Vegan Kimchi Brands — Which Ones Are Actually Vegan
Most kimchi — even the plant-heavy-looking kind — is seasoned with fish sauce or salted shrimp (jeotgal) for depth of flavor. “Made from cabbage” doesn’t mean vegan. Here’s exactly which store-bought brands skip the fish sauce entirely, which vary by SKU or region, and which to double-check before you buy.
Which Kimchi Brands Are Actually Vegan?
1000 Year Kimchi, Wildbrine, Surasang, Lucky Foods (Seoul Kimchi), Simple Truth (Kroger’s store brand), Olive My Pickle, and Cleveland Kitchen are all made without fish sauce or shrimp paste across their entire lineup. Trader Joe’s varies — it has used both vegan and non-vegan formulations at different times, so check the current label. Mother-in-Law’s sells two different SKUs under one brand: the Vegan Reserve Napa Cabbage Kimchi has no animal products, but the original House recipe uses anchovy fish sauce and beef bone broth. Bibigo is region-specific: its Korea-made refrigerated line contains fish sauce, but its UK-sold ambient pouch is V-Label-certified Vegan. Jongga’s standard line uses fish sauce, but it also sells a dedicated vegan SKU — check the package. Cosmos and the rest of our list use traditional fish sauce or shrimp paste and are not vegan.
Why Most Kimchi Isn’t Vegan by Default
Traditional kimchi gets its savory depth from jeotgal — salted, fermented seafood, usually fish sauce (myeolchi-aekjeot) or salted shrimp (saeujeot). It’s added during the seasoning stage, not visible once mixed in, so a jar can look entirely plant-based — cabbage, radish, chili, garlic — while still containing seafood. That’s what trips people up.
Check the ingredient list, not the appearance
Look for “fish sauce,” “anchovy,” “shrimp,” “bone broth,” or “seafood extract.” None of these are visible once fermented into the paste — you have to read the label.
Look for an explicit vegan claim or mark
Brands that reformulate to remove fish sauce (usually with a soy- or seaweed-based umami substitute) tend to say so directly on the front label — “Vegan” printed clearly, not implied.
Check the SKU name, not just the brand
A brand you know is vegan-safe isn’t always vegan across its whole shelf. Mother-in-Law’s and Jongga both sell a vegan SKU alongside a traditional, fish-sauce-based one under the same brand name.
Vegan ≠ Halal or Kosher
These are separate claims. A vegan kimchi is automatically compatible with both, but a Halal- or Kosher-certified kimchi can still contain fish sauce, which is permitted in both dietary laws. See our Halal & Kosher kimchi brands guide if that’s what you’re checking for.
Vegan Kimchi Brands, Brand by Brand
Sourced from and consistent with each brand’s standalone review and the hub page’s allergen table. Where a brand’s vegan status varies by region, batch, or SKU, we mark it rather than assume either way.
| Brand | Vegan | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 Year Kimchi | ✅ Vegan | No fish sauce or shrimp paste in the standard line. |
| Wildbrine | ✅ Vegan | Uses seaweed instead of fish sauce for umami depth. |
| Surasang | ✅ Vegan | No fish sauce or shrimp paste; live-fermented. |
| Lucky Foods (Seoul Kimchi) | ✅ Vegan | Also Kosher-certified — see our Halal & Kosher guide for details. |
| Simple Truth (Kroger) | ✅ Vegan | Kroger’s store-brand line, formulated without fish sauce. |
| Olive My Pickle | ✅ Vegan | All 3 varieties (Classic, Cucumber, Daikon Radish) — 100% vegan, unpasteurized, with published probiotic counts. |
| Cleveland Kitchen | ✅ Vegan | Label-confirmed Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Kosher; widely stocked in mainstream grocery chains. |
| Mother-in-Law’s | ⚠️ Varies by SKU | “Vegan Reserve” Napa Cabbage: vegan. “House” Napa Cabbage: contains anchovy fish sauce + beef bone broth, not vegan. |
| Trader Joe’s | ⚠️ Varies | Rotates suppliers and formulations — has used both vegan and non-vegan recipes. Check the current jar’s ingredient list. |
| Bibigo | ⚠️ Region-specific | Korea-made refrigerated line: not vegan (fish sauce). UK ambient pouch: V-Label-certified Vegan (soy peptone starter). |
| Jongga | ⚠️ Standard: no. Vegan SKU: yes | The standard line uses fish sauce, but Jongga also sells a dedicated vegan kimchi (no fish sauce or shrimp paste) — check the specific package. |
| Cosmos | ❌ Not vegan | Traditional recipe — fish sauce or shrimp paste. |
“Varies” means the brand has used both vegan and non-vegan formulations across different batches, suppliers, regions, or SKUs — not that a specific jar is guaranteed either way. Always check the current package’s ingredient list.
Once you’ve got a confirmed-vegan jar, put it to work — our vegan kimchi fried rice recipe is built around exactly this kind of jar, and most kimchi jjigae recipes assume fish-sauce kimchi, so a vegan swap changes the depth of the broth slightly.
Vegan Kimchi — FAQ
Not by default. Traditional kimchi is seasoned with fish sauce or salted shrimp (jeotgal) for depth of flavor, which makes most store-bought jars non-vegan even though the base ingredients — napa cabbage, radish, chili, garlic — are plant-based. Always check the ingredient list or look for a specific vegan claim on the label.
1000 Year Kimchi, Wildbrine, Surasang, Lucky Foods (Seoul Kimchi), Simple Truth (Kroger’s store brand), Olive My Pickle, and Cleveland Kitchen are all made without fish sauce or shrimp paste across their full lineup. Trader Joe’s and Mother-in-Law’s vary by SKU or batch — check the current label.
It varies. Trader Joe’s rotates suppliers and formulations over time, so some batches have used fish sauce while others haven’t. There is no permanent vegan guarantee — check the ingredient list on the jar you’re buying rather than relying on a past purchase.
It depends on the format and region. Bibigo’s Korea-made refrigerated line contains fish sauce and shrimp extract and is not vegan. Bibigo’s UK-sold ambient sliced kimchi pouch, however, is V-Label-certified Vegan, using a soy peptone starter culture instead of fish sauce. Always check the specific package.
Yes. All three Olive My Pickle kimchi varieties — Classic, Cucumber, and Daikon Radish — are 100% vegan with no fish element, unpasteurized and lactic-acid fermented, and the brand publishes third-party-verified probiotic counts per serving.
Yes. Cleveland Kitchen’s Classic Kimchi is labeled Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Kosher, made with cabbage, garlic, apple, mustard greens, and Korean red pepper with no fish sauce or shrimp paste, and it’s widely available in mainstream grocery chains rather than only online. See our full Cleveland Kitchen review.
Only one of its two core SKUs is. Mother-in-Law’s Vegan Reserve Napa Cabbage Kimchi is made without any animal products. Its original House Napa Cabbage Kimchi uses anchovy fish sauce and beef bone broth for umami and is not vegan. Same brand, same-looking jar — check which SKU is on the label.
Wildbrine and Surasang are widely available, genuinely vegan, and live-fermented for everyday eating. Olive My Pickle is the strongest pick if you care about verified probiotic counts, and Cleveland Kitchen is the easiest to find in a regular mainstream grocery store rather than online-only.
Ji-Young Park cross-referenced ingredient lists and brand statements against each brand’s own standalone review, and keeps this guide synced as formulations change. Re-checked against current brand and retailer listings in September 2026.
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Dr. Sarah Mitchell reviewed the ingredient and dietary claims in this guide for accuracy.
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