Is Kimchi Vegan? What's Really in Your Jar (and How to Find Vegan Kimchi)

 Growing up in Korea, I never thought of kimchi as anything but kimchi.

It was just always on the table.


It wasn't until I started cooking Korean food for friends abroad that I got a question I couldn't answer on the spot: "Wait, is this vegan?" 

I went back and looked at how kimchi is actually made, and the honest answer turned out to be "not always, but it can be."

Red napa cabbage kimchi in a ceramic bowl beside an unlabelled glass jar on a wooden table.

You cannot tell whether kimchi is vegan from its appearance; check the ingredients.

The Short Answer

Kimchi is not automatically vegan.


Many familiar recipes use fish sauce, salted shrimp, or other animal ingredients, while others use only plant-based ingredients.


Vegan kimchi is available, but check the exact product's ingredient list rather than judging by its appearance or brand name.

What's in Kimchi?

Kimchi (김치) is vegetables, most often napa cabbage, that are salted and fermented with a seasoning paste.
The vegetable and spice parts are all plant-based:

  • Napa cabbage or Korean radish
  • Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
  • Garlic, ginger, and green onion
  • Salt
  • Often a paste made from rice flour or glutinous rice flour
Napa cabbage, radish, green onion, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, salt, and rice paste arranged on a wooden table.

The vegetable and spice base can be entirely plant-based.

Where the Animal Ingredients Hide

These are the common non-vegan ingredients to watch for:

  • Fish sauce (aekjeot): Made from fermented anchovies or sand lance.
    It is a common seafood seasoning.

  • Salted fermented shrimp (saeujeot): Adds a deep, savory flavor and is used in many classic recipes.

  • Oysters: Used in some regional kimchi, especially in fresh, mild versions.

  • Fish, seafood, or meat broth: Sometimes used in the seasoning or rice paste.

  • Honey: May be used as a sweetener in some recipes and is not vegan.
A glass pitcher of amber fish sauce, a bowl of small shrimp in brine, and a bowl of honey with a wooden dipper.

Fish sauce, salted shrimp, and honey are ingredients to check for when choosing vegan kimchi.

Restaurant kimchi may contain fish sauce, salted shrimp, or animal-based broth.


Ask about the ingredients rather than assuming a vegetable side dish is vegan, even when the rest of your meal is.

How to Check a Store-Bought Jar

  1. Read the ingredient list. Look for fish sauce, anchovy, shrimp, oyster, seafood extract, animal-based broth, and honey.
    On Korean labels, useful terms include 액젓 (fish sauce), 새우젓 (salted shrimp), and 굴 (oyster).

  3. Look for "vegan" labels. A clear vegan label or credible vegan certification can help, but confirm that it applies to the exact jar you are buying.
    One brand may sell both vegan and non-vegan versions.

  5. Be careful with "vegetarian" claims. Vegetarian is not the same as vegan: some vegetarian foods can include dairy, egg, or honey.
    Check the full ingredient list for your needs.

  7. Ask at Korean grocery stores. Staff may help identify a suitable product, but check the actual package or contact the manufacturer if an ingredient is unclear.

What About Temple Food?

Korean Buddhist temple food (sachal eumsik) traditionally avoids meat and seafood, as well as pungent ingredients such as garlic and green onion.


Temple-style kimchi therefore offers a useful example of building flavor without fish products.


However, temple food as a category is not an automatic vegan guarantee: the official Korean Temple Food site notes that dairy can be used in the broader cuisine.


Confirm the ingredients of the particular dish.


Vegan kimchi made at home can still contain garlic and green onion; it does not have to follow temple-food rules.

How Vegan Kimchi Gets Its Flavor

The savory depth that fish sauce normally gives can be replaced with plant-based ingredients:

  • Soy sauce or tamari for saltiness and umami

  • Kelp (dashima) or dried shiitake mushroom broth in the rice paste

  • Miso or a little doenjang for fermented depth

  • Seaweed flakes for a hint of the sea

  • Fruit, like apple or pear, for natural sweetness
Dried kelp, shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, soybean paste, pear and apple slices, seaweed, and broth in separate dishes.

Kelp, mushrooms, fermented soybean seasonings, and fruit can add plant-based flavor.

These ingredients can build savory flavor without seafood.


The result depends on the recipe and proportions; use a reliable vegan kimchi recipe rather than treating every substitute as a one-for-one replacement.

Quick FAQ

Is kimchi fried rice vegan?

It can be, if you use vegan kimchi and leave out egg, meat, butter, and animal-based seasonings.
Check any added sauces too.

Is kimchi gluten-free?

Vegan does not mean gluten-free.


Some kimchi uses wheat flour or wheat-containing soy sauce, so check the label.


If you need to avoid gluten, look for a product specifically labeled gluten-free; tamari is not automatically gluten-free either.

Is kimchi vegetarian?

Not always.


Vegetarians who avoid fish and shellfish should check for fish sauce, salted shrimp, and animal-based broth.
Vegans also need to rule out ingredients such as honey.


Images are AI-generated illustrations.
Sources: Korean Temple Food, kimchi product ingredients, and The Vegan Society on honey.

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