Kimchi Fried Rice is a delicious Korean dish, that’s easy to make in just 15 minutes. This recipe is vegan, gluten free & can be served 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!

Overhead shot of Kimchi Fried Rice in bowl with chopsticks

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! 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. It’s typically found 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 paired with Korean BBQ Meatballs or Korean BBQ Grilled Salmon.

Table of contents

Fried rice in bowl with chopsticks, topped with diced green onions

How to make Kimchi Fried Rice

  • Sauté veggies. Pour sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté diced onions, chopped kimchi and garlic. Add kimchi juice and bring to a simmer.
  • Toast rice. Add the rice to the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes, slightly toasting the rice on the bottom.
    • Quick Tip! If you don’t already have cooked white rice, be sure to cook the white rice before starting this recipe. I like to make a big batch of jasmine rice in the Instant Pot to use for recipes throughout the week.
  • Add the seasonings. Add soy sauce, ginger and chili paste to the fried rice. Toss to combine and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
  • Top the rice. Finish the fried rice by topping it with diced green onions and sesame seeds, if you’d like.

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. Cooked shrimp can be added at the end. Or raw shrimp can be added 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.

Is kimchi hot or cold?

Kimchi can be eaten cold, straight out of the container or cooked into dishes, like this fried rice and served 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 found 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!

Package of Sinto Vegan Kimchi

Where can you buy kimchi?

Kimchi can be found at most major grocery stores in the refrigerator section near the produce. Vegan kimchi will be found in the refrigerated vegan section of the grocery store.

Many different varieties of kimchi can be found as Asian markets, if you have one in your area.

If you can’t find kimchi at your local grocery store, it can be ordered online, from websites like Amazon.

Can you freeze this recipe?

Yes, this kimchi fried rice recipe can be kept in the freezer for 3 months. When defrosting and reheating the dish, I recommend adding a little extra soy sauce so the dish won’t dry out.

How long does it last in the refrigerator?

This kimchi fried rice will last 5-7 days in the refrigerator. It can be reheated in a skillet on the stove or in the microwave.

Overhead shot of kimchi fried rice in bowl with spoon

More Korean recipes to try

Add these other delicious Korean recipes to your weekly menu for something new & flavorful!

Kimchi fried rice in bowl with spoon and topped with diced green onions
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Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi Fried Rice is a delicious Korean dish, that’s easy to make in 15 minutes. This recipe is vegan, gluten free & can be served as a side dish or entree!
Servings: 4 people
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Author: Whitney Bond
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese, Korean

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 cup onions, diced
  • 1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp kimchi juice
  • 3 cups cooked white rice, If you don’t already have cooked rice available, be sure you start by cooking the rice.
  • ¼ cup soy sauce, Tamari for gluten free
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tbsp chili paste

Optional Toppings

  • sesame seeds
  • green onions, diced

Instructions

  • Add the sesame oil to a large skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add the onions and kimchi, cook for 3-4 minutes, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  • Add the kimchi juice and bring to a simmer.
  • Add the white rice, cook 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the soy sauce, ginger and chili paste.
  • Toss to combine, cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
  • Top with sesame seeds and diced green onions if you would like.

Notes

  • Add-on options:
    • 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. Cooked shrimp can be added at the end. Or raw shrimp can be added 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.
  • Vegan: To make this recipe vegan, make sure the kimchi used is labeled vegan.
  • Gluten free: This recipe is gluten free when tamari or gluten free soy sauce is used.

Nutrition Facts

Serving 2gCalories 221kcal (11%)Carbohydrates 40g (13%)Protein 5g (10%)Fat 3g (5%)Sodium 814mg (34%)Potassium 162mg (5%)Fiber 1g (4%)Sugar 2g (2%)Vitamin A 15mgVitamin C 4.8mg (6%)Calcium 27mg (3%)Iron 0.7mg (4%)
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