20 Korean Vegan Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What Korean food can vegans eat? ›

Joanne Lee Molinaro (born April 24, 1979) is an American attorney, and Vegan/Plant-based author and blogger. Her cookbook, The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen, won the 2022 James Beard Foundation Award. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Some easily available and often vegetarian dishes I ate in Korea included tteokbokki, kimbap and cold noodles. Additionally, Korea is home to lots of street food stalls selling sweet treats such as hotteok (filled pancakes) and hodugwaja (walnut pastries) which are delicious and also vegetarian.

She began making videos showing her preparing various dishes while sharing stories about her family and her parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from what is now North Korea. Molinaro found making food incredibly therapeutic and a gateway for communication, both with her audiences on social media and with her family.

In fact, it's generally considered one of the most important elements of Korean cuisine and has been around for thousands of years. Unfortunately for those following a vegan diet, kimchi is more often than not flavored with some type of fermented seafood product, such as fish sauce or salted shrimp.

The most famous vegan celebrity in Korea, Im Soo-jung started her plant-based ways when she discovered she was allergic to animal protein five years ago.

It is clear from the most recent season of Hulu's Kardashians that the 42-year-old does consume animal products, including In-N-Out burgers and dairy ice cream. However, Kardashian says that when she is at home, she likes to maintain a plant-based diet—and has been on this journey since at least 2019.

Given the pervasiveness of animal products in dishes, and a lack of awareness of vegetarian needs, it can be tricky to go meat-free at restaurants or when communally dining. These difficulties have given rise to the “bideong,” or “no-chunk,” approach to plant-based eating among budding vegetarians in South Korea.

I'm Stephanie also known as That Vegan Babe! I am a nutrition nerd and fitness fanatic on a mission to show the world that you can be healthy, strong and fit on a plant based diet! Here you'll find well balanced delicious plant-based recipes packed with protein to help you reach your health and fitness goals!

In short, absolutely! The strictness of your diet will dictate to what extent you might struggle to find food, but in general, there are many vegetarian dishes in Korean restaurants.

Is any Korean actor vegetarian? ›

The no. 2 spot went to actress Kim Hyo Jin. Kim Hyo Jin has been active as a vegetarian with her husband, Yoo Ji Tae, for four years running, in order to protect the environment and animals. At the Cannes International Film Festival in May, Kim Hyo Jin said, "I′m not against meat eating.

Commonly used vegetables include Korean radish, napa cabbage, cucumber, potato, sweet potato, spinach, bean sprouts, scallions, garlic, chili peppers, seaweed, zucchini, mushrooms, lotus root.

Depending on the restaurant's availability, request an array of vegetables—including squash and peppers—to roast instead. Season them with a dipping mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and chili powder, and you're good to go.

(She has since remarried; her husband, pianist Anthony Molinaro, is another frequent topic and occasional guest, and his music often accompanies the videos.) Soon Molinaro was more than a partner in a law firm with a fun side hustle.

Because of the long history of Buddhism in Korea, temple cuisine (사찰음식) is deeply incorporated into traditional Korean cuisine. For these reasons, so many classic Korean dishes are naturally vegan (or vegetarian) or can easily be veganized! For more vegan side dishes, check out my 15 Korean Vegetable Side Dishes.

While we can't deny that meat and seafood have become an established part of Korean culture and cuisine over time, it's true that one can still find hundreds of traditional Korean eateries all across the country that offer exclusively vegan and vegetarian fare, as well as more western vegan establishments, bringing to ...

Number of vegans South Korea 2008-2021

As of 2021, there were around 2.5 million people in South Korea following a vegan diet.