Easy Vegan Korean Beef-less Rice Bowl

Traditional Korean beef bowl, a classic recipe, is so easy to transform into a completely meatless version. Vegan Korean beef-less rice bowl is a great choice for an easy weeknight meal.

This recipe includes instructions for making a delectable homemade plant-based ground; or, gives the option of using prepared plant-based ground.

I’m not sure if this dish, which is found in abundance all across food sites, is an authentic Korean dish — or, whether it’s one those dishes, like others on Asian menus, that’s only found in the west (or on food blogs?!).

Like dozens of blogs claim about the meaty version, this vegan Korean rice bowl is equally super easy and fast. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal, whether you make your own beef-less crumbles, or use a prepared variety.

Tips for making vegan Korean rice bowl

• Easy DIY beefy crumbles or packaged plant-based ground: This recipe will show you how to make a vegan beefy crumbles substitute made from three basic plant proteins: red quinoa, black beans, and walnuts. Or, given all the plant-based ground substitutes readily available, you’ll have the option of using those instead.
• Use a bottled Korean BBQ marinade: If you’re as lazy as I can sometimes be, you’ll appreciate the use of a prepared Korean sauce. It’s more economical than buying the 8 or more ingredients to make it from scratch — some of which you may never use again. Look for Korean stir-fry sauce or Korean BBQ marinade in the Asian foods section of well-stocked supermarkets.
• Embellish the bowls: Keep it simple with sliced raw vegetables like bell peppers, cucumbers, radishes, etc.). Kimchi is an essential embellishment! An alternative to placing kimchi and cucumber on the bowl just as they are, try this delicious Cucumber and Kimchi Salad instead. 

Plant-based beefy crumbles brands if you don’t DIY

While I highly recommend making your own super-easy “beefy” crumbles (made with quinoa, walnuts, and black beans, as instructed in the recipe), here are a few plant-based ground beef substitutes available:

• Beyond Beef — main ingredients: pea protein and rice flour
• Impossible Plant-Based Ground Beef — main ingredient: soy protein concentrate
• Boca Veggie Crumbles — main ingredient: soy protein concentrate
• Gardein Beefless Ground — Main ingredient: soy protein isolate
• Lightlife Smart Ground — Main ingredient: textured soy protein concentrate

Recipe is from Plant-Powered Protein by Nava Atlas. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.

Explore more …

• Vegan rice recipes from around the world.
• Awesome Recipes for Using Plant-Based Ground “Beef”
• Vegan Bulgogi Bowls
• Vegan Korean BBQ Tacos
• Vegan Beef-less Ground Recipes Made with Whole Foods, 4 Ways

Continue to Content

Yield: 4 to 5

Vegan Korean Beef-less Rice Bowl

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Korean Beef Bowl is a seriously easy dish to veganize, using any one of the plant-based ground beef substitutes readily available, or making your own crumbles.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Homemade beef-less crumbles (or see Notes for using packaged plant-based beefy crumbles)

• 1/2 cup quinoa, preferably red
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive or other neutral oil
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Korean BBQ marinade, plus more, to taste

To finish

• 4 to 5 cups hot cooked rice (brown or white, as preferred)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Kimchi
• Sliced raw vegetables (choose from among bell peppers, radishes, cucumbers, etc.)
• Sriracha or other hot seasoning, optional

Instructions

1. Skip steps 1 – 2 if you're going to use packaged plant-based crumbles. To start the homemade beef-less crumbles, combine the quinoa with 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
2. Place the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse on and off until very finely chopped. Add the beans and pulse on and off until they, too, are finely chopped.
3. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and add the garlic. Sauté over low heat until golden.
4. Add the cooked quinoa and walnut and bean mixture to the skillet (or, add the prepared plant-based crumbles) along with the stir-fry sauce or marinade. Stir everything together. Cook over medium-high heat until sizzling hot and starting to brown, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste to see if you'd like to add a little more marinade.
5. Distribute rice among 4 or 5 bowls. Divide the cooked crumbles over the rice, and sprinkle some scallion over them. Arrange some of the fresh vegetables and kimchi on each bowl.
6. Serve at once. Pass around the optional sriracha for anyone who’d like to add some spice to the dish.

Notes

If you'd like to use prepared plant-based "beefy" crumbles or ground, there are several brands to try, including Beyond®, Impossible®, and others. See the list of brands above the recipe box. You'll need a 10-ounce or so package.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Trans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mg

Nutrition data is always an estimate and can vary slightly depending on program and exact products used.

Here are lots more vegan main dishes and ways to make classic recipes plant-based in Veganize This!