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Made these when a friend was visiting and we absolutely loved these. minimal prep + instant pot = my fav kind of recipe
Cherese
These. Tacos. Are. Life.
They are so life that I used the periods-after-each-word trick right up there to really make you understand. Had to. Desperate times, desperate measures, all that stuff. You HAVE to understand the beauty of this combination:
- tender, fall-apart, juicy, flavorful meat (this from a veg-lover, okay? so please just realize that I do not often praise meat like this)
- bendy, pillow-soft flour tortillas, because we’re going for a total food truck vibe here
- kimchi, which is spicy fermented cabbage that sounds 100% awful but is, in fact, delicious
- chopped cilantro
- chopped peanuts
- spicy mayooooo and don’t even go middle school on me with the “I don’t like mayo” thing. these tacos require mayo.
This beef – this gingery, garlicky, flavor-loaded beef – is kind of a workhorse around here. It has shown up in many of my recipes: Korean BBQ Burrito, Korean BBQ Steak Salad Bowls, Korean BBQ Yum Yum Rice Bowls… and now, look. Here it is again. I kind of hope it never leaves.
Basically what has happened is me saying “I need to eat that Korean style beef again” + “I have an Instant Pot now” and then *poof*! This recipe.
Guys, I have mixed feelings about the Instant Pot. Mostly because I don’t like telling you that you need to buy something when I think you probably don’t need it. You probably already have a ton of unused appliances in your kitchen and I would be adding to that long list. That stresses me out.
On the other hand, YOU KINDA NEED IT. It can cook your meat in less than an hour. Wait though: it can cook your meat in less than an hour!! You don’t have to plan ahead. Dinners will be rescued, souls will be saved. I dunno, it’s up to you. A slow cooker would work. A pan on the stove would work. Instructions for both are in the recipe.
But still. Think about that hour. You might kinda need it.
How To Make Our Korean Beef Tacos:
This is kimchi. Are you guys on that bandwagon? Or are you closing your browser window?
Annnnd juicy beef. Ready in an hour. Did I say that already?
I honestly do not rave about meat recipes. That’s just not my jam.
But this is a meat recipe I am raving about. I adore it. I think you will love it.
Buy some quality meat, legit kimchi, and extra fluffy tortillas. You are about to operate a standard FOOD TRUCK SERVICE out of your house. For yourself. Singularly you. Sweatpants-wearing, top-knot-rocking you.
Tacos are the best. Have fun. XO
PS. I adore this video. It’s where I got the inspiration for this Korean style beef recipe way back when I made it the first time. ♡
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Instant Pot Korean Beef Tacos
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Food truck fusion-style tacos, straight outta the Instant Pot! Flavorful garlic and ginger beef gets tucked into flour tortillas with kimchi, cilantro, peanuts, and spicy mayo. Oooo-ee!
Ingredients
For the Korean Beef:
- one 14-ounce can pears, drained (fresh pears work, too)
- one two-inch knob of fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 lbs. top sirloin (see notes)
- chopped cilantro
- chopped peanuts
- kimchi !!!! or slaw of some sort
- sriracha mayo or yum yum sauce
- flour tortillas
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Pulse pears, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar until mostly smooth. Reserve half for later use (see notes).
- Cook the meat: Trim any fat off the meat and cut into a few large chunks (it will shred, but cutting the meat helps it cook faster). Place in an Instant Pot and cover with half of the sauce. Cook on high pressure (manual) for 45 minutes. Release steam and shred the meat in the Instant Pot with two forks.
- Tacos: Fill each tortilla with beef, cilantro, peanuts, kimchi, and spicy mayo. Oh.My.Gosh. It’s so good.
Notes
Slow Cooker: If you want to make this in the slow cooker, follow the same directions but cook the meat on high for 3-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
Stovetop: If you want to make this on the stovetop, I recommend slicing the meat thinly and following these directions for super quick and yummy beef.
Cuts of Meat: Chuck roast can work, but I found that even with some trimming, it still had too much fat for my liking. Top sirloin is a little more spendy, but I love it in this recipe because there is less fat to work around and you really just get the awesomeness of the beef.
Marinating: If you have time to marinate the meat, DO IT. It really enhances the flavor of the meat to let it all kinda hang out together with the sauce for a while. If you don’t have time, no biggie. I usually don’t have time either, and I’d still give it 5/5 for flavor.
As written, you’ll have double the sauce you need! So save the remaining sauce (fridge or freezer) for a super fast and easy Round Two of your Korean Beef Tacos. LUCKYYYY.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Korean-Inspired
Keywords: korean tacos, korean beef tacos, beef tacos
Make It A Freezer Meal!
Blend Into Sauce:
- one 15-ounce can pears, drained (or 2 fresh pears, cored)
- a 2-inch knob of ginger, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Freeze With:
- 2 lbs. beef chuck or top sirloin, cut into 6-8 pieces
To Cook:
INSTANT POT: For beef chuck: From frozen, 65 minutes on high pressure + 10 minutes nature release. For top sirloin: From frozen, 45 minutes on high pressure + 10 minutes nature release.
SLOW COOKER: From thawed, 3-5 hours on high.
FINAL STEP: Serve in rice bowls or fusion-style burritos or tacos (MY FAVE) with kimchi, rice, slaw, spicy mayo, etc.
View more healthy freezer meals here!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of best taco recipes. Check it out!
I had to stop my boyfriend from eating it straight from the pot, so good!
I get nervous using the instant pot. Will half be enough liquid?
Can I make this in the oven?
I love this and have made it several times! Thank you for the recipe! 45 min seems a bit long for my pressure cooker. The meat is at 202 degrees by that point and overcooked. The top sirloin from my local place is pretty thin/smallish steaks, could that be why? What time should I try next time?
Correct! If yours are thin you might want to try 35 min, take the temp, and keep cooking if needed.
Another family favorite for years and years that my kids now request when they are home for visits. We used to make the burrito version in the slow cooker, but instant pot is even easier and still tender. It’s a little perk, but I love how you can freeze half the sauce, so that part is already done the next time you make it. We use ALL the herbs to top it (cilantro, mint, basil).
Hi Lindsay,
Could honey work as a sub for the brown sugar?
That should be fine!
Hello, what’s the longest you would recommend marinating it? Could I put it in the marinade the might before, to go in the slow cooker at lunchtime the next day?
Yes!
We’ve made this several times now, and it is SO good. We add the optional yum yum sauce, and our own very important addition — some freshly roasted peanuts (cook with some oil over medium-low heat, and salt), and it is such a game changer. Overall, this recipe is a perfect balance of flavors and textures, and it’s always a treat to make!
Hi. I’m making your taco recipe for the first time and I’m a bit confused. It looks like when you make it you use 1 tsp sesame oil but when you prepare the freezer version, you triple that to 1 tablespoon. Or is that a mistake? I kept both versions just in case but please clarify. Thank you!
I believe we have a typo in the freezer version, so I’d use 1 teaspoon of sesame oil! Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
Hi! I made these from frozen in the Instant Pot and followed the recipe exactly with top sirloin. After about 20 minutes, the sauce started burn and the meat came out tough. Any idea what I could be doing wrong?
Absolutely fantastic. My husband enjoyed it, but, honestly, he’ll eat almost anything. My kids on the other hand… when they make a point to tell me how good it is without being asked, then I know dinner was truly a success. I can’t wait to try some of the other recipes I’ve saved!
I tried this recipe out to see if we liked kimchi. My husband likes reuben sandwiches with sauerkrout so I thought I would give it a try. I cooked in a slow cooker and ended up with a lot of liquid but it was delicious! The kimchi was okay but really big chunks so will try again and chop it up a bit.
This is a fantastic “dump and done” dinner. Given my husband’s aversion to ginger and kimchi I wasn’t sure he would like it, so I was shocked to hear him say, “yeah, you can make this one again!”. We’ve done this Korean beef multiple times (mostly with top sirloin, but had great results with chuck too) and love having it with a simple rice vinegar/sesame oil cucumber salad. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
This a family favorite recipe now! Making freezer version ahead of Thanksgiving for when we have house full. Confused though – regular recipe says to use 1/2 of sauce for 2 lbs meat, but freezer version says use all of sauce for 2 lbs of meat. Is this correct? Does sauce “protect” meat in the freezer or something like that?
Great catch, Kelley! You should use the same amount of sauce as you would for the non-freezer version.
Will this work as a freezer meal with stewing beef?
Hi Cheryl! Check the notes of the recipe for freezer meal instructions!
These are amazing and sooo easy to make
I made my own version of the yumyum sauce with my own personal blend of all purpose spice
So delicious and wonderful, would make again
One note was that I made the sauce as said on recipe and wished I saw earlier that it was two portions instead of one.
Read the *note a little late
How long will the extra sauce keep in the fridge?
It should keep for up to 5 days. It also freezes great for a few months!
I’m pretty sure I’ve reviewed this in the past, but we made it again tonight and it was so stinking fabulous that I just had to share! We use flank steak instead of the roast and it is just so tender and delish! Thank you!
I made just the beef component of this dish to eat as bibimbap.
The recipe came out very well and pairs nicely with a simple gochujang sauce over rice with kimchi, sauteed spinach, and a fried egg.
I cooked this in a regular stovetop pressure cooker for 18 minutes on low heat after the steam started going, and let the pressure release naturally.
My husband bought ground chuck 🙃 do you think I could still salvage this? Maybe stovetop instead of
Instant pot? I have made the recipe as instructed before and it was delicious!
I am making this tonight for my granddaughter. She’s in college & really appreciates prepared freezer meals. I’ve got it in the Instant Pot now & 1/2 the sauce is saved.
QUESTION: Should I cook down the sauce for her before freezing so all she has to do is warm it?
Thank you for the recipe – it smells AWESOME!
I love this recipe! It is simple and full of flavor! I’ve made it several times and my family asks for now as a go-to favorite!
I do brown my meat prior to adding the sauce and cooking. I also leave in the pear juice and double the garlic! Delicious!!!
Is it 1/4 or 1/2 cup of brown sugar and soy sauce? It’s listed both ways.
I have to be honest. For as many recipes that I have pinned and loved, this is my first review because this was SOOO good. It’s just me and my boyfriend, so we had lot of leftovers and they were always as good as the first experience. We joked that we sounded like food network critics raving about these tacos. I almost didn’t use the peanuts because it sounded odd BUT the tang of the coleslaw, with the taste and texture of the peanuts, the brightness of the cilantro, the hint of heat from the sriracha mayo and of course the tender, moist flavor of the meat (don’t skimp on the cut), was incredible. And to pull it together so quickly with the instant pot AND have leftover sauce to remind you to make it again?!?! LOVE THIS!
Could I bbq these on the grill?
We haven’t tried that before. Do you just mean grill the beef?