These Slow Cooker Kimchi Sloppy Joes elevate an old classic comfort food with the bold and tangy flavors of kimchi. It's an irresistible fusion of savory ground beef and spicy Korean flavors all made in one pot. No pre-browning of meat is necessary!
Jump to:
📝Shopping list
To make this Korean-inspired dish, you will need these simple ingredients that are available in any local grocery store.
- extra lean beef* 96% lean or greater
- tomato paste
- green onions sliced
- gochujang sauce
- sesame oil
- fish sauce
- rice vinegar
- garlic minced or grated
- ginger ground or grated
- kimchi
💜Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Deliciousness: Ground beef seasoned with gochujang, sesame oil, fish sauce, and kimchi is a combination beyond description.
- Ease: This Korean beef recipe does not require that anything be browned before it is tossed in your crock pot.
- Uniqueness: A fun twist on a classic that will quickly become a family favorite! If you love kimchi, Kimchi Chicken & Potatoes is also a must-try, unique dish.
- Meal Prepable: This dish is easy to double, making it a one-pot-wonder you can enjoy multiple times throughout the week!
🎥Watch how to make it
Preparing Your Slow Cooker
- Lightly coat your slow cooker with a non-stick spray or oil before cooking
- Olive oil and avocado oil are both great choices for this recipe
- Use a slow cooker liner for the easiest cleanup (always an optional step)
Cooking
- 🥬 Place an uncooked, extra-lean pound of ground beef into the bottom of your slow cooker. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to break, it apart.
- 🥬 Add all remaining ingredients (but only half of the kimchi) into your slow cooker.
- 🥬 Mix well to fully incorporate all ingredients.
- 🥬 Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- 🥬 Stir in remaining kimchi and fully mix again.
- 🥬 Enjoy!
🍽Serving suggestions
- Just like traditional sloppy Joes, this dish can be messy! It is great served sandwich style in brioche rolls, hamburger buns, or ciabatta-style rolls. (Brioche is my favorite!).
- Get creative with the sandwich toppings. Pickles, coleslaw, lettuce, and marinated red onion are just some of the great toppings with this Korean food-inspired dish!
- Not in the mood for a sandwich? This amazing Asian sloppy joe is great served over white rice, in lettuce cups, or over riced cauliflower
- You will love this sloppy joe mixture served next to potato chips, corn tortillas, Mexican street corn, and quinoa.
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
🔁Substitutions*
- Replace fish sauce with soy sauce for a different flavor profile.
- To make this dish with a higher fat beef, brown beef before adding it to your slow cooker. This will allow you to drain off all of the fat. If you cook raw, higher-fat-content beef directly with the other ingredients, the final product will be greasy.
- Looking to spice things up, add extra Korean red chili paste and top with your favorite hot sauces.
- Not a sloppy Joe fan? Try these other Korean dishes (well, Korean-inspired!) Bang-Bang chicken, Spicy Korean Drumsticks, or Beef Bulgogi.
Top Tip
Do you prefer to cook your ground beef before adding it to your slow cooker? I like to cook large quantities in my slow cooker in advance and freeze in recipe sized portion.
Storing
Store leftovers in either an airtight container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Alternatively, you can freeze this popular dish for up to 3 months. Allow the dish to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Be sure to mix thoroughly as the sauce may separate somewhat when freezing.
😉Hints & hacks
- Serving a crowd? You can easily double this slow cooker kimchi concoction by exactly doubling all ingredients. The hours of cooking may need to be increased slightly, but not doubled.
- We love making this dish on nights when everyone is eating at different times. Just turn your crockpot down to the warm setting after cooking. Each family member can have a warm and wonderful meal on their own schedule.
- This is one of our non-traditional favorite slow cooker recipes to serve on game days. Our whole family likes to scoop it right out of the slow cooker with corn or tortilla chips.
- I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price.
- Store leftovers of your sloppy Joe mixture in individual serving-size containers for an easy weeknight dinner or lunch.
- In the market for a new slow cooker? I love mine!
- Don't forget to turn on (and plug-in!) your slow cooker!!
If you love this recipe...
Please let me know in the comment section below!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases and affiliate links at no additional cost to you.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Kimchi Sloppy Joes
(Click on the stars to leave a rating)
Print Pin Rate SaveAll nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
Equipment
- cutting board and knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra lean beef* 95% lean or greater
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 6 green onions sliced
- 2 tablespoon gochujang sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced or grated
- 2 teaspoon ginger ground or grated
- 2 cups kimchi divided
Instructions
- Place 1 lb extra lean beef* in a greased slow cooker and use a spatula or wooden spoon to break apart
- Add 6 oz tomato paste, 6 green onions, 2 tablespoon gochujang sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoon ginger, and 1 cup kimchi to slow cooker and stir to combine
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours
- After cooking, stir in additional cup kimchi and serve on brioche buns.
Final Step
If you love this recipe, please let everyone know by giving it a star rating and leaving a comment. This will help my business to grow and allow me to keep on testing and sharing free recipes with you.😊
Video
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
Find what you're looking for:
Check out my latest on Instagram
Leave a Reply