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Korean cuisine is often associated with meat, but that doesn’t mean vegans have to miss out on the delicious flavors that this kind of cooking has to offer. It just means you need to be discerning about the recipes that you choose – which we’ll help you with.
Some amazing Korean recipes are completely free from animal products or can be made with substitutions. Top options include things like vegan Korean birthday soup, vegan kimchi, dubu jorim, gamja jorim, and hobak buchim. You might also want to give dishes like sundubu jjigae a whirl, or try kimchi bokkeum bap.
Korean cuisine has some amazing flavors to offer, and it can be made perfectly vegan-friendly if you take the right approach to it. Let’s look at the best recipes vegans can enjoy.
Vegan Korean Birthday Soup
Indulge in a simple yet satisfying Vegan Seaweed Soup that brings together the flavors of sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and Portobello mushrooms as well as dried seaweed and tofu that provide a unique taste and texture to this comforting dish.
Easy to prepare in just 40 minutes, this soup is perfect for a quick and delicious meal.
As you cook, the inviting aroma of garlic and ginger will fill your kitchen, while the simmering seaweed adds depth to the soup. Garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds to finalize the dish, conferring it with an extra aroma.
Ideal for those seeking a nutritious vegan option, this traditional Korean soup offers a delightful culinary experience without overwhelming your senses.
Vegan Kimchi
Since almost all Korean food involves kimchi in some form, even if only as a side dish, it’s really important to ensure you can make vegan kimchi for yourself. Kimchi traditionally contains fish sauce, but it’s perfectly possible to make a vegan version, and this has been done for centuries in Korea.
This vegan kimchi recipe is delicious and easy to make. You can put it together in only about an hour, and it will serve up to 16 people, so it’s perfect for a big meal, or for storing leftovers in the fridge for later.
You must have vegan kimchi to really enjoy vegan Korean food because it’s such a key part of so many dishes, so give this recipe a try and see if you like it!
Sundubu Jjigae
Jjigae is something you’ve probably already come across, as it’s a staple Korean stew. Many versions do contain meat, but sundubu jjigae is a delicious vegan option that makes use of tofu instead of animal products. One of the nice things about this meal is that you can include a wide range of different veggies.
The dish is light, but full of flavor, and has a little bit of a spicy edge to it. You can adjust the herbs and spices to suit your preferences once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, and it is delicious served over a bowl of rice. You’ll need some dried kelp or dried kombu to create the umami flavor that makes this meal so popular.
Dubu Jorim (Braised Tofu)
Simple and flavorful, vegan dubu jorim involves braising tofu in soy sauce to make it delicious. It’s a popular side dish, although you can serve it as a main dish if you prefer. Tofu is commonly used in Korea, and it’s a great way for vegans to make a meal feel filling and satisfying.
Fortunately, this recipe is also pretty easy, with a surprisingly small number of ingredients for a Korean dish. You should use firm tofu to make sure you get the desired, meaty bite, but otherwise, you can adjust the recipe to suit your tastes by altering the ratio of the flavorings in the sauce.
If you’d like it to be sweeter, add a little more sugar, or for a saltier recipe, increase the quantity of soy sauce.
Kimchi Bokkeum Bap (Kimchi Fried Rice)
If you love kimchi fried rice, this kimchi bokkeum bap is an incredible vegan option. It combines the depth of flavor that kimchi offers with the crispiness of fried rice, and pulls in a range of other flavors from the vegetables. Although a lot of fried rice recipes call for egg, this one has none, making it ideal for vegans to enjoy.
This is a particularly good dish if you want to get a whole range of vegetables into your diet, because it incorporates things like potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, garlic, onions, and kale. Talk about health in a bowl; this is great for any vegan who wants to make sure they’re getting a diverse range of nutrients and all the vitamins that their body could need.
Gamja Jorim (Braised Potatoes)
Do you love potatoes? If so, this dish is definitely for you, and it’s another fairly simple option that almost everyone will enjoy. This gamja jorim is easy to make and doesn’t involve any animal products – it’s essentially just potato with some delicious spices, a few extra vegetables, and some sesame seeds.
For all its simplicity, it’s still a tasty dish that many people will love. If you don’t have the other vegetables (green chilis, carrots, and onions), you can make it with just potato, and it should still taste amazing. This is one of the best go-to dishes for vegans who want to try Korean food.
Bean Sprout Salad
Sometimes, you want something light, crispy, and nutty – and this bean sprout salad ticks all of those boxes. It’s tasty, easy to make, and kid-friendly, so it’s definitely a good option for adding to your array of dishes on the table. Best of all, it’s completely vegan and only takes about ten minutes to put together.
It doesn’t even use many different ingredients, so you can make this pretty much any time you like. It will go well with a whole range of other vegan Korean cuisine, providing a tasty snap, a rich flavor, and a lot of satisfaction for the diner.
The one drawback of this salad is that it doesn’t keep well, but because it’s so easy to make, you can just throw it together on the day, saving yourself space in the fridge. It will last for about 2 days if kept chilled.
Hobak Buchim (Zucchini Pancakes)
If you want a different take on meals, vegan hobak buchim is a fantastic option to try. You can increase the flavor profile with the addition of onions and green chilis as mentioned here, or just use zucchinis if you want to keep things simple, and perhaps kid-friendly. Other optional additions include garlic chives.
These pancakes are pretty easy to make, and you can enjoy them with a whole range of Korean side dishes. They’re also a healthy option, making them ideal if you’re trying to eat clean food. They do contain some sugar, but you can omit this if you choose to, and it’s only half a teaspoon. Filling and unusual, these pancakes are a must-try for all vegans interested in Korean cuisine.
Bok Choy Namul
For those looking for dishes with milder flavors, bok choy is a great option, and this bok choy namul will certainly not disappoint. It’s quick and easy to make, taking only around 10 minutes in total – so it’s absolutely perfect for busy weeknights when you may be short on time for cooking.
In spite of its simplicity, it’s packed with flavor, and it’s nutritious and pretty healthy. The bok choy brings a lovely bright green hue to your table, making this an attractive addition, and increasing the variety in your diet. A lot of Korean food involves making multiple small dishes for everyone to enjoy, so why not make bok choy namul one of them?
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a great many wonderful vegan recipes that have come from Korean cuisine. Although a lot of Korean cuisine does contain meat, most recipes can easily be adapted to suit the vegan lifestyle, so don’t feel you have to miss out!
9 Best Vegan Recipes Inspired by Korean Cuisine
Alexandre Valente
Looking to cook some vegan korean recipes? We've compiled 8 of the more delicious vegan korean recipes you can make at home!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Main Course
Cuisine Korean, Vegan
Keyword best vegan korean recipes, vegan korean recipes
