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 non-cabbage kimchi recipes posted on my site as well.
Why Vegan Kimchi (or Vegetarian Kimchi)?
Kimchi is closed to a vegetarian dish (pescatarian, more precisley) since there is no meat involved, but it contains a little bit of fish (anchovy) sauce to bring the flavor. Therefore, it is NOT a vegan.
I know there are quite a number of people who are vegans or who can not have seafood due to an allergy issue. So I gave some thoughts on making kimchi to be a complete vegan and fish free. And behold, the healthy Vegan Kimchi is born! There is no animal products used in this recipe. All is from the vegetable source.
Typically, traditional kimchi uses a seafood stock to add more depth to the flavor. However, for the vegan or vegetarian kimchi, vegetable stock is used instead. Fresh fruit puree is also added to enhance the flavor and add the natural sweetness to the kimchi.
Will vegan kimchi be spicy? Yes or No. You can always adjust the amount of Korean chili flakes in the recipe to suit your spiciness level. Whether you like it spicy or mild, this delicious kimchi will offer a good amount of health benefit to your diet and it’s nutritious.
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.
Check out more Kimchi Recipes. Here are a few you might like:
- Easy Kimchi Recipe for Beginners (Mak-kimchi)
- Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi (Oi-sobagi)
- Quick Bok Choy Kimchi
- Turnip Green Kimchi, the Kimchi of Autumn
Authentic Vegan Kimchi Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb napa cabbage
- 1 cup Korean coarse sea salt
- 8 cup water
For vegetable stock
- 3/4 lb pumpkin any kind, sliced into 2-3 chunks
- 3 dried shiitake mushroom
- 1 dried sea kelp (dashima) optional
- 3-4 cup water
For kimchi seasoning paste
- 2 tbsp plain cooked potato
- 1/2 large onion diced
- 1 persimmon (Fuyu) or 1/2 sweet apple or Asian pear peeled and cored
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 inch ginger peeled
- 3-4 fresh red chilies diced, optional
- 4 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
- 5 tbsp Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang)
- 4 green onion sliced
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
To salt brine cabbage
- Cut off the end part of the cabbage stem and cut the cabbage into 2-inch slices.
- Dissolve salt in the water in a mixing bowl. Scatter the cabbage slices in a large shallow bowl and pour the salted water over and toss. Let the cabbage soak for 1 hour. Turn the cabbage over and continue to soak for another 1-1.5 hr. When done, the stem part of cabbage slice should be bendable without breaking. Rinse the cabbages 3 times and let them drain well. Set aside.
To make the vegetable stock
- Place pumpkin, mushroom, and sea kelp in a medium sauce pot and pour water just to barely cover them. Bring them to boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Let the stock to cool down and discard the vegetables. Reserve 1/2 cup of stock to use, and freeze the rest for later use.
To make the kimchi seasoning paste
- Put potato, onion, persimmon, garlic, ginger and pour in the 1/2 cup of stock in a blender. Process them until very smooth. Add diced fresh red chilies and pulse to chop them into small pieces.
- Pour the onion persimmon puree in to a medium mixing bowl, add the Korean chili flakes, and Korean soy sauce for soup; mix well.
To assemble kimchi
- In a large shallow bowl (or use jelly roll pan) combine cabbages and green onion, add 2/3 of chili filling and sesame seeds. Wear disposable gloves on your hand and toss everything with your hand to make sure everything gets incorporated with the kimchi seasoning paste. Add more filling if needed.
- Taste a piece and add more Korean soup soy sauce to your taste, if needed. It should be slightly saltier that you hoped for.
- Transfer your kimchi in an airtight container and let it sit in the room temperature for 1-2 days, then store in the fridge after that. This kimchi should last up to 2 months in the fridge.
First, I am so glad that you are blogging again! Second, I am so excited that you created this recipe. I made vegan kimchi once and was so frustrated and disappointed. I can’t wait to try your version!
Terrific recipe! You really do know your kimchi. 😉 Never thought it could be made vegan – but you proved it can be.
I have never come across a vegan kimchi recipe. This sounds great.
One word. Genius! I love following your step by step pictures and learn how you cook. Your blog is always one of fun blogs I always look forward to. 🙂 Pinned!
This is REFRESHING. I never knew persimmon could be well blended with kimchi soh. Love this post, and Hail Holly. From Laila in Indonesia.
You can bet I’ll try this recipe soon! Also, I’ve wanted to try to make doenjang since I saw the wonderful Koream movie of the same name. I’m going to check your site for a vegan recipe for doenjang. If you don’t have one, maybe you will make all us vegans lucky, and write one 🙂 The more vegan Korean recipes, the better!
Although I am not a vegan, I like to make occasional vegan meal for the family just to avoid too much meat consumption. Using Doenjang in recipes to make vegan is great way to obtain protein and other good bacteria in the body. I will think of more recipes with doenjang to be vegan worthy. Cheers!
Thank you! Another quick question. Is the doenjang that is available in the store usually vegan?
Yes, doenjang is vegan friendly
Thank you. This leads to another question. Is it hard to make doenjang at home?
Yes, somewhat. You want to make it in an outdoor kitchen due to a potent smell during the process.
Hi Holly! Can you use a little sweet potato instead of the potato? I am on a program where I can’t have any added sugar or white potatoes.
Try with cooked white short grain rice instead. I have not tried with sweet potato, so I can’t tell you how it will turn out.
Here’s a problem – I have a friend who is vegan and doesn’t care for spicy foods. Since my misson in life seems to be to feed everyone I know kimchi, how can I make this recipe into a white (baek) kimchi? Will it keep well if I omit the gochugaru? And I’d also like to add maesil syrup – can I substitute that for the persimmon? How much should I use, if so?
Thanks! I”m not Korean, but I do have a kimchi refrigerator. How can anyone live without one? 😉
Judith, it is quite tricky to turn this recipe in to white kimchi. Mainly because we use salted shrimps in white kimchi to maintain its whiteness in color and the flavor. If you use the soy sauce, the white kimchi will turn a little darker. Maesil syrup is great to add in the recipe but you might need to add a little sugar. Maesil syrup alone can make kimchi slightly tarty. I would use 2 tablespoon of maesil syrup plus 1-2 teaspoon sugar. Try with 1 teaspoon of sugar first, taste, then adjust according to your taste. Good luck!
Holly, thanks! Maybe she is not going to get any kimchi for a while. I appreciate the comments on the maesil syrup – I’ve got rather a lot of it, so it will be interesting to figure out how to use it.
Add the maesil syrup in bulgogi, galbi, pork, or chicken recipe. It will tenderize the meat even better and you will love the flavor in it. I would recommend to use this syrup in any Korean dishes that requires a little sugar such as salads or any meat dishes.
Oops, didn’t see this earlier – what a good idea. Thanks!
This looks SOOO GOOD! I can’t wait to try it.
One question: Can I change out the shiitake mushroom for anything else in the broth?
You can leave the mushroom out.
I fell in love with this kimchi recipe! I just did it after reading your blog >.<
I tasted it and it's beautiful! (it's is fermenting now, let's see after 24hrs)
Thank You for sharing this yummy delicious recipe!
HI Danielle
Glad to hear that you tried this kimchi. Hope it ferments to taste wonderful for you.
Just wondering why not use the cooked mushroom and pumpkin for part of the marinade?
Hi Jackie
Youu can add them if you want. The stock has all the flavor melted in without overpowering the flavor of mushroom and pumpkin in the kimchi.
Thank you! I love the recipe and can’t wait to use it!
Point of order though. Kimchi is not vegan or vegetarian. Fish (sea creatures in general) are not vegetables. They are animals; therefore, not vegetarian. I am really sick of people assuming that because I’m a vegetarian and not a vegan, I eat fish. I do not eat fish (or any animal including bugs and mollusks). It is an animal. Vegetarians do not eat animals. If you eat fish, you are a pescatarian, not a vegetarian.
This kind of attitude makes it nearly impossible for me to eat out anywhere because people think fish (and sea bugs and mollusks) are swimming broccoli. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to say I’m vegan (though I eat cheese and eggs and make no actual claim to be vegan) to make sure that people don’t put animals in my food.
Again, love the recipe. I’ll let you know how it turns out. 🙂
Thanks for your comment, Alessandra. I understand how frustrating it must be. I am not a vegetarian nor vegan, but I try to enjoy meat-free meal once a week just to reduce meat consumption in my family’s diet. These days People are paying a full attention to food allergy of others, therefore it would be very nice to consider someone’s diet restriction and understand the do’s and don’t’s as well. Hope you get to try this Kimchi and be able to enjoy it. Please let me know how it turns out!
Holly, the kimchi turned out amazingly. At first I didn’t think it was enough liquid, then I packed it into the jar and it was perfect. Instead of burying it (I live in a flat), I filled a sink with cool water up to the level of the kimchi and put a towel over it. I just moved it to do the dishes then refilled the sink and put the towel back over the sealed jar again. The temperature must have been perfect because it was sooooo good. I put it in and on everything all week.
Store bought kimchi is good, but it tastes so much better when you make it yourself and your instructions were clear and easy to follow. The pictures helped a lot. I love how Korean food is all by hand or to taste. That’s how I’ve always cooked too.
Thank you so much! I will be making this often and for a long, long time. I have already put it in a spot of honour; the family recipe book I got from my mother, who got it from her mother, who got it from her mother… I love this recipe that much!
That is just wonderful Alessandra. I feel so honored that you added this recipe to your family recipe book. Thank you so much!
Love your writing style, brilliant! Can you tell me how long this will keep in the fridge?
Thanks
Hi Alice, it can be kept in the fridge quite long, up to 2 month. But I recommend to consume within a month though. If too fermented, it just doesn’t taste good anymore to eat as is.
I may be dense, but can you tell me what Korean Coarse Sea Salt is? How is it different from regular sea salt and where can I find it?
I have been looking at your recipes for kimchee and am so glad that you have a vegan recipe. I was wondering why the cabbage preparation is so different though from the 3 volume kimchee recipe. In the vegan one you cut the cabbage into 2 inch pieces and in the regular kimchi you just quarter it and put the the other stuff between the leaves. Just wondering why.
Linda
The regular (more authentic) kimchi recipe can survive for the longer storage period due to keeping the whole length of cabbage itself (which gets bundled and hold the kimchi stuffing intact together inside to keep the flavor and the texture fresh longer). Once cabbage gets chopped up, the storage life gets shorter. The authentic whole cabbage kimchi can be stored several month to a year if stored right. The chopped up cabbage kimchi can’t last that long. It will ferment faster and get mushy after 1-2 month of fermenting. Therefore You don’t want to make too much volume of easy method kimchi unless you can finish within 1-2 month. Heep this helps.
I just made this vegan kimchee (withasian pear, did not find persimmon yet) and it is delicious. Even my picky daughter who has never liked anything with spiciness loved it. I am vegan and I have bookmarked all your kimchee recipes. I was wondering if I use the same type of broth for the other kimchee and used the soy sauce for soup would that replace the fish in the other recipes? Is there anything else I would have to add? Great recipes. I have sent my son to the store for sprite so I can make the radish kimchee later today.
Hi Linda
You can substitute the Korean soy sauce for soup as a substitute for the fish sauce in any kimchi recipe. Great to hear that the vegan kimchi turned out well for you. Yeah!
Can you substitute the broth with vegetable broth? And I’m not vegan but wanted to avoid fish sauce, so how would chicken broth work?
You can try with vegetable broth. I think the chicken broth will make funny taste in kimchi. Some northern Koreans use beef in kimchi, but personally have not tried yet.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I will definitely try it soon! I’m just a little confused about where the potato comes into the kimchi. Do you blend it with the persimmon?
Hi Nihal
Yes, you will need to blend the potato together with persimmon, onion, garlic, and ginger. Add the fresh chili (if using) at the last minute to pulse. Hope you like this kimchi. Many people have told me that they loved it. Thanks!
Hi Holly,
Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I tried this recipe and loved the result. I have made vegan kimchi before but I think this is the best one. It is because the broth and additional sweet fruit and pungent soy sauce, I think. Brilliant! I used kombu in the broth and simmered (with kabocha and dried shiitake) per your recipe. I used half of a Fuji apple. I don’t have the Korean soy sauce but I have other fermented soy sauce Thai style (replacing fish sauce) that is vegan. The result is still so yummy.
I will look for that Korean soy sauce in the Korean market. Thank you so much!
Debbie
Thank you so much for making this article! I have eaten kimchi from the store before, but really wanted to try making my own. I was very worried that I would do something wrong with the fermentation and accidentally poison myself! Your article gave me the confidence I needed to try, and the kimchi I made turned out amazing on the first try! I didn’t follow the recipe exactly — I like to be creative in the kitchen — but even my mother (who has never tried kimchi) liked it. I ended up making a sweet and sour soup to add the kimchi to, and that was also fantastic! I will definitely be making more in the future. Thank you again! 🙂
This is my third time making kimchi and been using this recipe. My partner loves it and ofcourse I am glad I found this recipe.
Good on you.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I had a korean roommate for a few years and her mom always used to send us packages with homemade de-li-cious Kimchi – I loved it!!
I’ve been looking for good Kimchi ever since but the one that comes in cans was never as tasty… So I’m very glad that I found this blog, especially since I started eating mostly vegan a while ago.
I’m going to try this out tomorrow!
Let me tell you – it was amazing!! I can’t wait to do it again, it was finished in no time 😀
Great! You made my day happy!
This recipe is fantastic. Please post more vegan recipes! You’re very good at creating them.
Do you think using seaweed would work well? If so, what kind would you recommend?
This recipe is great. A total hit! I used sweet rice flour (rice starch) instead of potato. So this kimchi has a shorter shelf life? About two months? Is that normal with Kimchi? Or does commercial Kimchee have preservatives?
The whole cabbage kimchi can last longer than cut up cabbage kimchi. It doesn’t mean you can’t eat them after two month. You can still eat but it will be really sour and almost mushy to enjoy the flavor and texture. Kimchi can last months in the fridge. They usually don’t have preservative since it is fermented food.
Holly, about the soy sauce for soup. I’ve read that it is gluten-free, as in no wheat is used during the production. Can you as a native speaker confirm, that it contains no grains with gluten just soy? Thanks!
Korean soy sauce for soup comes from the liquid where doenjang block is soaked in salt solution and being fermented. Authentic doenjang block(meju) should be 100% soy, therefore a good soy sauce for soup should be free of any wheat or barley. However, most commercial doenjang paste contains added wheat or rice during the process of making doenjang paste from the meju block to create desirable texture and color. For my understanding doenjnag block(meju) itself is made with 100% soy, but I can’t confirm if all the commercial soy sauce for soup are gluten-free. I highly suggest to read the ingredient label on the soup soy sauce bottle to see if there is any added wheat or other grains.
WOWW!! This recipe turned out to perfection!!! The broth is the magic ingredient. And next time I will seek the treasured PERSIMMON to make it even better.
Where did you find those bamboo chopsticks? The brown one that looks like a bamboo stick 🙂 SO cool!
THANK YOU! My Korean wife said our Kimchi is better than her mom’s!
Great recipes with veg broth and persimmon! I would imagine how good it will be because I love persimmon 😀
Can the onion and garlic be left out in the recipe during the fermentation process?
Onion and Garlic won’t effect the fermentation but they help with the flavor. I would recommend to use less. Omitting entire amount won’t bring the good taste of kimchi
Thank you for this recipe, looks awesome and I will give it a try today, but I have a doubt about the potato, I suppose it goes with the stock and everything that is blended? Rice would also be blended here?
Yes, either cooked potato or rice can be used to be blended all together with the other ingredients as specified. Hope it turns out well for you. Thanks.
I’ll try this recipe soon, not because I’m vegan but because I’ve recently moved to Uruguay and haven’t found fish sauce or fish powder yet. Also, I have a person in my household with a serious allergy to shellfish so I have to be careful. Thank you for making this available in English!
Yes, this kimchi will be safe for those with shellfish allergy.
Thank you so much for sharing! I don’t think I will make this recipe because I don’t have a blender and the Eden grocery shop nearby is run by Koreans who make authentic kimchi (and I don’t have to avoid seafood). But I can almost taste most recipes just reading them, like how I can listen to music just looking at the notes (my master’s degree is in piano), and what made your recipe so lovely I couldn’t resist responding was your tone! You’re serious about what you say but it’s really sweet like your persimmon. No wonder you like to add fruit but not sugar to your kimchi! Please keep writing to us about your cooking!
This looks great! I am constantly trying different vegan kimchi recipes and cannot wait o try it (my mother-in-law has a persimmon tree and we are always trying to figure out ways to use up the fruit!).
In your opinion, do you think that using cooked brown rice as a starch component would be a good substitute? I’ve used white rice and made rice porridge before, I was just wondering about brown rice as an option.
Thank you!
Jaycen
Brown rice will work, but it can change the kimchi color slightly darker. Also brown rice is less starchy.
Thank you! I started a new batch yesterday, we’ll see how it goes! 🙂 Thank you for responding! I am so glad I’ve found your site!
❤️❤️❤️ thank you so much for sharing this Recipe!