Vegan Kimchi | Easy Step-By-Step Recipe

Last updated on June 1st, 2021 at 11:01 pm

Spicy and full-bodied this Easy Vegan Kimchi made with cabbage is simple, vegan and delicious. It's also fantastically cost-effective keeping you in fermented cabbage for weeks. All it requires is a pair of gloves and a few ingredients.

I eat kimchi with everything; on toast, with scrambled tofu, in pasta...you name it. I am officially addicted to the stuff and eat it everyday.

Learning to make it at home is a no-brainer. Besides being incredibly good for you - it contains good bacteria and probiotics for overall wellness - making your own means you can make it the way you like it. And it's cheap so...win!

Things to Love About Homemade Vegan Kimchi

Making kimchi is a great way to start your fermenting journey and this recipe is super simple. It's:

• vegan! - you don't have to worry about fish sauces or shrimp pastes
• naturally gluten-free
• so much cheaper than store-bought kimchi
• abundant, making three or four 500ml jars depending on the size of your cabbage
• adaptable to your taste
• really easy once you know how
• great for your gut health!

What is Kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean condiment made with vegetables most commonly Napa cabbage or Wombok if you are in Australia.

Records indicate this vegetable side has been around for some 3000 years with the first references being to salted cucumber.

Source: News H

How is Kimchi Fermented?

Kimchi is is made by lacto-fermentation, fermentation by lactic acid bacteria Yup, that's the same culture as yoghurt! Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is found in vegetables, mammals milk, cereal, wine! Pretty much everywhere.

Here's how it works.

Once our fermenting vegetables are soaked in a salt brine to kill off any nasty pathogens, our lactic acid bacteria can get down to business. Immune to the salt bath that killed off other bacteria, LAB metabolises carbohydrates (like sugar) in the vegetables into lactic acid giving fermented foods their delicious sourness. Besides creating flavour, the lactic acid creates a hostile environment that prevents nasties from emerging. You know, like botulism.

While all this is happening, LAB produces another by-product; carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 makes the kimchi pop when you open the jar for the first time, and adds a fizzy kick to the taste. That CO2 also builds up creating pressure in the jar so make sure to give your kimchi a little burb. Just open the lid a touch to release that pressure.

OK, let's make some kimchi.

What You'll Need | Ingredients

Gochugaru: a Korean chilli used to make Kimchi. You can find it at any Asian grocery store - you'll need the powder, not the paste or flakes.

Soy bean paste: soy bean paste provides that hit of umami needed to create a full-bodied kimchi. Traditionally, kimchi is made with shrimp paste but soy bean paste is a great substitute. It is available in some grocery stores and all Asian grocers.

Vegan fish sauce: you can find vegan fish sauce in some grocery stores, Asian grocers and whole food markets.

Glutinous rice flour: Asian grocers always carry glutinous rice flour. It can't be substituted for rice flour; it must be the glutinous variety.

Iodine-free salt: iodine inhibits the fermentation process so you'll need a fine salt without iodine.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Salting the Cabbage

You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process with images to guide you.

Step 1: Salting or brining the cabbage inhibits bacterial growth and tenderises the vegetable. There are two ways to salt the cabbage; the first is to sprinkle dry salt on each leaf and sit it for 6 to 8 hours. The second way is to use a salt bath - that's the method we're using today.

I use a 12 per cent salt solution to make my kimchi. Meaning for every 10 cups of water, I use a cup and a quarter of fine sea salt. Traditionally, kimchi is made with a 12 to 15 per cent solution - I just prefer it a little less salty.

Salt bathing is a simple method. First, remove the cabbage's outer leaves (set them aside for later use), cut the remaining cabbage in to quarters and then chop into 1-inch pieces and pop them in large bowl or container. You can add the spring onions too. Cover them with water and add the salt. Smoosh and mix the cabbage and salt water until the salt is combined and the cabbage is submerged. Leave to sit and tenderise for 3 to 4 hours or until the cabbage is soft and floppy.

Cutting the cabbage into 1-inch pieces also makes it easier to eat 🙂

Drain the salt water from the cabbage and taste a leaf. If the leaf is too salty for you, give the batch a super quick rinse and taste again. You want it salty but not so much that you can't eat it. I give my cabbage a 5-second rinse in a colander, before giving the cabbage a squeeze to remove any excess water.

Alrighty, let's finish the recipe.

Make The Paste

This recipe uses glutinous rice flour (rice flour is different) to thicken the kimchi. It is optional. To use it, combine half a tablespoon of the flour with a third of a cup of water. Stirring constantly, heat them together in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture thickens. It will look like smooth glue. Remove from the heat to cool a little while you prepare the other paste ingredients. 

Process all the paste ingredients, including the rice flour "glue", together to a paste.

Wearing disposable gloves, massage the paste in to the cabbage making sure every piece is coated. 

Pack the Jars

Fill sterilised jars* with your kimchi making sure to fill in any air holes and pressing down (compacting) as you go. I poke a chopstick in to my jar popping any air holes as I go. Air creates bacteria so take the time to pop those holes!

Fill the jars, leaving a full inch between the kimchi and the jar's opening. Fold one of the outer leaves you set aside over the top of the mixture to hold it down (to be honest I don't always do this) and seal with a lid.

*my homemade strawberry jam with chilli post has complete instructions to help you sterilise jars properly.

Step 5: Let the fermenting begin. To create its iconic funky tanginess, kimchi relies on fermentation. The longer you leave your kimchi, the more lactic acid will develop and the more sour it will taste. When you see bubbles developing, you know the fermentation process is working. You can taste the kimchi each day (be careful not to contaminate the inside of the jar) until it reaches your preferred sourness.

I find leaving the the kimchi jars on the kitchen counter for 24-36 hours (in warm weather) or up to 5 days in cooler climates the sweet spot.

Store the kimchi in the fridge.

Alternatively, you can ferment your vegan kimchi entirely in the fridge - it will take 2 to 3 weeks. Kimchi will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4months.

Recipe Notes & Pro Tips

No 1. Holy Moly, if I can convince you of anything I hope it's this - wear gloves when massaging the paste in to the cabbage and packing your jars. Trust me.

No 2. The saltier the kimchi the faster the fermentation process.

No 3. Drain the cabbage as well as you can after salting. A pro tip is to drain the cabbage and give it a spin in a salad spinner. Excess water will settle on the bottom of the jars during fermentation and lift the cabbage.

No. 4 If you cover your kimchi with a folded cabbage leaf and it goes a little funky, just get rid of it. Wipe out the rim of the jar as best you can, and replace it with a fresh one.  If cabbage touches air here, it will mold so press it down. Your kimchi should be fine underneath.

No. 5 You can eat your kimchi straight away! It's perfectly safe and delicious. Fermenting gives a fuller-bodied umami flavour. I start eating one jar pretty much right away and leave the others to ferment.

Once you've made your own vegan kimchi, you'll never go back - it is so easy and tastes crazy good. Also, it adaptable! You can tweak it to suit your taste, After you've mixed the paste in to the vegetables have a little taste. Need more sugar? Add a little? More salt? Have at it!

Making it at home means you make it the way you like. Enjoy, x.

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Try your homemade kimchi in these recipes:

Spicy 10-Minute Kimchi Noodle Salad

Easy Mushroom and Kimchi Dumplings

Vegan Kimchi Crispy Mushroom Burgers and on top of my

Inspired Soft Scrambled Tofu (it's so good!)

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