Kimchi is a versatile dish that can be eaten on its own or cooked with almost anything. Here I share 14 delicious ways to eat kimchi!
Kimchi / Kimchee (김치) is Korean fermented cabbage and it’s an integral ingredient in Korean cuisine. Many Koreans eat kimchi every day if not at every meal! You get the picture?
It is a great side dish that accompanies many Korean meals. In it’s simplest form, one can eat their meal purely with steamed rice and kimchi. Yep! I’ve done that before.
But I think it’s more fun and tasty when we get to mix kimchi with some other ingredients. Because I believe that kimchi has like 50 shades of flavor!
It’s great with rice, noodles, soup, salad and even pizza! It seems that only the sky is the limit. 😉
So are you ready?
P.S. While we are at it, check my small but expanding collection of kimchi recipes. (Kimchi is not all about napa cabbage kimchi, although “kimchi” in general predominantly refers to spicy napa cabbage kimchi.)
What to Cook with Kimchi
You can make any of the below dishes with store bought kimchi or homemade kimchi.
1. Kimchi Dumplings (Kimchi Mandu, 김치만두)
One of the most popular Korean dumplings is this! Pair kimchi with minced pork/beef/tofu and wrap them in a dumpling wrapper. You can pan fry them or steam them as you like!
Get the recipe for kimchi dumplings
2. Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap, 김치 볶음밥)
This 15 minute easy kimchi fried rice is definitely a keeper! Kimchi and rice is stir fried with smoky bacon and spicy kimchi juice. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
Get the recipe for kimchi fried rice
3. Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae, 김치찌개)
You simply cannot talk about kimchi without kimchi jjigae! This ultra comforting spicy stew is loaded with (fatty) pork, tofu and kimchi. It’s simply irresistible!
Get the recipe for kimchi jjigae
4. Kimchi Pancake (Kimchi Buchimgae, 김치 부침개)
Savory kimchi pancake paired with irresistible Korean pancake dipping sauce! A must try!
Get the recipe for kimchi pancake
5. Ham and Egg Cups with Kimchi
Like I said earlier, you can put kimchi in almost anything! Ham and egg cups with kimchi is a great way to sneak in some kimchi for those who are not used to it. (Don’t worry, the taste is very subtle!) This is perfect for breakfast, lunch or brunch!
Get the recipe for ham and egg cups with kimchi
6. Tofu Kimchi (Dubu Kimchi, 두부김치)
Tofu Kimchi is a popular appetizer and also a drink snack in Korea. But it goes very well as a side dish to your main meals too! Spicy flavor from kimchi, pork, and nutty aromas from sesame oil are simply marvellous!
Get the recipe for tofu kimchi
7. Kimchi Udon (김치 우동)
This is a super addictive 15 mins kimchi udon recipe. It’s loaded with smoky bacon, kimchi and ultra spicy and tangy sauce. This is a keeper!
Get the recipe for kimchi udon
8. Spicy Cold Kimchi Noodles (김치국수)
There’s no better way to beat the hot summer weather than having some addictively spicy cold noodles! Yes, these noodles are loaded with kimchi and covered with sweet, spicy and tangy sauce! It will be your new favourite noodle dish!
Get the recipe for cold kimchi noodles
9. Kimchi Spaghetti
Korean fusion kimchi pasta! It’s loaded with creamy mushrooms, crispy bacon, buttery kimchi and Korea’s secret sauce gochujang! The final touch from the roasted sesame seeds and green onions are just perfect!
Get the recipe for kimchi spaghetti
10. Bibim Guksu (비빔국수)
This bibim guksu is a light soba noodle salad dish. It’s loaded with leafy greens, not to mention kimchi, and seasoned with spicy, sweet and tangy Korean chilli dressing. Another popular dish during summer time!
Get the recipe for bibim guksu
11. Kimchi Pizza (김치 피자)
You might be surprised to find out how well kimchi goes in pizza! The key is the balance. Just sprinkle little kimchi pieces over thin pizza base then bake it. It will come out as a perfect entree dish that’s crispy and savory with a hint of kimchi flavor!
Get the recipe for kimchi pizza
12. Serve with Korean BBQ
This is not quite a recipe, but more of a serving suggestion. Serve your kimchi over your Korean BBQ lettuce wraps. It’s irresistible. You can even grill some kimchi as well. They are simply the best!
Get the idea for Korean BBQ
13. Slow Cooker Kimchi Stew with Beef
This will be your lazy way to make kimchi stew. Enter slow cooker Kimchi stew! It is a perfect comfort food on a cold wintry day!
Get recipe for slow cooker kimchi stew with beef
14. Kimchi Rice Bowl (Kimchi Deopbap, 김치덮밥)
Another perfect weeknight meal that can be ready in 10 mins (or under)! Simply stir fry your old pungent kimchi with some sesame oil and sesame seeds then serve over rice. Voila!
Get the recipe for kimchi rice bowl
Sounds ok.
But isn’t Kimchi good for the probiotic bacteria like in yoghurt?
So cooking it would kill off all the probiotic bacteria?
We always put generous amounts of kimchi on top of take out pizza. Delicious!
These sound pretty good. I can’t have wheat but i often do a burrito wrap using sushi wraps instead of wheat wraps (i’m sure i overload mine). it makes a good alternative.
Thank you for this collection of recipes using kimchi. Many are new to me but all of them sound good.
After living near a dear Kirean neighbor who often shared her home-made kimchi with my family, we have been enjoying kimchi with our Thanksgiving dinner.
Kimchi goes well with turkey especially.
Thanks for reviving my love of kimchi. I have long thought that anything that goes well with sauerkraut would be better served with Kimchi. So – Hot Dogs. If you want to bring hot dogs to a new level, it works!
Thank you thank you! I made kimchi for the first time ever and I’ve only been having it as a side dish, which gets pretty boring to be honest, and I’ve heard others say to add it to other dishes, but none of them sounded as good as these do. I will definitely be trying ALL of these! The dumplings, stew, and cold noodles sound especially delicious!
Thanks, Melanie! I do hope you enjoy these recipes! 🙂
So many of these look and sound delicious! I made quite a large batch of kimchi and needed some inspiration for different ways to eat it, will definitely be trying several of these! Thank you!
Hope you enjoy my recipes! 🙂
Hi Sue! Thanks for sharing these delicious recipes. They are looking so mouthwatering that I can’t resist myself trying these. Please suggest if I can try the Kimchi stew with chicken.
I’ve never cooked kimchi stew with chicken, so I don’t know how it will turn out. If you try that combination, let me know how you go!
Ha Ha, Sure I will let you know.
This looks incredible! Tasty dishes yum!
Thank you!
Hi Sue ! Thanks u so murch for sharing ur recipes . Loves kimchi
🙂
You’re welcome! Enjoy my recipes! 🙂
This article led me to your Slow Cooker Kimchi Stew recipe which I swear I’ve never seen before. I recently moved to north Central Florida from the Atlanta, GA area and finally found a Korean owned grocery store that makes their own kimchi. (In Atlanta there are many H-Marts and I got spoiled!). I bought a big jar of it and now that it is getting old, I was in need of something to make other than Kimchi fried rice and udon (because I LOVE your recipe for that). Your compilation post was very well timed!
In preparation for the hurricane, I made your Kimchi stew with pork and it has been a wonderful treat the last couple of days. About halfway through the cooking cycle, I got the idea to peel some potatoes and add them in and OMG! are they good. Soft, pillowy nuggests of umami! I’ve been coming here since I found your bibimbap recipe about 3-4 years ago and you never disappoint! Thank you so much for your recipes!
Thank you for your kind words! Glad to hear you’re enjoying my recipes! 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Sue. ❤️
You’re welcome! 🙂
This is so cool! And just in time I can’t believe I was just wondering what to do with my leftover kimchi, and happen to open my mail, so this is great. Thank you for the recipes ★
Perfect timing, hey!? Hope you enjoy my recipes! 🙂
Wow! The presentation of recipes is looking so good; full of flavours, Thanks a lot for sharing such a healthy recipe.
Thank you! 🙂
Every one of the recipes sounds delicious, EXCEPT “Kim-Chi Pizza”,
But… that’s not surprising since I don’t like pizza anyway. … LOL !!!
How could you not like pizza! 🙂 Maybe kimchi pizza will change your mind. 😉