Succulent beef simmered with tender onions in a sweet and savory broth served over hot rice. This easy 15-minute gyudon is so comforting and delicious. It's made of minimal ingredients and great as a quick meal or main for you or your family!
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Gyudon translates to "beef rice bowl" in Japanese. It's a popular donburi dish served at many Japanese restaurants and adored by locals for its sweet and savory flavors!
This Asian rice bowl features tender rib eye beef simmered with onions in a sweet dashi broth. Then it's served over hot rice with sesame seeds, green onions, onsen tamago (a Japanese hot spring egg) or pickled ginger.
I love making this simple beef recipe on busy weeknights as the cooking process only takes 5 minutes and the other ten minutes is for preparation. It's so good and satisfying!
You'll also love my Gyudon recipe because it's:
- easy to make!
- made with minimal ingredients.
- made in less than 15 minutes!
- cooked in one pan!
- meal preparation friendly, making it great for busy weeknights.
- versatile as you can serve it over rice, noodles or with other sides.
- restaurant quality!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Thinly Sliced Rib Eye Beef: or substitute with thinly sliced sirloin, brisket (this will be tougher), chicken or pork shoulder available at the Asian supermarket in the frozen section. This type of beef is sliced at 2-3 mm thick and known as "hot pot style beef" or "shabu shabu beef".
- Onion: or substitute with red onion.
- Cooked Short Grain Rice: or substitute with cooked jasmine rice.
Broth
- Water: ideally room temperature. Or substitute with homemade dashi stock and omit the hondashi powder as listed below.
- Hondashi Powder (aka Instant Dashi Powder): available online or at Asian grocery stores.
- Mirin: a popular sweet rice cooking wine available at Asian or Japanese grocers. For a non-alcoholic version: substitute with non-alcoholic mirin or 4 tablespoon cold water + 4 drops of rice vinegar + ¼ teaspoon white sugar.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you're gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Cooking Sake: a Japanese rice wine available at Asian or Japanese grocers or online. Or substitute with dry sherry or rice vinegar for a non-alcoholic version.
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
- Garlic Cloves
- Ginger
Optional Garnishes
- Green onion
- Sesame seeds
- Pickled Ginger
- Onsen Tamago: a Japanese poached egg
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Don't forget to thaw the beef in advance, as it usually comes frozen.
- If your beef comes rolled up, defrost until 50% thawed and then unroll them. The beef is easier to unravel, when its partially thawed.
- Separate the onion layers after slicing them.
- Evenly spread the onions across the pan to create a bed for the beef so it doesn’t overcook in the pan.
- Don’t overcook the beef. Once it has turned brown, immediately remove the pan off the heat source and serve.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make gyudon:
- Add the broth ingredients as listed above into a large pan. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a rolling simmer on medium heat.
- Then add sliced onions and cook until softened and slightly translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in the sliced beef with the onions and cook it through, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the pan off heat. Serve the beef and onions over steamed rice with some of the broth. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, pickled ginger or an onsen tamago as desired.
Storage & Reheating
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? Gyudon can be frozen for up to 2-3 months but it is recommended to freeze the cooked beef and onions, broth and rice separately in airtight containers. To reheat: reheat the beef and onions with the broth and the rice separately in the microwave or in a pan on medium heat until hot throughout.
Pairing Suggestions
Gyudon serves well with:
- starters like miso soup, or salad with Japanese ginger salad dressing or korokke.
- seafood dishes like shrimp tempura
- protein dishes like ramen eggs, chicken katsu, karaage, teriyaki chicken or ginger miso salmon.
- noodle dishes like ramen, yaki udon, or udon carbonara.
FAQ
Gyudon can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend storing the beef and onions with the broth separate from the cooked rice. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat until hot.
Yes, you can use regular rib eye steak and slice it yourself or have the butcher shave it for you. If you're slicing it yourself, I recommend freezing the beef for 45 minutes to harden the exterior before slicing with a sharp knife. This technique will help you achieve thin slices.
Yes, feel free to add thinly sliced carrots, mushrooms, or chopped napa cabbage with the onions.
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📖 Recipe
Easy 15-min. Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl)
Ingredients
- ½ lb thinly sliced rib eye beef thawed
- 1 medium-sized onion julienned and layers separated
- 3 cups cooked short grain rice or jasmine rice (add more if desired)
Broth
- ½ cup water room temperature
- ½ teaspoon hondashi powder (aka instant dashi powder)
- ¼ cup mirin
- 3 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon cooking sake or dry sherry / rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger thinly sliced
Optional Garnishes
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon pickled ginger
- 2 onsen tamagos or poached eggs
Instructions
- Add the broth ingredients as listed above into a large pan. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a rolling simmer on medium heat.
- Then add sliced onions and cook until softened and slightly translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in the sliced beef with the onions and cook it through, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the pan off heat. Serve the beef and onions over steamed rice with some of the broth. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, pickled ginger or an onsen tamago as desired.
Notes
Storage & Reheating
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? Gyudon can be frozen for up to 2-3 months but it is recommended to freeze the cooked beef and onions, broth and rice separately in airtight containers. To reheat: reheat the beef and onions with the broth and the rice separately in the microwave or in a pan on medium heat until hot throughout.
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