Easy Bibimbap – Korean Mixed Rice Bowl

Make a beautiful and flavorful Korean Bibimbap right at home with this easy recipe! Bibimbap is a vibrant and customizable Korean rice bowl topped with seasoned vegetables, marinated meat, a fried egg, and a drizzle of spicy gochujang sauce. It’s a hearty and healthy dish perfect for lunch or dinner.

What Is Bibimbap?

Bibimbap (비빔밥, Bee-bim-bahp) which literally means “mixed rice” in Korean, is a classic Korean main course that combines warm rice, assorted sautéed vegetables (namul), marinated meat (usually beef), and a fried egg, all topped with a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce. Hailing from Korean royal cuisine and later adopted by commoners, this dish is now a global favorite found in Korean restaurants around the world.

This recipe can easily be made vegetarian or vegan and is naturally gluten-free when you use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. With the variety of vegetables, lean protein, and minimal oil, it’s also a well-balanced, low-calorie option.

Why You’ll Love This Korean Rice Bowl

Bibimbap is loved for its bold flavors, textures, and beautiful presentation. Every bite combines warm rice with crunchy vegetables, savory meat, creamy yolk, and a spicy-sweet kick from the sauce. It’s also very flexible — use whatever vegetables or protein you have on hand. Make it your own!

INGREDIENTS FOR BIBIMBAP

Protein: thinly sliced beef (like ribeye or sirloin), or tofu for a vegetarian/vegan version
Vegetables: carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, cucumber
Rice: cooked short grain white rice or brown rice
Eggs: typically fried sunny-side up
Seasonings: sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, salt, sugar, sesame seeds
Gochujang Sauce: gochujang (Korean chili paste), sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, water
Oil for cooking: neutral oil like vegetable or avocado oil

HOW TO MAKE BIBIMBAP

1. Cook the rice
   Cook short grain white rice or brown rice according to package instructions. Keep warm.
2. Prepare the vegetables
   Julienne the carrots and zucchini. Blanch spinach and bean sprouts separately. Slice mushrooms and cucumber thinly. Sauté each vegetable in a bit of oil and season lightly with salt, garlic, and sesame oil. Set aside.
3. Marinate and cook the beef
   Combine thinly sliced beef with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, and pepper. Let it marinate for 10–15 minutes. Stir-fry until fully cooked.
4. Fry the eggs
   Fry eggs sunny-side up in a lightly oiled pan until whites are set but yolk is still runny.
5. Make the sauce
   In a small bowl, whisk gochujang with sesame oil, sugar, vinegar, and water until smooth.
6. Assemble the bowls
   Place a scoop of rice in each bowl. Arrange vegetables and beef neatly on top. Add a fried egg in the center. Drizzle with gochujang sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Mix and enjoy
   Right before eating, mix everything together and enjoy all the delicious textures and flavors in one bite!

Bibimbap (Korean Mixed Rice Bowl)

A colorful and customizable Korean rice bowl topped with vegetables, marinated beef, fried egg, and gochujang sauce.

Servings 4

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

• 2 cups cooked white or brown rice
• 8 oz thinly sliced beef or firm tofu for vegetarian
• 1 medium carrot julienned
• 1 zucchini julienned
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 4 shiitake mushrooms sliced
• 1/2 cucumber thinly sliced
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil plus more for vegetables
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Sesame seeds for garnish

Gochujang Sauce

• 2 tbsp gochujang Korean chili paste
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp warm water

Instructions

 

• Cook rice and keep warm.
• Blanch spinach and bean sprouts separately, then drain and season with sesame oil and salt.
• Sauté carrots, zucchini, mushrooms separately in sesame oil and lightly season.
• Marinate beef with soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and sugar. Cook until browned.
• Fry eggs sunny-side up.
• Whisk all gochujang sauce ingredients in a bowl.
• Assemble: Add rice to bowls, arrange vegetables and beef on top, place an egg in the center, and drizzle sauce.
• Garnish with sesame seeds and serve hot.

Notes

NUTRITION FACTS (Per Serving)

• Calories: 580 kcal

• Carbohydrates: 55g (18% DV)
• Protein: 22g (44% DV)
• Fat: 20g (31% DV)
• Saturated Fat: 4g (20% DV)
• Cholesterol: 190mg (63% DV)
• Sodium: 560mg (24% DV)
• Fiber: 5g (20% DV)
• Sugar: 7g

Note: Nutrition is estimated based on typical ingredients and may vary by brand or exact portions used.

Calories: 580kcal

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: korean

Keyword: beef bibimbap, bimbimbap recipe, healthy rice bowl, Korean bowl recipe, Korean rice bowl

RECIPE TIPS

• Use a wide shallow bowl to help keep ingredients separate for presentation.
• Make ahead: You can prepare and refrigerate the vegetables and beef a day in advance.
• Store leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Reheat and top with a fresh egg.
• To make this vegetarian, swap the beef for tofu or sautéed mushrooms.
• To make it vegan, also skip the egg.
• To make it gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce and ensure gochujang is gluten-free.
• For a low-calorie version, use brown rice or cauliflower rice and skip the egg yolk.

SERVING IDEAS

Serve bibimbap with:

• Kimchi or pickled radish
• A bowl of Korean seaweed soup (miyeokguk)
• Cold cucumber salad (oi muchim)
• Korean BBQ or bulgogi on the side for a feast

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @wokwithsam on Instagram and hashtag it #wokwithsam.