Featured Comment:
“While visiting Japan with my partner last year, sukiya became a breakfast staple for us, upon returning to Australia the lack of a good gyudon became depressingly clear.. then I discovered this recipe. it is almost a perfect recreation. you are a god among men, thank you so much.”
– Callum
What is Gyudon?
Gyudon (牛丼) is a delicious bowl of thinly sliced beef and onions simmered in a delicious Japanese dashi sauce and then served on rice. The meat absorbs the flavor, and the sauce is poured over the rice. It’s seriously so GOOD!
In Japanese, “gyu” (牛) means cow or beef and “don” (丼) is short for donburi, which means rice bowl. So the dish is only made with beef. Saying that, there is also a pork rice bowl called “butadon” you can check out my butadon recipe here!
The history of gyudon goes all the way back to Meiji era (1868-1912) and used to be called “gyu-meshi” which literally means beef rice.
How I Developed This Recipe
Can you imagine how many times I ordered takeout just to compare it with my own version? At least more than once! But it was so worth it.
Every time I made the dish, I tweaked something here and there. I wanted to get that special Sukiya flavor just right.
The recipe I came up with is actually pretty simple. Why not give it a go? You might surprise yourself with how close it tastes to the real thing. Who’s ready for a homemade Sukiya?
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Yellow Onion: If you can’t get yellow onions, white ones are a good substitute.
- Thinly Sliced Beef: Go for short plate (beef belly) or flank/skirt steaks for the real deal when it comes to gyudon. Most popular chains like Sukiya, Yoshinoya, and Matsuya use American or Canadian beef. Wagyu can be used, but its softness and cost make it less ideal for fast-food-style gyudon. Go for moderately fatty, firmer cuts to get that classic taste and texture.
- Cooked White Rice: For the best results, use a rice cooker or follow my detailed stovetop cooking guide on the blog.
- Red Pickled Ginger (Benishoga): Give my homemade benishoga recipe a try, or use a quality store-bought version for convenience.
- Japanese Chili Powder: Just a little sprinkle adds a nice warmth for those who like a little spice.
- Dashi Stock: You can choose from homemade dashi (using dried bonito flakes and kelp), plant-based alternatives, instant granules, or convenient dashi packets.
- Dark & Light Soy Sauce: Check out my full “Soy Sauce 101” post for the best brand recommendations and tips on how to choose the right one for you.
- Mirin: If you’re looking for an authentic, quality flavor, go for “hon mirin” (本みりん). My “Mirin 101” article has all the tips you need to get the best mirin.
- Sake: Drinking grade sake is the best option. Check out my Sake 101 post for alternatives.
- Light Brown Sugar: I like light brown cane sugar for its subtle molasses notes, but regular white sugar works just as well.
- Fresh Ginger & Garlic: For the best flavor, use freshly grated ginger and garlic. If you don’t have time to do this, good-quality store-bought pastes are a good alternative.
- Chinese Chicken Bouillon Powder: Adds a tasty depth of flavor and umami to your broth.
Topping Ideas
Much like a burger is more than simply a patty in a bun, gyudon is more than just beef on rice.
You can customize gyudon in so many ways and Sukiya offers the following toppings, allowing you to make the dish even more delicious!
- Kimchi
- Scallions
- Cheese
- Ponzu on grated daikon radish
- Okra
- Raw egg/egg yolk
- Salad (with broccoli, shredded cabbage and sweetcorn)
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make delicious Sukiya-style Gyudon at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Cut the onions into thick wedges and break the layers apart.
Add the dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, sake, light brown sugar, light soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic and Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder to a medium saucepan and mix over a medium heat.
Add the onions to the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat slightly and simmer until softened to your liking.
Add the beef to the pan and continue to simmer until cooked through.
Divide the rice into bowls about 2/3 of the way up and stack the beef and onions on top. Drizzle about 1-2 tbsp of the leftover broth over each portion.
Garnish with your favorite toppings. Red pickled ginger (benishoga) and Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) are classic choices. See the section below for more topping ideas.
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsFAQ
If we’re talking about the gyudon from popular restaurants like Sukiya and Yoshinoya specifically, they use beef short plate (beef belly) sourced from the U.S. or Canada. See the post above for more options and information.
Donburi dishes use Japanese short-grain white rice. You can see how to cook Japanese style rice here. Yoshinoya in particular state on their website (Japanese) that they use Japanese white rice specifically blended to match gyudon’s taste.
In Japan, it’s popular to garnish gyudon with chopped spring onions, pickled ginger or raw/soft boiled egg. You can eat miso soup, pickles or salad on the side if you like.
I hope you enjoy this Sukiya-style Gyudon Beef Bowl recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Quick Lunch Recipes
- Quick & Easy Yakiniku Don (Japanese BBQ Style Beef Bowl)
- Niku Yasai Itame (Japanese Vegetable Stir Fry with Pork)
- Easy and Delicious Ponzu Chicken
- Okinawa Taco Rice And Cheese (Cafe Style)
- Tamago Sando (Japanese-Style Egg Sandwich)
Want more inspiration? Explore my Japanese Lunch Recipe Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Sukiya Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)
Ingredients
- 100 g yellow onion
- 150 g thinly sliced beef end cuts, Philly steak meat or similar
- 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- red pickled ginger (benishoga)
- Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi)
Broth
- 300 ml dashi stock
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp sake
- 1 ½ tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp grated ginger root or ginger paste
- ¼ tsp grated garlic or garlic paste
- ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder (granules)
Instructions
- Cut 100 g yellow onion into wedges.
- Take a saucepan and add all the broth ingredients (300 ml dashi stock, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sake, 1 ½ tbsp light brown sugar, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp grated ginger root, ¼ tsp grated garlic and ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder (granules)). Mix well and place on the stove over a medium heat.
- Add the onion to the broth and bring to the boil. Once bubbling, lower the heat slightly and simmer until the onions are softened to your preference.
- Add 150 g thinly sliced beef to the broth and continue to simmer until cooked through.
- Divide 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice in serving bowls and top with the beef and onions. Drizzle 1-2 tbsp of the broth over each bowl.
- Top with red pickled ginger (benishoga) and Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi). (See in post for additional topping ideas.)
- Enjoy!
The sauce was tasty and the meal was easy to make but the beef did not soak up the sauce as I would like. It often was tasteless without the sauce. Thanks for the easy steps and I look forward to trying more recipes.
Thank you for the comment and feedback! 🙂
This was super tasty! I loved it, especially that sauce. So easy and healthy too! I’m gonna try it with pork.
Thank you so much, I’m glad you liked it! Pork is a great idea 🙂
My mother- and father- in law (Brazilian Japanese) loved this recipe. Said it was better than sukiya and even ate the leftover broth with udon the next day. I use thin cut pork instead of bed because it’s cheaper and substitute rice vinegar for sake because my baby eats it. It’s on dinner rotation a few times a month. Thank you!
I’m happy to hear that you and your family enjoy the recipe, thank you so much!
how much is one portion of rice?
Hi Ben,
A bit tricky to answer this question since it depends on who’s eating. I personally cook about half a Japanese rice cup per person which is about 75g of uncooked rice each. After cooking, this is about 160g of rice. Donburi is typically made with a bit more, about 200-240g of cooked rice per person. It depends on your appetite but I hope this gives you a rough idea!
While visiting Japan with my partner last year, sukiya became a breakfast staple for us, upon returning to Australia the lack of a good gyudon became depressingly clear..
then I discovered this recipe. it is almost a perfect recreation. you are a god among men, thank you so much.
Hi Callum,
Thank you very much for your kind words! Literally made my day!
Yuto
are there any alternatives for mirin and sake to make it halal? thankyou very much.
Hi, you can find some alternative ideas in these dedicated sake and mirin articles below!
Sake:https://sudachirecipes.com/sake-101/
Mirin:https://sudachirecipes.com/mirin/