A simple, easy recipe for Kimchi Soup with tofu, mushrooms, and greens that is vegan and gluten-free, adaptable, and can be made in 30 minutes, perfect for weeknight dinners!
I was never addicted to one thing, I was addicted to filling a void within myself with other things other than my own love.
~ Yung Pueblo
Why You’ll Love This Kimchi Soup Recipe!
Wondering what to do with all your homemade kimchi? We love making this kimchi soup recipe- a delcious, easy weeknight dinner. This version differs slightly from the traditional one in that we have made it vegan by omitting the pork belly and substituting earthy shiitake mushrooms to add depth and umami flavor. Instead of anchovie broth, we use veggie broth. It’s comforting and nourishing, and very easy to make. I think you’ll enjoy it, especially if you are a kimchi lover!
Kimchi Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Kimchi: Drained and chopped. Try our kimchi recipe!
- Shiitake mushrooms: Or substitute cremini mushrooms.
- Tofu: Use silken tofu, not firm tofu!
- Kale: Bok choy or other dark, leafy greens can be substituted. Or even kelp!
- Onion, garlic cloves, and fresh ginger: For depth and aromatic flavor. I like to use red onion for this recipe.
- Veggie broth: Or simply use water.
- Miso paste: Or sub soy sauce or gluten-free liquid aminos.
- Apple cider vinegar: Or use fresh lemon juice.
- Chili paste: Like sambal oelek (Korean chili paste).
- Agave: Optional, but adds a subtly sweet taste. Or sub honey, maple syrup, sugar, or an alternative.
- Toasted sesame oil: Do not skip this!
- Garnishes: Nori or toasted seaweed cut into strips, sesame seeds, scallions, and watercress.
- For serving: Serve over rice or rice noodles if you’d like.
How to Make Kimchi Soup
1. Sauté aromatics and mushrooms. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 4-5 minutes, stirring. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt, then add garlic and ginger and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring, until garlic is fragrant.
2. Add kimchi. Add the chopped kimchi (cut into bite sized pieces), water, and miso paste.
3. Simmer and add remaining ingredients. Bring the pot to a simmer and stir until miso dissolves. Add salt, vinegar, honey, and chili paste, and stir. Add tofu, gently, then kale, and bring to a simmer. Be careful not to break up the delicate tofu (use a wood spoon). Let simmer 5 minutes.
4. Serve. Serve over individual bowls of rice or rice noodles, if you’d like. Drizzle a little toasted sesame oil over top (1-2 tablespoons), which adds earthy, rich flavor. This is imperative!! Garnish with sesame seeds, nori seaweed strips, or green onion. Or sprinkle with gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes).
Chef’s Tips
- Taste the kimchi before making the soup. Make sure the jar of kimchi tastes good to you, to start with. Some kimchi is spicier than others. Some kimchi is sourer than others. Some kimchi has fish sauce in it – which is not vegan – but will help with depth of flavor.
- Taste and adjust the flavor. The secret to Kimchi Soup is getting the broth to have enough depth and richness to balance out the spicy heat and sour flavors. You may need less vinegar, or more salt, for example. You may need to add another splash of soy sauce for depth. For my batch, the honey really helped balance things out.
- Don’t skip the toasted sesame oil. This imparts a deep, rich, earthy flavor that is essential to the overall balance of the soup.
- Cook the rice noodles in the soup pot. If you do this, make sure to not use too much! Four ounces of dry rice noodles is probably plenty. They will swell, a whole lot! You can also cook them separately and pour soup over top, especially if saving the soup for lunches or other meals.
- Change up the tofu. For more texture/flavor use this baked tofu, or crispy tofu, or the tofu from this Seoul Bowl (Vegan Bibimbap!).
- Serve with a different protein. If not vegan, serve the soup with beef, pork shoulder, or chicken.
Storage
Let cool, then store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
How to serve Kimchi Soup
I love this Kimchi Soup poured over a bowl of rice noodles or rice, but feel free to serve it just on its own.
It’s a good soup for frigid days, or when you have a cold and want something to warm you to the core.
FAQs
In addition to kimchi, this soup is made with aromatics like onion, garlic, and ginger, vegetables like shiitake and kale, silken tofu for protein, and for the perfect balance of flavor, miso paste, apple cider vinegar, chili paste, agave, and toasted sesame oil.
This kimchi soup is more broth-based. Kimchi stew tends to be thicker and bolder in flavor.
In Korea, this soup is traditionally served over a bowl of rice or rice noodles, along with other Korean dishes like Korean Cucumber Salad or Scallion Pancakes.
Let me know what you think below!
Have a great weekend. xoxo
More Ways to serve Kimchi!
- Kimchi Noodles
- Kimchi Fried Rice
- Sticky Gochujang Salmon Bowls
- How to Make Kimchi! A Quick Easy & Authentic Kimchi Recipe
Kimchi Soup with Tofu
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: soup, vegan,
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: Korean
Description
A simple, easy recipe for Kimchi Soup with tofu, mushrooms, and greens that is vegan and gluten-free, adaptable, and can be made in 30 minutes, perfect for weeknight dinners!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced (a red one is nice)
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed, cut into bite-sized pieces ( or sub cremeni)
- 4–6 fat garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, paste or finely minced
- 2 cups kimchi, drained, chopped
- 5 cups water or veggie broth
- 1 tablespoon miso paste (or soy sauce, or GF liquid aminos)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon)
- 1 tablespoon chili paste (sambal oelek)
- 1–2 teaspoons agave, honey, maple (optional)- or use sugar or alternative sweetener
- 1 12 ounce package silken tofu, cut into small, 1/2-inch cubes (see notes on tofu)
- 1–2 large handfuls chopped greens- kale, bok choy, etc.
- generous drizzle of toasted sesame oil – imperative!
- garnishes : nori or toasted seaweed cut into strips, sesame seeds, scallions, watercress
Serve over noodles or rice if you like – see notes.
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, on the stove, heat oil over medium heat and saute onion 4-5 minutes, stirring, then add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 more minutes, seasoning them with a pinch of salt. Add garlic and ginger and continue cooking and stirring 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the chopped kimchi, water and miso paste.
- Bring to a simmer and stir until the miso dissolves. Add salt, vinegar, honey, chili paste, stirring until combined and simmering. Add tofu gently, then kale and gently bring to a simmer again, stirring, being careful not to break up the delicate tofu. I like to use a wood spoon for this- no sharp edges. 😉 Let this simmer for 5 minutes.
- Serve in bowls and for extra heartiness, you could serve over rice, or rice noodles.
- Drizzle with a little toasted sesame oil ( 1-2 tablespoons) which adds a delicious earthiness and richness. To me, this really makes the soup, so if you don’t have it, don’t make it.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and nori seaweed strips. ( cut thin strips with scissors)
- The nori strips add a ton of flavor too.
Notes
Kimchi: Every kimchi tastes slightly different. Make sure the kimchi tastes good to you, to start with. Some kimchi is spicier than others. Some kimchi is sourer than others. Some kimchi has fish sauce in it -which is not vegan- but will help with depth of flavor. Taste the soup as you season it. You may need less vinegar, or more salt, for example. You may need to add another splash of soy sauce for depth. For my batch, the honey really helped balance things out, and the sesame oil, made all the difference.
Rice Noodles: I cooked my rice noodles right in the kimchi soup pot. If you do this, make sure to not use too much! Four ounces of dry rice noodles is probably plenty. They will swell, a whole lot! You can also cook them separately and pour soup over top, especially if saving the soup for lunches or other meals.
Tofu: You can use silken tofu here (dropped right into to the soup like you would Miso soup) or for more texture/flavor this baked tofu, or crispy tofu, or the tofu from this Seoul Bowl (Vegan Bibimbap!).
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 279
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 764.1 mg
- Fat: 17.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.9 g
- Fiber: 5.5 g
- Protein: 14.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Two of my favorite things in the kitchen, mushrooms and anything fermented. This soup was fantastic!. I added a few dashes of porcini mushroom powder to bring out mushroom flavor. I thought the kimchi would get lost in the other ingredients, but it was still there, right up front!
Thanks. Delicious!
Thanks Joseph- appreciate this!
Excellent!
Great to hear!
I forgot to add 5 stars
Wonderful, complex flavor! We love kimchi, mushrooms and tofu :), and this was a new, exciting recipe to try. Yes, adding the toasted sesame oil makes a delightful difference. Thanks so much for letting us try something completely new – we loved it <3.
So glad you enjoyed this Alice!
Another 5-start recipe! I’ve made several other versions of kimchi soup, but this is by far the best! i used the marinade from the Seoul Bowl recipe to make baked tofu to top off the soup (though a hard-boiled egg is nice, too if one isn’t vegan). It is a satisfyingly hearty and complex meal.
Thanks so much for creating and sharing the delicious and healthier recipes.
Ingrid
PS: And deep bows for the poetry.
Thanks so much Ingrid- I’m so happy you like this one. I added the Seoul Bowl Tofu to the recipe notes- such a great idea! Thanks!
Hi Sylvia,
Planning to make this. Would Wakame work instead of nori?
Best,
Heather
I think wakame would be great!
Dear Sylvia! We are a plant based vegetarian / vegan household! I found your site around a year ago and its my go to cooking site! I share it with everyone! I have made many of your delicious recipes and each one more delicious then the last! Love all the variety of foods from around the globe! This Kimchi soup is fantastic! Its my second time making it! I made the kimchi using your recipe and last week made the kimchi burritos! Please keep adding more veg/ vegan delicacies!!! Thank You for sharing all these wonderful recipes!!!
thanks, Melissa- appreciate this so much. Thanks for being here, thanks for sharing! xoxo
Really loved this thank you! Might try and make it more sour next time, maybe with extra cider vinegar?
Feel free!
Excellent results,thanks
I’m really excited to make this! Would doenjang work well instead of miso paste?
I think so but miso is slightly sweeter and mellower. I’d add gradually, then taste, and maybe add a pinch of sugar or honey.
Another big winner Sylvia!
So much depth of flavour in a soup so simple & quick to make.
Will make this again & again.
Thanks a million!
Thanks Beverly! Glad you liked this!
So delicious and easy to make! We had this for dinner last night, and I can’t stop thinking about it. We served ours over rice, but I’m excited to try the leftovers with noodles instead. Tons of flavor, super simple, don’t forget the sesame oil!
Perfect, glad you liked!
I have made this so many times now! I love it! I have made it with all the options for miso as well as different kinds of miso. I have also used cubed firm tofu and sometimes skip it entirely, especially if I am using bone broth. It’s good just with water, though!! It can handle a large bunch of kale if you are so inclined 🙂 oh, and if your kimchi is spicy, you might want to taste before adding the sambal oelek. Kimchi varies wildly on spice level!
Great to hear- and thanks for the tips!!!
Loved this soup! It is simple to make and very flavorful.
Wow! This was amazing! I didn’t have tofu and added snap peas and celery. Definitely will make a million times over, thanks! 👌
So glad you liked it Marisa!
So excited to make this, I’ve got a lot of yummy kimichi I’d like to use in a greater amount, so this sounds perfect! Any chance you know if this freezes well (sans noodles of course)?
I don’t see why not? But haven’t personally tried it. Please let us know if you do freeze- thanks Dee
I have frozen this many times without any quality issues.
Great to hear!
One of my favorite Korean dishes is pork and tofu stew with kimchi. Since I am now vegetarian I have been searching for a replacement. This did it and more. Thank you for this recipe. I followed it as measured and thought it could use more miso (or soy). Otherwise it was amazing. Served it with ramen noodles cooked separately.
Thanks so much, appreciate your input!
I made this with the kimchi I made from your kimchi recipe (which is fab). I loved this soup- very satisfying and flavourful. The sesame really is wonderful in it. A new favourite!
good n easy to make ….Will try as never had it.
I havn’t made this soup yet but will for sure as soon as I make the KIMCHI! The recipes for both look great!
Just in realtion to MISO… It’s worth noting that DASHI Miso is Miso with fish sauce in it, and SHIRO Miso is Vegan : )
This is the most amazing dish that I have ever created! I love to create dishes either following recipes or not. This is wonderful. The flavors are so complex and deep. Love
I made this and I loved it! For anyone questioning it…do it!
I am so excited to make this recipe – it sounds amazing. I’m just wondering if you used dried or fresh shitake mushrooms and if it makes a difference. I’m going to use dried and not that familiar with using them. Do i just soak for a while then use as if fresh? Any tips? Thanks Sylvia. Your website is AMAZING!
Yes, cover the dry mushrooms with boiling water and soak for at least 20 minutes or until tender. Add to the soup!
This soup is soooo good! I love it ❤️ Just as I love all your other recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Yay!!! I was wondering if anyone out there made it. I’m so glad you liked it!
Somehow, I only just discovered your website today. I’m so glad I did! I’m one of the 3 people that will make this. In fact, I’m adding the ingredients missing from my pantry to the shopping list. Do you have a preferred type of miso paste? (I have a couple different kinds in my refrigerator right now…)
I use white but any will work here!