Kimchi Fried Rice is a delicious Korean dish, that’s easy to make in just 15 minutes. This recipe is vegan, gluten free and you can serve it as a side dish or entree!
I love this kimchi bokkeumbap recipe on it’s own as a meal for lunch. I also love serving it topped with melt-in-your-mouth Korean BBQ Short Ribs for dinner!
Can we talk about how awesome fried rice is? Leftover rice is transformed into a seriously flavorful dish in less than 20 minutes. Sign me up for that every week!
Sweet and Sour Chicken Fried Rice is a fun combination of Chinese restaurant favorites. Sriracha Steak Fried Rice is meaty, spicy and so delicious! Ham Fried Rice is a great way to use up leftover ham. And Kimchi Fried Rice is an easy vegan dish infused with tons of flavor!
Kimchi is seasoned, fermented cabbage, commonly served at Korean restaurants and found in Asian grocery stores. We love kimchi around our house! We eat it as a snack straight out of the fridge and love adding it to recipes.
A lot of kimchi contains anchovy paste or fish sauce, making it not suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet. To make Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice, I started searching for vegan kimchi. Luckily, I didn’t have to look far!
All of the grocery stores I regularly shop at carry at least one brand of vegan kimchi. You can find it in the refrigerated vegan section of the grocery store, near the tofu and soy chorizo.
If you’re not vegan or vegetarian, any kimchi will work in this recipe. For the meat-lovers out there, this Kimchi Fried Rice is perfect to pair with Korean BBQ Meatballs or Korean BBQ Grilled Salmon.
Steamed rice is instantly more delicious if you stir some finely chopped kimchi into it, giving it a nice little kick of tangy spice. Same goes for fried rice—just stir it in right at the last minute after everything is fried.
What to serve with it
It’s easy to add additional ingredients or protein to this kimchi fried rice recipe. Here are a few of my favorite additions.
- Top it with fried eggs. Fry eggs sunny side up in a separate skillet from the fried rice. Serve the eggs on top of the fried rice after plating it.
- Add shrimp. Add cooked shrimp at the end, or raw shrimp with the veggies, to cook in the skillet before adding the rice.
- Add pork belly. Pork belly is a common ingredient found in kimchi fried rice. Add uncooked diced pork belly with the veggies to cook in the skillet before adding the rice. Or Add cooked diced pork belly at the end of cooking the fried rice.
This kimchi fried rice will last 5-7 days in the refrigerator, stored in an airtight container. You can reheat it in a skillet on the stove, or in the microwave.
You can also store the kimchi fried rice in the freezer for up to 3 months. When defrosting and reheating the dish, I recommend adding a little extra soy sauce so the dish won’t dry out.
- Is kimchi hot or cold? You can eat kimchi cold, straight out of the container, or cook it into dishes, like this fried rice and serve it hot.
- Is kimchi vegan? Kimchi traditionally contains fish sauce or anchovy paste, making it not suitable for a vegan or vegetarian diet. Fortunately, there are many brands of vegan kimchi these days and it’s easily to find at most major grocery stores. For this recipe I used Sinto Gourmet Vegan Kimchi. I’ve also tried Mother In Law’s Vegan Kimchi and Wildbrine Vegan Kimchi. All great choices for this Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice recipe!
- Where can you buy kimchi? You can find kimchi at most major grocery stores in the refrigerator section near the produce. Vegan kimchi is typically in the refrigerated vegan section of the grocery store. You can also find many different varieties of kimchi at Asian markets, if you have one in your area. If you can’t find kimchi at your local grocery store, you can order it online, from websites like Amazon.
How to Eat Kimchi | Shape
FAQ
Is it good to eat kimchi with rice?
What food goes well with kimchi?
Do you eat kimchi with hot or cold rice?
Should you eat kimchi fried rice?
If you do, they will undoubtedly provide an extra hint of spice! Kimchi fried rice is a crowd favorite when it comes to using up that matured kimchi in your fridge, standing strong alongside other Korean staples like kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) and kimchi pancake.
Can you eat steamed rice with kimchi?
In it’s simplest form, one can eat their meal purely with steamed rice and kimchi. Yep! I’ve done that before. But I think it’s more fun and tasty when we get to mix kimchi with some other ingredients.
How to cook kimchi rice?
Heat 2 T of oil in frying pan over medium high heat. Add kimchi, sugar and gochujang and stir fry for 5 min. or until the kimchi becomes soft and a slightly translucent. Omit gochujang or use less to make it less spicy. Turn heat to low and add rice to pan. Break up and press down the rice with a spatula or spoon to mix it with the kimchi.
What to eat with kimchi?
Pair kimchi with minced pork/beef/tofu and wrap them in a dumpling wrapper. You can pan fry them or steam them as you like! 2. Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap, 김치 볶음밥) This 15 minute easy kimchi fried rice is definitely a keeper! Kimchi and rice is stir fried with smoky bacon and spicy kimchi juice.