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Homemade Vegan Kimchi

vegan kimchi in a bowl placing on wooden table
Cuisine
Courses
Difficulty Beginner
Time
Prep Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 35 mins Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Servings 1
Best Season Suitable throughout the year
Description

This Vegan Kimchi is the perfect balance of spicy, sour, and umami flavors, all packed into one delicious and healthy fermented dish. Made with napa cabbage, carrots, and a flavorful mix of ginger, garlic, and gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), this homemade kimchi is a great addition to your meals, whether you’re serving it with rice, noodles, or as a topping for your favorite dishes. It’s not only a tasty accompaniment but also filled with gut-friendly probiotics. Plus, making it yourself means you can customize the spice and tang to your liking!

Ingredients
    To salt the napa cabbage
  • 1 (1800g/4lb) cabbage (average)
  • 1 cup or as needed Kosher salt
    • For the vegan kimchi marinade
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup rice flour (regular or glutinous)
  • ½ large apple (discard core and cut into smaller chunks fuji, honey crisp, and gala are good choices or use Korean pear)
  • ½ medium yellow onion (peeled cut into smaller chunks)
  • 15 cloves of garlic (trimmed)
  • 1 inch knob of ginger (peeled and cut into smaller pieces)
  • 1 tablespoon mushroom powder
  • ½ tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup gochugaru (coarse)
    • Additional vegetables for kimchi
  • 8 ounces Korean radish (peeled and julienned)
  • 4 ounces carrot (peeled and julienned)
  • 3 ounces Asian chives (cut into 1 inch pieces and discard about 1 to 2 inches of the tough stem (green onion is okay too)
Lets Start To Make Delicious Vegan Kimchi
    Clean and salt the napa cabbage

  2. Peel away and discard any undesirable outer layer leaves of the napa cabbage.

  3. With the napa cabbage laying on its side, quarter the cabbage long ways. You can also just cut the stem area of the cabbage and rip the rest of the cabbage open with your hand.

  4. Repeat with remaining napa cabbage.

  5. Trim away excess part of the cabbage core but not too much so that the leaves can stay intact.

  6. Then, rinse between each leaf to remove dirt or grim. Make sure to pay extra attention to the outer few leaves. Drain the cabbages as best as you can.
    7. Salt the napa cabbage
  8. In a clean, sanitized area (like a large bowl in a clean sink), salt each quarter of napa cabbage by sprinkling salt between each and every layer and from the root to the tip of each leaf.
  9. Make sure to salt more generously around the stems.
  10. Repeat with all cabbages.
  11. Once all of the cabbages are salted, arrange and stack them in a large bowl.
  12. Cover and weigh down the cabbages with something heavy and let them salt for 1½ to 2 hours.
  13. Rotate the cabbages every 30 to 60 minutes, moving the ones on the top to the bottom.
  14. To check if the napa cabbage is done salting, rip off a small leaf of cabbage and rinse it well with fresh water.
  15. Taste the cabbage. The cabbage will be very bendable and should taste well seasoned at the stem, while the leaf should be a littler saltier but not unbearable.
  16. If the cabbage does not taste salted enough, continue with the salting process for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the desired saltiness is achieved.
  17. Once the napa cabbages are done salting, rinse the them with fresh water to remove excess salt. Make sure to get between each leaf.
  18. After the final rinse, gently but firmly squeeze each quarter of napa cabbage to remove most of the excess water, especially the leafy parts. But don’t squeeze too hard or the stems may get bruised and damaged. Removing the excess water helps to prevent the marinade from becoming diluted and watery.
    19. Make the kimchi marinade
  20. While the napa cabbages are salting, make the marinade.First, make the rice flour paste by whisking together the rice flour and water until well combined.
  21. Transfer the mixture to a pan or saucepan and cook over medium to medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
  22. Once the paste starts to thicken, stir constantly until the a thick, bubbly, slightly translucent paste forms. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool.
  23. In a blender, add the apple or pear, onion, garlic cloves, ginger, mushroom powder, and salt. Blend everything together until the mixture well combined. Add half of the gochugaru to the mix and blend until well combined and as smooth as possible. Scrap down the sides as needed.
  24. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the cooled rice flour paste, along with the rest of the gochugaru, Korean radish, carrot, and Asian chives. Mix until evenly combined. Set aside until needed
    25. Marinate the napa cabbage
  26. Working with gloved hands and one quarter of napa cabbage at one time, place the cabbage in the bowl of prepared kimchi marinade. Take some marinade and rub it on each leaf. Make sure to also leave some of the julienned veggies in between each layer too!
  27. Once the entire quarter of cabbage has been rubbed down with marinade, fold the cabbage over itself to keep it tight. Repeat with remaining cabbage.
  28. Pack the kimchi into sterilized glass jars or BPA free plastic kimchi containers. Make sure to pack the cabbage tightly into the container, but leave at least 1 inch of space between the top of the kimchi and the lid. As the kimchi ferments, it will release juices and produce gas. The extra room will help prevent the kimchi from popping off the and the juices from overflowing.
  29. The napa cabbage kimchi can be enjoyed immediately after marinating, after chilling, or you can let it ferment until it reaches your desired fermentation stage before eating or used in cooking.
Nutrition Facts

Servings 1

Amount Per Serving
Calories 105kcal
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 0.5mg1%
Sodium 2500mg105%
Potassium 612mg18%
Total Carbohydrate 18g6%
Dietary Fiber 4g16%
Sugars 5g
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 607 IU
Calcium 120 mg
Iron 3.5 mg
Vitamin E 60 IU

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

Recipe tips

  • Use Kosher salt or coarse salt to salt the napa cabbage. Coarser salt is easier to sprinkle, and it's easier to gauge how much salt is used and control the saltiness.
  • Wear disposable gloves when slathering the marinade onto the salted cabbages. The marinade will stain your hands and anything it touches.
  • Use weights to help the napa cabbage salt faster. The weight helps to compress the cabbage, which ensure the leaves are in contact with the salt so that osmosis does its thing. We like to stack heavy books on a clean plate or bowl.
  • Leave at least an inch gap in the kimchi container. The gap is to compensate for the expansion the kimchi will undergo during fermentation. The amount of juices will increase too. If you do not leave enough room or eat enough as the kimchi ferments, it will overflow and leak from the containers.

Alternative method to salt the napa cabbage

Traditionally, kimchi is made with quartered or cabbages cut in half. This is so that the kimchi can last longer because the less surface area that's expose the slower the fermentation process will work. Likewise, the more surface area exposed, the quicker things ferment.

Keywords: Vegan Kimchi, Homemade Kimchi, Kimchi recipe, Fermented vegetables, Vegan Korean recipes, Spicy kimchi, Probiotic-rich foods, Healthy kimchi, Vegan side dish, Easy kimchi recipe, Fermentation recipe, Traditional kimchi, Gochugaru kimchi, Plant-based kimchi, Kimchi for beginners, DIY kimchi, Gluten-free kimchi, Kimchi fermentation, Spicy fermented foods, Gut health recipes.
Read it online: https://kimchifoods.com/recipe/homemade-vegan-kimchi/
Samantha Doe
Food and Lifestyle Blogger

Hi, I'm Samantha, a full-time food blogger, mother of 2 beautiful daughters and a lovely wife. I live in New Jersey with my family. Loves traveling, sharing new recipes, and spending time with my family.