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Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl)
4.7 from 859 votes

Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl)

Gyudon is a Japanese beef and onion rice bowl featuring thinly sliced beef simmered in a savory-sweet broth of dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. The dish is garnished with green onions and pickled red ginger, creating a balance of tender meat and flavorful toppings over steamed short-grain rice. The recipe uses chuck or ribeye beef sliced thinly for quick cooking and optimal tenderness, combining umami-rich broth with sweet and salty elements characteristic of gyudon.

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 2
Calories: 657 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • ½ onion (4 oz, 113 g)
  • 1 green onion or scallion
  • ½ lb beef chuck you can also slice your own meat, thinly sliced, or ribeye as alternative
For the Sauce
  • ½ cup dashi use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi, Japanese soup stock
  • 2 Tbsp sake (substitute with dry sherry or Chinese rice wine, or use water for a non-alcohol version)
  • 2 Tbsp mirin (or use 2 Tbsp sake/water + 2 tsp sugar)
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp sugar (to taste)
For Serving
  • 2 ervings Japanese short-grain rice typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving, cooked
  • pickled red ginger to garnish, aka beni shoga or kizami beni shoga

Instructions

Before You Start...
    Cup of Yum
  1. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (2 rice cooker cups, 300 g) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
  2. Gather all the ingredients. I usually put the thinly sliced beef in the freezer for 10 minutes because it‘s a lot easier to cut semi-frozen meat.
To Prepare the Ingredients
  1. First, thinly slice ½ onion.
  2. Next, cut 1 green onion/scallion diagonally into thin slices. Set aside.
  3. Then, remove ½ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) from the freezer. Cut the semi-frozen meat into pieces 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide.
  4. In a large frying pan (do not turn on the heat yet), add ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock), 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.
  5. Next, add the onion slices and spread them in the broth throughout the pan, separating the onion layers.
  6. Then, distribute the meat on top of the onions. Separate the thin slices of beef so the meat covers the onions.
To Cook
  1. Cover the pan with a lid. Now, turn on the heat to medium and start cooking. Once simmering, turn down the heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 3–4 minutes.
  2. While simmering, open the lid and skim off the scum and fat from the broth with a fine-mesh skimmer one to two times.
  3. Sprinkle the green onions on top and cook covered for another minute. Optional: If you would like to add beaten eggs, you can do it now (refer to my Tanindon recipe for detailed instructions).
To Serve
  1. Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into large donburi bowls. Then, drizzle some of the pan sauce on top of the rice.
  2. Put the beef and onion mixture on top of the rice. If you’d like, drizzle additional remaining sauce on top. Top the gyudon with pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga). Enjoy!
To Store
  1. You can keep any leftover beef and egg mixture in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days and in the freezer for up to 3–4 weeks.

Notes

  • The recipe is adapted from an earlier Kansai Sukiyaki-Style Gyudon version which omits dashi and staggers adding ingredients for a different flavor.
  • For the Sukiyaki-style, stir-fry onions until tender, add beef and sugar, then pour in sake, mirin, and soy sauce, cooking until beef is done.
  • Optionally, pour beaten egg over the beef mixture and cook until just set for a creamy topping.
  • Serve gyudon over steaming Japanese short-grain rice and garnish with green onions and pickled red ginger for contrast.

Nutrition Information

Calories 657kcal (33%) Carbohydrates 85g (28%) Protein 31g (62%) Fat 17g (26%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 8g (40%) Cholesterol 69mg (23%) Sodium 65mg (3%) Potassium 468mg (10%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 10g (20%) Vitamin A 23IU (0%) Vitamin C 4mg (4%) Calcium 25mg (3%) Iron 6mg (33%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 657

% Daily Value*

Calories 657kcal 33%
Carbohydrates 85g 28%
Protein 31g 62%
Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 69mg 23%
Sodium 65mg 3%
Potassium 468mg 10%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 10g 20%
Vitamin A 23IU 0%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 25mg 3%
Iron 6mg 33%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.