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Fully loaded Korean Beef Tacos with Bulgogi steak – because I know how much you all love Asian food (as evidenced here). And just wait until you try that Sriracha-lime crema taco sauce!!
The bulgogi beef (a Korean BBQ beef) in this recipe has incredible flavor as the sauce caramelizes in the skillet, coating each delicious bite! It’s kind of like the beef you try in really good takeout places but can never recreate at home.
My cousins wife, Alla shared this recipe with me, saying she had discovered these fantastic Korean beef tacos in a spa with a Korean restaurant located inside – a hidden gem! Shoot, I’ve never been to a spa but if there are tacos involved – SIGN ME UP! lol. Anyway, Alla loved them so much, she recreated the recipe at home.
These beef tacos are loaded with flavor! I toasted the tortillas right over my gas stove then loaded them with sweet strips of bulgogi beef, tons of crunchy purple cabbage, fresh cilantro, diced avocado and drizzled generously with a creamy Sriracha-lime crema that is over-the-top incredible. The combination is a flavor explosion and you won’t be able to stop at just one!
Did I mention this is the easiest recipe?
Ingredients for Beef Bulgogi Marinade:
4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) sesame oil*
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated (optional but nice)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (press it into the cup)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup hot water
*Sesame Oil Tip: Don’t skip this or try to replace it with any other oil. It gives the beef marvelous flavor and aroma. We used “Sun Luck” brand (found near the soy sauces in the grocery store). Be sure to buy one that says “toasted sesame oil” in the ingredient list.
Korean Beef Tacos Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb flank steak, hanger steak, top sirloin, or flat iron steak
12 to 14 Small (6-inch) flour tortillas (use corn tortillas for gluten free)
1 small Purple Cabbage
1/3 bunch cilantro leaves
1 avocado, sliced
The Best Taco Sauce:
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, (plus lime wedges to serve if desired)
Tacos Sauce credit: Kaylee88 on Allrecipes (we also love this on fish tacos!)
How to Make Korean Beef Tacos:
1. Thinly slice beef against the grain and place in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Stir together all marinade ingredients to dissolve sugar, pour over sliced meat and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight for best results.
Cooks Tip: Let beef stand at room temp 30 minutes before cooking. If you place cold meat on a hot pan, it will cool down the pan too quickly
2. Heat a large, heavy non-stick pan over high heat. It’s hot enough when you place a piece of meat in the center and it has a strong sizzle. Add meat and let it sauté without stirring for 2-3 minutes or until slightly browned on the bottom then stir and continue cooking additional 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally or until fully cooked, liquid has evaporated and sauce has thickened. The sugars from the sauce will caramelize onto the beef.
3. Toast tortillas on a hot dry skillet or directly on the grates of your gas stove-top, turning and flipping frequently – they cook really fast so don’t walk away.
4. Stir together all taco sauce ingredients and if desired, transfer to a ziploc bag and snip off the corner for easier drizzling. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. To assemble tacos, place meat over toasted tortillas and cover with generous amount of purple cabbage. Add several sprigs of cilantro, some diced avocado and drizzle the top generously with the taco sauce. You can add a squeeze of fresh lime juice for extra freshness.
⬇ Print-Friendly for Korean Beef Tacos:
Korean Beef Tacos (Bulgogi) Recipe
Ingredients
Beef Bulgogi Marinade Ingredients:
- 4 Tbsp sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated (optional but nice)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, press it into the cup
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup hot water
Korean Beef Tacos Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lb flank steak
- 12 to 14 Small, 6-inch flour tortillas (use corn tortillas for gluten free)
- 1 small Purple Cabbage
- 1/3 bunch cilantro leaves
- 1 avocado, sliced
The Best Taco Sauce:
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, (plus lime wedges to serve if desired)
Instructions
- Thinly slice beef against the grain and place in medium bowl.
- Stir together all marinade ingredients until sugar dissolves, pour over sliced meat and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight for best results. Tip: Let beef stay at room temp 30 min before cooking. Chilled meat will cool a hot pan and make your meat juice out.
- Heat a large, heavy non-stick pan on high heat (no need to add extra oil). It's hot enough when a piece of meat placed in the center has a strong sizzle. Add meat and sauté without stirring for 2-3 min or until lightly browned then stir and continue cooking additional 3-5 min, stirring occasionally or until fully cooked, liquid has evaporated and the sauce has caramelized on the beef.
- Toast tortillas on a hot dry skillet or directly on the grates of your gas stove-top, turning frequently - they cook really fast so don't walk away.
- Stir together all taco sauce ingredients. For easier drizzling, transfer to a ziploc bag and snip off the corner.
- To assemble tacos, place meat over toasted tortillas and cover with generous amount of purple cabbage. Add sprigs of cilantro, diced avocado and drizzle generously with taco sauce. If desired, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice for extra freshness.
Notes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Korean beef tacos are perfect for parties! You can prep most of this recipe ahead of time and everyone can build their own tacos.
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers of the beef – it somehow changes flavor profile in the refrigerator after it’s cooked, developing a smoked flavor – almost like a teriyaki beef jerky and tastes amazing cold. My Dad took some leftover bulgogi beef to work and then he called to tell me how it was pretty much the best beef ever. Thanks Dad! 🙂 And thank you Alla for sharing your Korean Beef Tacos recipe with all of us!
These came out amazing. My niece just told me she loves these and really doesn’t want to eat tacos any other way 😁
That’s so great to hear!
Natasha, thank you for this wonderful recipe. I made it last night using shaved beef. Fantastic. I followed your recipe exactly. A culinary joy!!!! If I could make one suggestion: The flour tortillas are far preferable to corn tortillas. But because they are realitivel dry I felt that they could have used a little more moisture. My suggestion would be to make a double bactch of the marinade. Using half of that, bring it to a simmer in a small pot. Cook for about fifteen minutes to let it slightly thicken, then drizzle it on the meat either before or after you build the taco. Thank you again. I love your recipes and joyful demeanor. Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Ron! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was delicious! I used skirt steak as that is what I had in the freezer. I will definitely make again and share the recipe with family.
Hi Sally! I’m glad you loved the recipe.
I went to a restaurant and ordered Korean tacos. Never had them before, they were delicious. I went on the internet to find a recipe hopefully close to the ones I had at Champs. WELL I made these and they were exactly if not better. A+
I followed the recipe as close a possible. I used a sirloin steak and light soy sauce. Those were the only changes. My husband said they were the best tacos he ever had and I agree. Well definitely be making these again SOON. Thank you for the amazing recipe Natasha.
Hi Lauren! I’m so glad you loved this recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
One of my favorite recipes from Natasha! I am hosting a dinner next week and serving your Korean Beef Tacos. What would you recommend for an appetizer and side dish? Thank you!
Hi Paula! I’m not sure that I have a specific recipe to recommend. Depends on if you’re trying to stay within the same theme. Click above to view recipes by category or cuisine. Some ideas that come to mind are rice/fried rice, salads, soup, vegetables- you may enjoy the Firecracker shrimp , Mango salsa for appetizers.
Made this last night. It was so good. My husband loved it. Had leftovers tonight. Good recipe!.
Great to hear that, Tina! Thanks so much for sharing.
I have a skirt steak in my freezer that I need to use. Can I use it in place of a flank steak?
Hi Lori, while I haven’t tried this recipe with skirt steak, that should work well here.
I had shaved beef I didnt know what to do with so I stumbled across this recipe and I am so happy I did! It was so simple and so delicious! Will be making again (and again)! Thanks for a new dinner staple!
I’m so glad you stumbled upon it too, Carie! Thank you for sharing your lovely review with us!
Delicious! I didn’t change anything. The sour cream sauce is pleasant and complex without being spicy. My daughter doesn’t like beef but she loved this recipe!
That’s great, Laura! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Natasha,
This recipe yields far more than I could eat. Trying to half it is a bit hard.
Does this freeze well?
Thanks,
Dawn
Hi Dawn! If you change the serving size from “12” to “6” in the recipe card, it will convert the ingredient list for you.
I haven’t tried freezing it after it’s been cooked, but you can freeze the marinated meat if you don’t use it all.
A-MA-ZING!!!! Followed the recipe exactly and served with sweet potato fries, we made extra sauce to dip the fries in and I’m so glad we did, it’s sooooooo good. Can’t wait to make this again, thank you for another great recipe 😀
Sounds wonderful! So happy to know that you enjoyed these tacos.
Would this marinade work well with extra firm tofu for a vegetarian version?
Hi Ana, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you do experiment, we’d love to know how it goes!
The bulgogi marinade was fantastic. I used that for the meat and then did the rest of the tacos closer to what our local Korean restaurant does with theirs. My family loved it and I’m going to make it when my parents come for dinner this weekend.
Sounds great, Jeff. So glad you loved it! 🙂
Both of my grown children who rarely like anything new loved these. My son who practically never eats raw vegetables devoured several. I’d made Korean BBQ beef before so I knew they’d like the meat. Kudos to your recipe, it’s a keeper here.
Hi Kathleen! That’s wonderful to hear. So glad they were a hit.
My guests FREAKED OUT over this recipe. It was incredible. I looked at the recipes from some other websites I dedicde to make a red cabbage slaw with jalapeno slices, rice vinegar, soy sauce, smidge of sugar, lime juice, etc and it was great … but the “over the top” addition was adding “yum yum sauce” drizzled on top. This was one of the best things we have ever eaten.
Yay! That’s great feedback, thanks a lot for sharing that with us.
One of my favorite recipes from this website! They are so delicious! 🤤
So happy to hear that, Lyuda! 🙂
These Korean Beef Tacos are one of our favorite recipes from Natasha’s Kitchen! Do you have suggestions for an appetizer and side dish to serve with the Korean Beef Tacos?
Glad to hear that, Paula! These go great Served with corn on the cob. Rice and beans are also a great option!
I love this recipe. Prep everything in the morning and throw together for dinner. I find it easier to slice the steak if it’s slightly frozen. Thank you for this outstanding recipe.
You’re very welcome, I hope you’ll love all the recipes on our website!
I’m licking my lips as I’m writing this. It was my first time making this and I marinated the meat over night. My husband loved it!! I also didn’t realize how much the squeeze of lime with the sauce amped up the flavors. Thanks for the great recipe Natasha. I find myself looking at your blogs for recipes when I want to try something new.
That’s great! I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes. Thank you for the feedback.
I made this last week for dinner and it was a huge hit. My kids loved the flavors and the sauce as well. This will definitely be a staple in my home. It’s a great meal if you are especially pressed for time. Thanks Natasha!
You’re very welcome, Irene. I’m so happy they all enjoyed it.