Beef Bulgogi Burgers
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Inspired by Korean beef bulgogi, these bulgogi burgers are not only easy to make but also packed with flavor and family-friendly!
One of my favorite places to visit in LA is Koreatown, especially for its abundance of Korean BBQ restaurants. Navigating the extensive menus and diverse meat options can be daunting for first-timers—I highly recommend reading How To Order and Eat Korean BBQ (and not look like an idiot) before heading out! However, exploring the authentic flavors of various Korean dishes and sitting at tables with built-in grills is a fun experience.
Inspired by beef bulgogi, one of my favorite Korean specialties, these juicy bulgogi burgers capture the essence of the marinated beef slices traditionally grilled on a barbecue or stove-top griddle. They’re not only easy to make but also packed with flavor and family-friendly!
Table of Contents
“These are the best burgers I have ever made. I rate them in my top 5 burgers I’ve eaten, including restaurants! My husband said the same!”
What You’ll Need To Make Bulgogi Burgers
- Soy Sauce: Adds saltiness and umami flavor to the binder.
- Asian Sesame Oil: Infuses the meat with nutty, rich flavors.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Balances the saltiness with sweetness and helps caramelize the burgers when cooked.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Introduces a spicy kick.
- Ground Ginger: Adds a warm, spicy undertone that’s central to Asian flavors.
- Sandwich Bread: Acts as a binder for the burgers, keeping them moist and helping them hold together.
- 85% Lean Ground Beef: The main component of the burger, offering rich flavor and juiciness due to its fat content.
- Garlic and Scallions: These aromatics form the flavor foundation of the burgers.
- Mayonnaise: Provides a creamy base for the sauce, adding richness.
- Asian Chili Sauce (such as Sambal Oelek): Adds heat and depth to the sauce.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, in a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, ginger, garlic, and sandwich bread.
Let sit a few minutes for the bread to soften, then mash with a fork into a smooth paste.
Add the beef and scallions.
Using your hand, mix until well combined.
Divide the mixture into 5 equal portions, shaping each into loose balls. Flatten the balls into 3/4-inch thick patties about 4-1/2 inches around. Form a slight depression in the center of each patty to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill.
Place the patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking for a few minutes more until desired doneness is reached.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Asian chili sauce, and sugar. (Note that this makes a spicy sauce; use less Asian chili sauce for a milder version.)
Mix well, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Before serving, toast the buns on the cooler side of the grill if desired. Place one patty on the bottom half of each bun; top each serving with lettuce leaves, chili-mayonnaise, and top half of bun.
You May Also Like
Beef Bulgogi Burgers
Inspired by Korean beef bulgogi, these bulgogi burgers are not only easy to make but also packed with flavor and family-friendly!
Ingredients
For the Bulgogi Burgers
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Asian/toasted sesame oil
- 1½ tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 slice white or whole wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed and torn into ¼-inch pieces
- 1½ pounds 85% lean ground beef
- ½ cup chopped scallions, from 4 to 5 scallions
- 5 hamburger buns
- Lettuce leaves, for serving (optional)
For the Chili Mayonnaise
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- ¼ cup Asian chili sauce, such as Sambal Oelek (available in Asian aisle of most supermarkets)
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, ginger, garlic, and sandwich bread. Stir, then let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the bread to soften. Mash the mixture with a fork into a paste (it won't get completely smooth, but try to get it as uniform as possible). Add the beef and scallions. Using your hand, mix until well combined. Divide the mixture into 5 equal portions, shaping each into loose balls. Flatten the balls into ¾-inch thick patties about 4½ inches around. Form a slight depression in the center of each patty to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill.
- Place the patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2-4 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking for a few minutes more until desired doneness is reached. Before serving, toast the buns on the cooler side of the grill if desired.
- Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun; top each serving with lettuce leaves, chili-mayonnaise, and top half of bun.
For the Chili Mayonniase
- In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Asian chili sauce, and sugar. (Note that this makes a spicy sauce; use less Asian chili sauce for a milder version.)
- Make Ahead: The patties can be made a day ahead of time. Place them on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and cover tightly with saran wrap.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The uncooked burgers can be frozen for up to three months. (Freeze the burgers on a baking sheet or plate so their shape sets, then transfer them to a sealable plastic bag for easy storage.) Defrost overnight in the refrigerator prior to serving and then cook as directed.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (5 servings)
- Serving size: 1 burger (does not include lettuce or sauce)
- Calories: 474
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 860 mg
- Cholesterol: 93 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Made these tonight and they were delicious! I used a Gluten free bread slice and Tamari (in place of soy sauce) when making the paste. I didn’t have ground ginger so substituted 1 tsp grated fresh ginger. Tasted great and the burger was so juicy! Enjoyed on a Gluten free bun with the spicy Mayo. New family favorite!
These burgers are our family favorite. They beat all the other burgers known to man. Lol.
These may be my favorite burgers. I have made them exactly as directed, but I also have enjoyed them made with ground pork or ground turkey. When I can’t find the right chili sauce, I have used Chalula or Sriracha, in smaller quantities. I have also made these on a griddle instead of a grill, and they are just as good. I have found it almost impossible to go wrong with the wonderful flavors of the meat seasoning.
Wow these are good. They are our families favorite burger. They would rather have these then go out for burgers, and with my teenage boys that is saying something.
These are absolutely the best burgers ever! I never make any others unless I’m in a big hurry and throw pre-made patties on the grill. The seasoning is perfect, giving the burgers a rich, spicy, Asian twist-but not too spicy. I love that you don’t need to slice up a lot of add ons for these. Just use a good bun, lettuce and don’t skip the spicy mayo!
I’ve made these a few times, and they’re AMAZING! My kids like them with ketchup, but my husband and I dig the chipotle mayo.
My family loves bulgogi and burgers so when I saw your recipe , I had to try it! And they loved them. Yummy flavor!
Awesome burgers! We added shredded cabbage and a fried egg and I was just like the late night burgers we’d get from the street vendors in Korea!
Made these delicious burgers last night in a grill pan on top of the stove accompanied by your Sweet and Tangy Citrus Slaw. The combination was perfect! No bun needed to enjoy this burger.
These burgers are amazing! They are currently my favorite burger and unless it’s these I will not make them. They can also be done low carb if you buy butterhead lettuce as shown and then turn that into like a wrap for the patty and then drizzle the spicy mayo over top. My whole family loved it. Thanks Jenn!
These were fantastic. So much flavor. We added Kim chi to the burger and some “quickles” on the side. Definitely will make again.
Great recipe! I’ve done this recipe multiple times using beef and turkey on the grill and the stovetop. Both with a lot of compliments! Definitely my go-to burger recipe.
Amazing! Absolutely the best burger we’ve had in a while, and we eat a lot of burgers a lot of different ways. Simple to prepare with most of the ingredients on hand. A really nice change from basic burgers. I did have to swap sriracha for the chili paste called for in the recipe since I couldn’t find it, but I made it as written otherwise and wouldn’t change a thing!
These were great! Made the chili mayo with sriracha instead and everyone loved them. My kids even ate it minus the mayo. Huge win!
This looks so delicious but I cannot eat commerical mayo and making it from scratch for just 2 people is kind of a waste. What do you suggest as an condiment?
That’s a tough one! A couple options that may work — Thai sweet chili sauce, sriracha, or just stick with the Asian chili sauce (which will make it spicy). Hope that helps and that you enjoy if you try them!
Since its tomato season and we were craving BLTs we made out own mayo. So I was able to serve these with the sambal oelek mayo in the recipe. We loved these and will definitely make these often. I will need to plan my meals so I can take advantage of the homemade mayo before it would expire. I cook for just the 2 of us so I make up the burger or meatball recipes and then freeze the meat mixtures in 2-serving sizes. This has worked well for all your ground meat recipes. Thanks so much for great recipes.
Glad it worked out! 🙂
This recipe is fantastic! Made Bugolgi Smash Burgers to feed the masses. Had a great balance of heat and sweet. Will definitely make again!
Note: I subbed out the Sambal for just regular Sriracha and reduced it from 1/4 to 1/8 cup since the burger already has a little bit of heat in it.
I made these burgers tonight and the family loved them! The sauce is really good. Thanks for a great recipe.
I don’t have soy sauce. Can I substitute fish sauce? Or what would you suggest? Thanks.
I wouldn’t recommend fish sauce here, but if you have Worcestershire sauce, that would work well. Hope that helps!
Made these into meatballs and put on baguette slathered with the chili mayo and topped with chopped scallions and cilantro for a bomb sub.
Made these last night and they were so flavorful. I love your recipes. Have you ever tried making these with ground turkey?
Hi Laura, Glad you enjoyed these! I haven’t made them with ground turkey but it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Absolutely delicious burgers! The sambal oelek mayo is the pièce de résistance. Well worth the extra effort, and easy to adjust based on tolerance for spiciness.
Hi Jenn!
Would this recipe work with ground turkey?
Thanks,
Alana
Hi Alana, I haven’t tried these with ground turkey but it should work. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!
I made these for dinner last night and they were absolutely delicious! My son and husband both wanted seconds! They are packed with flavor and the spicy mayo is a great accompaniment. I served them with an Asian slaw, which was a good complement to the flavors of the burger.
Hi Jen,
Can I make this in the oven and if yes,at what temperature and for how long ?
Hi Meera, Yes, you can use the oven to broil them – place them on a broiler pan or rack so the juices can drip down and flip them halfway through. Timing should be about the same as the grilling method. Hope you enjoy!
Just made these tonight. They were very tasty and juicy. I am trying to watch my calories so I used 1# of 85% beef and 1/2 # of 93% lean. Used erythritol brown sugar. The sauce was reduced to 3 tablespoons lite mayo and 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce and I used 1 tablespoon of the sauce. My husband really enjoyed them. Can you tell me if the calories include the bun?
Glad you liked them! The nutritional info does include the bun but not the lettuce or the sauce.
Made into meatballs and baked at 400 for 25 min. Served with chili mayo on the side. Kids and adults enjoyed them, so will make again! SO much easier than making bulgogi.
Made these for dinner tonight- so juicy and delicious, not to mention really fast and easy to make! Made a sesame slaw to go with it and increased the amount of chili paste in the mayo. We will definitely be making this part of our weeknight rotation!
Hi Jenn.
Those Bulgogi burgers are insanely delicious!
These are absolutely delicious and will be part of our dinner rotation. All thumbs up from my kids and husband – a rarity!! My daughter who doesn’t even like hamburgers was raving about them and even snatched the one leftover.
I am always tempted to tweak recipes, but I followed this one exactly and I am so glad I did. It was perfection (despite the fact that our grill ran out of propane halfway through). SO easy to prep and I can’t wait to serve these at a party. The burgers are full of flavor–sweet and savory and the homemade mayonnaise is essential. My wary 14 and 11 year old sons declared these a hit and my husband loved it. My daughter (age 7) ate it without the chili mayonnaise.
These burgers were excellent! We made them as is and added thinly sliced tomato slices as an addition. The entire family loved them including the kids!
I made these burgers several times, and they were absolutely delicious each time. Instead of tearing the bread into pieces, I turned them into more uniform (and smaller size) bread crumbs about the size of 1/8th inch. This soaked up the other ingredients more completely, and was more evenly distributed through the meat when mixed. No complaints whatsoever about this recipe!
These were sooooo good and juicy! Really nice change for dinner. We used 93\7 beef and measured out 8oz patties and it worked perfectly! I’ll absolutely make these again and the aioli is great for any type of burger\sandwich. Thanks for another keeper Jenn!
I made these last week, they are great! And my husband was instantly obsessed. He asked me if I could make them again, 2 days later. Haha. I added them to our “rotation”, thanks for the recipe.
“Obsessed”….only gave one star?
OMG these were the most delectable, savory burgers I have ever eaten. My husband wouldn’t stop raving! For those of you who are gluten sensitive I substituted coconut aminos for the soy sauce and gluten free white bread for the bread to make the paste. (Didn’t exactly form a paste but was still amazing). I served on gluten free rolls with the lettuce leaves and “special sauce”. Another BIG winner!!!!
Jenn, I want to make again tomorrow. Would this recipe work with ground chicken as well or are there any adjustments I should make? Thanks!
Hi Abbie, I haven’t tried this with ground chicken, but I think it should work. The only thing is that ground chicken tends to be quite wet, so you may have issues putting these on the grill. If so, you can sear in a pan. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
You were so right about the chicken being very wet so I took your advice and seared on the stovetop, just for a minute to firm them up. I then grilled them with the regular burgers. Fantastic!!!
I have made Bulgogi Ribs in the past and my husband and just love them. So I wanted your recipe for the Bulgogi Burgers and they are extraordinary. Also like the chili past mayo (perfect for the burgers) Thanks for the recipe; greatly appreciated.
Have made this twice! LOVE this recipe. I used panko, and let it soak in. Made it ahead, kept panko separate from meat and it worked fine. My daughter thought it tasted like the filling in my steamed dumplings
My husband was sceptical because I used this recipe instead of regular hamburgers during our Labor Day cook out but the burgers were a hit!
I added a fried egg, delicious! Next time I will add kimchi in some fashion! Delicious!
Made these last night. So yummy….and the chili mayo will go well with other dishes too.
These were amazing! Another home run recipe. A fun twist on the typical burger. Thanks again for another well-written, well-tested, and delicious recipe.
Made this tonight – fabulous! We plan on using the leftover chili mayo in other sandwiches.
Made for dinner last night and had for leftovers for lunch today. Very flavorful! Thanks!
Made this last night! Wonderful flavors, really enjoyed.
Yay! So excited to see some Korean flavors hit your recipes (because I’m Korean)! I was wondering what to make for dinner last night when the email with this recipe hit my inbox, and it was perfect! These burgers were simple, flavorful, just YUM! We adults put kimchi on top as well, and had some lightly pickled veggies on the side (like banchan). So good! Thanks, Jen, for another outstanding recipe!
Made this for my family and even my kids loved them! Phenomenal recipe (as usual!)
Can breadcrumbs be used instead of a slice of bread? If so, what measurement would you suggest for a pound of beef?
Sure, Laura, I’m guessing you’d need about 1/3 cup panko or 1/4 cup fine bread crumbs for this recipe.
Could you substitute panko bread crumbs for the sandwich bread?
Hi Anne, Yes, I think that’d be fine – I’d use about 1/3 cup.
Would this work with ground turkey
Hi Denise, I haven’t tried it but it should work. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it.
Hi Jen. Do you mean Roasted sesame oil or the plain kind? Thanks much. Love K-town. I too am kurfluffled each time I sit down to eat there though
Hi Terry, I mean the roasted sesame oil. Hope you enjoy!
Such a flavorful burger, hubby and son loved them!
I sub chopped red onion for scallion, used about a tsp of fresh grated ginger, used coconut amnios, made into 6 patties and broiled on high for about 3-4 min on each side.
I served on brioche buns with a fried egg, kimchi, a little spinach and cilantro (didn’t have lettuce), and the best part was the sauce which I used a garlic fermented gochujang chile sauce to make it with.
My hubby is still raving about it today!
Looks awesome. Will make it over the Labor Day Weekend!