Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice

Flavor-filled kimchi fried rice that’s ready in less than 15 minutes.

This Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice is stir-fried with tofu, lots of kimchi, and spicy gochujang. It’s a quick and easy delicious weeknight dinner idea.

What is Kimchi Fried Rice?

Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap (김치 볶음밥) in Korean) is a popular Korean fried rice. It typically consists of rice stir fried with kimchi and other optional ingredients.

All you really need is day-old rice and kimchi! It’s a great budget-friendly option and it’s ready in less than 15 minutes.

Feel free to customize the fried rice to your palate. Popular ingredients added to Kimchi Fried Rice, include gochujang (fermented chili paste), soy sauce or gochugaru (Korean chili powder).

This recipe includes kimchi and rice (of course), kimchi juice for extra kimchi flavor, tofu as the protein, gochujang for spiciness, green onion, sesame oil, and garnished with sesame seeds and nori.

How to make Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice:

1. Heat up a large non-stick skillet or wok over high-heat. Once smoking, add neutral-flavored oil.
2. Add kimchi and stir fry for 1 minute over medium-high. Turn heat to medium-low. Add rice and break up using a wooden spoon (or comparable kitchen utensil). Add kimchi juice, gochujang, and cubed tofu. Stir well to combine and stir fry for 4 minutes.
3. Spread out rice into an even layer on the skillet. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook for 1 minute to get rice nice and crispy. Stir rice and cook for 30 more seconds so rice is evenly toasted.
4. Stir in sesame oil. Remove from heat and stir in green onions. Serve kimchi fried rice topped with sesame seeds and sliced nori.

Why you’ll love this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice:

Easy & simple. This fried rice is whipped up in less than 15 minutes and is made from budget-friendly ingredients.

Flavor-packed. It contains tofu and sesame oil for umami, kimchi and kimchi juice for tang and spiciness, gochujang for heat.

Tips for making kimchi fried rice:

Since the star of this dish is kimchi, it’s important to pick a high-quality flavorful kimchi. Use well-fermented kimchi that’s more robust in flavor!

Use left-over rice to accomplish that delicious crispy fried rice texture!

Season your tofu or protein beforehand. I opted for an already marinated tofu from Trader Joes. If your tofu is not marinated, I suggest marinating 1 block of tofu in 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, pepper to taste, and 1 clove of garlic, grated.

Use high heat to stir fry the kimchi, medium-low heat while breaking up the rice (to prevent the rice from sticking to the pan), and high heat to nicely toast the rice at the end (*from koreanbapsang.com).

If you’re looking for more quick & easy vegan meal ideas, you’ll also love this Crispy Five Spice Tofu with Cabbage, these Lemon Peanut Noodles with Crispy Tofu, and this Creamy Harissa Chickpea Curry.

Also, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram don’t forget to tag me @healthienut + #healthienut! I love seeing your mouthwatering recreations!