This Gyudon (Beef Bowl) recreates the familiar Yoshinoya-style beef bowl: very thinly sliced beef and sweet onions simmered in a savory-sweet sauce, served over steaming rice.
Yoshinoya is known for thinly shaved beef and sweet onion served atop a bowl of rice. Though you can buy this dish at many quick-service restaurants, making gyudon at home is simple, economical, and surprisingly quick. This recipe uses just a handful of ingredients and delivers authentic flavor without fuss.
What Is Gyudon?
Gyudon is a Japanese rice bowl topped with beef—“gyu” means beef and “don” is short for donburi (rice bowl). It is a popular fast-food staple across Japan because it’s inexpensive, satisfying, and fast to prepare. Locals often choose gyudon for a quick lunch or dinner, and dedicated gyudon chains are found throughout the country.
Tips for Making Gyudon
1. Use thinly sliced beef
Japanese recipes like gyudon, shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, and yakiniku call for very thin beef slices. Paper-thin cuts cook quickly and stay tender. If you can’t find pre-sliced beef at your store, ask a local butcher to slice it with a meat slicer, or partially freeze a slab of beef and slice it thinly against the grain with a sharp knife. Choose a well-marbled cut so the fat keeps the slices moist during cooking. Aim for slices around 1–1.5 mm thick for the best results.
2. Do not overcook
Because the beef is so thin, gyudon cooks very fast. Watch the pan carefully and stop cooking as soon as the meat is just done to avoid a tough, dry texture.
I like to top my gyudon with a dollop of egg mayo, similar to what I order at Yoshinoya in Indonesia.
More Beef Recipes
If you enjoy gyudon, try these other easy and flavorful beef dishes while you’re here:
- Beef Mentaiko Rice Bowl
- Beef Udon
- Loco Moco
- Kimchi Kimbap
- Bibimbap
Gyudon (Beef Bowl)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1.1 lbs (500 gr) thinly sliced beef
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar, optional
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 4 servings cooked rice
Instructions
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Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until translucent.
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Add the thinly sliced beef and cook until just done.
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Stir in soy sauce, sugar (if using), and mirin. Mix well and turn off the heat.
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Spoon the beef and onions over bowls of steaming rice and serve immediately.
Notes
Some Yoshinoya locations offer two styles: original and yakiniku. Yakiniku-style tends to be sweeter; omit the sugar if you prefer the original, less sweet version.