Skip to Content

Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi Fried Rice with gochujang and fried eggs is a Korean spin on classic fried rice that is sweet, sour, a little spicy and powerfully flavorful! Whip it up as a meal or as a side dish to a meal for a show-stopping culinary adventure!

Kimchi Fried Rice is a flavorful Korean spin on fried rice. Easy to prepare and crazy flavorful!

Fried rice has such a stronghold over my soul fibers that I have to put time and space between posting my fried rice recipes, as I have a fear of saturating you with them and run the risk of you becoming allergic to me.

Pivotal question: How much fried rice is too much fried rice? I ask myself regularly.

This time around, we’re taking a Korean spin on fried rice and let me just tell you, if you like food bold in flavor, you’re going to go BONKERS over this vibrant dish!

Let’s dive on in!

What is Kimchi?:

Kimchi is probiotic-rich fermented vegetables made most typically with napa cabbage and radishes. It usually includes ginger, garlic, onions and sometimes spices for additional flavoring. Kimchi has a very distinct flavor – it is sour and briny, much like sauerkraut, and the vegetables are nice and crunchy. 

Store-bought kimchi

In my experience, most people either love or hate kimchi, with not many opinions in between. Before setting out to make this dish, you may want to first confirm that you actually like kimchi.

What is Kimchi Fried Rice?:

Kimchi Fried Rice is exactly how it sounds! It’s a classic fried rice recipe with chopped up kimchi mixed in it for an ultra flavorful Korean spin on fried rice. The ingredients used to make this recipe may be some with which you aren’t familiar, so let’s discuss the ingredients in detail.

Ingredients for Kimchi Fried Rice:

Kimchi: Kimchi is what makes this kimchi fried rice sing! It’s tangy, a bit spicy, briny, and adds a ton of flavor to the fried rice. If you’re ever looking for an easy way of making a dish flavorful, kimchi is at your service. I use store-bought kimchi, but if you’re a fermentation maven, you can absolutely use homemade.

Rice: White basmati rice gets soaked and cooked before starting anything else in this recipe. You can easily use leftover cooked rice or go with brown rice.

Avocado oil: Used to “fry” the fried rice. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point than most other oils, so it won’t burn under the high heat of stir frying the rice.

Vegetables: yellow onion, garlic, carrots, ginger, peas, green onion

Sauces: liquid aminos (or coconut aminos), gochujang sauce or paste, and if desired, a little liquid from your kimchi. If you taste the fried rice and feel at all like it is lacking in flavor, just add more gochujang sauce!

For Serving: Fried eggs, chopped green onion and sesame seeds. In addition to the gochujang sauce, going with fried eggs instead of scrambled gives this dish a Korean flair

Easy Kimchi Fried Rice - a flavorful Korean side dish

I find gochujang really makes kimchi fried rice POP. In case you aren’t familiar, it is a Korean fermented chili paste that is sweet and sour. You can find it at most grocery stores, an Asian market, or online. It reminds me of a Korean-style BBQ sauce…so you know it’s good 😉 

If you don’t already have it on hand and you’re unconvinced you’ll be into gochujang sauce, you can replace it with BBQ sauce. I know, sounds weird. Just trust me!

How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice:

Begin by cooking 1 cup of white rice according to package instructions. I always soak my rice before using it, but if you’re in a hurry, just get straight to the cooking.

While the rice is cooking, heat the avocado oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the yellow onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, carrot and peas and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until garlic is very fragrant.

Stir in the cooked white rice and add the remaining liquid aminos (or soy sauce), gochujang sauce, and chopped kimchi. Continue cooking, stirring regularly, until piping hot and rice begins to stick to the pan or become golden-brown.

Serve fried rice with fried eggs, chopped green onion, and sesame seeds.

Quick and Easy Kimchi Fried Rice is an amazing Korean side dish.

A Note About Kimchi and Probiotics:

Does the kimchi maintain its probiotics when cooked? In a word, no. Because we are mixing the kimchi into hot fried rice, the probiotics most certainly die from the heat. In this sense, this dish does not contain any gut health benefits, but the kimchi does add marvelous spunk to it.

Recipe Adaptations:

  • Replace gochujang with barbecue sauce.
  • Omit the onion, garlic, and/or ginger if you’re sensitive to or don’t like any of them…the kimchi will have plenty of flavor.
  • Replace liquid aminos with coconut aminos or soy sauce.
  • Add your favorite vegetables – broccoli, bok choy, and/or cauliflower work great.
  • If you’re looking to make a meal out of this, add your favorite protein – chicken or shrimp are my favorites!

Korean Style Kimchi Fried Rice - a deliciously flavorful sweet, sour, spicy fried rice recipe

More Fried Rice Recipes:

May all thy rice be fried 😉

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.

Easy Kimchi Fried Rice - a flavorful Korean side dish

Kimchi Fried Rice

Korean-style kimchi fried rice with vegetables and gochujang for an amazingly flavorful side dish.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup short grain white rice, cooked (about 3.5 cups cooked)
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into small pieces
  • 2/3 cup peas, I use frozen
  • 2 Tbsp liquid aminos
  • 2 tsp to 2 Tbsp gochujang, to taste*
  • 1/2 cup kimchi

For Serving:

  • 2 to 4 eggs, fried
  • 1 stalk green onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Begin by cooking 1 cup of white rice according to package instructions. I always soak my rice before using it, but if you’re in a hurry, just get straight to the cooking.
  • While the rice is cooking, heat the avocado oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the yellow onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrot and peas and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until garlic is very fragrant.
  • Stir in the cooked white rice and add the remaining liquid aminos (or soy sauce), gochujang sauce, and chopped kimchi. Continue cooking, stirring regularly, until piping hot and rice begins to stick to the pan or become golden-brown.
  • Serve fried rice with fried eggs, chopped green onion, and sesame seeds.

Notes

*You can replace gochujang with 2 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 4 - Calories: 289kcal - Carbohydrates: 46g - Protein: 6g - Fat: 8g - Fiber: 2g - Sugar: 3g
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: fried rice, healthy side dish, kimchi, kimchi fried rice, korean, probiotics
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 289kcal
Author: Julia
Kimchi Fried Rice - soy-free, delicious flavorful side dish or entree! A Korean-inspired fried rice recipe
Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Linda Toh

Wednesday 28th of October 2020

No bismati rice in fried kimchee rice..you must use short grain rice....also.you have to put sesame oil to give a nice fragrance....

Julia

Thursday 29th of October 2020

Thank you for the suggestions, Linda! Love it! xoxo

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.