Easy Korean Tacos Recipe with Kimchi Slaw

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Ground beef is cooked quickly in a Korean barbecue sauce then topped off with slaw tossed in spicy mayo to make these easy Korean ground beef tacos. They are a twist on traditional tacos, with incredible flavor. Korean beef tacos are a healthy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.

beef tacos in a bowl with lettuce and tortillas

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This Korean tacos recipe couldn’t get any easier! It’s full of flavor and the perfect match for spicy and sweet. Serve them in warm tortillas or toss the ground beef filling into a salad.

Tacos are a perfect meal for when you’re craving something quick and easy with lots of options. Also, try these beef tacos with hidden veggies too on your next taco Tuesday!

Why you will 🤍 this recipe

It’s a quick and delicious recipe that can be made in under 30 minutes.
It’s versatile! Serve it as tacos in tortillas or add some lettuce for a low-carb salad.

Here is what you will need

The taco ingredients: Korean BBQ sace, Kimchi Mayo, Shredded Cabbage, Onion, lime juice, ground beef

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This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this recipe, scroll down to see ingredient notes and substitutions as well as a printable recipe card with exact measurements and complete cooking instructions.

🛒Ingredients

Olive oil
Ground beef
Cabbage
Onion
Fresh lime juice
Kimchi Mayonnaise
Korean BBQ Sauce
Taco-size flour tortillas or corn tortillas

🥄Equipment

Skillet
Mandoline, Food Processor Sharp Knife
Medium bowl

How to make Korean tacos with slaw

The complete list of ingredients to make this recipe is above. Below are notes about some of the ingredients, along with ideas for substitutes.

Prepare the Ingredients: Slice the onions thin, and shred the cabbage using a mandoline slicer, food processor or a sharp knife.

A picture of ground beef cooking in a skillet

Step 1. Cook the meat

Heat the oil in a large pan at medium-high heat and brown the beef.

Step 2. Add the sauce

Once the beef is cooked, reduce from medium high heat to medium heat; add the sauce to the frying pan and allow the beef mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes.

ground beef in a skillet with sauce pouring into it.

Step 3. Make the slaw

Add the slaw ingredients (shredded cabbage, onions, lime juice and kimchi mayo) to a medium bowl.

Step 4. Combine the slaw ingredients

Mix the kimchi slaw ingredients together and assemble your tacos in a bowl with lettuce as a salad or in warm tortillas.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Ground Beef. Look for lean ground beef (preferably grass-fed) that’s a minimum of 80/20 lean meat-to-fat content.

Substitute ground beef with ground turkey, pork or chicken.

Cabbage. Any color or type of cabbage can be used in this recipe. I like to mix red cabbage and green cabbage or Napa Cabbage.

Onion. I like to use red onion in this cabbage slaw, you can also use yellow or sweet onions.

Kimchi Mayonnaise. This mayo is perfect for making a quick spicy slaw. If you can’t find it in grocery stores, you can try blending 1/4 cup of kimchi in a food processor with regular mayonnaise or a 1/2 teaspoon of sriracha sauce with 1/4 cup mayonnaise for a sriracha mayo.

BBQ Sauce. If you don’t have Korean BBQ sauce, you can substitute it with 1/2 cup bbq sauce, 1 tablespoon of tamari or soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar, 1 clove crushed garlic, and 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger.

If you are looking for more easy and delicious ground beef recipes, check out these Grass Fed Ground Beef Recipes!

Check out ButcherBox for high-quality meat delivered to your door!

Serving Suggestions

Korean tacos taste great with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, a dash of hot sauce and a simple side salad, or vegetables, such as kimchi, zucchini ribbons salad or cucumbers in vinegar.

Make Ahead Instructions

Even though this is an easy recipe, this is a great recipe that can be made ahead of time and assembled just before eating. Here’s how: cook the beef according to the recipe instructions and store it in the fridge for up to three days.

Chop the cabbage and onions and store them in a separate container for up to three days.

To serve, heat the beef over low heat on top of the stove; add the kimchi mayo and lime juice to the cabbage mixture and assemble the taco salad or tacos and enjoy.

three korean tacos on a plate with lettuce

Storing and Using Leftovers

Store leftover Korean BBQ tacos unassembled in the refrigerator for three to four days. Leftover tacos can be refrigerated and assembled, however, the flour tortillas may become soggy.

Freeze leftover ground beef in an airtight container or a reusable bag. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight.

Freezing cabbage is not recommended!

Recipe Variations

Korean Taco Rice Bowls. Add 1/2 cup of cooked rice to a bowl with the spicy slaw and ground beef for a Taco rice bowl.

Grilled Meat. Replace the ground beef with boneless chicken breasts, a flank steak, or a skirt steak that has been marinated and grilled in the kalbi sauce. Slice the grilled meat into thin strips and stuff it into a tortilla or a salad.

Vegetarian Korean Tacos. Instead of ground beef, crumble a block of tofu and brown it in a skillet; add 1/4 cup of sauce and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and serve it with the kimchi slaw in a warm tortilla.

Korean Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps. Skip the flour or corn tortillas and serve these tacos wrapped in hearty bibb lettuce leaves.

Garnish Ideas. Top your tacos or taco salad with jalapeno peppers, lime wedges, sour cream, kimchi, pickled onions, sesame seeds or green onions.

💡Tips

Save time and use pre-shredded coleslaw mix to make Korean beef tacos even easier.
Make a double batch of the ground meat and freeze what’s left over for a quick dinner on a busy night.