These sweet and spicy Korean Beef Tacos are filled with tender, flavorful slices of beef and topped with a vibrant, crunchy and spicy coleslaw. Dinner will be on the table in just 25 minutes!
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Brief History of Korean Beef
Bulgogi is a staple in Korean households. It is a dish made of thinly sliced, marinated beef. The origins of this dish date back to 37 B.C. Marinades for this dish vary greatly but generally contain soy sauce, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, ginger and pear. Check out Smithsonian Magazine for more about the history of bulgogi beef.
🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Simple ingredients. This Korean Beef tacos recipe is made using a lot of ingredients you may already have at home in the fridge and pantry. If you have extra steak, use it to make flank steak fajitas.
- 30-minute meal. This recipe takes just 25 minutes from start to finish making it a great recipe for busy nights.
- Great for the whole family. Finger foods are great for kids and adults will love the flavors in these bulgogi tacos.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Steak- flank steak, sirloin steak or skirt steak will all work in this recipe. You can also use thinly sliced ribeye. If you prefer a chuck roast, try my Steak and Onion Pie or Dutch Oven Pot Roast recipes instead.
- Coconut aminos- soy sauce and tamari are both great substitutes for coconut aminos.
- Ginger- fresh minced ginger or ginger paste will work. I love this ginger paste from Gourmet Garden.
- Rice vinegar- you can substitute rice vinegar with white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice. These substitutions will change the flavor profile slightly but the tacos will still be great.
- Sugar- you'll need brown sugar to help carmelize the beef.
- Coleslaw mix- I recommend a red cabbage slaw or tri-color coleslaw mix but a classic mix will do.
- Sriracha- adds some spice to the dish.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
🔪Instructions
Step 1: Begin by marinating the steak in coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, sugar and sriracha for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
Step 2: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat. Next, add the steak and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has browned, about 5-10 minutes.
Step 3: While the steak is cooking, add the coleslaw ingredients to a large bowl and use tongs to toss everything together.
Step 4: Assemble the tacos by placing a few slices of steak on a tortilla and top it with about ¼-⅓ cup of the slaw mix. Garnish the tacos with sliced avocado, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.
💭Recipe FAQS
I suggest mixing the meat with the marinade ingredients for at least one hour before cooking for nice tender beef, but this can be done right before cooking if you are short on time.
Aside from the slaw in this recipe, I suggest topping your tacos with sliced avocado and cilantro or green onions. A homemade or store-bought sriracha mayo would also be perfect on these Korean tacos.
If you love cilantro and lime, try my Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos next!
My favorite way is to heat each tortilla over an open flame (medium-low heat) for approximately 15 seconds per side. You can also warm tortillas in a skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side. Or place the tortillas between 2 slightly damp paper towels and warm them in the microwave for 1 minute.
👩🏻🍳Top Tips
- Use thinly sliced steak and marinate it for at least one hour to increase flavor and tenderness.
- Do your best to not overcook the beef for best results.
- Adjust the amount of sriracha depending on how much you like spice. You can also add red pepper flakes for an extra kick!
- If you can only find a classic slaw mix, you can always cut a red or purple cabbage into thin strips and add it to the mix.
🌮Serving
Serve these tacos as is or with a side of Air Fryer Green Beans or Roasted Broccoli. Wash them down with a Cucumber and Jalapeño Margarita or Spicy Grapefruit Margarita.
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Korean Beef Tacos
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- Cutting board
Save this Recipe!
Get the recipe link sent to your inbox so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
Steak
- 1 pound flank, sirloin or skirt steak, cut into strips
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tablespoon ginger, minced or grated
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Slaw
- 2-3 cups coleslaw mix
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- ½ lime, juiced
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
Tacos
- Corn or flour tortillas
- 1-2 avocados, sliced
- Lime wedges, optional
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, optional
Instructions
- Marinate the steak in coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, sugar and sriracha for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Next, add the steak and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the coleslaw ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine.
- Heat the tortillas, preferably over an open flame for approximately 30 seconds per side. Then assemble the tacos by placing steak on a tortilla and topping it with the slaw mix, avocado, cilantro and lime juice.
Sarah's Tips
- Use thinly sliced steak and marinate it for at least one hour to increase flavor and tenderness.
- Do your best to not overcook the beef for best results.
- Adjust the amount of sriracha depending on how much you like spice. You can also add red pepper flakes for an extra kick!
- If you can only find a classic slaw mix, you can always cut a red or purple cabbage into thin strips and add it to the mix.
Trish says
Wow, made these last night and they are one of the best things I have eaten! I did not have good steak, I had a 7-bone beef chuck steak. Don't normally buy that, but did an online order and that's what I got. Trimmed it up and tossed it into the crockpot. Hoped it would come out ok. The flavors with the spicy slaw and avocado were so good. Will definitely make this again, maybe with the steak next time! Thanks Sarah!
Sarah Hill says
Hi Trish, so happy you enjoyed these tacos! We make them all the time