Kimchi fried rice (vegan & gluten-free)

Kimchi fried rice is a weeknight-friendly recipe that’s packed with the pungent goodness of preserved cabbage, peas, and onions.

It comes together in just 20 to 30 minutes.

By using leftover rice, store-bought kimchi, and frozen peas, it requires very little chopping or time on task.

Enjoy it as a full lunch or dinner on its own or alongside browned tofu or seitan.

This kimchi fried rice recipe comes from the cookbook Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking by Celine Steen.

You’ll find a variety of recipes in the book – from easy weeknight meals to more elaborate projects.

You can also find gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options as well.

(This recipe for smoky kale & chickpeas with miso peanut drizzle also looks terrific!)

In this post:

Oil: This recipe calls for coconut oil, but it would also work with any high heat oil like avocado oil.

Produce: Onion and frozen green peas.

Kimchi and brine: Use store-bought or homemade kimchi for this recipe. Look for kimchi that doesn’t include fish sauce, shrimp, and/or anchovy extract.

Rice: For best results, use cold rice. With cold rice, you’re able to coat & toast the individual grains.

Freshly cooked rice has more moisture & will clump. That makes it difficult for it to toast or for the flavorings to combine.

Tamari: This Japanese-style soy sauce adds umami and salt. It can be replaced with your preferred soy sauce.

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Bring a large skillet to a medium-high heat with coconut oil. Add onion & sauté it.

Add kimchi & cook until heated through and not overly juicy.

Add green peas & cook until bright green.

Bring a separate skillet to a medium high heat with coconut oil. Add rice & cook until heated through and crisp.

Season the rice with tamari and kimchi brine.

Add the toasted rice to the pan with kimchi/onions/peas.

Serve with your preferred garnishes.

You can make this dish your own by varying the ingredients & amounts.

Vary the amount of kimchi

I like to use 8 ounces of kimchi. However, if yours is on the weak side, feel free to add more. (You can go up to double.)

Add seasonings

If your kimchi is mildly flavored, add a dollop of gochujang, a sprinkle of rice vinegar, or another splash of tamari to the rice.

Vary the oil & amounts

If you don’t have coconut oil, any high heat oil will work.

Organic canola oil and avocado oil are convenient all-purpose & flavorless options.

You can easily use less oil than what the recipe lists. I halve the amount below, and that works fine.

Replace the peas

The peas can be replaced with edamame.

Add Just Egg

For a toothsome addition, add browned Just Egg.

I recommend sprinkling it with kala namak, nutritional yeast, and black pepper for enhanced flavor.

This filling rice dish can be a full meal on its own.

Or you can add different garnishes, toppings, or side dishes to fill it out.

For a starter, begin the meal with potsticker soup. It is lightly seasoned with gochujang, which complements the flavors here.

Top kimchi fried rice with garnishes like sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, scallions, browned seitan bacon, or crumbled nori.

Protein-packed tofu gives extra staying power to the dish. Homemade bulgogi tofu, eggy tofu, or store-bought teriyaki tofu works well here.

(You can pre-packaged teriyaki flavored tofu from Wildwood or Trader Joe’s.)

Add a dollop of sesame kale or sugar snap peas stir fry to the side for extra green veggies.

Keep leftover kimchi fried rice in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3 to 5 days.

Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove with a little oil. Add another splash of tamari if it seems dry.

Can’t get enough fried rice?

Try these other fried rice recipes:

• Pineapple fried rice
• Mixed vegetable ginger & turmeric rice
• Vegan fried rice with Brussels sprouts

📖 Recipe

Kimchi fried rice

Author: Celine Steen

5 from 3 votes

This one’s a highly adaptable recipe and will mainly depend on the ripeness and spiciness of your kimchi.

I recommend using a young, as in not super ripe, kimchi if you’re going to use 16 ounces. If using super ripe kimchi, use 8 ounces and add tofu or extra veggies. You can also elect to use extra tamari or gochujang if your kimchi really is on the weak side.

Garnish the finished dish with chopped dry roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, thinly sliced scallions, crumbled roasted nori sheet, and/or mild-flavored fried or baked tofu.

Serves 4 to 6 people. It will serve 4 as a standalone meal & 6 if served with sides.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean, Vegan

Keyword: fried rice, weeknight meal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil or peanut oil, divided
• ▢ 1 medium white onion peeled, trimmed, and chopped
• ▢ 8 to 16 ounces kimchi roughly chopped*
• ▢ 1 ½ cups frozen green peas
• ▢ 3 cups cooked rice chilled
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon kimchi brine

Instructions

• ▢
  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. Add the onion and cook until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• ▢
  Add the kimchi and cook until it isn’t too juicy anymore and is heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the green peas and cook until bright green and heated through, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
• ▢
  Break the rice apart with a spoon to remove clumps. In another skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil on medium-high heat. Add the rice to the oil and cook until heated through and crisp, about 3 minutes.
• ▢
  Add the tamari and kimchi brine, and cook until absorbed and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally.
• ▢
  Stir the rice into the vegetables to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes to let the flavors meld.
• ▢
  Serve with your garnishes of choice like chopped dry roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, thinly sliced scallions, crumbled roasted nori sheet, and/or mild-flavored fried or baked tofu.

Notes

Reprinted from Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking: Healthy Plant-Based Recipes with a Kick By Celine Steen, published by Page Street Publishing

*Note from Cadry: Make sure to read the label to find vegan kimchi. Some brands contain fish sauce, shrimp, and/or anchovy extract. Also note that the brininess of kimchi varies by brand. So it’s best to go by taste in terms of amounts.

I use 8 ounces of kimchi when making the recipe. That works great for me. If your kimchi is very mild, feel free to use more.

If your kimchi is already finely chopped like the Gold Mine variety pictured above, you won’t need to chop it further.

To keep this recipe gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free tamari.

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Nutrition

Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 417IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking for review purposes. 

Content, recipe, and photos updated May 25, 2021. Originally posted July 20, 2017.