Looking for ways to turn your kimchi into a delicious dinner? Make these 20-minute Kimchi burritos! This 20-minute, vegetarian dinner recipe highlights homemade kimchi loaded up with veggies, black beans, leftover rice, and melty cheese. Vegan and gluten-free adaptable.
I’d like you to meet my new favorite quick and easy weeknight dinner – Kimchi Burritos! Even though they are super simple to make (especially if you have any leftover rice laying around) they are flavor bombs! Bursting with so much deliciousness- I can’t wait for you to try these!
I have a confession. These started in yoga. Yep, I have to admit, I was having a hard time focusing on my breath. My mind kept leaping forward and thinking about dinner and what to do with the leftover rice from last night’s Thai food. Hahaha.
And boom! Right there in the middle of down dog, the answer came- KIMCHI Burritos! I love it when that happens. Divine inspiration. 😉
What you’ll need
- Olive oil– for sauteeing
- Veggies: onion, garlic, ginger and red bell pepper
- Rice – any kind of cooked rice(leftover rice works great here!)
- Kimchi–drained and chopped, use more to taste.
- Black beans –14-ounce can, drained ( 1 ½ cups cooked blaked beans)
- Salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
- Herbs: chopped cilantro and green onions
- Gochujang to taste or substitute Sriracha or Chili Garlic Sauce
- Shredded cheese (mozzarella, pepper jack, etc) or meltable vegan cheese
- Extra-large 12-inch tortillas or gluten-free wraps (warmed)
How to Make Kimchi Burritos
Step 1: It starts with sauteing onion, garlic and bell pepper in a skillet, until tender, then add a little ginger.
Now I know many of you have kimchi in your fridge because it is one of the most popular recipes on the blog- so now is the perfect time to pull it out! And if you don’t, just buy some, preferably in the refrigerated section of the grocery store (which ensures the bacteria are alive and active ( great for gut health!).
Step 2: Chop 1/2 cup of drained kimchi into a small dice, so there are no big chunks. ( You can always add more at the end for more flavor.)
Step 3: Add the drained black beans, the rice, and the chopped kimchi to the pan and give a stir. TIP: Using leftover rice makes this incredibly fast to make. So always save your rice!
Step 4: Stir and Season. The flavorful kimchi infuses the whole dish with incredible depth and flavor! Taste for salt and feel free to make this spicier if you like by adding gochujang, Chili Garlic Paste or Sriracha! Add more kimchi if you like!
Step 5: Once seasoned to your liking, add the scallions, cilantro, and shredded cheese. You can use meltable vegan cheese. Stir until it is all melted together, but don’t overcook.
Step 6: Assemble the burritos: The kimchi burrito filling will be enough for 3-4 medium-large burritos. Be sure to lightly warm or toast the tortillas before filling- this not only enhances their flavor but makes them pliable and easy to roll. I like to warm directly over a gas flame on my stovetop, using tongs.
To elevate Kimchi Burritos
For an extra toasty flavor, toast the burritos after they are rolled, in a skillet over medium heat, lightly sprayed with olive oil, until golden and crisp.
Chef’s Tips and Variations
- Kimchi will vary in the spice level. If you are sensitive to heat, start conservatively and make sure to dice it into small pieces. You can always add more to taste. I used 1/2 cup kimchi that was “medium” spicy, and the burritos turned out mild in heat but super flavorful.
- Instead of the black beans, you could add ground meat ( beef, chicken, turkey) – browning it with the onion and bell pepper or use leftover baked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken. You’ll need 1 – 1 1/2 cups, and make sure to season it well.
- Warm the tortillas directly over a gas burner on the stovetop using tings to flip, or microwave for 15 seconds until pliable, this will make them easy to roll up.
Storing and making ahead
These can be made ahead and will stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, toast in a skillet until golden, and finish in a warm 350°F oven until heated through. You can microwave, but they can get soggy.
Fast, easy, delicious Kimchi Burritos- put them on your list for when you have leftover rice. 🙂 And if you haven’t attempted your own homemade Kimchi yet, tis’ the season! It is so easy- here is the Kimchi recipe!
Let me know how you like these Kimchi Burritos in the comments below. And be sure to check recipe notes for some adaptations for meat-eating folks. 🙂
Happy week!
More Favorite ways to use Kimchi!
- Korean Tofu Rice Bowls
- Korean Tacos
- Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl)
- Kimchi Noodles
- Kimchi Soup with Shiitakes, Tofu and Kale
- Kimchi Fried Rice
- How to Make Kimchi! A Quick Easy & Authentic Kimchi Recipe
Kimchi Burritos
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4
- Category: main, vegan, vegetarian
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: Korean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Looking for ways to turn your kimchi into a delicious dinner? Make these 20-minute Kimchi burritos with blackbeans, veggies, rice, and cheese!
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated
- 1 cup rice (leftover rice works great here!)
- 1/2 cup kimchi, chopped, use more to taste.
- 14-ounce can of black beans, drained
- salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- Gochujang to taste (start conservatively) or sub Sriracha or Chili Paste
- 1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, pepper jack, etc) or meltable vegan cheese
- 3- 4 extra-large 12-inch tortillas or gluten-free wraps (warmed)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic and bell pepper until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add ginger, stir one minute. Add rice, kimchi and black beans, stirring to combine and heat through. If the mixture seems dry, add a splash of water to loosen a bit.
- Season with the salt, scallions and cilantro. Turn heat to low.
- Taste, adjust salt and spice level to you liking- making this spicier if you like (add more kimchi, or a little gochujang, sriracha or chili garlic paste). You want this pretty flavorful!
- Add the cheese to the pan and gently melt, stirring just until melty and stringy- do not overcook here.
- Warm the tortillas (so they are pliable). Divide filling into the center of the warm tortillas and roll them up, folding in the edges. Serve immediately with hot sauce and sour cream.
- To elevate them even more, toast the burritos in a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat until golden and crispy.
Notes
- Kimchi will vary in the spice level. If you are sensitive to heat, start conservatively and make sure to dice it into small pieces. You can always add more to taste. I used 1/2 cup kimchi that was “medium” spicy, and the burritos turned out mild in heat but super flavorful.
- Instead of the black beans, you could add ground meat ( beef, chicken, turkey) – cooking it with the onion and bell pepper or use leftover baked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken. Use about 1 – 1 1/2 cups- and make sure to season well.
- Warm the tortillas directly over a gas burner on the stovetop using tings to flip, or microwave for 15 seconds until pliable, this will make them easy to roll up.
- Storing and making ahead. These can be made ahead and will stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, toast in a skillet until golden, and finish in a warm oven until heated through. You can microwave but they can get soggy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: with ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Sodium: 727.7 mg
- Fat: 10.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 51 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 13.8 g
- Cholesterol: 9.9 mg
Delicious recipe !
SO good – thank you, for another awesome recipe – saved in my favorite list 🙂
Yay! Glad you enjoyed Reeze.
We made these. So delicious!
Great to hear Mel!
One of our favorite recipes, flavorful and filling! I skip the cilantro as a family member does not care for it and use a combination of red, yellow and orange peppers. If it looks dry I add more kimchi juice or some vegetable broth. We top the filling with salsa and avocados as well as sour cream when constructing the burritos. Sometimes we add cheese if the vegan is not at home. ;).
Sounds perfect Dawn, love the adapting!
We thought these were very tasty! I liked extra kimchi added on top of the filling. I did not add extra spice to the filling and used mozerella cheese- although I would also try it without. Very good.
Great to hear Josie!
I just made these again. They are so easy and inspired by leftover rice from takeout. I don’t always have green onion or cilantro on hand but every time, this simple recipe comes out tasty and satisfying. We also have a local group who makes kimchi so this recipe is a wonderful reason to use it.
So happy you enjoyed these!
I decided to try this recipe because I couldn’t imagine what it would taste like. I mean, the combo sounds a little strange. But the first time I tried kimchi with mac & cheese I was pleasantly surprised, so…maybe? OMG these kimchi burritos are a revelation. The flavors are big, bold and satisfying. The only thing I changed was using 50/50 rice and quinoa. I didn’t have cilantro, and I added diced purple cabbage and a little fresh Italian parsley. I like spice and heat, so I added dashes of garlic chili sauce and fermented hot sauce. Don’t skip the ginger. My partner admitted he’d had doubts about ‘kimchi burritos’ but gushed praise after eating them. I’m glad I made a double batch.
Glad you gave these a go Crystal!
My teacher, added chunks of cucumber, replaced fish sauce with a good quality soy sauce. I use Dried Poblano Pepper as a Korean pepper substitute.
Simple and tastes great!!
Thanks Carrie! So glad you liked this!
This was simply quite horrible. Sometimes mash-ups work, but this didn’t. Mexican and Korean didn’t make a good combination with this recipe.
Sorry this didn’t work for you Karen.
I made this recipe tonight and we really enjoyed it! My store-bought Kimchee could have been spicier so I added Sriracha, as recommended in the recipe. Additionally, I sprinkled the cheese on the tortillas rather than into my cast iron skillet. Can’t wait to make this again! Thank you!
First time making this dish. Really easy and tasty. I made a mojo sauce to put on top and it totally worked. I couldn’t find kimchi so I substituted a fermented blend of red cabbage, beets, and carrots. My boys ate two large burritos. Definitely will have this again.
Sounds perfect! Tell me more about your sauce…it sounds tasty!
The mojo sauce consists of two serano peppers, four garlic gloves, bunch of cilatro, one orange juiced, two limes juiced and 1/2 cup olive oil. Put it all in a food processor. Very simple.
Yum!
That sounds great Dan, can’t wait to try! Thank you!
Love these – perfect mid week meal. Comes together so quickly and taste delicious. Some of the family had it on top of lettuce as a salad and others had in a burrito. Everyone enjoyed!
Very dry and doesn’t really taste of too much. Followed the instruction and didn’t turn out anything like the picture. Would say use less than 1 cup of rice and also use quac/salsa/sour cream with it or something along those lines.
Sorry about that I will have to remake these, it has been a while.
Made this a few times for my roommates. We all love it!
Great to hear!
Another super YUM!
Just so simple and delicious.
Awesome Beverly! Glad you liked this. 🙌
I wish I could give these more than 5 stars because they are that delicious. The flavors just all go together so well. They were a huge hit in my house. Thank you for sharing .
Awesome- glad you liked it! 🙌
This was so good. I added pickled jalapenos because my husband doesn’t like kimchi, and a tomato, cilantro, lime juice and avocado chunks. My husband said he’d gladly be a vegetarian if we could eat like this every night. Thanks!!
Andrea
ahaha! love it!
So good! We made these with fresh rice and it was delicious. We put the rice in the instant pot and while it was cooking we chopped everything else up. We will make these again for sure!!!
So Glad you liked these Amber!
YUM. These turned out so good!
I premade this for my husband’s sailing team. It was a perfect grab and go while racing. I browned a pound of ground beef before cooking the onions and boosted the Kim chi by another cup. It was fabulous! The flavors melded together perfectly and it was something a little different than the regular same old. Thanks Sylvia
These are DELICIOUS! We used black rice and threw in two slices/100g of shoulder bacon (chopped & fried) as well (to appease my meat eater partner). Will be eating again for sure.