Vegan Kimchi — The Complete Guide
Regular kimchi usually isn’t vegan — jeotgal (fermented fish or shrimp) and fish sauce are traditional seasonings. Vegan kimchi rebuilds the same sour-umami depth with soy sauce, kelp stock, or mushroom powder instead. This page collects every vegan kimchi recipe and buying guide published on KimchiGuide so far, plus the food science behind what actually makes kimchi vegan.
Is Kimchi Vegan?
Usually not. Traditional kimchi is seasoned with jeotgal — salted fermented fish or shrimp — and often fish sauce, both of which give it much of its savory depth. Vegan kimchi rebuilds that same umami using soy sauce, kelp (dashima) stock, or dried mushroom powder instead. The fermentation itself — the lactic acid process driven by Lactobacillus — is plant-based either way, so vegan kimchi ages through the exact same Stage 1-4 progression as regular kimchi. The seasoning is what changes, not the science. To check a specific jar, use our Is Kimchi Vegan? label guide.
Key Terms — Why Kimchi Isn’t Vegan By Default
A handful of Korean and food-science terms explain exactly what makes kimchi vegan or not, and what’s actually happening in the jar when it’s rebuilt without fish products.
Vegan Kimchi Guides
Four guides cover the questions that come before cooking: is it vegan, how do I make it, what replaces fish sauce, and which jars are safe to buy.
Vegan Kimchi Recipes
Nine recipe pages are live, from a quick fried rice to a ten-meal dinner plan. Each has its own step-by-step method — tap any card for the full page.
More vegan kimchi recipes will be added to this hub as they’re published — follow the full recipe index for updates.
Nutrition & Difficulty Comparison
Every recipe below shares the same fish-sauce-free kimchi foundation — what changes is the format and the protein standing in for what egg, meat, or dairy would normally provide. Where a figure isn’t listed, it’s on the recipe’s own page.
| Guide | Format | Calories | Protein | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to Make Vegan Kimchi | Base recipe | 23 | 1g | Beginner |
| Vegan Kimchi Jjigae | Stew | 200 | 12g | Easy |
| Vegan Kimchi Tacos | Tacos | 340 | 16g | Easy |
| Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice | Fried rice | 380 | 14g | Easy |
| Vegan Kimchi Ramen | Noodle soup | See recipe | See recipe | See recipe |
| Vegan Kimchi Pancake | Pancake (2) | See recipe | See recipe | Easy |
| Vegan Kimchi Dumplings | Dumplings (~30) | See recipe | See recipe | Medium |
| Vegan Kimchi Burger | Burger | Varies by patty | Varies by patty | Easy |
| Vegan Kkakdugi | Side kimchi (banchan) | Low — a side dish | Low | Easy |
| Vegan Korean Dinner Ideas | 10 meals | Per meal on page | Per meal on page | Easy–Medium |
| Is Kimchi Vegan? | Label guide | — | — | — |
| Fish Sauce Substitutes | Ingredient guide | — | — | — |
| Vegan Kimchi Brands | Buying guide | — | — | — |
Tools & Ingredients We Recommend
None of this is required to cook any of the recipes above — but these are the specific things that make vegan kimchi cooking noticeably easier if you’re doing it regularly.
Vegan Kimchi — FAQ
Usually not. Traditional kimchi is seasoned with jeotgal — salted fermented fish or shrimp — and often fish sauce. Vegan kimchi replaces these with soy sauce, kelp stock, or mushroom powder instead.
Check the ingredient label specifically for fish sauce, anchovy, shrimp, oyster, or jeotgal — “vegetarian” labeling is sometimes used loosely and can still include these. See our Is Kimchi Vegan? label guide and our Vegan Kimchi Brands guide for which store-bought jars we’ve verified.
Thirteen as of this page’s last update: four guides (Is Kimchi Vegan?, How to Make Vegan Kimchi, Fish Sauce Substitutes, and Best Vegan Kimchi Brands) and nine recipe pages (Fried Rice, Jjigae, Ramen, Tacos, Burger, Kkakdugi, Pancake, Dumplings, and the 10-meal Vegan Korean Dinner Ideas guide). This page will be updated as more are published.
To buy it, start with the Best Vegan Kimchi Brands guide. To check a jar you already have, use the Is Kimchi Vegan? label guide. To make your own, start with How to Make Vegan Kimchi. To adapt a recipe you already use, see the Fish Sauce Substitutes guide.
Soy sauce or Korean soup soy sauce, mushroom powder with salt, miso, and a kombu and shiitake broth all work. Our Fish Sauce Substitutes guide compares eight options with starting amounts and a swap calculator.
Soy sauce, kelp (dashima) stock, and dried mushroom powder all contribute glutamates — the same umami-producing compounds fish sauce provides.
Yes — the lactic acid fermentation process is plant-based regardless of seasoning, so it ages through the same Stage 1-4 progression as regular kimchi.
Most modern brands are vegan, but a small number add honey or other non-vegan sweeteners — worth a one-time check per brand.
