Healthy & Easy Korean Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice Recipe.

Healthy.

Easy.

ADDICTIVE.

This vegan kimchi fried rice or vegan kimchi bokkeumbap recipe is guaranteed to spice up your weekly meal rotation, trust me. And there’s a reason that this particular Korean fried rice is so popular in Korean cuisine–it’s not only delicious, it’s very easy to make. Plus, it’s one of those dishes that provides the perfect way to use up all those pesky leftover veggies in your fridge. Thus, vegan kimchi fried rice is a great dish for a dinner party or a potluck, and an especially good choice on those busy weeknights when you just want to cozy up with a healthy, but satisfying meal.

So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links for products I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I may earn a small affiliate commission, perhaps enough to buy some extra gochujang or gochugaru 🙂

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What is Kimchi fried Rice?

In Korea, kimchi fried rice or kimchi bokkeum bap is a fairly simple dish that’s designed to “catch the leftovers.” If you’ve ever been to Korean restaurants, particularly a Korean BBQ joint, you’ll know that at the end of the meal, the server often throws all the leftover rice and banchan, or “side dishes,” onto the grill or into a large pan and cooks up a delicious fried rice. The best part of this ad hoc stir fry, though, is the caramelization that happens at the bottom of the pan: you get this lovely charred effect to your rice, so that it’s crunchy, almost like a cracker!

As one might expect, kimchi fried rice is a staple in Korean cuisine, not just because it makes use of its most iconic ingredients (kimchi and rice), but because it is budget-friendly and appeals to the Buddhist notion of “no waste.” All those lovely side dishes, all that beautiful rice, and of course, the spicy sauces people were using to dress their Korean BBQ? None of that will go to waste!

In addition to leftover rice and side dishes, the traditional kimchi fried rice usually incorporates some type of protein (like Korean BBQ). When made at home, many Ajummas use spam or hot dogs or other types of processed meat (likely due to their popularity during the American occupation). In addition, “fancified” kimchi fried rice almost always comes with a fried egg on top, usually sunny side up.

This vegan kimchi fried rice recipe obviously will not include meat or eggs. However, it will have the same heat and delicious umami of the original recipe. More importantly, it will have that amazing CRUNCH you get at the Korean restaurant!

Health Benefits of Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice.

How is this perfect weeknight meal also healthy? Let’s discuss:

Gut Health.

Look, everyone knows that kimchi is massively beneficial to gut health. But it bears repeating: kimchi is a fermented food that is bursting with probiotics, which, as you probably already know, supports the cultivation of healthy gut flora. A healthy gut = improved immune system, better nutrient absorption, and better moods!

Anti-Inflammatory.

In addition to boosting your gut health, this vegan kimchi fried recipe also has anti-inflammatory properties. Specifically, garlic, scallions, gochujang–these all contain antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory compounds that can help to reduce the amount of inflammation in your body.

No Cholesterol and Low in Saturated Fat.

There will be no processed meat in this vegan kimchi fried recipe!! That itself is a MASSIVE WIN! No cholesterol! And low in saturated fat!

key ingredients and notes on substitutionS for vegan kimchi fried rice.

There are quite a few ingredients to this vegan kimchi fried rice, but don’t worry–it’ll still be easy. I promise. Let’s go through the key ingredients.

Vegan Kimchi.

Yes, there will be vegan kimchi involved in this vegan kimchi fried rice and no there is no substitute for this ingredient. Of course, your best bet for this recipe is to use your own kimchi, i.e., your own vegan kimchi. Your vegan kimchi fried rice, after all, will only be as good as your delicious kimchi. Homemade kimchi, in my experience, is the best and if you need a recipe for that, I got you. My homemade vegan kimchi recipe is one of the most popular recipes on this blog. Why? Because it is an easy vegan kimchi recipe (not as hard as traditional kimchi, like the recipe in my cookbook).

What kind of vegan kimchi? Generally speaking, the most traditional kimchi fried rice recipe incorporates napa cabbage kimchi and spicy kimchi (i.e., not white kimchi). However, you can also use radish kimchi for this recipe if that’s all you have. The only real requirement is that the kimchi be ripe. Do not try to use unripe kimchi for this recipe–it will not turn out well. This vegan kimchi fried rice recipe is perfect for the kimchi that’s been sitting in your fridge for a couple months (not a couple days).

And of course, if you don’t have your own vegan kimchi at home, you can always use store-bought kimchi. My favorite brands that sell vegan kimchi include Jongga, Mother-in-Law’s Kimchi, and Pulmone (sometimes going by Nasoya).

Cooked Rice.

This vegan kimchi fried recipe is also going to contain rice. If you don’t like rice, then this recipe might not be for you…? What kind of rice? I’m using short grain white rice–the kind of rice you’ll find in every Korean kitchen. Yes, I know it’s not as healthy for you as brown rice, but the tenderness of white rice creates a more enjoyable texture and makes it a bit easier to obtain that caramelized char I mentioned earlier. But, there is absolutely nothing stopping you from using whatever rice you want for this vegan kimchi fried rice recipe.

There are a couple of notes, here, to optimize your vegan kimchi fried rice. First, the rice should be old, not fresh out of the rice cooker. Why day-old rice? Well, kind of like tofu–you have to get rid of the excess liquid if you want it to crisp up properly. Fresh rice contains a lot of moisture that will prevent that “texturization.” Second, you can use hetbahn or microwavable rice for this recipe. In fact, if you’re using microwavable rice, you can throw it directly into the pan without microwaving.

But again, if all you have is fresh rice, simply take it out of the rice cooker and place it on a large plate. Let it cool and dry out, a bit, while you’re preparing your other ingredients. You will still end up with a delicious vegan kimchi fried rice.

Super Firm Tofu.

By now, you all know that I love using super firm tofu, not to be confused with extra-firm tofu. And thanks to Pulmuone (aka Nasoya, Wildwood), who recently came out with a super firm (and high-protein!) tofu, it’s easier than ever to create crispy tofu. With super firm tofu, we no longer need to press out the excess liquid in extra-firm tofu in order to achieve a product that will produce the desired texture. Super firm tofu will make the pan-fried tofu component of this vegan kimchi fried recipe very easy.

In my childhood, Spam was always diced up into small little cubes before being added to the kimchi fried rice. Thus for this vegan kimchi fried rice recipe, I do the same thing with the tofu. But you can cut up the tofu into bite-sized pieces if you prefer larger chunks.

If you don’t have super firm tofu, you can also use extra-firm tofu that has been pressed for at least 20 minutes. This is the best way to achieve crispy tofu. Otherwise, if you want to ditch tofu altogether, you can substitute with tempeh, your favorite alternative meat product, or flavorful mushroom (shiitake, portabella, etc.)

The Brine.

In order to give the tofu a smokey, cured flavor (like Spam or ham), I create a quick “brine” to soak the tofu in before it is cooked. The brine is composed of the following:

• Soy sauce (can substitute with gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos)
• Liquid smoke (can substitute with smoked paprika)
• Ketchup (can substitute with tomato paste)
• Mirin (can substitute with rice vinegar + maple syrup)
• Extra virgin olive oil (can substitute with vegetable oil)

Gochujang Sauce.

This vegan kimchi fried rice will also incorporate a fiery red sauce made primarily out of gochujang or Korean chili paste (sometimes referred to as red fermented soybean paste). Specifically, the gochujang sauce is composed of the following:

• Gochujang (make sure to pick up a gluten-free version if you want to keep this gluten-free)
• Soy sauce (can substitute with gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos)
• Liquid sweetener (plum syrup, maple syrup, agave syrup, etc., but can also substitute with sugar)
• Toasted sesame oil (can substitute with toasted sesame seeds)

JUST Egg Omelet (Optional).

As I mentioned, the traditional kimchi fried rice includes a fried egg. This vegan kimchi fried rice will not have a fried egg but will incorporate a simple JUST Egg omelet (literally just frying a little bit of JUST Egg in a non-stick pan with some scallions, salt, and pepper). This is an optional component, but I gotta tell ya: it tastes great!

Step-by-Step Instructions for vegan kimchi fried rice.

Step 1.

Make the brine for your tofu by whisking together ketchup, soy sauce, liquid smoke, mirin, and olive oil. Then, pour the brine into an airtight container, together with your diced tofu. Place the lid on the container and shake it up, so that your tofu is evenly coated. Place it in the fridge and let it marinate for at least one hour and up to 24 hours.

Step 2.

Make the gochujang sauce in advance by whisking together gochujang, soy sauce, liquid sweetener, and sesame oil. Set that aside.

Step 3.

Add remaining olive oil to a large cast iron skillet or regular skillet over high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer (around 1 minute), add the marinated tofu. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is evenly browned (about 5 to 6 minutes). Then, add scallion whites, garlic, and kimchi, together with kimchi juice. Continue cooking until garlic is fragrant (about 3 minutes).

Step 4.

Before adding the rice, move the contents of the pan to the edges to create an empty space in the middle. Add a little more oil and then add your rice. Stir the rice in the center of your pan so that it becomes evenly coated with the oil. Then, add the gochujang sauce and stir until well-combined. Using the back of your spoon, gently press the rice down to create an even layer and let it cook until slightly charred on the bottom (around 3 to 5 minutes). Remove from heat and garnish with scallion greens, shredded nori, toasted sesame seeds, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. Top with optional omelet.

Frequently Asked Questions.

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