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Beef Gyudon or Japanese ‘beef bowl’ is one of my favorite comfort dishes – the thinly sliced beef is cooked in a delicious homemade sauce and served over steaming rice (with extra sauce spooned on top – trust me on this)! It is so simple and satisfying – and the best part is that you need less than 10 ingredients and it comes together in 15 minutes. It pairs perfectly with a creamy, jammy Ramen Egg!
Watch the Beef Gyudon Recipe Video Below!
Ingredient Tips for Beef Gyudon
This has been my go-to recipe for Beef Gyudon at home – it’s so quick and easy, perfect a weeknight meal. I love how hearty the simple combination of beef and rice is – and with an egg on top, you get even more protein!
There’s something so comforting about marinated meat over rice – similar dishes like Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice, Red Braised Pork, and Three Cup Chicken are some of my favorite go-to meals!
Beef
- thinly sliced beef – It is key that you use thinly sliced beef. When making this dish, I will purchase the pre-sliced beef from my local Japanese grocery store (Mitsuwa) – it’s labeled as ‘Beef Chuckroll Kiriotoshi’. If you are buying this from your local grocery store, you can use ribeye or chuck roll – ask your butcher to slice them for you at the thinnest setting (or 1/8″).
- yellow onion
- terikyai sauce – recipe included below
- dashi – see note below.
Teriyaki Sauce
This sauce is very similar to what I use for Chicken Teriyaki!
- soy sauce
- sake – You can sub sake with another dry cooking wine (such as white wine or sherry) – but since this recipe has so few ingredients, I highly recommend you use sake.
- mirin -You can sub mirin with rice vinegar – but since this recipe has so few ingredients, I highly recommend you use mirin.
- sugar
Optional Garnishes
- egg – I’ve seen Beef Gyudon served with a sunny side up egg or soft boiled egg on top; I personally like eating it with my Ramen Eggs!
- Japanese pickled ginger – I purchase mine from the Japanese grocery; when I don’t have any, I’ve also topped my Beef Gyudon with kimchi.
Key Tip
What is Dashi?
Dashi is Japanese soup stock that is used in many Japanese dishes. It has a unique, rich, umami-packed savory flavor. It is commonly made from dried kelp (kombu) and dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi).
You can make dashi in many different ways:
- from scratch with kombu and katsuobushi
- with a dashi packet
- with dashi powder
You can also purchase liquid dashi (stock)
For this recipe, I used dashi powder. If you do not have dashi powder in your pantry, I would recommend purchasing it. Dashi powder has a long shelf life and is extremely convenient to use because it only needs to be mixed with water. It’s used in a lot of Japanese dishes, so it’s a great item to have in your pantry!
If you use liquid dashi, be sure to use the same measurements as the recipe calls for water and omit the dashi powder
Recipe Instructions for Beef Gyudon
1. Cook the Sauce
Make the teriyaki sauce (skip if you are using store bought teriyaki sauce).
In a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat, mix the teriyaki sauce with dashi stock. Bring to a boil.
2. Cook the Onion
Slice the onion into 1/8″ thick half rings.
Add the onions into the teriyaki sauce/dashi stock mixture. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft.
3. Add the Beef
Add thinly sliced beef into the sauce/dashi/onion mixture and cook for 30 seconds or until cooked to your liking. Thinly sliced beef cooks very quickly!
Serve Beef Gyudon over rice and top with any optional garnishes of your choice, such as Ramen eggs or Japanese pickles. Enjoy!
Key Tip
Expert Tips for Beef Gyudon
Thinly Sliced Beef
- It is key that you use thinly sliced beef. I use the ‘Kiriotoshi’ pre-sliced beef from my local Japanese grocery store (Mitsuwa). You can also use ribeye or chuck roll – ask your butcher to slice them for you at the thinnest setting (or 1/8″).
Dashi
- Dashi is Japanese soup stock that is used in many Japanese dishes. It has a unique, rich, umami-packed savory flavor.
- I use dashi powder because I find it to be the most convenient – you can also make it from scratch, use a dashi packet, or use liquid dashi.
Teriyaki Sauce
- In my opinion, homemade teriyaki sauce is so much better than store bought (and so easy to make). I included the recipe below. However, if you want to use store bought – that’s okay, too!
Watch Your Sauce!
- The Beef Gyudon sauce should be thick and syrupy – however, keep an eye on it as it reduces, as the sugar can lead to burning.
Optional Garnishes
- Top your Beef Gyudon with an egg (sunny side up, soft boiled, or a Ramen Egg and Japanese pickled ginger. I also top with kimchi when I don’t have pickled ginger at home.
Storage and Reheating
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce – You can store this is an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Beef Gyudon – Store any leftover Beef Gyudon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan.
If you tried this Beef Gyudon or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Beef Gyudon
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 lb thinly sliced beef, Japanese markets will label as Kiriotoshi; ribeye or chuck roll would work as well
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3/4 cup terikyai sauce, see below
- 3/4 cup dashi stock
Optional Garnishes
- soft boiled egg
- Japanese pickled ginger
Instructions
- Slice onion about 1/8" thick.
- Mix teriyaki sauce with dashi stock in a medium sized saucepan; bring to boil on medium high heat.
- Add onions and simmer for 2-3 minutes until soft.
- Add thinly sliced beef and cook for 30 seconds or until cooked to your liking.
- Serve over rice. I like to add a soft boiled egg and Japanese pickled ginger!
Notes
It is key that you get thinly sliced beef! When making this dish, I will purchase the pre-sliced beef from my local Japanese grocery store (Mitsuwa) – it’s labeled as ‘Kiriotoshi’. If you are buying this from your local grocery store, you can use ribeye or chuck roll – ask your butcher to slice them for you at the thinnest setting (or 1/8″). MIRIN
You can sub mirin with rice vinegar – but since this recipe has so few ingredients, I highly recommend you use mirin. SAKE
You can sub sake with another dry cooking wine (such as white wine or sherry) – but since this recipe has so few ingredients, I highly recommend you use sake.
RECIPE TIPS
TERIYAKI SAUCETrust me, HOMEMADE is 100% better in this case!
- WATCH YOUR SAUCE – You want the sauce to be thick and syrupy, which will happen as it cooks down. HOWEVER, as the water cooks down, there is a higher chance of the sugar burning, so keep this on a simmer and watch it!
- You can store this in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week!
I like to top my Beef Gyudon with a soft boiled egg and Japanese pickled ginger.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great yoshinoya dupe!
I love a good Yoshinoya bowl every once in a while and decided to make my own one day with CJ’s recipe. Gollyyyy gee!! Deliciousness in a bowl with just a few ingredients. A must make in our house!