Instant Pot Bulgogi–This fast and easy beef bulgogi recipe is made with ground beef that is simmered in a sweet and savory Asian-inspired sauce and served topped with diced green onions, sesame seeds, and a soft boiled egg.
Instant Pot Bulgogi
Real bulgogi is strips of thinly sliced beef that has been marinated and then cooked over an open flame. Bulgogi means fire meat in Korean. Obviously my version today is not authentic but an easy Instant Pot ground beef spin off of it (no open flames here). The cool thing about this recipe is that the meat simmers at the same time the soft boiled eggs are cooking (just 3 minutes under pressure). One pot! Woo-hoo!
How to make Instant Pot Ground Beef Bulgogi
- Brown the beef and onions in the Instant Pot by using the sauté setting (on “more”). If you are using a higher fat ground beef you’ll want to drain the grease off of the meat. One way I like to do this is by using paper towels. Tilt the Instant Pot to one side while holding the ground meat against the other side with a wooden spoon. This should make most of the grease pool on the tilted side. Lower the Instant Pot down, the meat should stay to its side and the grease on the other. Place a couple paper towels into the grease and use the spoon to sop up the grease. Then discard the paper towels.
- Make the sauce while the beef is browning. Whisk together the low sodium soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, oil, ginger and garlic. It’s important to use low sodium soy sauce or else it will taste over salty. Pour the sauce into the Instant Pot and scrape the bottom of the pot so that nothing is sticking. This will help prevent the burn error message.
- To cook the soft boiled eggs place a tall trivet* into the pot over the meat and place the 4 eggs on top of the trivet.
- Pressure cook for 3 minutes on LOW pressure. If you don’t have the option to switch to low pressure (as with the LUX model) you may want to only pressure cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove the eggs with tongs and place in an ice bath for 20 or so seconds. Just long enough to let the eggs cool down so that you can peel them. Carefully peel the eggs and slice in half, lengthwise.
- Add beef equally into 4 separate bowls and top each with a soft boiled egg. Top with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with cauliflower rice, rice or steamed broccoli. Eat and enjoy!
What did you serve with your Instant Pot Bulgogi?
I sprinkled green onions and sesame seeds over the top of the meat. I also threw a bag of steamable cauliflower rice in the microwave while the meat was coming to pressure. It was a perfect, low-cal meal that was very satisfying. You can also serve your meat with rice, lo mein noodles or steamed broccoli.
If you’re wondering if there is a way to cook rice at the same time as the meat the answer is probably. I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. My main issue with this is that the eggs will no longer be soft boiled. By the time the rice gets done they will be hard boiled. If you’re okay with that then I would brown the beef using the sauté setting, then place a short trivet in the pot and top with a pot-in-pot dish of water and rice. Cover the rice pan and place the eggs on top of the pan. Pressure cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Again, I haven’t tried this myself but I think it will work. If you do try it let me know how it goes!
You’ll Also Like…
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Instant Pot Bulgogi
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This fast and easy beef bulgogi (a relative to Korean BBQ Beef) recipe is made with ground beef that is simmered in a sweet and savory Asian-inspired sauce and served topped with diced green onions, sesame seeds, and a soft boiled egg.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 4 eggs
- Sesame seeds
- Diced green onions
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, oil, ginger and garlic. Pour the mixture into the Instant Pot and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Place a tall trivet* into the pot and place 4 eggs on top of the trivet.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes on LOW pressure. When time is up move valve to venting and remove the lid.
- Place the eggs in an ice bath or run under cool water until they are cooled down so you can handle them and peel. Carefully peel the eggs.
- Add beef equally into 4 separate bowls and top each with a soft boiled egg, sliced in half. Top with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with cauliflower rice or rice, if desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted from I am homesteader
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
YES IT WAS AND SOOOO MUCH MORE THAN I BARGAINED FOR WHEN I JOINED THE ARMY AND WAS SENT THERE. IT CHANGED ME FOREVER IN SO MANY WAYS AND IT AMPLIFIED MY ANIMAL PROTECTION DETERMINATION. PARTS OF ASIA (INCLUDING CHINA) DO NOT RAISE DOGS AS PETS-THEY RAISE THEM AS FOOD! AND THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH THE ANIMALS ARE FORCED TO LIVE ARE DISGUSTING, HORRIFIC, AND APPALLING (WHICH IS WHY THIS PARTICULAR RECIPE CAUGHT MY ATTENTION AND COMPELLED ME TO POST WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THE MEAT USED). I HAVE FOLLOWED YOU FOR A YEAR OR MORE AND I HAVE USED MANY OF YOUR RECIPES AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO BUT I THINK I’LL PASS ON THIS ONE.
Excellent recipe! Eggs didn’t turn out for me so I’ll cook them a bit longer next time. I love ALL of your recipes!!!
★★★★★
So don’t eat dogs. It’s unfortunate that your experience colors your view of this recipe. I don’t know that eating cows or chickens is any better, but this is a recipe site. Recipes have ingredients.
Namaste
This looks really good!!! I’ll let you know !!!
It was devoured at our house!
FYI: While bulgogi is referred to as beef here in the U.S., the original korean recipe is not bee-it is dog. I spent 1 1/2 years there and they have no cow or other large animals. (Kegogi is cat meat). Of course,leave it to Americans to mess it up and call it something else. I travelled south Korea from Pusan to where I was stationed at Tongduchon and even spent a week on Chejudo island and I can promise you-there are no cows in south Korea only small animals in cages for food (dogs and cats), never seen running on the streets or in peoples houses or yards (yes I was in some of their homes too). I’m pretty sure no animal protection advocate will appreciate this recipe. (I’m also pretty sure that I ate both dog meat and cat meat at some point while I was there).
★★★★
Wow! What an adventure!!