Nitrate & Nitrite Free Gluten Free Japanese Gyudon
This Japanese beef bowl is pure comfort food — savory, deeply flavored broth soaked into a bed of fluffy short-grain rice, topped with meltingly tender beef and sweet, silky onions. The magic is in the broth, where dashi stock, tamari, mirin, sake, and a touch of sugar come together into something that tastes like it simmered all day even though it didn't. Tamari steps in for conventional soy sauce here, keeping the whole dish gluten free without sacrificing that rich, umami depth you expect from a proper gyudon. For anyone avoiding cured or processed meats, this recipe is a natural fit — the beef is simply fresh ribeye or chuck, thinly sliced and cooked just until tender, with no added preservatives or cured ingredients anywhere in the bowl. A jammy soft-boiled egg, a scatter of scallion greens, toasted sesame seeds, and a little pickled red ginger on top take it from weeknight dinner to something that genuinely feels special. It's the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your rotation.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the rice
- 2 cups japanese short-grain white rice
- 2 ½ cups water
For the beef
- 1 ¼ lb beef ribeye or beef chuck, very thinly sliced (about ⅛ inch)
- 1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons
For the broth
- 1 cup dashi stock (gluten free)
- ¼ cup tamari
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 tbsp sake
- 1 tbsp sugar
For serving
- 4 large eggs (optional)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (green parts only) (optional)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
- pickled red ginger (beni shoga), for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the rice in a medium saucepan under cold water, swirling and draining 3–4 times until the water runs mostly clear. Add 2 1/2 cups fresh water, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook, covered, for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam, still covered, for 10 minutes.
- 2
While the rice cooks, combine the dashi stock, tamari, mirin, sake, and sugar in a large skillet or wide saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
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