Homemade Bibimbap (비빔밥)
The ultimate classic Korean dish! Our Homemade Bibimbap (비빔밥) is our take on this Korean rice bowl staple and that has quickly become a weekly regular in our house. It is an endlessly customizable, well-balanced, and healthy meal that can fit into anyone’s diet or preferences!

It’s the food of my people! Despite my Polish upbringing, I was born in Korea but have no connections other than genetics to that country (yet). But over the years, as my tastebuds have started craving Korean foods and flavors and as my half-Korean girls have gotten older, diving more into classic Korean dishes has become so important. It doesn’t get much more classic than this! Our Homemade Bibimbap (비빔밥) is my take on this beloved Korean dish. Made with some of our favorite banchan (sides) and our Homemade Bibimbap Sauce, this is a well-rounded, hearty meal that can be easily customized to your tastes and preferences.
What is Bibimbap 비빔밥 ?
Bibimbap is a classic Korean dish. Bibim means “mixing” and “bap” is “cooked rice”, it is a dish that is made up of cooked rice, vegetables, beef, and a fried egg on top that is meant to all be mixed to create an absolutely delicious bowl of mixed flavors, texture, and nutrition. The best part is that there are really no “rules” around what you add to these rice bowls. Add as little or as much of any / all banchan available! I’m going to share my personal favorite additions plus more suggestions below!
Ingredients Needed
- Rice – This is the base of any bibimbap and what you’ll mix up all that goodness into! Traditional rice used for bibimbap is short grain rice, like sushi rice as it has a stickier texture which makes it perfect for mixing with everything else and also easier to pick up with chopsticks. But you can also use whatever rice you have, long white or even brown, whichever you prefer.
- Sirloin – You can use any cut of meat that you’d like, or even tofu, chicken, or omit the protein entirely.
- Kimchi and Korean Spinach Salad – These two banchan are my favorite! Trust me, you’re going to want to make your own spinach salad, and stay tuned for when we finally make our own kimchi!
- Mushrooms – I love shiitakes, but you can use whichever are your favorite.
- Garlic, Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, Seasoned Rice Vinegar, and Pear – All the ingredients for the incredibly flavorful sirloin marinade.
- Carrot and Cucumber – Julienned carrot and super thinly sliced cucumber make great additions to these big delicious Korean bowls. The carrot adds some great texture and the cucumber adds a fresh cooling crunch.
- Bibimbap Sauce– The sauce that ties it all together! It is so incredibly easy to make and customizable to your taste preferences. You’ll find all of its ingredients in the recipes card to make your own, but if you have no desire to make your own, it is available to buy (like here), or in your local Asian markets.
- EGGS! – Not pictured, because, well I ran out of room. But that final fried egg on top of a big ol’ bowl of bibimbap, that’s one of the best parts!
How to Make Bibimbap
Prep Marinade
This is one of my favorite steak marinades now! What sets it apart from our others is this little secret ingredient – shredded pear! You’ll often find Asian pears in Asian recipes, and since they’re not always available in the grocery store, a Bartlett pear does the job too. That “job” is tenderizing the meat thanks to an enzyme that the pear contains. Plus, it adds a natural sweetness to the marinade.
Prep the Sirloin
My girls’ favorite protein for our Homemade Bibimbap is beef and sirloin is typically the go-to cut of beef for most Korean cooking due to how tender it is. Plus, it can be cut nice and thin which lends nicely to many Korean beef dishes.
How to Get a Great Thin Slice
When a super thin slice is needed for beef, the easiest trick is to put the steak in the freezer. This will give it a nice firm texture to then be able to use a nice sharp knife and get a really thin slice on it. We use this method when we make our own Beef Jerky, too!
Saute Beef and Mushrooms
Once the steak has marinated for at least 1 (and up to overnight), then it’s time for a quick cook.
Then the ‘shrooms in a little bit of sesame oil and some salt. We love the flavor and texture that shiitakes add, but again you can use whatever mushrooms you have – or omit them entirely.
Create Bibimbap Sauce
Now for the savory sauce of gochujang, sugar, garlic, seasoned rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and sesame oil that ties it all together!
It doesn’t get much easier than this for a sauce!
Assemble
Now for the fun part! Gather all of your banchan (sides) that you want to add to your Homemade Bibimbap (비빔밥)!
Rice first, then the rest is up to you! For a classic Korean Bibimbap presentation, keep all of the sides separate at first and then top with a fried sunny-side-up egg and a drizzle of some bibimbap sauce!
Fun for a Dinner Party
Homemade Bibimbap is a great meal for a dinner party where you know there are different tastes and preferences. If you have a table big enough, serve bowls of rice and then have everything else on the table so everyone can create their own bowl!
Hello, gorgeous.
Homemade Bibimbap (비빔밥) is my favorite kind of tablescape. One full of banchan (sides) and a delicious, healthy, and hearty meal meant to be shared with loved ones!
Customize!
One of the best parts of Homemade Bibimbap is how endlessly customizable it is! The only “requirement” of bibimbap is rice mixed with assorted veggies and meat and then commonly a fried egg on top. And while meat and eggs are some of the most common additions, they’re not required! You can completely make this your own by using a different kind of protein like tofu, or even just using veggies topped with an egg.
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Break that egg yolk and then get to the BIBIM (mixing)!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Homemade Bibimbap (비빔밥)
Equipment
- frying pans
- serving bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cups short grain white rice, or sushi rice or 4 cups cooked
- 4 eggs
- butter or oil to saute eggs
Korean Beef
- 1 8 oz sirloin
- 1/4 pear Asian or Bartlett, shredded
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar or mirin
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons olive oil or sesame oil
Vegetables
- 2 large carrots jullianned
- 1 large English cucumber sliced extremely thin
- 1 lb shiitake mushrooms or other mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil for sauteeing the beef
Homemade Bibimbap Sauce
- 1/4 cup gochujang
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar or mirin
Additional Toppings
- Korean Spinach Salad
- Kimchi
Instructions
- Prep Meat: Add sirloin to a freezer-safe plate, cover, and place in the freezer for 30- 60 mins.
- Create Marinade: Meanwhile, add sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic to a ziplock bag. Cut off 1/4 of a pear. With a box grater, grate the flesh of the pear, using the skin to protect your fingers. Add the pear to the bag and mix.
- Prep Veggies: While the meat is hardening, cut carrots and slice cucumber as thinly as possible with either a knife or a mandoline. Add carrots to a bowl and set aside. Line the cucumber slices in a colander and sprinkle with 1/2 a teaspoon of kosher salt. Let sweat while meat freezes and marinates.
- Slice and Marinate: Slice the hardened sirloin as thinly as possible along the grain with a sharp knife. Add the beef and the marinade to a ziplock bag, mix well, and then add to the fridge to marinade for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Cook Rice: Rinse rice in a fine mesh sieve or colander. Add 4 cups of water to a pot with the rice, and heat over high to bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cover (make sure it’s simmering and not boiling or the rice will cook too quickly). Let cook for 13-20 minutes (the freshness of the rice will alter the cook time) until rice is tender.
- Cook Mushrooms: Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes, seasoning with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat, add to a small bowl, and set aside.
- Cook Beef: In the same pan add another 2 teaspoons of oil (either olive or sesame) add the beef, removed from the marinade. Saute over medium-high heat, turning the meat as it cooks. Saute for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add to a bowl.
- Create Bibimbap Sauce: To create the sauce, add all of the sauce ingredients to a bowl or a 1 cup Pyrek and whisk until smooth.
- Set up: Gently press a paper towel or clean linen towel to the cucumbers to absorb some of the excess liquid. Add the cucumbers to a small bowl. Add the carrots, kimchi, Korean Spinach Salad, bibimbap sauce, to their own bowls.
- Cook Eggs: Add some butter to the pan that cooked the beef (or use another pan while the beef is cooking), and fry the eggs to your preference. We prefer a runny yolk to mix in with everything else!
- Assemble: Add 1 cup of rice to a wide bowl. Add beef, Korean Spinach Salad, kimchi, carrots, and mushrooms. Top with a fried egg and Bibimbap Sauce to taste!
- Enjoy! Give it all a mix and enjoy!