Easy Slow Cooker Korean Beef melts in your mouth, with a rich, savory-sweet sauce made from gochujang, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and applesauce. It’s a cozy, hands-off dinner you’ll be happy to come home to.
Korean Slow Cooker Beef
This Slow Cooker Korean Beef reminds me of braised Korean short ribs, which I always order at one of my favorite restaurants, but this version uses a leaner chuck roast for a lighter twist that’s just as tender and flavorful. After a quick sear to lock in the flavor, the beef slow cooks in a rich sauce made with soy sauce,
garlic, ginger, gochujang (Korean chili paste), and a touch of applesauce for natural sweetness. The result is melt-in-your-mouth meat with that perfect balance of sweet, savory, and mildly spicy flavors. Serve it over rice or tucked into lettuce wraps for a takeout-style meal that practically makes itself.
Why This Slow Cooker Korean Beef Works
I love Korean food and my slow cooker, so this recipe is perfect if you want a dinner that cooks while you’re away. If you love this meal, try my popular Korean Beef Bowls next, or browse more Slow Cooker Recipes for easy, hands-off dinners.
- High-protein comfort food: Using chuck roast gives you all the tenderness of braised short ribs, with more protein and less fat.
- Set it and forget it: A quick sear builds flavor, and then the crock pot does the rest—perfect for busy days.
- Balanced sweet and spicy flavor: Gochujang provides heat and depth, while applesauce adds natural sweetness and keeps the sauce light.
- Meal-prep friendly: The leftovers are just as delicious. Serve over rice, in lettuce wraps, or with veggies.
- Better-for-you takeout swap: All the comforting Korean-inspired flavors, made at home with wholesome ingredients.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make this healthy slow cooker Korean beef recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Chuck Roast is a large, tough cut of meat. Trimming off the fat before cooking will give you a cleaner, less oily sauce.
- Cornstarch: Coat the beef with cornstarch to create a crispy crust.
- Spices: Garlic and onion powder
- Sesame Oil for sautéing the aromatics
- Aromatics: Chop fresh ginger, scallions (separate whites and greens), and garlic. If you have leftover ginger, freeze it in a ziplock bag for future use.
- Applesauce: Traditional Korean BBQ marinades often use grated or pureed pear to add a subtle sweetness and tenderize the meat. Applesauce eliminates the need for extra kitchen tools while offering similar benefits. If you can find pear applesauce, that’s even better.
- Soy Sauce for a salty, umami depth of flavor
- Rice Vinegar for acidity
- Gochujang Sauce, Korean BBQ Sauce, or Chili Garlic Sauce for a bit of spiciness
- Sweetener: I used coconut sugar, but brown sugar, granulated sugar, honey, or monk fruit would also work.
- Sesame Seeds: Garnish with white and black sesame seeds. If you only have one, that works, or you can skip them altogether.
How to Make Slow Cooker Korean Beef
Browning the beef and sautéing the aromatics builds layers of flavor, resulting in tender, delicious meat. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Season and brown the beef: Toss the beef with cornstarch, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then, brown the cubes in a pan over medium- high heat. Once cooked, add them to the crockpot.
- Sauté the aromatics (ginger, scallion whites, and garlic) in sesame oil over medium-low heat.
- Make the Korean BBQ sauce: Mix the applesauce, soy sauce, gochujang, sugar, and aromatics in a bowl, then pour it over the beef.
- Slow cook the Korean beef for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- How to serve: Garnish with scallion greens and sesame seeds, then drizzle with gochujang or Korean BBQ sauce.
Variations
- Meat: If you can’t find chuck roast, look for a beef round roast or pork shoulder.
- Allergic to sesame oil? Use another oil, like avocado oil.
- Gluten-free: Swap soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos, and double check that your gochujang/Korean BBQ sauce is gluten-free.
- No applesauce? Grate a pear or apple.
- Gochujang/Chili Garlic Sauce Alternative: Sriracha would also work.
- Adjust the heat: Add more or less gochujang, chili garlic sauce, or even red pepper flakes.
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 1 cup beef and sauce
- 2 lbs chuck roast, trimmed and cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
- ½ cup scallions, about 4 large scallions, chopped whites plus the green for garnish
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup applesauce, apple-pear if possible
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons gochujang sauce, Korean BBQ sauce or chili garlic sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon sweetener of your choice, I used coconut sugar
- black and white sesame seeds, for garnish
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Toss beef with cornstarch, garlic powder & onion powder. Working in rounds, brown in a pan over medium-high heat that has been sprayed with oil. When both sides are browned, about 2-3 minutes per side, transfer to a slow cooker.
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Add sesame oil to a small skillet over medium-low heat and add the ginger, scallion whites and garlic, cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until aromatic.
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Combine applesauce, soy sauce, gochujang, sugar, sautéed ginger, scallion and garlic and pour over the beef. Cook on low setting for 8 hours or high 4 hours, until the beef is fork tender.
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Garnish with scallion greens and sesame seeds,drizzle with gochujang or Korean BBQ sauce.
Last Step:
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- Serving Suggestions: with rice, noodles, bao buns or even as a taco– I put mine over rice and made a crunchy cabbage slaw to have with it one night, and had it with cucumbers the next.
- Heat level can be adjusted by adding more or less gochujang, chili garlic or sriracha also works in place of the gochujang.
Serving: 1 cup beef and sauce, Calories: 288 kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.5 g, Protein: 35 g, Fat: 9 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 100 mg, Sodium: 1125 mg, Fiber: 1.5 g, Sugar: 9 g
5
16 mins
2
15 mins
5
45 mins
2
35 mins
Storage
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze it for up to 3 months. If you have leftover rice or noodles, you can freeze them with the beef and sauce in individual containers for quick meals later.
- Reheat: Thaw the dish in the fridge overnight. Then, microwave until warm and serve with rice, noodles, or vegetables.
More Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Love
For more easy dinner ideas, check out these five delicious slow cooker recipes to inspire your next meal!
