A simple and easy slow cooker Korean beef lettuce wraps recipe with only 7 ingredients! Serve in lettuce wraps for a light and fresh dinner.
Slow cooker recipes can be such a lifesaver on busy weeknights. This Slow Cooker Sesame Ginger Beef with Snap Peas and this Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Beef are two great beef options, as are these Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps!
Korean beef cooked in the slow cooker is fall-apart-tender, and the sauce is sweet, salty, a little bit spicy and delicious! Plus, it’s super simple to make: no searing, no chopping, requires only 7 ingredients to throw together in the slow cooker, and cooks on low for 6-8 hours.
This is a perfect for meal prep ahead of time and serving as a healthy lunch or light dinner during a busy weeknight. It’s a great light and fresh option, but you could serve the beef in a number of ways (more on that below).
Reasons you’ll ♡ these Korean beef lettuce wraps
- perfect for meal prepping ahead of time – you can easily assemble when you’re ready to enjoy, or fully assemble after making and freeze for later
- incredibly flavorful beef wraps are satisfying yet still very healthy and lower in carbs
- recipe cooks for 8 hours in the slow cooker, making it a great dish to put together early in the day and then not bother with until the evening when you’re ready to serve
Recipe video
Wondering how to meal make these Korean beef lettuce wraps come together? Watch this 1 minute video to see how easy it is to prepare! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Ingredients you’ll need…
For the slow cooker Korean beef:
- Beef roast – I prefer an inside round roast but you can use any lean, cheap cut in this recipe
- Soy sauce – for a gluten-free option, swap soy sauce with tamari
- Honey and brown sugar – adds the perfect hint of sweetness to balance the soy sauce and make the beef extra savory
- Rice vinegar + sesame oil- give it a little bit of tanginess and a mild sesame flavor
- Chili paste – adds a bit of spice to the recipe. Use garlic chili paste or for a more authentic Korean flavor, Gochujang paste.
To serve:
- Lettuce wrap– I used butter lettuce but if you’d like more crunch, romaine is a great choice!
- Veggies – cucumber, radish, carrots
- Sesame seeds– toasted for the best flavor
Meal prep tips
- You can use a variety of beef roast cuts for this recipe, but since we are cooking low and slow, it’s the perfect opportunity to cook tough and cheap cuts of beef like brisket or chuck roast, which will tenderize wonderfully during the long cook time.
- Shortcut: use a hand held electric mixer to shred the beef in seconds. An upright mixer with paddle attachment will work as well, too.
- This is mildly spicy as written. If you want to remove any spice, omit the garlic chili paste. If you want to amp it up, double the amount of chili paste.
- All slow cookers cook differently, and some people have found this recipe to start burning after 6 hours. I use crockpot brand slow cookers and have not had this issue even after 9 hours, but it’s a good idea to check on your slow cooker during the last 2 hours.
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Recipe options
- To make it gluten-free: Simply substitute tamari for the soy sauce to make gluten-free Korean beef.
- Try it spicier: double the garlic chili paste recommended in the recipe.
- Make it more filling: serve with rice instead of or in addition to lettuce.
Can I make this recipe on the stove top?
You probably can, but I am unsure about the cook time for preparing. For a meal made on the stove, I would try this Korean Turkey recipe instead, which cooks quickly and works great with ground beef as well.
Can I make Korean beef in an Instant Pot?
While I haven’t made this in my pressure cooker, depending on the size and cut of your beef I would recommend cooking for 60 minutes and then doing a 10 minute natural release. Let me know in the comments if you try!
More slow cooker recipes:
- Smoky Turkey Chili
- Pulled Pork
- Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Butter Chicken
- Caribbean Beef Tacos with Mango Salsa
Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2015. It has been republished with fresh photos, tips and a new video in 2020.
Slow Cooker Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Korean Beef
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons garlic chili paste (or use gojuchang paste)
- 1.5-2 lb beef roast (I used an inside round roast but you should be able to use any cheap cut in this recipe)
To serve
- cucumber (sliced into matchsticks)
- carrots (shredded or sliced into matchsticks)
- radishes (sliced thinly)
- 12-16 lettuce leaves (butter or romaine are great)
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Slow Cooker Korean Beef
- In the base of a slow cooker combine soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, sesame oil and garlic chili paste. Stir together until completely combined.
- Add the beef and toss to coat. You can also slice in half lengthwise to create two short pieces of beef and arrange in the slow cooker.
- Cook on LOWEST setting for 6-8 hours. *keep an eye on the beef during the last 2 hours of cooking.
- Remove beef from slow cooker to a large bowl. Shred with two forks or an electric hand mixer. Toss with remaining cooking liquid.
- Serve in lettuce leaves, topped with cucumber, carrots and radishes and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Notes
Keep an eye on this during the last 2 hours of cooking. If the liquid over-reduces, add some additional water or stock to the pot. This recipe has a moderate spice. Reduce the garlic chili paste to reduce/eliminate any spiciness.
