Easy vegan tteokbokki – with kimchi
Vegan Tteokbokki (Spicy Korean Rice Cakes) comes together in just 15 minutes. It’s perfectly coated in a rich, thick, sweet, savory, and spicy umami sauce with a kick of kimchi.
This is our take on the beloved Korean street food, Tteokbokki, which translates to rice cake (“tteok”) that is stir-fried (“bokki”). The traditional tteokbokki typically includes fish-based ingredients like stock and fish cakes, which we’ve omitted in our vegan ttekbokki recipe, without sacrificing flavor. To enhance the taste and texture, we’ve added kimchi for an extra punch.
This Korean-inspired dish is our go-to when we crave something quick, comforting, and packed with complex flavors. The chewy rice cakes have a unique, satisfying texture rarely found in Western main dishes – the closest assimilation is soft gummy candy and Turkish delight.
The rice cakes are coated in a thick sauce made from gochujang, agave syrup, vegetable stock, and tamari (or soy sauce), with kimchi added at the end to preserve its nutritional benefits. We love finishing it off with toasted sesame seeds.
If you love cooking with kimchi, you should also check out our Quick And Easy Vegan Kimchi Stew (vegan kimchi jjigae) and Kimchi Udon with Peanut Butter.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Chewy texture – Tteokbokki’s rice cakes are unlike anything in Western cuisine; they have a soft and satisfyingly chewy texture. Think of it as the perfect balance between comfort food and fun food.
- Kimchi – Adds a kick of freshness, tanginess, and spice, making every bite even more flavorful. If you’re using a spicy kimchi, expect an extra kick. It will also add another textural element to the dish.
- Flavor bomb – This Vegan Tteokbokki is packed with deep, rich umami from gochujang, tamari, and vegetable stock, balanced with a touch of sweetness from agave syrup and heat from kimchi. The kind of flavor that keeps you coming back for another bite.
- Ready in 15 minutes – This dish is quick, easy, and perfect for when you’re craving something bold and satisfying without spending hours in the kitchen.
Ingredients for Vegan Tteokbokki With Kimchi
- Tteok – Rice cakes are hard when raw and chewy and soft when cooked. For this recipe, get rice cakes in the shape of tubes, not discs.
- Gochujang – Korean paste, made from gochugaru pepper flakes and rice flour. Gochujang can be bought at Asian grocery stores and comes at different spiciness levels. If you like gochujang paste, you’ll love our Gochujang and honey glazed roasted butternut squash.
- Sweetener – Agave or maple syrup will balance the tanginess of the gochujang paste and kimchi.
- Kimchi – Adds a kick of freshness, tanginess, and spiciness – if you are using a spicy kimchi recipe. See our trusted Vegan Kimchi Recipe.
- Tamari – A Japanese version of soy sauce that does not use wheat and is gluten-free. It also has a slightly deeper and smoother flavor and is less salty.
- Vegetable stock – Provides the base for this Korean street food recipe and adds more depth to the sauce.
Step-by-step instructions for Vegan Tteokbokki
Cook the Vegan Tteokbokki
- Warm up a bowl or a frying pan on medium heat.
- Add the gochujang paste and warm up till the fragrance develops. stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add the stock, agave syrup, and tamari sauce and mix until the gochujang paste dissolves in the stock.
- Add the tteok (rice cakes) and cook them in the stock sauce until it thickens; the sauce should be thick so it sticks to the rice cakes. This will take 5 – 7 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Assemble the dish
- Slice kimchi in 1 cm, or 0.2 inch, thick slices.
- Add the sliced kimchi to the Vegan Tteokbokki and mix. If you’re worried about the probiotics in kimchi dying off, make sure the dish temperature is lower than 50 Celsius, or 140 Farenhheit.
How to store Vegan Tteokbokki
- Store it in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Reheat in the microwave, or in a pan. Add two tablespoons of water if you are heating it up in a pan.
Recipe adaptations
- Add vegetables – Swap out kimchi or bulk up the dish with sautéed veggies like cabbage, carrots, or broccoli for extra texture and nutrients.
- Add cheese – Melt vegan cheese on top by covering the pan with a lid for a creamy, indulgent twist.
- Add ramen noodles – It might sound unusual, but it’s actually a popular variation! The noodles are added on top of the teok and add another layer of texture, making the dish even more satisfying.
- Dry wakame algae – For a deeper, umami-rich, slightly “fishy” flavor add wakame—it pairs perfectly with kimchi.
- Add protein – Toss in cubed smoked tofu or tempeh crumble. For a hearty, protein-packed version – try our Air Fryer Tempeh Crumble.
Recipe Video
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Gochujang pepper and honey roasted butternut squash
Easy Vegan Tteokbokki Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Medium non-stick pan
- 1 Measuring spoon
- 1 Wooden spoon for mixing
Ingredients
- 350 grams tteok defrosted if frozen
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- 100 grams kimchi
- 100 grams vegetable stock
Instructions
Cook Vegan Tteokbokki
- Add the 1 tablespoon gochujang paste and warm up till the fragrance develops, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add the 100 grams vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon tamari , and 1 tablespoon agave syrup and mix until the gochujang paste dissolves in the stock.
- Add the 350 grams tteok (rice cakes) and cook them in the stock sauce until it thickens; the sauce should be thick so it sticks to the rice cakes. This will take 5 – 7 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Assemble the dish
- Slice 100 grams kimchi in 1 cm, or 0.2 inch, thick slices.
- Add the sliced kimchi to the Vegan Tteokbokki and mix. If you're worried about the probiotics in kimchi dying off, make sure the dish temperature is lower than 50 Celsius, or 140 Farenhheit.
Notes
- Continuously stir the rice cakes while they are cooking in the sauce to ensure the sauce is not sticking to the pan and that the cakes are fully cooked – they should be soft and chewy before cooking.
- The probiotic dies off at temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius / 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If preserving the probiotics is your concern, make sure the temperature is lower.
- If your rice cakes are frozen, soak them in warm water for 10–15 minutes before cooking. This helps them soften and prevents them from being too chewy.
Nutrition
FAQs
Where to buy Tteok (rice cakes)?
You can buy Asian supermarkets. Get them fresh and refriderated, or frozen.
Is traditional tteokbokki vegan?
While the rice cakes themselves are vegan, traditional tteokbokki contains fish-based ingredients like anchovy broth or fish cakes. However, this recipe is fully vegan.
This tteokbokki recipe is one of my favorite comfort foods. I love that I can whip it up in just a few minutes, it’s a perfect way to cozy-up when short on time, or feeling lazy. I hope you try it and love it as much as we do. If you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts – please leave a comment and a star rating to let me know how it turned out! Your feedback not only makes my day but also helps other readers decide if they want to make it too. Happy cooking!
I recently whipped up this easy vegan tteokbokki with kimchi and was genuinely impressed. The dish was a perfect blend of spicy, tangy, and comforting flavors that made every bite enjoyable. It’s so simple to prepare, yet it packs a flavorful punch that instantly brightened my day. A fun twist on a classic comfort food!