Bulgogi Sauce - The Wooden Skillet

Published on 04/22/24

Our Bulgogi Sauce recipe uses simple ingredients to infuse savory, slighty sweet, and overall rich flavors to thin slices of beef used in our beef bulgogi bowl recipe! Follow along as we show you how to make this easy and flavorful sauce.

Beef bulgogi in a skillet topped with sliced green onions.

The Best Bulgogi Sauce

What is bulgogi sauce you may ask? It’s the flavor packed sauce/marinade that’s used in the most delicious bulgogi beef, aka fire meat, and bulgogi bowls. Bulgogi marinade is often used like a Korean bbq sauce or stir fry sauce and adds the best flavor to tender strips of ribeye steak. One of the best things about this recipe is that it can be made in advance, making it a perfect one to meal prep earlier in the week.

Looking for More Homemade Sauces?

If you love them as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Chow Mein Sauce!

What You Will Need

olive oil and sesame oil – The bases of this flavorful marinade.
gochunjung sauce – A funky, slightly spicy, and just a tad bit sweet paste that’s used to add flavor to soups, dips, and marinades. This is usually sold at Asain markets or korean grocery stores.
rice wine vinegar – A delicate and mild flavor that helps even out the bolder flavors.
soy sauce – Adds a nice salty flavor and compliments the gochunjung sauce perfectly.
honey – Adds just a touch of sweetness. Some recipes use brown sugar, but we like the the natural honey flavors best.
garlic, shallot, and fresh ginger – These flavor packed fresh ingredients add warmth, a bit of heat, and some grounding earthy notes.
chili garlic sauce – A cabinet staple over here at The Wooden Skillet!
red pepper flakes – For those who like it hot!
cornstarch – To help thicken the sauce.

How To Make Bulgogi Sauce

Start by prepping and measuring all of your ingredients.

Individual bowls of soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, ginger, shallots, rice wine vinegar, honey, olive oil, sesame oil, garlic, and gochunjung sauce.

Next, place all of the marinade ingredients into a container with a lid, like a mason jar, seal it up, and give it a good shake to mix up all those yummy flavors. You can use a food processor, but since there aren’t any big chunks of food to blend up, the shaking method works fine.

All of the sauce ingredients in a mason jar with the lid on and mixed together.

Then use this savory sauce to marinate the cuts of beef for your bulgogi bowls and to add some extra sauciness to the top of your bowl.

Bulgogi sauce being poured over the strips of ribeye in the cast iron skillet.

We tested our bulgogi bowl recipe with top sirloin steak and ribeye. Ribeye won the taste test thanks to its juicy and tender bites. It made a truly delicious meal that the whole family loved! Note that we did not test this recipe using ground beef. Lastly, lay your tender beef over a bed of rice with some other fun toppings to make our bulgogi bowls.

Bulgogi bowl with kimchi, sliced green onions, cucumber, and rice.

Recipe FAQs

Why isn’t there Asian pear in this recipe?

Many authentic bulgogi recipes call for crushed pear. I didn’t include it in this version in an effort to simply things. But feel free to add a little next time you prefer. This is my spin on this classic dish so some ingredients may differ!

How to store bulgogi sauce?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

Pinterest image showing bulgogi sauce and the title, "beef bulgogi sauce packed with flavor and so easy".

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