppy joes had vegetables as part of the recipe. This mixture doesn’t contain any hidden vegetables but it very easily can. My favorite of the list below? Carrots and zucchini. They don’t detract from the flavors at all.
HIDDEN SLOPPY JOES VEGETABLES:
- green bell pepper, chopped finely (red is sweeter but this mixture is already pretty sweet)
- onions (yellow or green), chopped finely
- zucchini, chopped finely
- carrots, shredded or chopped finely and steamed
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WHAT GOES GOOD WITH Korean Beef SLOPPY JOES FOR A SIDE DISH?
We love serving these sloppy joes with steamed broccoli and carrots. If you roast the broccoli and the carrots at a higher temperature and slice them thinly you may even be able to get nice crisp edges on them which could make them taste like fries.
TIPS FOR MAKING THESE Korean Beef SLOPPY JOES:
- Make sure your ingredients are ready ahead of time in a large measuring cup, don’t let the pan scorch.
- .If you want the sandwich to be saucier or have a kick of spice serve it with spicy mayo (a mixture of Sriracha and mayonnaise).
- Stop cooking when its just slightly too wet still, it will thicken as it sits for a couple minutes.
- If you want to meal prep just leave the sauce extra saucy before shutting off the heat. You may need a bit of water when reheating.
Are you going to join us and enjoy this recipe on Wednesday? Remember if you make this dish this Wednesday, we’ll be having the same dinner.
I’d love to know how it turns out for you so if you do make the recipe pretty please come back and leave a comment letting me know how you enjoyed them.
We put a ton of effort into recipe testing almost 40 Sloppy Joes for this weekly series!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef , 85/15 fat content
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup hoisin
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 green onions sliced thinly
- 4 brioche rolls
Instructions
- In a large skillet add in the beef, lower the heat to medium and cook well, breaking it apart but leaving some chunks about the size of a raspberry or small grape (don't crush the heck out of it, the larger crumbles will help give the sandwich stability).
- Cook until well browned (5-6 minutes), then add in the garlic, sesame oil, ketchup, hoisin, water, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sriracha and stir together well until the sauce starts to evaporate and the mixture becomes "sloppy" (about 5-6 minutes).
- Toast the buns then spoon over the mixture and top with green onions.
Nutrition
A nice switch of flavors from other more basic or bland hamburger recipes. I made 3 lbs up and froze in servings for two.
SUPER YUMMY! I added the sesame oil just before serving bc the flavor cooks off. Big hit with everyone, even those who were skeptical. Ty for the recipe
Thanks Joan!
Delicious. I cooked it down a bit longer to thicken the sauce but the flavors were great!
I have made this recipe several times. The only thing I added was grated ginger and gochujang. I garnished with cilantro and green onion. Absolutely delicious!!
Adding your recipe to my meals was such a great surprise. My family went nuts over it . I make it so often that my family told me to back off a little. I guess once a week is a little to much. LOL
Thanks
Diane
Good flavor, not Korean as much as general Asian flavors. There is so much liquid that it took over 10 min to boil it off to be able to put it in a sandwich. Also, with so much liquid there is no way to leave the larger pieces of meat intact. Recommend draining the meat after browning, using gochujang paste instead of siriacha sauce, and leaving out the water.
I haven’t run into that problem with this recipe. What percentage fat was the beef burger? Enjoyed your recommendations. Thank you!
So easy and so delicious!! I top my sloppy Joe’s with kimchi and that takes the sandwich to a whole new level. I shared some with my neighbors, who lived in Korea fir a few years, and they loved it and asked for the recipe. This recipe is a keeper!!
Now that sounds amazing!
Not sure if it’s authentic Korean or not, but damn tasty!
These were so good!! Toasted our brioche buns with butter and garlic powder. Way better than regular sloppy joes. We made ours in the instant pot to make the meat softer. So good.
I followed this recipe exact. I loved it.
Followed recipe except for the sriracha, which I did not have. Used 1/2 tsp Gochujang instead – tasted and added another 1/2 tsp – got the taste without it being super spicy. The flavor of this sloppy joe is outstanding! I could taste each of sauce ingredients, which I usually can’t when it comes to sauces. Don’t care if it’s authentic Korean or not! Have enjoyed all your recipes that I’ve tried.
Most Excellent Thank you! I enjoy all your recipes!!!
These were the bomb!! Used ground pork, added some fresh ginger, chili paste and a little Korean pepper flakes. Served with picked veggies and sriracha Mayo. It was a wonderful explosion of flavor. This recipe is a keeper for sure. Thanks for sharing it.
Turned out great! Brioche rolls were out of stock at my local store so subbed with large sourdough rolls. I also added a thin slice of Colby jack cheese before serving. Will definitely make again.
We used pork and added chili garlic sauce we like it spice!! Made tacos the next night with leftovers AMAZING!!
My family went nuts over this. I fixed so many times we had to take a break. That’s how yummy it is.
Thanks
Well, I’m excited! It’s finished. I substituted onion rolls for brioche. We will see what the teenagers think!
This was absolutely delicious. Followed directions and proportions exactly except I only had a pound of ground beef. Huge hit and will definitely be in my meal rotation from now on!
Are you supposed to drain the meat before adding the sauce ingredients?
Thanks:)
They were absolutely amazing and so easy. After reading comments, made a few changes in using ground pork and adding some fresh ginger, chili paste, and Korean pepper flakes. I let it simmer till it was the consistency I wanted. I made some sirache Mayo and some pickled vegetables. Heaven….
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Sabrina, can you use this recipe with pulled pork
Sabrina
Awesome sloppy joes.
I’ve made them before but the hoisin sauce gave it a nice sweetness. Nick don’t be a hater.
Sounds tasty… just not Korean. Maybe if you switch out the Chinese hoisin sauce with a Korean bulgogi marinade.
Or gochujang… mmm
These are incredible and so easy to make! I was wondering – it’s a snow day for us and I’m dying to make these but would love to crock pot it! Is this crockpottable?
I don’t see anything in the ingredients that deem this “Korean”. So just wondering why it’s named this?
The seasoning of the beef is Korean style.
Made this tonight, was sooooo easy and delicious! Much thanks, will be in the regular rotation!!!
No offense but hoisin sauce has chinese origins. I am going to try this but replace the hoisin sauce with Korean Gochujang paste.
Made as directed. Disappointing- not what I expected. Was too sweet and needed some crunch to it
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it!
Hello… I read your comment regarding your experience with this recipe. If you don’t mind, I’d suggest you replace the hoisin sauce with Korean Gochujang paste. It’s mildly spicy (to me) and smokey. If you visit my home page and check out the Korean recipes, I’ve tried quite a few. The paste is excellent.
Kind regards.
Hello… I read your comment regarding your experience with this recipe. If you don’t mind, I’d suggest you replace the hoisin sauce with Korean Gochujang paste. It’s mildly spicy (to me) and smokey. If you visit my home page and check out the Korean recipes, I’ve tried quite a few. The paste is excellent.
Kind regards.
If more crunch is what you’re looking for try toasting the buns a little more in the broiler. That gave me all the crunch I needed.
Excellent recipe. I had everything I needed on hand. The only thing I did different is add more Sriracha. Don’t think I’ll make regular Sloppy Joe’s again.
Thank you Ingrid!
This recipe was soooo tasty and easy! 10/10 for a quick weeknight dinner. We all loved it and there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Mine turned out greasy. Was I supposed to drain the meat after cooking? It was not in the instructions.
I just made this myself, I only had 80/20 beef instead of the recommended 85/15. All I did was cook it at medium for a few minutes longer, and then turned it to low for a little bit more after that, and it thickened up as a result.
Korean Sloppy Joes, we’re so tasty. I will make this again and again!
My husband and son love this – now, when I say we’re having sloppy joes my 11 year-old asks if they’re Korean beef sloppy joes!
Made this dish tonite and served over rice. Took it to a potluck & it was a huge hit! Will definitely make it again!
Yum. I roughly did 2/3 of recipe ingredients since I only had 1 lb. of hamburger. It was so tasty!
I love this recipe! The flavor mixture is on point, I did see a comment about it being a little watery, so I waited until the end to see if I needed it, I didn’t and the texture was perfect! My husband was skeptical when I was putting it together, quickly changed his mind once he tasted it! A keeper!!!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Sarah.
Made this for dinner yesterday and loved it! It was so easy and quick to whip up after work. I’m very tempted to try the other variations as well. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Debbie.
This was so so good! And best of all, quick to prep, cook, and clean. We’ll definitely be making this again.
Delicious!!!! I doubled the sau and added red pepper flakes as well. I
served over rice with a side of broccoli. A great diversion from a ground beef casserole. Will definitely make again!
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it, Sherri.
I really enjoyed this recipe although i did omit the water and added cornstarch as I wanted it thicker. But the flavors are fabulous I have been eating the leftovers for breakfast, strange but delicious.
I actually salivated when I saw the picture. This recipe is addictive!
Thanks, Carole.
Very rich and tasty – a hit for the family. Might make just a tad less sauce next time. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, Miranda.
Loved this recipe! The flavors were amazing and it was such an easy process. Will definitely be making this again!
This is just delicious. I put more Sriracha, add some ginger as well. I have made this several times and have even used Ground Turkey and it turns out great. One of our favorites!
I made this for dinner, I love the flavors, my husband was skeptical but quickly changed his mind once he tasted it. I omitted the water because it really wasn’t needed. This recipe is a keeper, delicious!
I’m glad to hear it was husband approved! Always great to win over a skeptic.
I surprised my family with this recipe and they went wild. We eat it about twice a month. In stead of using buns I put it over rice and it is sooo good.
Thank you so much I have a happy family
Absolutely Delicious!! I make these often. I add a little extra sriracha, Love them.
Delicious. Fast . Easy! I only omitted the water, the sauce was perfect and thick without it. Adjust the heat to your taste but otherwise a very tasty meal the whole family loved it!
So what you do is you swap out the hamburger meat with wagyu hamburger. Then you swap the bread for toasted Hawaiian rolls (hamburger size), add a pinch of white pepper and just a tablespoon of chilie pepper flakes (or paste). You’re welcome! A sloppy joe for the gods! I am an American and happened to live in Korea for 3 years, I think this really gets it all the way home. I would pair it with an Asian Sapporo beer. It’s quite nice.
Thanks for the suggestions!
A bit salty for our liking. Would cut back on the soy sauce and up the saracha sauce. Also, may try it on rice for a change
Korean beef was so delicious, will definitely make this again.
Made and put over rice, added shredded zucchini and shredded arrows, oh my was this wonderful thank you
My family went nuts over this Korean dinner. We put ours on rice it was soooo good.
Tonight we are making it with pulled pork and rice.
Thank You for such a great recipes.
I love Gochujang and so does my wife but even a bit hits her hard. (Gochujang is Red pepper paste)
So this was a huge hit today. I wish I could show you photos, but the double recipe I made is gone.
Hot heads like me will want more heat but this a perfect starter.
I’m glad it was such a hit!
Made these last night and they were so very good! A new favorite recipe for sure!
Amazing, made these after seeing the recipe and we have been making them at least once a week. Have shared recipe with many friends who have now added to their dinner favorites.
I’m glad it’s such a hit! Thanks for the 5 stars, Clark.
love thank you I added mushrooms and seved over hot rice
These were so easy to make and oh so good. Glad I found this recipe.
Delicious!
I’m making these tonight, but serving it over zoodles.
Thanks for a great recipe.
So easy delicious! Definitely a keeper!
Delish! I definitely drained the burger. it was a huge hit with my hubby. Will add this to our rotation at home or in the RV
This recipe is absolutely amazing, I will be making this for my kids next week. I recommend draining the beef before adding all ingredients.
Just wondering it doesn’t say to drain the meat…but is that a given with 85/15 meat or do you leave it in?!??????
If you have a lot of fat, you can drain it.
Just cooked this and it is delicious. Added fresh ginger and onion to the mix and at least double the amount of sarachi sauce and garnished it with spring onion and Tesco’s pink slaw.amazing recipe to start with and just tweaked a bit to suit personal taste.
Tried this for the first time. Made as written. My family agrees that this is our new favorite. Better than the tomato base. I made quick Asian pickles to put on top.
I’m so glad you decided to give it a try, Lisa. Thanks so much for the 5 stars.
I thank you for this recipe!
Second time cooking it…
You gave a fantastic base.
1/2 teaspoon of Sriracha? Nope. 1 tablespoon.
I added onion, sesame seeds and ginger.
So simple. So delicious!
You’re welcome, Michael.
This is delicious! I added 1/2 cup of diced onion and 1 tsp of freshly minced ginger. I also omitted the sriracha and added 2 tablespoons of gochujang for some more “authentic” flavor. I love the high contrast between sweet and spicy. Very addicting. This will be one that I will enjoy for years to come. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the suggestion, Janelle. I appreciate the 5 stars.
So I only used one pound of meat and I used ground pork. It’s what I had. I added some chopped onion and sautéed that with the pork. I also added in some minced ginger and 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar. I forgot to add in the water, but it didn’t need it. It was delicious! I bet this would be good with ground chicken as well.
Sometimes you gotta adapt and improvise! 🙂
This was delicious. I used ground turkey breast however, but oh mannnnn yummy!!!!! It reminded us of the great spare ribs we get at our Chinese restaurant. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
You’re welcome Barbara.
Loved this recipe, did add some veggies. Next I am using it to make lettuce wraps. I added chopped water chestnuts for crunch and seifun crispy noodles on top.
I love the idea and it tasted pretty good, however it was pretty salty for my family. I’m not sure which ingredient listed caused it, so I don’t know how to reduce the saltiness.
I always make sure to use a low sodium soy sauce. 🙂
This looks amazing. I’m curious, what did you all serve as a side? I need something kid friendly ?
We love roasted veggies like broccoli and carrots. If that’s not kid friendly enough, you can always do fries. 🙂
Oh this is going on next week’s menu but with jack fruit or seitan instead of ground beef! The sauce sounds amazing
Enjoy!
I really liked this recipe! I served it over cauliflower rice and topped it with green onions and almonds! Delicious!
These aren’t exactly Korean inspired, but I see what you’re going for here (it’s more just general Asian-inspired). As a Korean, I’d recommend going with gochujang instead of sriracha if you want a more authentic Korean flavor. These sound great though and I will definitely be trying your recipe 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion. 🙂
Made these tonight and 3.5 out of 4 loved them (the other one thought they were just okay, but he’s ridiculous….) We snuck in a ton of extra veggies. Shared on my blog as well with a link back to your site (no recipe posted) because my friends need to know about these! Great dinner solution and easy enough for the 11-year-old to do on his own if needed.
would love to see what your recipe looks like with all the veggies!!
Deeeeelicious. I finely chopped and sautéed white onion, carrots and zucchini prior to adding the beef and my picky eaters had no idea. Needs a side item, maybe an asian style salad or slaw.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
You should think about Korean ingredients, like gochujang. Hoisin and sriracha?
Feel free to use that instead. 🙂
Made it actually as above but all in an instant pot. AMAZING. LOVED IT. Will be adding this to my rotation!!
Thanks for the feedback!
Love the Korean Sloppy Joe! Taste was right on and had the right balance. Next time I will add less sauce mix and see how it thickens up.
Great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lisa!
Have you ever made this as a freezer meal to put in the crockpot or instapot? if so, did you brown the meat ahead of time or just mix everything up and freeze it in a bag? Looks so good! cant wait to try!
Thanks!
I haven’t tested it yet so I’m not sure. I would brown the meat before freezing though and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before putting it in the slow cooker the next day. If you decide to try, I’d love to know what you did and how it turns out. Thanks!
Easy to make and the taste is excellent!
Packed with flavor and. perfect ratio of meat:sauce. However, I’ll halve the sesame oil next time. Thank you for posting this!
You’re welcome, Melisa!
I made this dish for my family it was pretty yummy. I would have never imagined sloppy joe to taste this way. I did substitute the beef for turkey ground it turned out great
So glad you all enjoyed it, Mylena!
I lived in Korea for two year, it’s not Korean. That being said it is very good. I didn’t have any hoisin sauce at the time so I substituted it with some gochujang sauce and oyster sauce. I had it over rice, but my son loved it as a taco. I’m making it again this week but will make it for taco’s with Korean pickled vegetables.
This was awesome!!! Used 1.25# beef & 1# chopped mushrooms, browned together until the moisture evaporated, then added everything else. We like spicy so I used a tablespoon plus of Sriracha, plus a good scoop of Sambal olek, perfect marriage of sweet & spicy. Mike & Maria both loved it!!! Thanks for the great recipe & idea.
So glad yo guys enjoyed it, Lara!
This looks great, can’t wait to try!! My favorite veggie disguised in ground beef is mushrooms, I use the Cremini/baby Bella & chop them, brown them with the ground beef & onced it’s sauced, even mushroom haters can’t tell.
Sounds delicious!
Do you drain the fat from the hamburger before adding the other ingredients?
I didn’t need to because I used 85/15 fat content ground beef. If your ground beef has a higher fat content, you may need to drain before adding the other ingredients.
Awesome recipe, loved these!!! I made these last night with one minor change. I added 2 T Gochujang sauce for the Korean spice and flavor. (any more would have been too hot) They were delicious!! The rich color as shown in the photo is produced with this recipe which added great visuals as well as outstanding taste. The green onions added color and a little flavor atop the brioche buns. WIll make again and again!!
This makes me so happy to see! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it!
Looks delicious! Several of my family cannot handle spicy. If I leave out the sriracha, do you think it’ll still taste good?
Yes, you can leave it out if you’d like.
Made a pound of beef exactly as directed, added in veggies to make up the extra half pound and served it all over rice. Amazing flavors. This will be in regular rotation for sure!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Everyone loved it. I did add some corn starch to thicken the sauce. It was delicous!!!!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
I made the Korean spicy sloppy joes they were delicious definitely recommend
So glad you enjoyed it!
Holy guacamole! I can’t wait to try this recipe. I love Korean beef so I am definitely going to give this one a try!
Thanks
I hope you enjoy it!
We loved this! I didn’t have hoisin sauce, so I used 1/2 cup of honey teriyaki sauce with 1/4 teaspoon of five-spice powder. I cooked ground turkey from frozen in my Instant Pot (1 cup water, frozen meat on a trivet, high pressure for 25 minutes). Quick released pressure, removed meat and trivet when done, drained water. Meat back in pot, broke up with a Mix n Chop, added sauce and heated to bubbling over Low Saute. My guys had sandwiches and I had mine over cauliflower rice. Will make again!
Amazing! Thanks for the feedback using an IP!
This was SOOO good! I didn’t have hoisin sauce, so I used a half cup of teriyaki sauce with 1/4 teaspoon of five-spice powder. My guys had sandwiches, and I had mine over cauliflower rice. It will be yummy with steamed coleslaw mix as Eggroll in a Bowl, too! Thanks for this recipe!
Love the idea of cauliflower rice with it! Thanks for the tip!
Not Korean at all. Koreans don’t use Hoisin sauce.
Looks great! Wood be good as the topping for a korean chilli dog. With creamy slaw.
Sounds amazing!
This looks fantastic! Definitely a must-make!
Thanks Sandra!
This dinner looks so tasty! I cannot wait to make this!
The flavors sound so amazing in these! Definitely a must-make for dinner!
Thanks Erin!
Mine looked exactly like these and my 3 picky kids loved them! I did use Hawaiian rolls instead of brioche thinking that might tempt the kids even more and added lime juice with the rice vinegar, (I always add citrus with vinegar but that’s a personal preference.) This will go into regular rotation!
Awesome Heather! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know how much you all loved it….especially the kids!
Put this on the Family What’s App. We all made it on the same day & the consensus was unanimous – easy & simply delicious.
Thank you for this treat.
How awesome Betty! Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you all enjoyed it!
I want to try these!
I love Korean beef and this is definitely worth a try!!
I hope you enjoy it!
Do the totals in the nutrition information include the buns or not?
Yes, it includes the buns. 🙂
I never would have dreamed of making sloppy joes with these flavors. I have bookmarked this to try. It sounds PERFECT!
Thanks Kristen!