If you are looking for a gluten-free noodle dish packed full of veggies and flavor, this Vegan Japchae will definitely be a perfect choice. This Korean meal consists of Sweet potato noodles served with stir-fried vegetables, crunchy tofu, and a delicious and rich sauce.
What is Japchae?
Japchae is a Korean sweet potato starch noodle dish packed with stir-fried veggies, protein, and a delicious homemade sweet soy sauce. The Korean glass noodles made out of sweet potato starch are normally gluten-free and really fun to eat. Chewy, healthy, and delicious!
First time I tried this recipe in a Korean Restaurant I knew I had to develop a recipe to be able to make it at home using common ingredients.
Our recipe is made with tofu as the main protein source keeping the dish plant-based. Note that Japchae is traditionally made with meat and egg but this is our vegan version of this lovely Korean meal.
Our Vegan Japchae is:
- Korean dish
- Noodle dish
- Family-friendly
- A Stir-fry
- Umami-packed
- Perfect to serve warm or room temperature
- Great dish for meal prep
How to make Vegan Japchae
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Noodles or Korean Vermicelli. Made from sweet potato starch, you can find this type of noodles in Asian supermarkets or online. When dry, this chewy noodles have a greyish color. After boiling them in water for a couple of minutes they have a really nice chewy texture that makes this dish so unique. They are really similar to the cellophane noodles used to make Pad Woon Sen.
Shiitake Mushrooms. Dried or fresh, shiitake mushrooms are a key ingredient when making Korean Japchae. They add umami and a great texture to this meal. If you are using dried shiitake mushrooms, they will need to be left in warm water for at least 30 minutes before using them in order to rehydrate the mushrooms.
Protein. Firm tofu is always our favorite choice when making Asian-style noodles. For our Vegan Japchae, we air-fry the tofu while we cook the rest of the ingredients using our Ninja Air fryer. You can pan-fry or deep-fry the tofu as well.
Fresh veggies. For our vegetarian Japchae, we use carrots, red bell peppers, onions, spring onions, and spinach. We like to keep it simple, colorful, and flavourful. You can add other veggies such as shallots, green beans, pak choi, or broccoli.
Sweet Soy Sauce. This umami-rich sauce is made using simply three ingredients: tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar.
Garlic. We love garlic flavor so we use raw garlic for this recipe, but you can choose to cook it before adding it to the noodle dish.
Sesame seeds. A Korean Japchae is not complete without toasted sesame seeds added on top.
Step-by-Step Method
- Prepare the vegetables by thinly slicing the shiitake mushrooms, spring onions, red pepper, carrots, and onion. Cook the spinach in boiling water for about 2 minutes or until wilted. Drain and reserve for later.
- Cook the tofu. For this recipe, we air-fry the tofu cut into thin strips for about 12 minutes at 200C (400F). Before adding the tofu to the air fryer, using a brush add a little olive oil or coconut oil to the tofu strips. You can pan-fry the tofu or deep-fry it to make tofu puffs.
- Prepare the Japchae sauce. Combine tamari, sesame oil, and maple syrup. You can use soy sauce or dark soy sauce but note that the recipe won't be gluten-free. As well, if you prefer to use another sweetener, you can use sugar, brown sugar, or monk fruit.
- Cook the sweet potato starch noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook following the packet instructions. Drain the water and reserve the noodles for later. To avoid the noodles from sticking, you can now add a tablespoon of sesame oil and stir well.
- Cook the vegetables. Korean Japchae is a fairly simple dish to make at home but it requires some time as the vegetables need to be cooked separately. Korean food is all about the flavors and if you cook the vegetables all at once, some flavors will overpower others. We like using our Wok or a large skillet for this recipe as each batch of veggies takes just 2-3 minutes. You can check a step-by-step method for cooking the vegetables below.
- Add the noodles to a big serving bowl, and add the tofu, the cooked vegetables, and the Japchae sauce. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined and coated with the sauce, add some sesame seeds, adjust with salt and pepper, and serve.
Note: You can add chili paste or toasted sesame chili oil to add some spice to the dish.
Cooking the veggies separately - Step by Step
- Add some vegetable oil to the wok, heat over medium high heat, and add the onion finely chopped. Cook for 2-3 minutes and transfer to a large mixing bowl or serving bowl.
- Grease the wok again if needed and add the finely chopped carrot. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and transfer to the plate with the onions.
- Repeat the process for the red bell pepper.
- Grease the pan now with a little sesame oil and add the shiitake together with a tablespoon of tamari, ½ teaspoon of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water. cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to the plate with the rest of the vegetables.
- Add the green onions, cook for 1 or 2 minutes and transfer to the plate.
- For the spinach, combine it with finely chopped or pressed garlic and a teaspoon of sesame oil. Mix well and add with the cooked vegetables.
Once you have all the veggies cooked, season generously with salt and pepper.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan Japchae recipe makes for a perfect weekday lunch or dinner. It is simple to make and you can make extra to have for the next day. You can serve this dish with other small side dishes such as this Vegan Kimchi from Minimalist Baker.
As well, Japchae is commonly enjoyed in Korea around the Lunar New Year. Quite often you may find this noodle dish at family reunions or special dinners,or special occasions too. Knowing this, we have started serving this dish at gatherings and every time is a hit. People love the simplicity and flavors of this dish and always ask for the recipe!
Before serving your Japchae, garnish with sesame seeds and if you enjoy spicy food, you can add chili flakes, hot sesame oil, or another type of hot sauce you like.
FAQ & Tips
- Can I make Japchae without sweet potato starch noodles? You can find this type of noodles in Asian grocery stores or markets, but you may not have any around. You can use other types of noodles such as cellophane noodles or rice noodles. Cellophane noodles have a similar texture when cooked and they will work really well.
- Is Korean Japchae Gluten-free? Yes. Sweet potato noodles are naturally gluten-free but some companies add wheat flour to them. Check the ingredients on the packet to make sure the brand you are buying is gluten-free. The other ingredient you will need to be careful about when making Japchae gluten-free is soy sauce. Use tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) to make sure that the meal is free of gluten. If both of these ingredients are kept gluten-free, Japchae can be a great option for people with gluten allergies or trying to reduce the amount of gluten intake.
- Can I prepare this recipe in advance? Sure. Korean Japchae is the perfect meal for meal prep. You can bring it as a packed lunch or prepare it for a few days later. You can keep this meal in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- What can I use instead of tofu? You can substitute the tofu with soy curls, tempeh, seitan, or another plant-based protein of your choice.
- If you enjoy spicy food, you can add some chili flakes, chili sesame oil, or another type of hot sauce before serving. We love serving this dish with White Mausu Rayú.
- Do you serve Japchae hot or cold? This is something I love about this dish you can eat it warm, chilled, or at room temperature and it will simply taste amazing all the way!
Vegan Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles)
Ingredients
- 250 g firm tofu
- 250 g sweet potato starch noodles
- 1 small onion or ½ big onion
- 2 small carrots
- ½ red bell pepper
- 5-6 shiitake mushrooms
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 spring onion
- 125 g spinach
- 1 garlic clove
Japchae Sauce
- 4 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce (contains gluten)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon maple
- 2 tablespoons water or stock
Instructions
Tofu
- Air-fry the tofu cut into thin strips for about 12 minutes at 200C (400F). Before adding the tofu to the air fryer, using a brush add a little olive oil or coconut oil to the tofu strips. You can alternatively pan-fry the tofu or deep-fry it to make tofu puffs.
Noodles
- Using a big pot, bring some water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook following the packet instructions. Drain the water and reserve the noodles for later. To avoid the noodles from sticking, you can now add a tablespoon of sesame oil and stir well.
Vegetables
- Prepare the vegetables by thinly slicing the onion, carrots, bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms, and green onion.
- Cook the vegetables separately. First the onion, once cooked reserve on a plate, then repeat the process with the carrots, bell pepper, and green onions. For the shiitake mushrooms grease the pan or wok with a little sesame oil and add the shiitake together with 1 tablespoon tamari, ½ teaspoon of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water. cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Cook the spinach in boiling water for about 2 minutes or until wilted.
- Combine the wilted spinach with finely chopped or pressed garlic and a teaspoon of sesame oil and add with the rest of the vegetables.
- Once all the veggies are cooked, season generously with salt and black pepper.
Japchae Sauce
- Prepare the Japchae sauce. Combine tamari, sesame oil, and maple syrup. You can use soy sauce or dark soy sauce but note that the recipe won't be gluten-free. As well, if you prefer to use another sweetener, you can use sugar, brown sugar, or monk fruit.
Serving
- Add the noodles to a big serving bowl together with the cooked tofu, the cooked vegetables, and the Japchae sauce. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined and coated with the sauce, add some sesame seeds, adjust with salt and pepper and serve.
Nutrition
| If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations! |
Holly says
What a beautiful japchae! I am glad that you turned into vegan version. Japchae can be easily converted to vegan/vegetarian diet and you made it great. I like the addition of tofu. Yummy!
Laura says
Thank you Holly!
Valerie says
Delicious but my noodles were extremely soft. I may have cooked/ boiled them too long? I saw a recipe that said to saute/fry them after boiling them. Would that have made them firmer?
Thanks.
Laura says
Hi Valeri, may I ask how long did you cook the noodle fors? Our Package instructions call for about 5 minutes. They take a really short time to get soft maybe they were a bit overcooked. We haven´t tried sauteing or frying them after, but you could try!