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 a classic comfort food that has held 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 differently, the core ingredients remain the same: thin slices of beef, onion, and a sweet and savory sauce served over steamed rice. Today, I’ll show you how I make this weeknight favorite at home.
Table of Contents
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.
The gyudon that we know and love today 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. The chef of an izakaya called Isekuma in my hometown of Yokohama was the first 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.
Ingredients for Japanese Beef Bowl
Gyudon in Japan is a quick, tasty meal that is also budget-friendly. It was most popular among business people and young, single men before gaining popularity among the general Japanese public. The ingredients to make this one-pot dish at home are simple.
- Thinly sliced beef: I recommend chuck or rib eye for this recipe. 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 add sweetness to the dish and perfectly pair with tender beef.
- Sauce: The sauce is a harmonious blend of sweet and savory, made with dashi (Japanese soup stock), sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. It is so simple yet highly effective in creating robust flavor!
- Garnish: green onions for the color and shichimi togarashi for a spicy kick.
How to Make the Best Gyudon
- Cut the onion, green onions, and beef.
- Without turning on the stove, place the sauce ingredients, sliced onions, and beef in a large frying pan. Then, turn on the heat and start cooking.
- Serve the simmered beef and onion over steamed rice in large bowls.
Cooking Tips
- Thinly slice the onion so it becomes tender and sweeter quickly. When cooked, the onion imparts a natural sweetness to the dish.
- Use good quality beef. Well-marbled beef will not become chewy after simmering 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 “donburi”) typically serve more rice per person to go with the food on top. 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, stop cooking. If the meat is well-marbled, you can let it simmer slightly longer to allow the meat to absorb more flavors from the sauce.
Popular Gyudon Variations
1. Gyudon with eggs
In Japan, we occasionally serve gyudon with a different type of eggs.
- 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.
- Tanindon (他人丼) or Gyutojidon (牛とじ丼) – Right before finishing cooking, drizzle beaten eggs over the simmered beef and cook covered until eggs are just set (In Japan, eggs are served slightly more runny).
For the first two variations of gyudon, when you’re ready to eat, break the yolk and mix it with the beef and onions to add a layer of richness to the meal.
The last option gives a nice layer of fluffy egg to the beef mixture. You can read more about it in my Tanindon post.
2. Kansai Sukiyaki-Style Gyudon
If you’re a long-time JOC fan, you’re familiar with my gyudon recipe and the image above, which I originally shared in 2011.
This is how my grandmother 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 like they made their Kansai-style sukiyaki. The signature of this style is to sprinkle sugar on the thinly sliced 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 stock), Kansai-style gyudon does not always require dashi and is cooked with just the seasonings; Therefore, the flavor is more intense.
Since my grandmother and mother’s gyudon recipe is not the typical gyudon recipe that people often seek, 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, simply skip the dashi from the ingredients below, and here are the cooking steps:
- Stir-fry onions with a tablespoon of oil (not listed in the recipe) until tender.
- Add beef and sugar (using the same amount as specified in the recipe) and quickly stir to combine.
- Add sake, mirin, and soy sauce (again, using 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!
What is the Best Rice Cooker
To make the perfect rice for gyudon, I like to use my Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB Rice Cooker. It makes fluffy rice every time and is the best Japanese rice cooker I’ve ever used! You can get it on Amazon for $458.29, and it’s well worth it if you cook a lot of rice.
Popular Donburi Recipes
- 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)
Video
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. The post was republished with a new video on April 5, 2024.
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!
Hi, I know it’s an old recipe, but please let me know what you do with the sliced green onion. It’s not mentioned again in the recipe, and the photos don’t show the green onions being cooked. I love the recipe with eggs added at the end. Thanks.
Hi Jerry! Thank you so much for pointing that out. I’ve fixed the recipe. The chopped green onion is used for garnish on top of the gyudon. I’m happy to hear you enjoy the beef and egg version. 🙂
Had this for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious! For me it needed a little salt and pepper, but I loved it!
Hi Mike! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind comment/feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Thanks for this recipe, it’s amazing! I tried it with mushrooms the second time I made it, since it reminded me of my Mom’s beef stroganoff, and it worked really well. Try it sometime!
Hi Steve! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Yeah, I like to add some mushrooms, like Shimeji in mine too. Delicious! Thank you for your kind feedback!
The beef Gyudon (Japanese beef bowl) was delicious and tastes really authentic. Thank you for sharing another great recipe. You decode and demystify my favorite beloved Japanese dishes, so I can cook them for my family.
Hi Geena! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thank you!
Hi Nami, due to religious reason, I can’t use sake and mirin in any of my cookings. Can we substitute them with something else? Thank you!
Hi Fanny! For sake, you can use water. For mirin, you can use water + sugar. That’s the best you can do I think… there is no good substitute without alcohol. Check this Mirin page for sugar + water ratio: https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/mirin/ Hope that helps!
Nami,
I just made this last night and it was so delicious! I love how easy this recipe is and how all the ingredients come together for an incredible robust flavor. I’m having the rest for dinner tonight 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Jason! Awesome! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi Nami, I’m a bit slow to the game but I made this for dinner tonight. We don’t take beef so I substituted with shabu shabu pork slices. It still turned out great. My hubby enjoyed it very much. Thanks so much for the easy and yummy recipe.
Hi Syndi! Wonderful! I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed this recipe! When we use pork, we say Butadon (buta = pork). So glad you liked it! Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
As a lazy person, I think I’m going to make this in my Instant Pot. Would 10-15 min high pressure cooking the onion and the beef would be enough?
Hi Jos! It’ll be more than enough as beef is thinly sliced. 🙂
I’ve been making this as my quick weeknight dish in the Instant Pot. Super quick, only 8 min high pressure with Natural release. For the bulk, I added some shirataki noodles. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this super easy to make dish.
Wonderful! Thank you so much for using this recipe! 🙂
OMG finally a version of gyuodon I like! I tried so many on YouTube. Only I would double your sauce because it’s so yummy! I did put the egg on top and the beni shoga was perfect garnish. Thank you again!
Hi Lili! I’m glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Oh my goodness. Husband made this for me and it was absolutely delicious. The poached yolk from the egg really enhances the flavour of the sauce as well as adds a creamy element to the dish. This is going to be in our regular dinner rotation. ????????????????????
Hi Sheila! You’re very lucky your husband can cook! 🙂 Thank you (him) for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. xoxo So happy you two enjoyed this recipe!
A lot of additional sugar and soy sauce required to strengthen flavour.
Hi Chris! You can add more if you feel it’s needed. 🙂
Hi Nami, I just cooked this and it turned out so good! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it’s simple yet so yummy 🙂
Hi Mariel! I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for trying this recipe, Mariel!
Nami, I just wanted to say how much I’ve been enjoying your recipes! I stumbled on to your website looking for Instant Pot ideas, and absolutely loved your Bolognese sauce. Made Gyudon for dinner last night, and it was life changing! Your recipes all taste incredible, and the stories, tips, and photos you include are wonderful. You explain things in a clear and easy to understand manor, and it has made learning a new style of cooking fun. I picked up your cookbook, and I can’t wait to start reading it next. Just wanted to let know that you’ve made me a fan, and I can’t wait to try more of your amazing food!
Hi John! I’m so happy to hear you liked the Bolognese sauce! And thank you for your kind and supportive feedback. I’m really glad that my recipes, photos, tips, and my posts are inspiring you. I can’t get any better compliment than that. Your words mean so much to me. Thank you!
Is there a substitute for the sake?
Hi Wei-Jing! I mentioned about substitute here on my Sake page or FAQ.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/sake/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/faqs/ (Search the word “Sake” to find the section mentioned about Sake substitution).
Hi! What type of beef would you recommend using in this recipe?
Hi Tiffany! Chuck or rib eye is great! 🙂