Is Kimchi Vegan? Where to Buy Vegan Kimchi in the UK in 2024

Last updated on December 14th, 2023

It’s exciting to live in a time where trying cuisines from all over the world is possible, as a vegan it’s possible too. But more questions have to be asked at times, like…

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Yes, it’s easy to find vegan kimchi in the UK. 

Not all kimchi is suitable for plant-based and this is why you need to be aware, you can’t just pick up the first jar you see. You do need to look for a vegan logo or check the ingredients. 

When you Google ‘is kimchi vegan?’ most of the search results say no and this is down to the fact it often has fish sauce and fish paste in it.

But this isn’t always true and I’m worried that this information is the first thing vegans see. And as a result, they might be missing out on the interesting and wonderful food that is kimchi. Kimchi is definitely an option for vegans.

Yes, you can buy vegetarian Kimchi online and in stores. As it’s usually fish that makes kimchi not vegetarian you can just look at my list below on where to buy vegan kimchi because they are the same thing.

Yes, you can buy vegan kimchi and you don’t need to look that hard either. You can buy it online, in many large supermarkets such as Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury’s and probably in your local wholefoods shop.

• Sempio Kimchi Original – Gluten-free
• Loving Foods Organic & Made in the UK Kimchi
• Bakoki® Premium Kimchi Hot, Original Korean Recipe

• Vadasz Raw Kimchi
• Yutaka Kimchi 100% Natural
• Biona Organic Kimchi

• Vadasz Raw Kimchi
• Yutaka Korean Kimchi

• Biona Organic Kimchi
• Yutaka 100% Natural Traditional Korean Kimchi

• Yutaka Korean Kimchi
• Vadasz Raw Kimchi

I could go on, but I hope it’s clear now that this is definitely a thing that vegans can enjoy too. You can buy vegan Kimchi in Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury’s and many other shops and supermarkets.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean food with a sour, spicy and sometimes sweet flavour. Lately, it’s becoming more and more popular in the UK as well as in other countries around the world because more people are starting to try and enjoy Korean food. 

Kimchi’s main ingredients include salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. 

It typically comes in a small portion and is usually considered a side dish. It is fermented and often includes a number of different seasonings such as garlic and ginger so, it has a strong flavour and compliments many other Korean dishes.

Kimchi is made of a range of different ingredients as there are many different variations of kimchi. Common ingredients you might find in kimchi include: 

• Cabbage
• Napa cabbage
• Chilli peppers
• Ginger
• Salt
• Garlic
• Onion
• Spring onion
• Fish sauce
• Shrimp paste

From my understanding, traditional it is not usually vegan because it often contains fish sauce, shrimp paste and maybe even jeotgal, which is salted seafood. However, the exact ingredients can depend on the region it comes from. 

It is simply made entirely with plant-based ingredients. So, this means excluding ingredients such as fish sauce, shrimp paste or any other seafood. I’ve never eaten traditional kimchi so I can’t compare but I do feel that fishless kimchi works. This is probably because there are so many strong flavours already in the dish that the fish taste isn’t really missed.

Some kimchi is not suitable for vegans because it may have ingredients that are not plant-based such as fish or different types of seafood sauces or pastes. But as I mentioned above, it is very easy to get plant-based kimchi. Almost every supermarket in the UK has it available. 

As mentioned above, there may be some kind of fish or seafood in it in traditional kimchi. So, the only real difference between the two is that the vegan version has no fish of any kind.

So, I hope in the future when people ask this question they’ll see that maybe originally it wasn’t, but these days it’s easily something us vegans can happily enjoy.

Looking for your next read Do Vegans Eat Honey? Everything vegans need to know about honey! Or Vegan Grazing Box Ideas – Vegan graze boxes and platters

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Meet the Author

Meet Sinead O’Carroll: Vegan explorer, sustainability advocate and the founder of The Wondering Wandering Vegan. Embracing veganism since 2018 and vegetarianism since 2005, Sinead is armed with a Vegan Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle qualification, and is on a mission to share her passion for cruelty-free living. 

With a taste for adventure and a heart for eco-conscious choices, she’s here to prove that vegans never miss out on flavour, fun or style. Join her in enjoying the delights of a vegan-friendly world! 🌱✈️🌍
Want to know more? Check out Sinead’s About page here.

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Follow me on Instagram to see all the delicious vegan food I find, the vegan and cruelty-free products I use and what I get up to as a travelling vegan.

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