Quick And Easy Vegan Kimchi Stew (vegan kimchi jjigae)
Ready in just 20 minutes and full of bold flavors, this vegan kimchi stew is the ultimate way to warm up on a cold day. With its spicy, tangy-sweet broth and satisfying tofu and noodles, it’s a hearty, nourishing dish that will warm you from the inside out.
Kimchi stew, or Kimchi Jjigae, is a beloved Korean dish that traditionally combines kimchi, tofu, scallions, and other flavorful ingredients. In our vegan version, tofu is the main protein source, making it light and nutritious.
To fully capture the health benefits of kimchi, we incorporate raw kimchi and kimchi brine directly into the stew, enhancing its depth of flavor. The sourness of the kimchi is balanced by the sweetness of maple syrup and the delicate flavor of enoki mushrooms, creating a comforting bowl of sweet, sour, and spicy goodness.
This vegan kimchi stew comes together in one pot and takes just 20 minutes to prepare. Its vibrant red color and rich, inviting aroma make it as visually appealing as it is delicious. If you love ramen and stews, you should get our free ebook Comfort in a bowl.
If you love cooking with kimchi, you should also try our Easy vegan tteokbokki – with kimchi and Kimchi Udon with Peanut Butter.
Table of Contents
What is Kimchi Stew
Kimchi Stew, or Kimchi Jjigae, is a spicy Korean soup dish featuring Kimchi. It’s said to be one of the most popular Korean stews. While it traditionally uses beef stock and minced meat, our vegan version uses vegetable stock and tofu. Although Kimchi Jjigae traditionally doesn’t involve noodles, we included some flat noodles to make it heartier, feel free to leave them out for a more authentic experience.
Kimchi is fermented cabbage and other vegetables that is very popular in Korea. It gets it trademark red color and spicy kick from the sauce made from gochugaru chili powder, garlic, ginger, scallions, and red pepper. If you’d like to make kimchi from scratch, see our trusted kimchi recipe.
Cooking with kimchi
We often get asked if kimchi should be eaten hot or cold and the answer is both is fine. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- Use older kimchi for cooking – Traditionally, cooking with kimchi is a great option when you have an older batch of kimchi lying around. The reason is that kimchi continues slowly fermenting in the fridge, and might become too overpowering for some people to eat fresh, but this deep umami flavor is perfect for flavoring dishes. Being fermentation enthusiasts, we still enjoy fresh kimchi even after several months.
- Ruining probiotics – Heating any fermented foods can start to kill off the healthy probiotics. So, to retain the health benefits, it is best to add some of the kimchi in at the end of the cooking process.
- Add something sweet to balance the sourness – The Korean dishes that we’ve tried had a wonderful balance of sweet and sour. In this case, maple syrup is used to achieve that harmony.
Ingredients
- Sesame oil – Used for frying the ginger and garlic, though its flavor is subtle in this dish and can be replaced with canola oil.
- Fresh ginger and garlic – Fried ginger and garlic add a fresh kick to the broth. We also use them as a fragrant base in our ramen recipes, like this Creamy Miso Ramen.
- Gochujang paste – Deepens the umami flavor of the stew.
- Vegetable stock – Provides a richer flavor base of the stew.
- Kimchi – The star of this dish, kimchi develops a rich umami flavor through fermentation. Use your preferred level of spiciness. Ensure it’s vegan if you’re following a vegan diet, as most kimchi is made with fish sauce.
- Tamari – Adds another layer of savory flavor and a touch of color to the stew.
- Tofu – Tofu is the main source of protein, making this a vegan recipe. Medium-firm tofu adds a lovely textural element to the kimchi, mushrooms, and noodles.
- Raw noodles – Fresh raw noodles can be found in larger Asian grocery stores. As traditional Kimchi Jjigae recipe doesn’t traditionally involve noodles, we love flat noodles in this vegan kimchi soup recipe.
- Enoki mushrooms – Their delicate sweetness is a lovely complement to the sourness of kimchi.
- Maple syrup – Balances the sourness of kimchi.
- Nori seaweed and scallion – Our favorite garnishes for this tofu kimchi stew, adding salty-sweet notes and freshness.
Kimchi Jjigae Recipe Variations
- Noodles or rice – While we love noodles in our kimchi stew, rice is also a popular and perfectly delicious option. Our recipes call for raw noodles, but dried ones are fine too – we suggest cooking them in a separate bowl.
- Mushrooms – We love enoki mushrooms because they have a slightly sweet flavor that is a great complement to the sourness of kimchi. However, any mushrooms will work fine, including dried shiitake. If using dried shiitake, make sure to re-hydrate them in boiling water before using.
- Light soy sauce – Replace tamari with a light soy sauce.
- Gochugaru – Gochujang paste is made from starch and gochugaru chili. If you don’t have gochujang paste, you can just use the gocgugaru chili flakes.
- Add your favorite toppings – Make this kimchi stew recipe your own by using your favorite toppings. In addition to the nori seaweed and scallion, you can also try fried onion, roasted sesame seeds, and chili oil. If you are not vegan, you can turn it into a vegetarian kimchi stew by using medium-boiled eggs either instead or in addition to the tofu.
How to make the Vegan Kimchi Stew: Step-by-step instructions
Mise en Place (Preparation)
Mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
Cut the bottom of the enoki mushrooms, leaving just enough of the bottom part for them to still hold together.
Thinly slice the scallion and set aside.
If using kimchi made from whole cabbage leaves, cut it into 1 cm, or half an inch, wide slices. Save half of it for final garnishing. Take 4 – 6 tablespoons of kimchi brine and divide it between the two serving bowls.
Make the Vegan Kimchi Stew
Heat up a pot at medium heat. Add in a tablespoon of sesame oil, and fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant – about a minute. Mix them around, as these tiny pieces can burn quickly. Add the gochujang paste and cook for one minute.
Add the stock and bring to simmer.
Add half of the kimchi, tamari, and tofu and cook for five minutes. Add the enoki mushrooms and noodles. Cook for as long as the noodles packaging requires.
Plating
First, scoop out two or three ladles of the stew liquid. Using tongs or a fork, grab the noodles and add them to the center of the bowl. Add the tofu on the center or a side, revealing some of the noodles. Add the mushrooms on one side, and fresh kimchi on the other. Add the scallions on top of the tofu. Stick the nori seaweed on a side of the bowl that still has some space in it.
More similar recipes
See our kimchi recipe here. There are many different types of kimchi, which you can read about here.
For more delicious soup and stew recipes see the recipes below:
- Easy Pumpkin And Carrot Soup (with roasted vegetables).
- 10-Minute Vegan Creamy Ramen (With Miso)
- eBooks
Quick and Easy Vegan Kimchi Stew
Equipment
- 1 Medium pot
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Chopping knife
- 1 Ladel
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tabelspoon ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
- 3 cups stock
- 200 grams kimchi sliced in wedges
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 200 grams tofu firm
- 100 grams fresh enoki mushrooms cleaned
- 150 grams fresh noodles
- 6 tablespoosn kimchi brine
- 1 scalion thinly sliced for garnishing
- 1/2 sheet nori seaweed cut into cubers for garnishing
Instructions
Mise en place (Preparation)
- Mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
- Cut the bottom of the enoki mushrooms, leaving just enough of the bottom part for them to still hold together.
- Thinly slice the scallion and set aside.
- If using kimchi made from whole cabbage leaves, cut it into 1 cm, or half an inch, wide slices. Save half of it for final garnishing. Take 4 – 6 tablespoons of kimchi brine and divide it between the two serving bowls.
Make the Kimchi Stew
- Heat up a pot at medium heat. Add in a tablespoon of sesame oil, and fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant – about a minute/ Mix them around, as these tiny pieces can burn quickly. Add the gochujang paste and cook for one minute.
- Add the stock and bring to simmer.
- Add half of the kimchi, tamari, and tofu and cook for five minutes. Add the enoki mushrooms and noodles. Cook for as long as the noodles packaging requires.
Plate
- Scoop out two / three ladles of the soup liquid.
- Using tongs or a fork, grab the noodles and add them to the center of the bowl.
- Add the tofu on the center or a side, revealing some of the noodles.
- Add the mushrooms on one side, and fresh kimchi on the other. Add the scallions on top of the tofu. Stick the nori seaweed on a side of the bowl that still has some space to it.
Notes
- You can substitute the noodles with rice.
I had so much fun creating this recipe and sharing it with you! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I 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!
Such a delicious and hearty meal. Kimchi jjigae really highlights the bold and vibrant flavors of Korean cuisine
It’s one of my best comfort foods! Thanks for the comment, Darja.