Bulgogi Beef Tacos Diners Drive Ins and Dives
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Korean Bulgogi Sauce Beef Tacos are easy and mouth watering with Korean thinly sliced meat, crunchy Sesame Slaw and a creamy Cilantro Lime Sriracha sauce!
On a scale of Good to OMG-this-is-stupid-crazy-delicious, this Korean Beef Tacos recipe is definitely OMG and beyond! I love Korean food and this super easy marinade and sauce comes together in just minutes and marries with the steak for the most intensely perfect flavor. The Soy sauce brings salt, the sesame gives nuttiness, the vinegar gives acidity, the brown sugar brings sweetness, and the ginger and garlic bring loads of spice and flavor! Each amazing taco gives you this perfect steak PLUS, crispy and crunchy Sesame Cabbage Slaw, PLUS creamy, cool, Cilantro Lime Sriracha sauce! It's the perfect dish to give you all the feels and forget about your worries for a few heavenly bites.
Flank Steak is Great for Easy Dinners
You know what else is great about this recipe? You can buy a large flank steak use the leftovers in another easy recipe. Not only is flank steak great for Korean BBQ beef, it can be used in so many ways. Busy Moms can save so much time by making a protein once and using it in two different dinners. To get more ideas like this, click here to get 30 Leftover Protein Dinner Ideas.
Here are some other great flank steak recipes to try: Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Basil Dressing or how about this Mediterranean Flank Steak with Cauliflower Rice!
Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.
Simple Ingredients for Korean Beef Tacos
- Flank Steak – Flank steak is really the best steak for this recipe, as it's thin and so easy to slice into perfect pieces for tacos. However, if you cannot get flank steak, you could also use skirt steak or even ground beef. You can also use Chicken or Ground Chicken. If you go with ground beef or ground chicken, you can skip the marinade step and simply cook the beef, then add the sauce to reduce it is and have the beef absorb it.
- Marinade: soy sauce, white wine or rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger root, garlic. You can use any vinegar that you have on hand, with the exception of sweetened vinegars, like balsamic or raspberry. For the brown sugar, you could use white sugar in place of it if you cannot get brown.
- Sour Cream – you can substitute in plain greek yogurt if you don't have sour cream.
- Lime
- Sriracha – You can leave this out if you either cannot get it or don't like it.
- Fresh Cilantro – if you don't like cilantro, you can substitute in scallions or just parsley. Or leave it out all together.
- Cabbage, shredded white, purple, or combo – you can buy the coleslaw package all shredded and ready to go at the store to save time.
- Scallions – Also known as green onions. If you cannot get these, you can swap in chives.
- Slaw Dressing – Rice or White Wine Vinegar, Mayonnaise, Sesame Oil, Honey, Soy Sauce – You can use any vinegar that you have on hand, with the exception of sweetened vinegars, like balsamic or raspberry. You can substitute in sour cream or plain greek yogurt.
- Flour Tortillas, 6 inch or 8 inch – You could also make rice bowls instead of tacos!
Optional Ingredients, not included in this recipe
- Red Pepper Flakes – red pepper flakes can add some spice and heat to the marinade. You can add a ½ teaspoon or more as desired.
- Red Pepper Paste – red pepper paste can be found in the Asian ingredients aisle at your grocery store and it really adds depth and flavor. You can add a tablespoon of this to the marinade.
- Toasted Sesame Seeds – Sesame seeds are great for garnish on the tacos and the slaw.
Simple Equipment for Korean Beef Bulgogi Sauce Tacos
For this recipe, you need a food processor or blender to make the marinade. Mymini food processor was perfect for the job! You also need a large skillet/frying pan the flank steak. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don't have to worry about food sticking and burning. It comes with a glass lid, which is perfect for watching your dinner cook!
Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps for Korean Beef Tacos
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)
The steps for prepping ahead are really easy, but you do want to marinate the flank steak at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours, ahead of cooking to get the best, juiciest flavored beef.
Slice the raw flank steak into thin strips going across the grain (the lines in the meat). Add the slices to a glass container.
Make your marinade by first peeling your ginger by scraping off the skin using a spoon. Rough chop the ginger.
Peel your garlic. The easiest way to do this is to smash the clove with the side of knife, which loosens the peel so you can simply pull it off.
Add the garlic cloves, chopped ginger and the remaining marinade ingredients (not the steak obviously) to a mini food processor. Pulse to get it going and then puree until all chopped up. Pour over the steak slices and then mix to combine and coat the meat. Cover and store in the fridge for 1-24 hours to marinate.
Prep your Cilantro Lime Sriracha Sauce
Super easy! Just mix all of the ingredients in the bowl, following the recipe instructions. If you don't want spice, you can definitely leave the sriracha sauce out. And if you love spice, you can add another teaspoon of it! Your preference.
Prep the Sesame Cabbage Slaw
This slaw is soooooo delicious! And you really need it in these tacos to give freshness and crunch. Don't forget, cabbage is also healthy for you! Check out my Cabbage Soup post for all of the health benefits!
You can make the slaw up to 4 days in advance.
Just about any cabbage will work, but I love a combo of purple and white for the bright colors. You can also get an already shredded bag of coleslaw mix to really save time! Cut or shred the cabbage very thin. Thinly slice the scallions (save some of the sliced greens for garnish). Place all in a large bowl for mixing.
In a small bowl, mix together vinegar, sesame oil, Soy sauce, mayonnaise, honey, pepper. Pour over the cabbage and mix to combine. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Cooking Steps for Korean Bulgogi Sauce Tacos
Remove the flank steak from the fridge 15-30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature. This is not absolutely necessary, but helps with even cooking and maintain the temperature of your hot pan.
You will be searing the steak in a hot hot pan and the cooking is very fast! It only takes 3 minutes on the first side and then another 4-5 minutes on the other side. You may not get a sear if there is too much liquid or your pan is not hot enough. But don't worry! It will still taste delicious, just be sure not to over cook the meat so that it toughens.
Tortillas!
Flour tortillas really taste best for a Korean Taco, but if you want, you can use corn, it just may taste a bit like a Mexican Taco.
Toast the tortillas in a separate frying or grill pan ( or do this step first using the same pan that you will use for the flank steak). Toasting the tortillas quickly really does make a big difference in flavor. But you don't want to over toast so that they get hard and crispy, they should still be pliable and foldable.
To serve, place 2-3 slices of the steak in the center of the tortilla, add a bit of Sesame Slaw, top with the cream and garnish with scallions and cilantro. Enjoy! 😍 Carrie
Korean Bulgogi Taco Recipe FAQs
Can I use Dried Garlic and Ginger in the Korean Bulgogi Sauce if I don't have fresh?
Fresh garlic and ginger makes a huge difference in the flavor. You can buy jars of already minced garlic and ginger to save time. But if you absolutely cannot get fresh, you could use dried powders. Use 3 teaspoons of garlic powder and 3 teaspoons of ginger powder. If you do use powders, there is no need to blend, simply mix with a fork or whisk in a bowl.
What if my Flank Steak is larger than 1 pound for this Korean Taco Recipe?
If your flank steak is more than 1 lb, you can slice a portion of it and then either grill or broil the remaining steak. Or you can slice the entire steak and use the leftover in a separate stir fry dish or mushroom stroganoff!
What should I do if I don't have a Food Processor?
For the marinade, if you don't have a food processor, you can mince the garlic and mince the ginger yourself and whisk into the liquid ingredients.
Is this Bulgogi Taco Recipe Gluten Free?
These Bulgogi Tacos are served in Flour Tortillas, which contain gluten. To make this recipe gluten free, you can swap the tortillas with lettuce wraps or gluten free corn tortillas. Also, be sure to check all of the ingredient labels to ensure that there is no gluten. You can also serve this over rice.
Can I make this these Bulgogi Tacos ahead?
You can make the Korean Bulgogi Beef up to 4 days ahead and store in the fridge in an airtight container. You can make the slaw up to 4 days ahead and also store in an airtight container. Finally, you can make the Cilantro Lime Sauce up to 5 days ahead.
Check out the web story for this delicious Korean Bulgogi Beef Tacos Recipe!
Korean Bulgogi Sauce Beef Tacos
These Korean Bulgogi Sauce Beef Tacos are mouth-wateringly delicious and so easy to make you will be blown away! The marinade comes together in minutes for a salty, nutty, slightly acidic, sweet, and savory flavor. Each amazing taco also has crunchy Sesame Cabbage Slaw and a creamy, cool, Cilantro Lime Sriracha sauce! #bulgogi #koreantacos #koreanbeef #tacos #familydinner
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 681 kcal
Steak and Marinade
- 1 lb Flank Steak
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup white wine or rice vinegar
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 3 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 inches Ginger Root (2 tablespoons minced)
- 3 cloves Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Cilantro Lime Sriracha Sauce
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Lime
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, chopped (save some cilantro for garnish)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Sesame Cabbage Slaw
- 3 cups Cabbage, shredded white, purple, or combo
- 4 Scallions, sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoon Rice or White Wine Vinegar
- ⅓ cup Mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
Other Taco Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 12 Flour Tortillas, 6 inch or 8 inch
Prep Ahead – Marinate the Steak
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Slice the raw flank steak into thin strips going across the grain (the lines in the meat). Add the slices to a glass container.
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Make your marinade by first peeling your garlic. Then peel your ginger by scraping off the skin using a spoon. Rough chop the ginger. Add the garlic cloves, chopped ginger and the remaining marinade ingredients (not the steak obviously) to a mini food processor. Pulse to get it going and then puree until all chopped up. Pour over the steak slices and then mix to combine and coat the meat. Cover and store in the fridge for 1-24 hours to marinate.
Prep Ahead – Make the Cilantro Lime Sriracha Sauce
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Add sour cream to small bowl and then zest the lime into the bowl. Add the juice from half the lime. Also add the sriracha and chopped cilantro (save some cilantro leaves for garnish). Mix to combine until smooth. Taste and if needed add juice from ¼ more of the lime at a time tasting as you add to make sure it doesn't get to acidic. Add salt to taste.
Prep Ahead – Make the Sesame Cabbage Slaw
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Cut or shred the cabbage very thinly. Thinly slice the scallions (save some of the sliced greens for garnish). Place all in a large bowl for mixing.
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In a small bowl, mix together vinegar, sesame oil, Soy sauce, mayonnaise, honey, pepper. Pour over the cabbage and mix to combine. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Cook!
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Remove the flank steak from the fridge 15-30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
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Preheat a large pan and then add a tablespoon olive oil. Add the flank steak using tongs (leaving the marinade behind for now) in a single layer and let sear for 2-3 minutes. Then stir to flip the steak slices and add the remaining marinate. Cook for another 4-5 minutes stirring once during the time. The steak is done when the sauce is cooked down and carmelized on the steak.
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In a separate frying or grill pan, preheat on high heat and warm/sear the flour tortillas. No oil needed, just lay the tortillas in the pan for 1 minute on each side. (You can also do this step before cooking the steak in the same pan)
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To serve, place 2-3 slices of the steak in the center of the tortilla, add a bit of Sesame Slaw, top with the cream and garnish with scallions and cilantro. Enjoy!
- Serving Size = 2 Tacos
- If your flank steak is more than 1 lb, you can slice a portion of it and then either grill or broil the remaining steak. Or you can slice the entire steak and use the leftover in a separate stir fry dish or mushroom stroganoff!
- For the marinade, if you don't have a food processor, you can mince the garlic and mince the ginger yourself and whisk into the liquid ingredients.
- To make this recipe gluten free, you can swap the tortillas with lettuce wraps or gluten free corn tortillas. Also, be sure to check all of the ingredient labels to ensure that there is no gluten.
- You can make the Korean Bulgogi Beef up to 4 days ahead and store in the fridge in an airtight container. You can make the slaw up to 4 days ahead and also store in an airtight container. Finally, you can make the Cilantro Lime Sauce up to 5 days ahead.
Source: https://talkingmeals.com/korean-beef-tacos/