My spicy kimchi stir-fry is packed with crispy tofu, tender veggies, and kimchi in a fiery gochujang sauce. It's intensely flavorful, super easy, and can be on the table in about 30 minutes!
I absolutely love kimchi, both as a side dish, and as ingredient for cooking with. It's so fiery and pungent...I'll even gladly enjoy it straight from the jar! When it comes to using kimchi as an ingredient, I love incorporating it into vegan versions of traditional Korean dishes like vegan kimchi stew, or vegan kimchi fried rice. But sometimes I like to come up with my own, not so traditional dishes, like this kimchi stir-fry!
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I love this one because it's really easy, and very customizable — check out the "variations" section for some ideas! You can make it extra spicy, swap out the protein, or load it up with veggies. No matter what you do, it'll be really easy to throw together, in about thirty minutes.
Why This Recipe Works
Kimchi is the perfect star ingredient for a stir-fry like this because it’s already packed with bold flavors. With its spicy, pungent, sour, and garlicky notes, it elevates the dish while keeping things simple. This means you’ll end up with a super flavorful stir-fry using minimal ingredients. Plus, kimchi pairs perfectly with tofu and veggies — two of our go-to stir-fry staples around here.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Gochujang. This is a spicy fermented chili paste that's used in Korean cuisine. Many grocery stores sell it in the international aisle. If yours doesn't, look for it in an Asian market or online.
- Maple syrup. You could use another type of liquid sweetener, like agave or coconut nectar, if you'd like.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted, if needed.
- Toasted sesame oil. Look for this in the international aisle of your grocery store.
- Vegetable oil. You can use any high-heat oil you normally like to stir-fry with. Peanut oil, canola oil, and corn oil are all fine options.
- Tofu. I like using super-firm tofu for this stir-fry. It has a great texture and is easy to work with. Firm or super-firm tofu could be substituted, but you'll need to press these varieties before cooking with them.
- Carrots.
- Zucchini. Yellow summer squash also works great in this recipe.
- Garlic.
- Kimchi. Make sure your kimchi is vegan. Many varieties contain ingredients like fish sauce or shrimp paste. I like using my homemade vegan kimchi when I have it on hand. When I don't, I just check the ingredients at the store.
- Scallions.
- Toasted sesame seeds.
- Rice. Most varieties of rice will work just fine with this dish. Jasmine is a particularly good choice, and I really love serving it with my coconut jasmine rice.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Make the sauce. Whisk your gochujang, maple syrup, soy sauce, and sesame oil together in a small bowl.
Step 2: Cook the tofu. Heat some oil in a wok, then add your tofu cubes. Cook them for a few minutes, flipping them a couple of times, until they're lightly browned. Remove them from the skillet.
Tip: Cook your tofu in batches if you can't fit it all into a nice even layer in your wok. You could also cook it in a separate vessel, like a large flat-bottomed skillet, if you don't mind having extra dishes to wash!
Step 3: Stir-fry the vegetables. Add some more oil to the wok and turn up the heat. Add the zucchini and carrots, then stir-fry them briefly, until they just start to soften and brighten in color.
Step 4: Sauté the garlic. Push the veggies to the side, then add minced garlic. Cook it very briefly, until it becomes very fragrant. Stir it the entire time and be careful to prevent it from burning.
Step 5: Stir-fry the kimchi. Add it to the wok, then stir-fry it with the vegetables for just about a minute.
Step 6: Add the sauce and tofu. Also add any reserved kimchi juice. Cook everything just long enough to thicken up the sauce.
Step 7: Finish the stir-fry. It's done cooking! Take the wok off of heat and top the stir-fry with chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds before dividing it onto plates with rice.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover kimchi stir-fry will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days, or in the freezer for about three months. You can reheat it in the microwave, or on the stove in your wok or a large skillet.
Variations
- Switch up the protein. Not into tofu? You can make this recipe with tempeh, seitan, or even a can of chickpeas!
- Serve over noodles. Skip the rice and serve your stir-fry over noodles. Soba or rice noodles work great!
- Switch up the veggies. Instead of carrots and zucchini, try broccoli, sugar snap peas, shiitake mushrooms, or bell peppers.
Frequently Asked Questions
It sure can! Make sure your kimchi is certified gluten-free, and swap out the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari.
It is. Both kimchi and gochujang are spicy ingredients, so there really isn't any way around the heat. If you'd like to reduce it a bit, though, look for a mild variety of kimchi, and cut down on the gochujang a bit. If you'd like it to be extra spicy, use extra gochujang, or add some sriracha or red pepper flakes.
You can! Use a large skillet instead, and consider turning up the heat a smidge, since a skillet won't trap heat as well as a wok.
More Vegan Stir-Fry Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Kimchi Stir-Fry with Tofu & Veggies
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For the Stir-Fry
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super-firm tofu cubes (½ to 1-inch pieces)
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into 2-inch strips
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups vegan kimchi, roughly chopped, juice reserved
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
For Serving
- Cooked rice
Instructions
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or cup. Set this aside for now.
- Coat the bottom of a large wok with 1 tablespoon of the oil and place it over medium heat. Add the tofu in an even layer (Note 1), and cook it for about 10 minutes, turning the pieces once or twice, until they're golden brown and crispy. Remove the tofu from the wok and transfer it to a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok and turn the heat up to medium-high. Give the oil a few seconds to heat up, then add the carrot and zucchini. Stir-fry the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes, until they brighten in color and become tender-crisp.
- Push the vegetables to the side of the wok to create a small space. Add the garlic, then sauté it for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly and being careful to prevent it from burning.
- Add the kimchi to the wok. Stir-fry everything for about 1 minute.
- Return the tofu to the wok. Add the sauce, along with any reserved kimchi juice. Stir to combine the ingredients. Cook everything for about 1 minute, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Remove the wok from heat. Sprinkle the stir-fry with scallions and sesame seeds. Divide onto plates and serve with rice.
Notes
- You can cook the tofu in batches if it won't all fit in the wok in an even layer.
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This was very tasty. I used a jar of spicy Kimchi. Thank you
Hi Alissa, Thanks for posting this. The recipe meshed beautifully with what I had on hand in the fridge, though I used pea pods instead of squash. Loved the spicy/sweet sauce too. Just to share something, when I fry tofu I like to dredge it in a combination of flour, salt, garlic powder and nutritional yeast. It makes the outsides extra crisp and tastes good too.
Fantastic recipe. Thanks!!!
I'm glad you think so! THanks Rahul!
Alissa...Your recipe looks quite tasty. Kimshi is a probiotic and helps our good bacteria. Does cooking the Kimshi destroy the probiotics in the Kimshi. Thanks for your reply.
Thank you! Yes, cooking will kill most of the bacteria. You could serve the dish with some uncooked kimchi on the side if you'd like - I do that sometimes!
I’ve recently made kimchi and was wondering what to do with it! This hits the spot. Very tasty.
Awesome!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this with beet juice instead of maple syrup/agave because I'm on this diet where I can't have it... still turned out delicious.
Thank you so much!!
Oh wow! I'll have to give that a try! I'm glad you enjoyed it!!
Yum! I need to make this. I too love kimchi! Thanks Alissa! : )
If you love kimchi you should totally make this! Thank you so much and enjoy!!
Hi Alissa~
I'm both Korean and a vegan.... Just to let you know, kimchi **rarely** qualifies as vegan unless you prepare it yourself. Most, if not all traditional recipes call for some manner of seafood to be added to the kimchi to achieve that delicious taste of salt and funk. Usually in the form of dried shrimp, fish sauce or sometimes oysters. If you're going to make this recipe with pre-prepared kimchi, read the label carefully.
Thanks Alison! I usually put a note in any recipe including kimchi to let people know, but somehow I missed it on this post. Just updated it! :)