Bulgogi Burgers with Kimchi Sauce

Bulgogi burgers, inspired by my love of Korean bulgogi and kalbi, will be your new favorite burger served traditionally on a bun, wrapped in lettuce, or eaten with rice and Korean banchan.

You might also enjoy my kalbi marinade.

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Bulgogi is a popular Korean beef dish consisting of thinly sliced boneless beef that's been marinated and then quickly pan-fried or grilled. It's often served with perilla leaves or other greens like lettuce leaves for wrapping along with other side dishes and condiments.

This burger plays off of the flavors in the marinade, but is definitely not the traditional Korean bulgogi dish.

Why you'll love this recipe

• It tastes great! Duh but really - I tested this on a very varied group of taste buds and everybody loved it. Even my 93-year-old mom who likes her beef well done and is not that familiar with Korean flavors, loved them!
• They are so flexible. Serve them as traditional burgers on buns or with rice and veggies and no bun or eat them as lettuce wraps. All winning choices.
• Use your already purchased Korean food supplies. You bought gochujang and gochugaru to make my Korean meatballs or the sauce for my mandu and you're eagerly looking for more ways to use that tub of sauce or jar of red spice powder. Here you go!

Ingredients and Substitutions

I definitely colored outside the lines of a typical bulgogi marinade but I know you will love the results!

• Ground beef: I happened to have wagyu ground beef when I tested this recipe the last couple of times but my first go-rounds were just regular 85% fat beef and it all worked out well. So use whatever ground beef you normally use for making hamburgers.
• Gochugaru: This is Korean ground red pepper - available coarse ground or fine ground. If you don't have any, use cayenne pepper. But I recommend purchasing gochugaru - it has its own unique smoky flavor and spice level.
• Gochujang: This is a thick, spicy Korean condiment you will fall for hard. Sometimes you will find this in large chain grocery stores but more likely you'll need to go to the Korean market (with so many different brands to choose from) or order it online. You can read more about it in my spicy Korean meatballs post.
• Soy sauce: I opt for a low-sodium version but that's up to you.
• Sesame oil: This adds a nutty rich flavor.
• Sake: I always keep a bottle of inexpensive sake in my refrigerator specifically to use for marinades. You can probably find sake at both your local big box supermarket and definitely at a specialty Korean, Chinese, or Japanese market.
• Panko bread crumbs: I like the light texture of panko but you can definitely use other bread crumbs or even matzo meal as a substitute.
• Kimchi juice: This is totally optional but if you have a jar of kimchi in the refrigerator, scoop out a little juice and add it. Try it, you'll like it!

Steps to make this recipe

(Printable recipe card is at the end of the post with ingredients measurements and step-by-step instructions. This section includes more and larger pictures and high level explanations of the process.)

Prep the burger meat

First mix all the flavoring ingredients for the meat in a small bowl. Alternatively, put them in the larger bowl with the meat. But in order to not overmix the meat, I decided to mix the additional flavor elements together first so they more quickly and evenly disperse through the ground beef.

Place the beef in a large bowl, add the flavor mixture and combine with your hands until the ingredients are somewhat evenly dispersed. Do not over mix - it's ok if you see some different coloration. Form your burgers, again not over handling them. Place your burgers on a plate or parchment-lined tray, cover, and refrigerate if not cooking right away.

Prep your accompaniments

Lots of choices here! If you are serving the patties as traditional burgers, prepare the buns and toppings. I really liked a brioche bun or make some of my challah rolls! Heat the buns on the grill or grill pan just to give the outside a little crunch.

For condiments, make my yogurt-based kimchi mayo sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl, taste for flavor, adjust and refrigerate until ready to use.

Another super simple option: mix regular ketchup with some gochujang! You already have the gochujang if you're making the burgers so why not use it! Start with a 3-to-1 ratio of ketchup to gochujang and see how you like the flavor.

I also made a quick Korean-style coleslaw (recipe coming soon - email me or leave a comment below if you want it NOW!) to add crunch to the bulgogi burger but a nice butter lettuce would work as well. Less crunch but still a nice textural addition.

Or use the butter lettuce to serve the burgers protein-style with a lettuce wrap, as you might eat traditional bulgogi beef!

Or serve them wrapless and bunless with a side of rice and other banchan such as my Korean cucumber salad.

Cook the bulgogi burgers

I recommend either a grill pan or pop these beauties on an outdoor barbecue. On medium-high to high heat, cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, flip and continue to cook to your preferred doneness. Likely another 2-3 minutes.

Check out my bulgogi burger web story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQs

1. These burger patties taste so good all on their own so if you make these on a weeknight and want to keep it super simple, just serve them with a side of rice and a quick slaw or salad.
2. I often buy pre-sliced bags of cabbage to whip up a quick slaw or just to use the crunchy cabbage as a burger or sandwich topping. Just check the date and buy the freshest one you can.
3. Have fun with the condiments - try my kimchi sauce or a variation of your own or just simple mayo and hot sauce.

FAQs about bulgogi-style burgers

How to serve these Korean-style bulgogi burgers

It bears repeating that you can have these burgers your way!

On buns, in a lettuce wrap or unadorned (naked) with rice and side dishes (banchan). No matter how you serve them, my Korean cucumber salad is a perfect accompaniment. You can make it ahead and just have it ready to go at dinner time.

Another great accompaniment is this corn salad. Use fresh or frozen corn - it will be delicious either way.

P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a review in the comment section below. I so appreciate your feedback! AND find more inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Signup for my email list, too!