Vegan Korean Beef Bowls (Plant-Based Natural Ground)

Sweet, savoury, sesame-rich crumbles piled over fluffy rice with crisp-tender veg. The kind of weeknight bowl you will want on repeat.

There is a certain category of dinner that earns a permanent spot in the rotation, and this is one of them. Sticky-sweet, gently spiced, loaded with ginger and sesame, and on the table in about half an hour. We build it on The Better Butchers Natural Ground, which comes unseasoned and soaks up that classic bulgogi-style sauce beautifully. Mushroom and pea protein means it browns and crisps just like you would hope.

It tastes like a treat but it is quietly high in protein, so it actually keeps you full instead of leaving you snacking an hour later. Make the full batch on a Sunday and lunches are sorted for the week, since it reheats beautifully and the flavour only deepens overnight.

We added broccoli, carrot, and red pepper for colour and crunch, but treat the veg as a guideline rather than a rule. Whatever is wilting in your crisper drawer is welcome. If you make it, we would love to see it. Tag us.

Vegan Korean Beef Bowls

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Total time: 35 minutes
• Serves: 4 servings
• Diet: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, high-protein (gluten-free option)

Ingredients

• 1 package of The Better Butchers Natural Ground
• 1 tbsp neutral oil (avocado or canola)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
• 1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes, more to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 carrot, julienned or thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 4 cups cooked rice (basmati or jasmine), to serve
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, to garnish
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, to garnish

Instructions

1. Start the rice. Get your rice going first so it is ready when the rest comes together. Basmati or jasmine both work well.
2. Soften the aromatics. Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly caramelised, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute more until fragrant.
3. Brown the ground. Crumble in the Natural Ground and cook, breaking it apart, until browned and a little crisp at the edges, about 5 minutes. Because it comes unseasoned, this is where it starts soaking up everything you add next.
4. Build the sauce. Add the sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, chilli flakes, and black pepper. Stir to coat and simmer until the liquid reduces and glosses the crumbles, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Cook the veg. Meanwhile, steam or stir-fry the broccoli, carrot, and red pepper until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. A splash of water in a covered pan does the job.
6. Build the bowls. Scoop rice into each bowl, add a generous pile of the saucy crumbles, and the veg alongside. Finish with sesame seeds and green onion.

Tip: Freeze your fresh ginger and grate it straight from frozen. No peeling, no stringy bits, and it melts right into the sauce.

Why This Works

• Big flavour, barely any effort. The unseasoned Natural Ground is a blank canvas, so a handful of pantry staples do all the work.
• Quietly high in protein. The mushroom and pea protein blend keeps you full, so a bowl actually holds you over.
• Made for meal prep. Cook the crumbles and rice in bulk; it reheats beautifully and the flavour deepens overnight.
• Endlessly flexible. Swap in whatever veg you have and dial the heat to taste. Hard to get wrong.

Substitutions & Notes

• Make it a meal prep: Cook the crumbles and rice in bulk and store them separately for up to 4 days. Add fresh veg when you reheat so everything stays bright.
• Gluten-free: Swap the soy sauce for tamari and the whole bowl is naturally gluten-free.
• Switch up the veg: Mushrooms, snap peas, baby spinach, or shredded cabbage all work. Use what you have.
• Dial the heat: Start with 1/2 tsp chilli flakes and add more, or finish with a drizzle of sriracha or gochujang.
• Lettuce cups: Skip the rice and spoon the crumbles into crisp lettuce leaves for a lighter version.

Make a big batch and tell us how you build your bowl. If you make it, tag us. We love seeing your spin on it.

More Recipes to Try

• How to Cook Plant-Based Ground Meat: The Complete Guide
• Chorizo Bibimbap Bowl
• Plant-Based Thai Larb

Shop The Better Butchers Natural Ground →

Adapted from the Vegetarian Korean Beef recipe by Byron Thomas at Lord Byron's Kitchen. Photographed for The Better Butchers by Rosslyn Sinclair.