My vegan bibimbap is a delicious rice bowl packed with bold, punchy, Korean inspired flavours and fresh veggies, ready in 20 mins.
Ok, I obviously wrote this vegan bibimbap recipe because Korean food is INCREDIBLE and I eat it whenever I can. Just something about the spice of gochujang, the textures or crispy rice and crunchy veg and the delicious funk of fermented kimchi. It speaks to my soul! But I also wrote this recipe because I need your help!
You see, I had my first ever bibimbap around 2010 in London but I CANNOT remember the name of the restaurant to check if it even still exists. Full disclosure, I don't even think it was a real restaurant. It was in Bloomsbury and was basically the front room of the chef's house. Every single wall was lined with neatly labelled VHS tapes of home recorded Korean soap operas which you could rent for a small fee. Anyone remember this place? WHAT WAS IT CALLED? Let me know in the comments at the bottom of the page! OK, now, back to my recipe!
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🍛 Vegan Bibimbap Ingredients
Bibimbap, for anyone unfamiliar, is a rice bowl, usually packed with veggies, kimchi and meats. Commonly served in a hot ceramic bowl called a dolsot with a fried egg on top, it's far from vegan. However this recipe combines all the best bits about bibimbap without any of the animal products so it's 100% vegan!
Sauce
- gochujang
- rice vinegar
- soy sauce
- toasted sesame oil
- brown sugar
- garlic, finely minced
Tofu and Mushrooms
- vegetable oil
- shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- Chinese 5 spice
- extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
- soy sauce
For Serving
- baby spinach
- cucumber, finely chopped
- carrot, peeled and julienned
- White sesame seeds
- vegan kimchi
- coriander
- 3 cups cooked rice
❓How do I make vegan bibimbap sauce?
The sauce for this vegan bibimbap recipe couldn't be easier because it's just a handful of ingredients, mixed together in a bowl until smooth. No heating, no cooking, that's it! Obviously, the main ingredient is gochujang - a fermented red pepper paste that brings WAY more to a recipe than just heat!
🔀 Ingredient substitutions
- Soy Sauce: Tamari or liquid aminos work well as gluten-free alternatives or alternatively, for a low-sodium option, consider using coconut aminos.
- Rice Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can replace rice vinegar with a slightly different tang, or alternatively use lemon juice.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: Any variety of mushrooms like cremini or button mushrooms can be used as a substitute for shiitake in this vegan bibimbap recipe.
- Extra Firm Tofu: Firm tofu or tempeh can be used as alternatives for extra firm tofu.
🫙 How to make the crispy rice cake
So, when a bibimbap is served traditionally, it comes in a Dolsot - a large stone bowl which gets super hot and literally toasts the rice at the bottom of the bowl. This crispy rice adds a totally different texture, so I wanted to make sure it features here in this vegan bibimbap. So, here's how to make a crispy rice cake to add to your vegan bibimbap - it's super easy!
Form the Rice Cake: Take a scoop of cooked rice (ideally while hot) and use wet hands to shape it into a small patty. Pop a frying pan on the stove and add some vegetable oil.
Fry the Rice Cakes: Add the rice patty to the hot oil in the pan and flatten with a spatula. Fry for a few mins or until crispy the flip and repeat.
🤷♀️ Some Vegan Bibimbap FAQs
A: Bibimbap" (비빔밥) is a popular Korean dish that translates to "mixed rice" or "mixed meal." The dish is typically presented in a bowl with the ingredients neatly arranged on top of the rice, and it's meant to be mixed together just before eating.
A: Yes absolutely! This recipe replaces the meat for tofu and exchanges the fried egg for a crispy rice cake!
And there we have it, my vegan bibimbap! Want some more delicious dinners? Why not try my vegan egg fried rice, my vegan mushroom stroganoff or my vegan mushroom risotto!
Vegan Bibimbap
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- 1 Large Frying Pan
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon water
For the Crispy Rice Cakes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup cooked rice
For the Tofu and Mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 250 g extra firm tofu drained and cubed
- 125 g shiitake mushrooms sliced
- ½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
For the Bibimbap
- 100 g baby spinach
- 3 cups cooked rice
- ½ a cucumber finely sliced
- 1 large carrot peeled and julienned
- 100 g vegan kimchi
- 1 small bunch coriander
- white sesame seeds
Instructions
To Make the Gochujang Sauce
- Place all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.1 tablespoon gochujang, 2 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 clove garlic, 1 tablespoon water
To Make the Crispy Rice Cakes
- Place a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and bring up to temperature.1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Wet your hands and divide the cooked rice into two scoops. Flatten into circular patties with your palms then lay flat in the hot frying pan.½ cup cooked rice
- Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side or until gently browned on the edges then remove and lay on a sheet of kitchen roll to absorb any excess oil.
To Make the Tofu and Mushrooms
- Place the large frying pan back over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add the tofu and the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Sprinkle with the Chinese 5 spice and drizzle with the soy sauce. Stir together and cook for another 2 minutes then remove from the pan and turn off the heat.1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 250 g extra firm tofu, 125 g shiitake mushrooms, ½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce
To Serve the Bibimbap
- Place the baby spinach in the still-hot pan with a splash of water and cover with a lid to allow it to wilt.100 g baby spinach
- Meanwhile divide the cooked rice between two bowls, top each with the sliced cucumber, julienned carrot, tofu, mushrooms and crispy rice cake. Once the spinach is wilted, divide and add to the bowls.3 cups cooked rice, ½ a cucumber, 1 large carrot
- Finish each bibimbap with some vegan kimchi, some coriander and a sprinkle of white sesame seeds and serve hot.100 g vegan kimchi, 1 small bunch coriander, white sesame seeds
Joanna
Loved this! Used tempeh instead of tofu and gave the meat eaters some pre-bought beef bits but made them try some of the tempeh/shitake too. Everyone loved it! Crispy rice made it special so don’t skip that step.
Rowan Gentry
Wow! That sauce is insane!
Laura
Awesome recipe
hillary
made some alterations to the list but thats the joy of making it at home. too hot this week for heavy cooking and oven so this worked, added way more garlic to saute and leftover shallots since thats always a win. also quick pickled the carrots and cukes, again a win. many recipes try to imitate meat and thats a no go for a life long veg. i prefer alternatives so this was perfect. would tots make this again.
Eleanor Parsons
Ok so I made this , not sure what to do with the sauce. Do you drizzle it on at the end ? I also made your eggs to finish it off as well as the rice cake
Megan
This recipe was so simple to put together but absolutely full of flavor! Adding to our regular rotation!
Den Farleigh
The sauce recipe alone is incredible! I could drink it!
Frankie Barton
Omg my favourite!
Kay
Wop bibimbap a wop bam boo! Love it!