Bulgogi Sauce (Easy Authentic Recipe) (2024)

Learn how to make this easy and delicious bulgogi sauce and start making your Korean favorites at home! Sweet and salty, it works as a marinade, dipping sauce, or even a dressing!

Bulgogi Sauce (Easy Authentic Recipe) (1)

Coming from a half Asian background, it should come as no surprise that I have a slew of Asian inspired recipes.

What do Hunan chicken, tempura chicken, and black pepper Angus steak have in common? The key feature of all of them is the sauce used!

I know I shouldn’t play favorites, but we are obsessed with making beef bulgogi, especially for its sauce!

Table of Contents
  1. What does bulgogi sauce taste like?
  2. Ingredients needed
  3. How to make bulgogi sauce
  4. How to use this sauce
  5. Storage instructions
  6. More sauce recipes to try
  7. Frequently Asked Questions
  8. Bulgogi Sauce (Recipe Card)

What does bulgogi sauce taste like?

Bulgogi sauce is considered being the BBQ sauce of Asian and Korean cuisine. It’s sweet, smoky, and slightly tangy, and has a subtle spice hit thanks to the chili sauce. In many Korean restaurants, they actually serve this as a dipping sauce too!

Sure you could buy the pre-bottled kind, but where is the fun in that? Making your own is so easy.

Why this bulgogi sauce recipe will be a condiment staple:

  • Ready in seconds. No boiling, steaming, or caramelizing required- everything is whisked together in one bowl.
  • Authentic flavor. This sauce is sweet, it’s tangy, and it has some spice. Honestly, you’d think this was from a Korean restaurant.
  • Versatile. While this sauce is famous in beef bulgogi, it can also be used as a marinade or sauce too.

What we love about this recipe is just how easy is it to make. If you find yourself with a delicious cut of beef, pork, or chicken, simply slice it up and make this sauce and you’ll have dinner ready in minutes!

Ingredients needed

This recipe uses very simple and uses basic pantry ingredients. The only one you might need to hit up the grocery store for is the Gochujang, but it’s so popular, you’ll find it at any basic store or even online. Here is what you’ll need:

  • Soy sauce. Low sodium and gluten-free options work.
  • Brown sugar. Adds sweetness and balances out the salty and umami ingredients.
  • Sesame oil. A must for Asian marinade or sauces. A little goes a very long way, so try not to go overboard with it.
  • Pear. Finely grated to an almost mushy texture. If you can find it, you can also use pear juice.
  • Garlic. Freshly minced.
  • Ginger.
  • Gochujang. Very popular in Korean cuisine, this is their staple chili pepper sauce. If you can’t find this anywhere, you can use any chili sauce of choice.

How to make bulgogi sauce

Making this sauce is very simple.

All you do is whisk the ingredients together until combined. If you notice some separation, let it sit for half an hour.

Start by mixing the soy sauce with all the ingredients except for the grated pear.

Bulgogi Sauce (Easy Authentic Recipe) (2)

Next, gently fold through the grated pear until combined.

Bulgogi Sauce (Easy Authentic Recipe) (3)

How to use this sauce

If you’ve been to any Korean restaurant before, you’ll know that you can get all kinds of bulgogi based dishes, including chicken, seafood and tofu.

We love to use this sauce to marinate protein, like chicken breast, pork chops, or even steak.

You can also toss it through grain based recipes, like a fried rice, cauliflower fried rice, or even spicy noodles.

Oh, and if you are anything like me, use it to dip some sweet potato fries or zucchini fries in them.

Jazz up some noodles by making it the main sauce in a chow mein or noodle stir fry.

Storage instructions

  • To store: If you haven’t used the sauce to marinate beef or chicken (or any other protein), you can store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, for up to one week. Sometimes the sauce will thicken and if that happens, let it bring it to room temperature before using it.
  • To freeze: Place the sauce in a shallow container and store it in the freezer for up to two months.
Bulgogi Sauce (Easy Authentic Recipe) (4)

More sauce recipes to try

  • Eel sauce
  • Tempura dipping sauce
  • Potsticker sauce
  • Fry sauce

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Korean BBQ sauce the same as this sauce?

While Bulgogi sauce is sometimes considered to be a Korean BBQ sauce, their actual BBQ sauce is actually sweeter and doesn’t include any spice.

Where to buy bulgogi sauce?

Thanks to the popularity of Korean cuisine, most grocery stores sell pre-made bulgogi sauce. Alternatively, you can also buy it online.

Bulgogi Sauce (Easy Authentic Recipe) (5)

Bulgogi Sauce

5 from 313 votes

Learn how to make this easy and delicious bulgogi sauce and start making your Korean favorites at home! Sweet and salty, it works as a marinade, dipping sauce, or even a dressing!

Servings: 8 servings

Prep: 1 minute min

Cook: 1 minute min

Total: 2 minutes mins

Rate This Recipe

Print

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients, except for the pear and Gochujang.

  • Fold through the grated pear until just combined. Add the gochujang and use immediately.

Notes

TO STORE: If you haven’t used the sauce to marinate beef or chicken (or any other protein), you can store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, for up to one week. Sometimes the sauce will thicken and if that happens, let it bring it to room temperature before using it.

TO FREEZE: Place the sauce in a shallow container and store it in the freezer for up to two months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 68kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSodium: 546mgPotassium: 44mgFiber: 0.2gVitamin A: 78IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 0.3mgNET CARBS: 5g

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Korean

Author: Arman Liew

Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsem*nt, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.

Bulgogi Sauce (Easy Authentic Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is bulgogi sauce made of? ›

Mix some soy, apple juice and sugar in a sauce pan. Heat until the sugar melts. Mix in some ginger, garlic, green onions and sesame oil. Literally that's it.

Is bulgogi sauce the same as Korean barbecue sauce? ›

Bulgogi sauce is considered being the BBQ sauce of Asian and Korean cuisine. It's sweet, smoky, and slightly tangy, and has a subtle spice hit thanks to the chili sauce. In many Korean restaurants, they actually serve this as a dipping sauce too!

What are the three types of bulgogi? ›

There are three types of bulgogi that are typically served at restaurants today – Gwangyang-style of South Jeolla Province, Eonyang-style of South Gyeongsang Province and last but not least, the Seoul-style.

How is bulgogi traditionally served? ›

Bulgogi is typically served with steamed rice, lettuce wraps, chili sauce, and other traditional Korean accompaniments. Making bulgogi at home is surprisingly easy.

What is the difference between teriyaki and bulgogi sauce? ›

Bulgogi is a sweet, salty beef dish that is comparable to teriyaki but much more rich and flavorful. Whereas teriyaki is solely sweetened with sugar, bulgogi relies also on fruit sugar to add an extra depth of flavor.

Why does bulgogi taste so good? ›

The beef is marinated in a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, garlic, ginger, sugar, asian pear, and black pepper. It's marinated for several hours which flavors and tenderizes the meat. The flavor of bulgogi is savory, salty and sweet.

What is the difference between bulgogi sauce and galbi sauce? ›

You might wonder what the difference is between bulgogi and kalbi sauces since both are essentially barbecue sauces. The big difference is really that the kalbi (or galbi as it's sometimes called) is made specifically for beef short ribs while bulgogi is most popularly made with thinly sliced beef.

What do Koreans eat with bulgogi? ›

You can serve this over a bed of rice (white rice, brown rice, fried rice, any kind of rice) with a side of kimchi, cucumbers, perilla leaves, and ssamjang.

What is bulgogi in English? ›

Bulgogi (불고기) is the name of a Korean dish, literally translating to “fire meat.” This famous Korean dish has existed for thousands of years, and it is now gaining popularity in Western countries like the United States and Canada.

What makes bulgogi special? ›

The most prominent characteristic of bulgogi is that it is “sliced and marinated roast meat.” The tradition of Korean marinated roast beef can be traced back to the Goguryeo dynasty (37 BC–AD 668), when it existed as maekjeok, or pre-marinated roasted meat on a skewer.

Is Korean bulgogi healthy? ›

It's packed to the rafters with veggies, yet still feels naughty thanks to the sweet n' salty bulgogi sauce. It's pretty much perfect in terms of “healthy-ish comfort food”.

Can Muslims eat bulgogi? ›

Marinated bulgogi beef strips are prepared according to halal rules by Kim Soo Jin, the principal at the Food and Culture Academy.

Can I use apple instead of pear for bulgogi? ›

If you live near a Korean grocery store, you can pick up presliced beef (look for Korean BBQ beef); if you're cutting the meat yourself, freeze it for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour for easier slicing. Traditional bulgogi marinade calls for puréed or grated fruit such as kiwi, apple, or pear.

Is bulgogi spicy or sweet? ›

Bulgogi is a very well-known and old Korean dish of thinly sliced marinated meat quickly cooked over heat. Bulgogi made with beef is not normally spicy, the marinade is usually a bit sweet.

Is bulgogi healthy for you? ›

From a nutritional point of view, Bulgogi enjoys an excellent reputation: grilled or burned beef steak in a pan does not require the use of additional fat and is a source par excellence of noble proteins, vitamins PP and B12, while the ginger present in marination speeds up the digestion process as well as fighting ...

Does bulgogi sauce have alcohol? ›

Ingredients. Naturally brewed soy sauce(Defatted soybean, Wheat, Alcohol, Water, Sugar, High-fructose corn syrup, Garlic, Salt, Soy peptide concentrate(Soybean), Vinegar, Pear puree(Pear, Vitamin C), Ginger, Black pepper, Xanthan gum, Sodium benzoate(Less than 1/10 of 1% as a preservative).

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Roderick King

Last Updated:

Views: 6217

Rating: 4 / 5 (71 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Roderick King

Birthday: 1997-10-09

Address: 3782 Madge Knoll, East Dudley, MA 63913

Phone: +2521695290067

Job: Customer Sales Coordinator

Hobby: Gunsmithing, Embroidery, Parkour, Kitesurfing, Rock climbing, Sand art, Beekeeping

Introduction: My name is Roderick King, I am a cute, splendid, excited, perfect, gentle, funny, vivacious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.