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.
Slow Cooker Korean Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Combine applesauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, 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.
- Garnish with scallion greens and sesame seeds,drizzle with gochujang or Korean BBQ sauce.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
Serve this Korean beef with rice, noodles, bao buns, or even as a taco. Cauliflower rice and lettuce wraps are great low-carb options. Top it with a crunchy cabbage slaw, sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, or edamame.
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!
Delicious! I served with some marinated Asian cucumbers on top and your sesame green beans from your air fryer cookbook!
Yum!n Great combo!
This was devoured in my house! We ate it over white rice, I added kimchi to mine which I loved as well! Will keep this on the rotation and probably need to double the recipe.
YAY
This was a hit at our house. Served over rice and added some leftover shelled edemame the last half hour the meat was cooking. Would love to prep the night before and see how it turns out next time. I might also add a pepper or some green beans for more veggies and honey instead of sugar/sugar substitute but overall, so good!
Can you make this without cutting the beef into chunks? Just sear whole and cook?
While very, very tasty, it is time consuming to make. I am planning on making again but will prep on a Saturday or Sunday to use the following day. I would also recommend using the sriracha sauce if the other sauce is not available if you like spicy. With Wegmans Korean BBQ, it was good but not spicy enough for my family. Otherwise, great recipe and very filling if served with brown rice.
Any reason I can’t use Gochujang paste rather than sauce ? Really, I’m wondering if using the paste would require changing the amount called for.
Yes I think that would be fine. Same amount.
Delicious. I used eye of round beef and followed everything exactly. Served over rice with some green peas on the side. We all enjoyed it!
I’ve made this Korean Beef several times. It does NOT disappoint! It comes out great each time. Served over simple basmati rice makes for a comforting and delicious dinner. Enjoy!
Can I brown the meat the night before? I have read conflicting opinions. What would be the best way?
Followed this recipe exactly as instructed. Simply delicious! My entire family loved it!
I did it in my instant pot and it is OUTSTANDING!
I think recipe was a lil
Salty but beef had nice flavors. Not sure why so salty (soy sauce, ?, added some honey). I served with rice. What type of soy sauce – I used coconut aminos. Everyone ate it though.
Could I do it in the instant pot?
Can I prepare this the night before in the crock pot, keep it in the fridge and then take it out in the morning and turn it on?
Just wondering if the sauce will marinate the meat too much?
I made this today. I kept the sauce and the meat separate in the fridge overnight, then poured the sauce over the meat this morning and had it on low for about 8 hours. It came out fantastic!
This recipe is so good!! I made it with Korean BBQ sauce and served it over rice. Can’t wait to have the leftovers!!
Loved this, and my children devoured it. Everyone had seconds (two year old had thirds!) and leftovers made for a great lunch. It’s in the rotation.
Perfect!
Delicious, easy to prepare.
This was amazing!!! I was concerned it was going to taste like all other crockpot beef. But the flavor was sooo good and complex! This will be on rotation in our house. I also look forward to all the different ways of making this into a full meal.
Omg! We made this last night. So good! Definitely will have this in our rotation. We had green beans and rice with it.
I microwaved a bag of frozen mixed veggies and added it to the pot after the slow cooker was done. It made it a more complete dish. I also served it with kimchi on the side!
This was a hit in our house! I used Bibigo Koean BBQ sauce in place of gochujan, unsweetened applesauce, on high in the slow cooker. Top with kimchi! Thank you Gina!
Is the applesauce supposed to be regular or unsweetened for this recipe? It sounds DELISH!
Overall, this has good flavor and is craveable. I recommend cutting your roast into large cubes, the meat gets so tender that smaller cubes disintegrate. I plan on cutting back whatever sweetener I use. This time I used honey. Even with a little bit extra gochujang it was a tad too sweet for us.
Beef was way too expensive at my local store today. Do you think I could use this same recipe with chicken thighs? Any suggestions or tweaks? Would I need to sear the chicken to seal in the moisture similar to the beef?
My grandson loves this! It is his new favorite meal. 😊
Awesome! ♥
This was yummy. I think I might prefer a non-slow cooker version. But I was very disappointed when I entered it in the WW app and it said 15 points, not 4! It assigned a ton of points to the chuck roast. Did I do something wrong?
Are you using the calculator? If you are on your phone, and you are logged into the WW app, click the blue button on the recipe card that says WW Points and it takes you to recipe builder that shows exactly how I am getting my points.
maybe it is 15 for the whole recipe for the beef
My family loved this. It was a great variation on a “cold night needs a warm, slow-cooker dinner”. I would definitely make this again. Kids and husband all loved it!!
Can you use an instant to make this recipe? Looks so delicious!
Have not tested but I am assuming yes, high pressure 50 to 60 min!
I made this tonight in the Instant Pot set for 55 mins and let natural release (added no additional liquid) and it turned out amazing!! Highly recommend! Thanks Gina for the recipe!
This is exactly the information I came here looking for!! Thanks for this tip. Gonna instant pot it tonight for dinner!
I thought for the first time in history a recipe of Gina’s was not going to turn out. I could not have been more wrong. I can’t wait to make this again! I would make it again right now. The beef is so tender. I’m not generally a beef eater but this is amazing. I made it with Thai Wheat Noodles and Broccoli. Yum
I want to make this but the extra step
Of cooking it and still putting in slow cooker for so long makes me worried. Does it have to be precooked?
You’re not cooking it, just browning it to get more flavor into the beef. Almost all recipes start by searing beef (or pork or chicken first) to get the brown outside, then finish cooking with some other method to make it food safe. The crock pot (or instant pot) time is to cook it and tenderize it.
Gina, this Slow Cooker Korean Beef is an absolute FLAVOR BOMB! 😍
Hands-down the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef I’ve ever pulled from the crockpot — that gochujang-soy-ginger-applesauce sauce is pure genius, balancing sweet-savory-spicy perfection after 8 hours on low. Seared the chuck cubes first for that crust (game-changer!), tossed in the aromatics, and came home to the house smelling like a Korean BBQ dream. Shredded it over rice with sesame seeds and scallion greens — my family demolished it and called it better than takeout. You’ve nailed the ultimate hands-off weeknight win!
Aussie slow-cooker fans, Dec 7 specials make this a steal (Korean flavors on budget!):
Chuck roast (2 lbs / ~900g): $12.99/kg at Coles (total ~$11.70)
Gochujang (2 tbsp): Maesri jar $3.50 at Woolworths
Low-sodium soy sauce (½ cup): Kikkoman 500ml $3.99 at Aldi
Applesauce (1 cup): $1.99/jar at Coles
Sesame oil (1 tsp): $5.99/250ml at Woolies
Ginger (2 tbsp chopped): $2.99/200g at Aldi; garlic head $0.99
Whole pot for 6 under $20 easy. Current supermarket deals + printable shopping list here: https://flashtoolss.com/
Thank you for the cozy, craveable recipe — this one’s on repeat forever! 🥘✨
So glad you loved it!
Made this for dinner tonight. I had gochujang in my pantry that I hadn’t opened yet and didn’t know what to do with it. Along came this recipe and ta-dah a meal is cooked. Served it with Parish rice for extra protein and lower glycemic index than regular rice and sliced up cucumbers. Will definitely make this again as my family enjoys Korean food.
Absolutely love this recipe!! Did not add the sweeter and still yummy.
It was ok. I followed the recipe but there was not much flavor. I was surprised, I usually like all her recipes.
Excellent. Family had it over rice noodles and I had it over spaghetti squash. Tender and delish
Made this recipe for the first time today and my family loved it! My son said it’s the best roast that I’ve made! Served it with Jasmine rice. Packed up leftovers for son and husband’s lunch tomorrow.
Perfect!♥
I’m in the middle of making this recipe. The only thing that’s missing is where to add the rice wine vinegar – I guessed the marinade. Looking forward to dinner tonight! 🙂
Yes with the marinade, enjoy!
Will these chunks of meat be tender enough to shred after cooking, instead of keep them in a chunk? (For meal prep)
Yes
I know this is for Korean Beef but would this work with chicken thighs?
Do you think Seiten would work in place of the beef?
Easy to make. Very flavorful and everyone even the kids like it. Served with Korean cucumber salad and kimchi.
Can you use beef for stew?
Yes
I am going to try this in my instant pot. Do I need to add beef broth or will the applesauce & soy & vinegar be enough liquid. Thanks
I assume the rice vinegar goes with step 3? I saw it in the ingredients list, but didn’t see it in the directions (sorry if I’m being dense). Thank you!
I assume the rice wine vinegar goes with step 3? I see it in the ingredients list but didn’t see it in the directions. Thanks!
This looks delicious!! Is there difference between gochujang chile paste and gochugaru chile flakes? And what your recipe calls for? I can’t seem to find it anywhere available? If anyone else can help??
I am using paste or gochujang sauce would work. Not chile flakes
The instructions are not clear to me. Do you combine the ingredients in step 3 with those in step 2, then add to the slow cooker? Or are they added separately?
In the shorter description section before the actual recipe it says the ingredients in step 3 are combined in a bowl separate from the mixture made in step 2.
That said, it never specifies that the mixture from step 2 goes into the slow cooker, but it must, right?
Yes- the aromatics (ginger, scallion whites, and garlic) gets combined with applesauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochujang and suga and poured over the beef. 🙂
What if I don’t have a slow cooker? Can I make in the oven?
Can I make this in an instant pot instead of slow cooker?
Sure! 1 hr should be enough time
Just confirming…Are you saying use slow cooker feature on instant pot for one hr?
No, I thought you meant to cook it on high pressure. I never use the instant pot as a slow cooker so I am not sure how it will work.
I did not have a slow cooker and made it in my Instant Pot. Cooked on high for 4 hours and was perfect. Thank you for a great recipe, delicious!
Just wondering if there is enough liquid to make this in my Instant Pot.