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Kimchi is a classic Korean side dish, and this recipe shows you how to make kimchi at home. While many store-bought kimchis skip fermentation, this vegan kimchi recipe lets the flavors develop over five days for a deeper, tangy taste. The addition of applesauce balances the spice with natural sweetness.
This vegan kimchi uses napa cabbage, carrots, daikon, and scallions, creating a mix of crunch and spice. Gochugaru, a Korean chili powder, brings heat, while garlic and ginger add bold flavor. The base broth, made with kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms, adds umami depth without fish sauce, keeping it fully plant-based.
Kimchi isn’t just a side — it can be used in rice bowls, sandwiches, or noodle dishes. It contains plenty of probiotics, which can boost your gut health. Once fermented, store it in the fridge and enjoy it for weeks. Making kimchi at home takes some patience, but the result is worth it. This recipe comes from Vegan Japan: 70 Comforting Plant-Based Recipes by Julia Boucachard.
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Kimchi recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Chinese cabbage (6.5 pounds/3 kg), cored, chopped, and rinsed
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (130 g) coarse salt
- 1½ cups (360 ml) cold water
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
- One 5-inch (13 cm) square kombu sheet
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons rice flour
- 4 garlic cloves
- One 4-inch (10 cm) piece ginger
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ¾ cup plus 2 teaspoons (200 g) applesauce
- ½ cup (125 g) gochugaru (see Note)
- 1 carrot peeled and julienned
- 1 daikon (250 g), peeled and julienned
- 4 scallions thinly sliced on the bias
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Add the cabbage and coarse salt to a large bowl. Mix by hand until all the cabbage leaves are completely coated in salt. Let stand at room temperature for 3 hours.
- Check if the cabbage leaves are soft after 3 hours have passed. If they are still crisp, let stand for another 30 minutes.
- Rinse the cabbage thoroughly in a colander under running water to remove the excess salt. Let it drain for at least 1 hour. Once dry, transfer the cabbage to a large bowl.
- Add the cold water, mushrooms, and kombu to a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water begins to bubble, remove the kombu. Turn off the heat and let the mushrooms steep for 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and let the broth cool completely.
- Once the broth has cooled, add the rice flour and mix well to break up any lumps. Return to a boil, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add the garlic, ginger, fine salt, applesauce, and gochugaru. Puree the mixture with an immersion or stand blender.
- Add the carrot, daikon, and scallion to the sauce and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the bowl of cabbage, add the sesame seeds, and mix by hand. (Be careful, it’s spicy! Wear gloves to protect your hands from the gochugaru.)
- Transfer to an airtight container and ferment for 5 days at room temperature. Once fermented (the kimchi should smell slightly sour), move the airtight container to the refrigerator.
Recipe from Vegan Japan: 70 Comforting Plant-Based Recipes by Julia Boucachard © Éditions Solar, 2023. Translation © The Experiment, LLC, 2024. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available everywhere books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com
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