With thinly sliced beef and tender onions simmered in a savory-sweet sauce, Gyudon or Japanese Beef Rice Bowl is synonymous with comfort. This simple and delicious dish served over hot steamed rice has been a staple in Japanese cuisine for over 150 years! It’s a perfect quick meal for a busy weeknight!

Gyudon (牛丼) is classic comfort food that has had its place in Japanese cuisine for over 150 years. Not only is this hearty rice bowl extremely simple to put together, but it’s also famous for being a quick, nutritious meal that never fails to satisfy.
While every household in Japan makes gyudon a little different, the core ingredients remain the same: thin slices of beef, onion, and sweet and savory sauce served over steamed rice. Today, I’ll show you how I make this weeknight favorite at home.

What is Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)?
Like other donburi, Gyudon, or Japanese Beef Bowl, is always served over a warm bowl of freshly steamed rice. “Gyu” (牛) translates to “beef” while “Don” (丼) refers to the type of bowl it’s served in.
History of Gyudon in Japan
The gyudon that we know and love today actually originated from a beef hot pot dish called “gyunabe” (牛鍋) during Japan’s Meiji Era (1868-1912). Up until this point, Japanese people were strictly prohibited from eating beef for both religious and practical reasons. Consuming meat went against Buddhist philosophies, and eating farm animals that were useful for work was largely discouraged.
Once Western culture arrived in Japan in the late 19th century, gyunabe—beef and onion stewed with miso paste—became extremely popular. Apparently, the chef of an izakaya called Isekuma in my hometown of Yokohama was the first person to serve gyunabe in 1862! People began pouring their leftover gyunabe broth over rice, and soon restaurants began to serve this as a cheaper alternative called “gyumeshi” (牛飯).
In the late 1800s, Eikichi Matsuda finally coined the name “gyudon“. Matsuda was the owner of Japan’s most famous Tokyo-based, beef bowl chain, Yoshinoya. If you want to make gyudon just like they do at Yoshinoya, I have a recipe here.

How to Make Gyudon
Ingredients You’ll Need
Gyudon in Japan is a quick, tasty meal that is also cheap. It was most popular among business people and young, single men before reaching the general Japanese public. The ingredients to make this one-pot dish at home are simple.
- Thinly sliced beef: For this recipe, I recommend chuck or rib eye. The paper-thin slices are essential for achieving authentic gyudon (too thick, and your beef will be chewy), and you can often find packages of thin-cut beef at Japanese or Asian supermarkets. Alternatively, you can always slice your own.
- Onion: Sliced onions give sweetness to the dish and are a perfect pair with tender beef.
- Sauce: The sauce is a complementary balance of sweet and savory, made with dashi (Japanese soup stock), sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. So simple and highly effective in creating robust flavor!
- Garnish: green onions for the color and shichimi togarashi for a spicy kick.
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Cut the onion, green onions, and beef.
- Put the sauce ingredients, sliced onions, and beef in a large frying pan and start cooking.
- Serve the simmered beef and onion over steamed rice in large bowls.

5 Tips to Make Delicious Gyudon
- Thinly slice the onion so it will become tender and sweeter quickly. When the onion is cooked, it imparts a natural sweetness to the dish.
- Use good quality beef. Well-marbled beef will never become chewy after being simmered in the sauce. I highly recommend ribeye for gyudon. It’s also easy to thinly slice your own meat. For well-marbled beef, it’s easier to flash freeze and cut the semi-frozen meat.
- Make extra dashi (Japanese soup stock) so you can use it for gyudon and miso soup to go with the meal. I recommend making dashi either from scratch or with a dashi packet.
- Cook more rice than usual. Rice bowl dishes (or what we call “donburi”) typically serve more rice per person to go with the food on top of the rice. Therefore, prepare a little bit more than usual. I always make 1½ rice cooker cups for two servings and 3 rice cooker cups for four servings.
- Don’t overcook the beef, especially if your meat is not well-marbled. You don’t want chewy meat. As soon as the beef is no longer pink, you should stop cooking. If your meat is well-marbled, you can let it simmer slightly longer so the meat absorbs more flavors from the sauce.

Popular Gyudon Variations
1. Gyudon with Eggs

In Japan, we occasionally serve gyudon with eggs. Generally, there are three variations (each comes with a different name).
- Tsukimi Gyudon (お月見牛丼) – We place a raw egg yolk in the center of the simmered beef.
- Gyudon with Onsen Tamago (温玉のせ牛丼)- We place a poached egg in the center of the simmered beef.
For the two variations of gyudon above, when you’re ready to eat, break the yolk and mix it into the beef and onions to add a layer of richness to the meal.
- Tanindon (他人丼) or Gyutojidon (牛とじ丼) – Right before finish cooking, drizzle beaten eggs over the simmered beef and cook covered until eggs are just set (In Japan, eggs are served slightly more runny).
The last option is probably the safest option as you can control the doneness of the eggs. This method adds a nice layer of fluffy egg to the beef mixture. You can read more about it in my Tanindon (Beef and Egg Rice Bowl) post.
2. Kansai Sukiyaki-Style Gyudon

If you’re a long-time JOC fan, you’re familiar with this image (above) and my gyudon recipe that I originally shared in 2011.
This is how my grandma and mother made their gyudon. Since they are from the Kansai area (my grandma was from Nara and moved to Osaka where my mom was raised), they cooked gyudon similar to how they made their Kansai-style sukiyaki. The signature is to sprinkle sugar on the beef while it’s still raw and cook the meat first before simmering it with other seasonings.
Unlike the Kanto-style gyudon where we simmer beef and onion in dashi (Japanese soup broth), Kansai-style gyudon does not always require dashi and cook with the seasonings only, so the flavor is more intense.
Unfortunately, my grandma and mom’s gyudon is not technically the simple version of “gyudon” that people are looking for, I’ve decided to update this post with a more standard gyudon recipe.
So, if you would like to make my Gyudon recipe from 2011, or Kansai Sukiyaki-Style Gyudon, use my gyudon recipe below, but simply skip the dashi. Here are the 5 quick steps:
- Stir fry onions with a tablespoon of oil (not listed in the recipe) until tender.
- Add beef and sugar (use the same amount as specified in the recipe) and quickly stir to combine.
- Add sake, mirin, and soy sauce (again, use the same amount in the recipe) and cook until the meat is no longer pink.
- Optionally, slowly drizzle a thin stream of the beaten eggs over the beef (Do not mix the egg with the beef) and add the green onions on top. Cook covered on medium-low heat until the egg is almost set or done to your liking (but don’t overcook it).
- Serve over steamed rice, and enjoy!

Popular Japanese Rice Bowls (Donburi):
- Oyakodon (Chicken & Egg Bowl)
- Eggplant Unagi Donburi
- Chicken Katsudon (Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl)
- Soboro Don (Ground Chicken Bowl)
- Poke Bowl

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Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl)
Ingredients
- ½ onion (4 oz, 113 g)
- 1 green onions/scallions
- ½ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) (you can also slice your own meat)
For the Sauce
- ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
- 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 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving)
- pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) (to garnish)
Instructions
Before You Start…
- For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) 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.
- 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
- First, thinly slice ½ onion.
- Next, cut 1 green onions/scallions diagonally into thin slices. Set aside.
- Then, take out ½ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) from the freezer. Cut the semi-frozen sliced meat into pieces 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide.
- 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. Mix to combine.
- Next, add the onion slices and spread them throughout the pan, separating the onion layers.
- Then, add the meat on top of the onions. Separate the thin slices of beef so the meat covers the onions.
To Cook
- Cover the pan with a lid. Now, turn on the heat to medium and start cooking.
- When the meat has browned, skim off the scum and fat from the broth with a fine-mesh skimmer. Turn down the heat to a simmer and continue cooking, covered, for 3–4 minutes.
- 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
- Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into large donburi bowls. Then, drizzle some of the pan sauce on top of the rice.
- 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
- 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.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on January 13, 2011. The content and images were updated and the recipe was revised on April 17, 2022.
I love this recipe so much and it’s my go-to when I crave a comforting bowl of deliciousness. Thank you so much! However, I found that the original recipe was more to my taste – this revised one is delicious, too, but is the original recipe available anywhere or could it be added to this, please? 😊
Agreed I would also love to know about the original recipe 🙂
Please read my answer to Natalia. 🙂
Hi Natalia! I’m so glad you like the original recipe from 11 years ago. That’s how my mom cooks gyudon, which is Kansai-style and with the egg.
Back then, SEO wasn’t that important for blogging, and I didn’t have to worry about keywords and I could share whatever I like to write… However, blogging has become way more technical and now I have to think and write with SEO stuff in mind.
To get to my point, the original recipe (from 2011) should be named differently—either Kansai Sukiyaki-style Gyutoji or Kansai Sukiyaki-Style Tanindon. When people are looking for “gyudon,” there are specific things/answers that they look for. Unfortunately, not my “mom’s gyudon.”
As I was aware that many readers enjoy the original recipe, I already mentioned in the post how you use my current recipe to make the original recipe.
The good part is that the NEW RECIPE IS THE SAME as the old one, except for the addition of dashi in the ingredient list.
So, if you want to make the old recipe, just SKIP dashi in the recipe. You also need a tablespoon of oil to stir fry onion and beef but the measurement for condiments are all the same.
Please read the instructions written under Kansai-style Gyudon (right under my old image of gyudon that you’re familiar). Why it’s not on the recipe card? It’s VERY confusing to write two different steps, so I can’t do that…
I hope this helps!
Just recently had a craving for gyudon and came here first to look for a good recipe! Can’t wait to make it, but I don’t think I have a large enough pan to prepare the dish. I have a medium and large pot as well as a wok. Not looking to get a larger pan ir skillet yet and I recall my former work place years ago prepared a basic recipe in a pot. Is it possible to prepare gyudon in a pot as an alternative?
Hello, Marlena. Thank you so much for taking the time to read Nami’s post and try her recipe!
Yes, you can prepare this dish in a cooking pot.
We hope you enjoy delicious homemade Gyudon!
I adore this recipe so much! My college town sushi place had a version of this but I feel like I am now spoiled with an even better way to make it at home. The pickled ginger just pulls it all together for me.
Hi Emily! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish.
Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Hello! Is this Gyudon recipe gluten free?
Hi Caterina, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe!
If you use gluten-free soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce, this recipe will be gluten-free.
We hope this helps!
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Fluke! Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Not quite what we remember from our trip to Japan but it has DEFINITELY been added to our recipe book. Very tasty and simple, especially when you can buy Chinese sliced beef for hot pot.
Hi Russ! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear you enjoy the Gyudon.
Here’s Nami’s other Gyudon recipe, inspired by a popular Gudon shop in Japan. This could have a more pronounced flavor.🙂 We hope you will give it a try!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/yoshinoya-beef-bowl-gyudon/
Ma’am! This was delicious!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I actually used frozen steak-umms hahahaha. :o) I was craving Gyudon and figured it would work out somehow and it did. Many thanks again for sharing, have a fantastic day.
Hi Leslie! Thank you for reading Nam’s post and trying her recipe!
We’re glad it went well and that you enjoy the homemade Gyudon. Happy Cooking!
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi Pongpol! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We hope you enjoyed homemade Gyudon. 😊
Hi, if I were to triple the recipe, should I actually triple all of the ingredients or just triple the meat and double the rest of the ingredients? I wasn’t sure if I would end up with too much liquid, etc.
Hi Laura! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. If you prefer less liquid, you can triple the meat amount and use double the amount for the rest of the ingredients. It is up to your preference. 😊
FYI, This recipe makes a little less than one cup of liquid. So less than a half cup of sauce for one serving of Gyudon.
Terrific recipe! I lived in Japan for 15 years but let others do the cooking! Now that I live in a small prairie town, if I want Japanese food, I have to make it myself. Nami’s site is my go-to Japanese cooking website. The recipes are foolproof and provide the flavours any Japanese person or resident of that country craves. This gyudon is no exception.
Hi Jon! Aww. Nami and all of us at JOC are so happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying the recipes and everything else that we share. It means so much to us.
Thank you for your kind feedback!💞
Hello 🙂 Super excited to make this this weekend! I wanted to check in, are you using Sake or cooking Sake in this recipe?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Arkel! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Nami uses Sake (inexpensive one) for this recipe. You can use cooking Sake also, but it contains salt and other ingredients.
Here is the post about the Sake used in the recipes;
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sake/
We hope this helps! 🙂
I wish you kept the old recipe up & renamed it for those of us who have used it before. My family loved it, and I recall it being slightly different than the new recipe. (I don’t remember adding the sake, mirin, and soy sauce before cooking the beef, but I may be wrong.) If you add new recipes, please keep up the old versions, also!
Hi Nat! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and for your feedback!
We are glad to hear you and your family love Kansai Style, which is how Nami’s grandma and mother made their Gyudon.
Nami kept the recipe (the old recipe) in this blog, so we hope you continue to enjoy them. The ingredients are the same except for the addition of dashi in the ingredient list. Happy Cooking!
The kansai style has been my go-to for years, and my family loves it. Easy, flavorful. Perfect for weeknights. Thanks. Love this blog.
Hi Emcast! We are glad to hear you like Kansai Style, which is how Nami’s grandma and mother made their Gyudon. Nami kept the recipe in this blog, so we hope you continue to enjoy them. Happy Cooking!😊