I can never get sick of this 15-minute beef with green onion sauce for dinner! The reason is this super addicting green onion sauce with lots of garlic and a hint of yuzu chili inspired by Japanese Yakiniku (BBQ).
🔍 Quick Look:
- What is it? Beef topped with a savory green onions sauce that tastes garlicky and fragrant from the yuzu chili paste. In Japanese Yakiniku, you dip beef in a savory sauce like sesame, ponzu or this green onion sauce. I love how simple and delicious the flavors are, so I decided to come up with a quick beef bowl recipe using the beloved green onion sauce served at Japanese BBQ places. If you love Japanese bowls, try my Oyakodon (chicken and rice bowl) recipe too!
- Why you’ll love this recipe: One pan, 15 minutes, and the leftover sauce is just as good on your favorite vegetables, eggs or noodles the next day.
- 🕒 Total Cook Time: 15 minutes (5 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Sauté in one skillet.
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Beef is topped with a savory green onion sauce (not spicy at all!), with a fragrant yuzu and lemon flavor.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, the dish is made in one pan!
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What is Green Onion Sauce?
Green onion sauce is made from cooking lots of sliced green onions and grated garlic in oil. After sautéing the green onions for a few minutes, they become sweet (similar to grilled onions you get on a cheeseburger!) and not spicy at all. The game changer for this recipe is adding yuzu chili paste made from yuzu citrus peel, green chili and salt. If you’ve made the ginger scallion sauce on my steamed chicken, then you need to try this green onion sauce inspired by Japanese flavors.
Key Ingredients
Here’s a look at what you need to make this 15-minute beef with green onion sauce. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
- Green onions – I use the whole bunch, white and green parts to make this savory and delicious sauce. Remember to give it a good rinse (there’s lots of dirt inside the green onion hole) and chop off the roots.
- Garlic – I recommend grating the garlic, so you don’t get chunks of garlic when you’re eating this sauce. This way, the garlic melts into the oil and you’re not biting into chunks of garlic.
- Yuzu chili paste (yuzu kosho) – one of my favorite condiments from Youki brand that bring so much flavor to any dish. This paste is salty, citrusy and a little spicy. You’ll find this in the refrigerated section of a Japanese or Asian grocery store like Mitsuwa or online.
- Lemon juice – a squeeze of fresh lemon takes the heaviness out of the beef. Don’t worry, the sauce is not sour, instead it tastes fresh! We also add some sugar to balance the acidity.
- Sesame oil – just the tiniest bit of sesame oil to bring out the green onion taste. Don’t add too much or you won’t be able to taste the yuzu!
- Sliced beef – I used thinly sliced beef with a little bit of fat to make this recipe delicious and most importantly quick! You grill on the pan for a maxiumum of 5 minutes and you’re done. If you don’t have this, you can freeze your favorite cut of beef for an hour and then slice thinly. Season with some salt and black pepper while cooking.
- Soy sauce (optional) – I love an extra savory dish, so I add some soy sauce at the end of cooking the beef and green onion sauce when serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- No yuzu chili paste? I would omit it! I’m unsure what other yuzu chili paste is light, and fragrant like this one. The green onion sauce is still super tasty without it.
- Beef: thinly sliced pork or lamb works beautifully for this dish. Honestly, the green onion sauce goes great with any protein or vegetables! If you want a saucier, sweeter beef, make my spicy stir-fried beef instead.
- Make it a lettuce wrap: spoon the beef and sauce into butter lettuce or romaine leaves instead of over rice, the way I do with my chicken lettuce wraps.
- Don’t waste the green onion sauce if you have leftovers. Spoon over some fried eggs, tofu or plain rice.
How to Make 15-Minute Beef with Green Onion Sauce
Step 1: Wash and slice your green onions.
Step 2: Grate your garlic and slice your lemon.
Step 3: In a pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons oil. Then, add your green onions and grated garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the green onions have wilted.
Step 4: Place your green onion sauce in a bowl, then add some salt, yuzu chili paste, lemon juice, sugar and sesame oil. Mix together and set aside.
Step 5: Use the same pan that you saute your green onions. The leftover oil has a lot of flavor! Turn heat to medium. Add your sliced beef and saute for 3-5 minutes.
Step 6: After cooking your beef, season with some salt and pepper to taste.
Step 7: To serve, add the green onion sauce on top of the beef. Enjoy with rice or lettuce wraps!
Expert Tips
- Don’t wash the pan between the sauce and the beef. That leftover oil has all the green onion and garlic flavor!
- Use extra thin beef (with some fat) and the beef will crisp up in the pan! This also cooks super quickly so you can make a meal in less than 15 minutes.
- Pat the beef dry and lay it in a single layer so it browns. If your pan is small, cook it in two batches.
- You can store the sauce in the fridge for up to 2 days. Add it on everything like your rice, noodles, vegetables, meats, or eggs.
15-Minute Beef with Green Onion Sauce FAQs
Slice a bunch of green onions, cook them with grated garlic in a couple of tablespoons of oil until they wilt, then season with salt, a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of sugar, sesame oil and yuzu chili paste. It takes about 5 minutes.
Yuzu kosho is a Japanese paste of yuzu citrus peel, chili and salt. It’s salty, citrusy and a little hot, so start with a small amount.
Thinly sliced beef that cooks in a few minutes, like the ribeye or chuck sold pre-sliced for hot pot. They sell this at Costco, Hmart, or any asian grocery. If you slice it yourself, freeze the beef for one hour and you can slice it very thin.
Yes. Make the sauce, keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, and cook the beef fresh.
No. Ginger scallion sauce, the one I serve with steamed chicken and Hainanese chicken rice, is built on ginger and green onions. This green onion sauce has no ginger; it’s green onions and garlic cooked until sweet, with yuzu chili paste and lemon.
15-Minute Beef with Green Onion Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 green onions
- 6 cloves garlic grated
- 2 tbsp neutral oil (avocado)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp yuzu chili paste
- ¼ lemon juice
- pinch of sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 0.75 lb sliced beef (add salt and pepper to taste)
Garnish
- soy sauce to taste
Instructions
- Wash and slice your green onions.
- Grate your garlic and slice your lemon.
- In a pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons oil. Then, add your green onions and grated garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the green onions have wilted.
- Place your green onion sauce in a bowl, then add some salt, yuzu chili paste, lemon juice, sugar and sesame oil. Mix together and set aside.
- Use the same pan that you saute your green onions. The leftover oil has a lot of flavor! Turn heat to medium. Add your sliced beef and saute for 3-5 minutes.
- After cooking your beef, season with some salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, add the green onion sauce on top of the beef. Enjoy with rice or lettuce wraps!
Notes
- Don’t wash the pan between the sauce and the beef. That leftover oil has all the green onion and garlic flavor!
- Use extra thin beef (with some fat) and the beef will crisp up in the pan! This also cooks super quickly so you can make a meal in less than 15 minutes.
- Pat the beef dry and lay it in a single layer so it browns. If your pan is small, cook it in two batches.
- You can store the sauce in the fridge for up to 2 days. Add it on everything like your rice, noodles, vegetables, meats, or eggs.
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