Authentic Vegan Kimchi Recipe

Learn how to make vegan kimchi (vegetarian kimchi) with this authentic Korean recipe. This healthy Korean side dish offers the same tangy, flavorful kimchi taste just like the traditional cabbage kimchi would, but made without any animal product. And it’s gluten-free!

I often receive email messages from my readers regarding kimchi recipes.

I have posted several cabbage kimchi recipes with different approaches. The most authentic way of making winter cabbage kimchi, Light and Delicious Homemade Kimchi with Radish, easy and simple method kimchi, and the fastest 30 miniute kimchi are some of them.

They all use napa cabbages that we can find very easily in many stores these days. Of course there are other types of kimchi recipes, especially traditional radish kimchi recipe, posted on my site as well.

Vegetable Stock and Persimmon

For the vegetable stock:

• pumpkin
• mushroom
• dried sea kelp (dashima) – optional

I always use a kind of fruit to sweeten the kimchi. I have shown you using a pear, apple and in the kimchi recipes. Today, I will use..

• persimmon – or use Asian pear and sweet apple instead.

How to make Authentic Vegan Kimchi at Home

Step 1. Salt brine your cabbage

First, cut nap cabbage into chunks like that.

Spread the cabbage pieces in a shallow bowl or in a sink like I did. (Cover the drainage hole tightly, so it won’t leak)

Pour the salt water over (1 cup salt dissolved in 8 cup water). Let the cabbage soak for 2-3 hours. Make sure you turn them around so the bottom side of cabbages go to the top halfway through.

If you don’t have that 2-3 hours time, you can sprinkle about 1/4 cup of salt directly over to the cabbage and let them sit for 45-60 minute turning once, like I did in Light and Delicious Homemade Kimchi with Radish.

If you are in a big rush and don’t even have the 1 hour,  then see my 30 minute kimchi post to get an idea how you can salt the cabbage very quickly.

No matter what method you use, after all the soaking, your cabbage should be able to bend like your yoga master.

(If the white stem part is a little stiff, that is okay. Even you can’t bend your back like that after the first free-trial yoga class, right? They will eventually bend during the fermentation process. And your back will too, after the 3 month course.)

Rinse your cabbage 2-3 times in the running water to get rid of the extra salt residue. Drain them well as you press down firmly. Set the cabbage aside.

Step 2. Simmer vegetable stock

While cabbage is soaking, you can make vegetable stock to use in this recipe.

Put pumpkin chunks, shiitake mushroom, and a piece of dried sea kelp (if you can’t have sea kelp, omit it) in a pan and pour some water just to barely cover them. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Don’t skip the stock! Since we are not using any fish sauce to make this kimchi, you will need an extra something to flavor.

Reserve about 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. Don’t throw away the rest. Pour in zip bags and freeze for a later use.

Now I bet you are wondering what the yellow thingy is in this photo. It is a potato. I cooked a small piece of potato in a microwave.

Step 3. Make Kimchi seasoning paste

In kimchi making, you will need a some sort of starch to help fermentation. I have introduced using rice glue or leftover cooked white rice as a starch component. This time I will use a little bit of cooked potato. You will only need about 2 tablespoonful.

Here is the fruit I was talking about. It is a PERSIMMON! Persimmon is very common fruit in Korea but only available during late fall and winter season.

If you go to a big Korean groceries, you will find them easily these days. If you can’t get the persimmon, substitute with an sweet apple or Asian pear.

Persimmon is a very sweet and meaty fruit, which is perfect to be mingled in kimchi. No need to add sugar. You will love the flavor of kimchi with persimmon in it. Just peel and core the seed and dice into chunks.

In a blender, pour the reserve the stock, and add diced onion, garlic, ginger, and the persimmon.

Puree them until very smooth. Add some diced fresh chilies and pulse a few times to chop them. You want to see small chunks of fresh chili .

I like to add fresh red chilies in my kimchi. It brings kimchi more refreshing taste. You can certainly omit if you don’t want to.

Transfer the puree in a small mixing bowl. Love, love, love the color!

Add Korean chili flakes and the Korean soup soy sauce (or soy sauce for soup).

Step 5. Add Korean soup soy sauce for the pungent flavor

This is the Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang). It is quite different than ordinary soy sauce we all know. It is, of course, fermented soy product, but more pungent. Please, do not substitute with your regular soy sauce. It is not the same.

Since it brings the pungent flavor, Koreans use the sauce to season soups or stews, and many salad side dishes. I use it quite often in my recipes.

I think you can even substitute the fish sauce with this in many other dishes if you want to avoid fish but retain the slight pungent flavor.

BTW we call it chosun-ganjang (조선간장) or guk-ganjang (국간장). It should be marked as “soup soy sauce or soy sauce for soup” . You should be able to find it in any Korean groceries.

Mix it all up to create a scarlet beauty.

Step 6. Toss all together

In a shallow bowl (I used a cookie sheet), combine cabbages and sliced green onion, and the chili mixture. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds as well.

I always start with about 2/3 of the filling first, then I add more if I need to.

Wear a disposable glove to protect your hand and toss everything well. Taste! Adjust seasoning by adding a little more soup soy sauce, if needed.

Transfer to a container (airtight if possible) and let it sit in the room temperature for 1-2 days depends on the fermentation level you desire, then store in the refrigerator after that.

I like to eat freshly made kimchi on the same day I made with a bowl of rice and doenjang jjige. That is a more of genuine Korean taste bud.

I will tell you what it tastes like. It tastes like a real cabbage kimchi made with fish sauce and salted shrimps. I am quite pleased with the result and very proud that I created something that everyone can enjoy the goodness of kimchi regardless of their diet restriction.

So how do you think? Did I bring a good news to you? Hope you get to try this recipe whether you are a vegan or not. This kimchi will surely please everybody.