Get ready for the most delicious Korean Meatball Rice Bowls that use up all those ingredients you have on hand in the fridge!!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
These Korean Meatball Rice Bowls are a weeknight dinner dream. The meatballs are juicy, packed with umami from soy sauce and gochujang, and perfectly balanced with a crisp, fresh herb salad and a next-level kimchi vinaigrette. We’re talking highly craveable flavors that come together in under an hour! Plus, the whole dish is meal-prep friendly—make a batch of meatballs ahead of time and reheat them for lunch or dinner all week long.
A few years ago, I took a kimchi-making class at Grand Central Market in LA, and ever since, I’ve been obsessed. If you’ve never had kimchi before, it’s a staple in Korean cuisine—fermented vegetables like Napa cabbage and Korean radish, seasoned with gochugaru (Korean chili powder), garlic, and ginger. It’s amazing in kimchi fried rice, but honestly, I snack on it straight from the jar.
That got me thinking—what if I used the leftover kimchi brine to make a vinaigrette instead of tossing it? That liquid is packed with so much flavor, it deserves a second life! So I gave it a shot… and wow. The result? A bold, tangy, umami-rich kimchi vinaigrette that completely changed the game.
The kimchi vinaigrette gets drizzled over a quick green and herb salad, alongside tender Korean meatballs made with all those essential pantry staples—soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and gochujang. Serve it all over a bowl of fluffy white rice, and boom—Korean Meatball Rice Bowls. Another must-make addition to our ever-growing bowl recipe collection!
- Asian Pork Meatball Bowls
- Spicy Beef Larb Bowls
- Veggie Spring Roll Bowls
- Spicy Salmon Sushi Bowls
- Chicken Mushroom Larb Bowls
- Ginger Scallion Chicken Bowls
- Sushi Bowls
- DIY Poke Bowls
- The OG Chicken Larb Bowls
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground turkey
- Egg
- Soy sauce
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Gochujang paste
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Honey
- Rice wine vinegar
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Kimchi
- Toasted sesame oil
- Avocado oil
- Persian cucumbers
- Asian pear (or Pink Lady apple)
- Radishes
- White rice
How to Make
For the Korean Meatballs: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons gochujang, breadcrumbs, green onions, and cilantro. Mix gently with your hands until evenly incorporated.
Shape the mixture into meatballs, about 1 ½ inches in diameter (approximately 2 heaping tablespoons each), and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons gochujang, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, honey, and rice wine vinegar. Brush or toss the meatballs with the sauce, then bake for 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
For the Vinaigrette: Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
For the Salad: Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss lightly.
To assemble: Divide the cooked rice evenly among four bowls. Top each bowl with equal portions of the herb salad and meatballs. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve immediately with your favorite kimchi on the side.
Tips & Tricks
- Mix gently! Overworking the meatball mixture can make them tough. Use your hands and mix just until combined.
- Sauce is everything. The gochujang-honey glaze takes these meatballs to the next level. Don’t skip it!
- Make it ahead. The meatballs and vinaigrette store beautifully in the fridge, making this an excellent meal-prep option.
- Customize the spice. If you’re spice-sensitive, start with less gochujang and add more to taste. If you love heat, serve with extra kimchi on the side!
- Crispy edges? Yes, please! If you want a little extra texture, sear the meatballs in a hot pan for a minute after baking.
FAQ's
Can I use ground chicken or beef instead of turkey in Korean Meatballs?
Absolutely! Chicken will be a little lighter, while beef will be richer. Both work perfectly.
What can I substitute for gochujang?
Gochujang brings a unique sweet, spicy, umami-packed kick, but if you don’t have it, try sriracha mixed with a bit of miso paste for a similar vibe.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes! Swap the panko for gluten-free breadcrumbs and use tamari instead of soy sauce.
How do I store leftovers?
Keep the meatballs and vinaigrette in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the meatballs in a pan or microwave and toss everything together when ready to eat!
Similar Recipes
Korean Meatball Rice Bowls
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce divided
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
- 4 tablespoons gochujang paste divided
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon kimchi brine
- ¼ cup kimchi drained and diced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
For the Herb Salad
- 2 cups greens
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
- 1 Asian Pear thinly sliced (or a pink lady apple)
- 4 radishes thinly sliced
- 2 cups cooked white rice
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons gochujang, breadcrumbs, green onions, and cilantro. Mix gently with your hands until evenly incorporated.
- Shape the mixture into meatballs, about 1 ½ inches in diameter (approximately 2 heaping tablespoons each), and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons gochujang, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, honey, and rice wine vinegar. Brush or toss the meatballs with the sauce, then bake for 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
For the Vinaigrette
- Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
For the Salad
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss lightly.
To assemble
- Divide the cooked rice evenly among four bowls. Top each bowl with equal portions of the herb salad and meatballs. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve immediately with your favorite kimchi on the side.
How far in advance can you make the vinegarette
a few days!!
Would this freeze well? And at what stage? Looks fabulous.
Should I use gochujang paste or sauce in this recipe? I assume not spice because that would be a lot of dry spice! Thanks!
paste!
Made this tonight and it was everything I hoped it would be. Different and delicious. I made the meatballs in the morning before I went to work stuck them in the fridge and then came home made the rice and the salad and salad dressing. The only thing I changed was, I used avocado oil instead of canola oil. A little time-consuming but worth every minute. I will be making this again!
I am not a meat eater, but I cook for my son and his family and they wanted this. You give a total preparation time of 40 minutes??? I was in the kitchen for more than 3 hours! LOL! Don't get me wrong, I love cooking and can really get into the zen (when I'm alone and I was) of it all. But seriously, I don't even know how all the veggie prep and sauces and meatballs could possibly be done that quickly. Especially with fiddly things like grated ginger and fresh cilantro. Also, I wish the "sauce" for the meatballs could have been in a separate paragraph as I went ahead and put the honey and rice wine vinegar in the ball mixture. I didn't stop until the seeds. O well......I guess that's on me. I'll let you know what they think. I'm gonna go cook the rice now! LOL
This was amaze balls!!!! So much flavor in the meatballs and vinaigrette, it’s going to be a staple around this house.
Absolutely delicious! Oh, those flavors are amazing. The vinaigrette was like nothing I have ever had. Will definitely be making this again and again.
This was really terrific, even with my subs and modifications. I am on weight watchers, so I used less oil (2 tsp sesame oil, 2 T canola oil) and less honey (16 grams) in the dressing. I also used turnip instead of radishes, an envy apple instead of asian pear, and a regular cucumber. For the meatballs I added 1 tsp sesame oil and reduced the honey to 14 grams. Even with all the changes, it was still really fantastic. Hats off to Gaby!!!
Made this tonight. It was so delicious but the absolute star of the dish was the vinaigrette. I've never had a vinaigrette like this before and as I was making it, I was sure this was finally going to be the one recipe Gaby would whiff at, but no, I was wrong. Can't believe I ever doubted her. This is now one of my favs! Even if you don't make the meatballs, make the salad and the vinaigrette...you won't regret it. Thanks, Gaby!
Made this for a weeknight dinner and loved it! Prepped the vinaigrette and veggies in the morning and it came together quickly for dinner. Super flavorful and filling but still light enough. Will definitely make this again!