Instant Pot Korean beef with ground beef in a soy ginger sauce, pressure cooked with jasmine rice using the pot-in-pot method. Both the beef and the rice cook at the same time under pressure. Four minutes on high, ten minute natural release, and dinner is on the table.
This is the meal I make when I need everyone fed in under thirty minutes and I refuse to dirty a second pot.
Why This Instant Pot Korean Beef Works
Pot-in-pot method cooks the beef and rice together. The seasoned ground beef goes in the bottom of the Instant Pot liner. A trivet goes on top of the beef. A pressure-safe insert with rinsed rice and water sits on the trivet. Close the lid and everything cooks under the same four-minute pressure cycle. The beef sauce simmers below while the rice steams above. No separate pot for rice. No stovetop.
Lean ground beef means no draining. 90/10 or leaner. By the time the beef browns, there is almost no grease to pour off. You save the step and you save the flavor that clings to the fond on the bottom of the pot.
Rinse the rice. Rinsing removes the loose starch on the surface of the grains. Without rinsing, the rice turns sticky and gummy under pressure. Rinse until the water runs clear. It takes thirty seconds.
The sauce is built from scratch. Soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, white pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. No bottled Korean beef sauce. No packet. The brown sugar balances the salt from the soy. The cayenne and red pepper flakes bring heat you can adjust up or down.
Natural release for ten minutes. Quick release with rice sends starchy water sputtering through the valve. A full ten minutes of natural release lets the rice finish steaming gently and the beef sauce settle. The texture is better.
Thicken at the end if needed. Sometimes the beef releases liquid during pressure cooking. If the sauce is thin, switch the Instant Pot back to sauté and let it bubble for a few minutes. For a faster thickener, stir in a cornstarch slurry of one tablespoon cornstarch and one tablespoon water.
How to Make Instant Pot Korean Beef
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up as it browns. Press cancel. Drain if needed and return the beef to the pot. Deglaze the pot by scraping off any burnt on bits.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil, white pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Stir together and pour over the ground beef.
- Rinse the jasmine rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Add the rinsed rice and one cup of water to a pressure-safe insert or bowl.
- Place a trivet in the Instant Pot over the beef. Use a silicone sling to lower the insert of rice onto the trivet.
- Close the lid and set the valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Manual or Pressure Cook on high for 4 minutes.
- When the timer ends, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then turn the valve to venting to release any remaining pressure.
- Carefully lift the rice insert out with the sling. Fluff the rice with a fork.
- If the beef sauce is thinner than you want, return the Instant Pot to sauté and let the liquid reduce for a few minutes. Or stir in a cornstarch slurry of one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon water.
- Serve the beef over the rice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
Quick Tips
- Use lean ground beef. 90/10 or leaner skips the draining step.
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. No one likes gummy rice.
- Do not skip the natural release. Quick release ruins the rice texture.
- Adjust the heat. Cut the cayenne and red pepper flakes in half for mild. Double for spicy.
Make Ahead and Storage
Store leftover beef and rice separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The rice absorbs the sauce if stored together and turns mushy.
Reheat the beef in the microwave or in a skillet. Reheat the rice with a splash of water and a damp paper towel over the bowl.
More Instant Pot Dinners
For more Instant Pot meals that cook everything at once, try my Instant Pot chicken burrito bowl with seasoned chicken and flavorful rice. My Instant Mongolian beef and rice uses flank steak and a savory sauce.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Korean Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef - lean
- 6 garlic cloves - minced
- ⅓ cup soy sauce - reduced sodium
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger root - or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - (or more to taste)
- ¼ red pepper flakes - add more for more heat
- ⅓ cup water
- Toasted sesame seeds - for garnish
- Chopped Scallions
Rice
- 1 cup jasmine rice - rinsed (or white long grain rice)
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to saute and add the ground beef.
- Cook the beef until no longer pink. Press Cancel.
- Drain if necessary, deglaze, and return the beef to the pot.
- Combine the garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil, white pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and pour over the beef.
- In a pressure cooker safe insert, add the rinsed rice and pour the 1 cup of water on top.
- Place a trivet in the pot and carefully lower the pot of uncooked rice into the inner liner using a silicone sling.
- Close the lid and vent and set the pressure cooker to 4 minutes on High Pressure/Manual.
- Allow a 10 minute natural release time before removing the lid.
- Carefully remove the lid and rice from the pot. Fluff the rice and set aside.
- Remove the beef and serve with the rice.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and scallions.
If the beef is too watery, return the Instant Pot to Saute and allow some of the liquid to cook off. You can also create a cornstarch slurry by combining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water together to thicken the sauce.
Notes
- Use lean ground beef. 90/10 or leaner.
- Deglaze the pot to remove any stuck on bits and to avoid a burn. notice.
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. This prevents gummy rice.
- Do not skip the natural release. Ten minutes gives the rice time to finish.
- Thicken the sauce at the end if needed. Sauté to reduce or add a cornstarch slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water.
- Adjust the cayenne and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Store beef and rice separately or the rice absorbs the sauce and turns mushy.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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