This Vegan Japchae (잡채) recipe is a delicious gluten free and vegetable packed dish ready in under 30 minutes!
Hey everyone! First, I just wanted to welcome you to my new and re-branded food blog! You can read more about Okonomi Kitchen, the story behind it and what to expect moving forward but for now, let’s dive into todays delicious recipe: Vegan Japchae. I think as of today, I only have one Korean recipe on the blog which is the Korean BBQ Jackfruit Bowls using my Sugar-Free Korean BBQ Sauce. That needs to change because I LOVE Korean food! Bibimbap, jajamyeon, kimchi, ddukbokki, banchans (korean side dishes)… you name it. SO GOOD!
What is Japchae?
Japchae is a super popular Korean noodle dish you will find at any Korean restaurant. It’s popular for good reason, Japchae uses glass noodles made from sweet potatoes. They have this unique bouncy texture which works perfectly with the crunchy texture from all the vegetables. Typically, meat is used as the protein source but it can easily be replaced with tofu for a vegan or vegetarian version . You can find glass noodles in Asian markets in the Korean aisle, or where they sell all kinds of Asian noodles. They’re also very inexpensive to buy, making this dish really budget friendly!
Korean Cooking
Watching my Korean friends parents cook, I learned that it is very common to prepare and cook each ingredient separately. This may sound like a lot of work but if you have the time and patience, it’s totally worth it! You can ensure each ingredient is cooked properly and seasoned well so that nothing is undercooked or over-cooked.
How to make Vegan Japchae
However, if you’re like me (lazy and always in a hurry) you can get away with cooking the vegetables in one pan as you go IF you know how to time each vegetable correctly. I learned to time each vegetable by first cooking each ingredient separately so I highly recommend doing the same so you know what Japchae is suppose to taste like. The perfect Japchae has bouncy noodles, vegetables that retain their structure with a well balanced flavours of sweet, salty and nutty.
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Vegan Japchae
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: 4 Servings
Description
This Vegan Japchae (잡채) recipe is a delicious gluten free and vegetable packed dish ready in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 package sweet potato noodles (250g)
- 1 package smoked firm tofu (300g)
- 1 medium zucchini (200g)
- 1 small carrot (130g)
- 1 medium onion (150g)
- 3 scallion stalks
- 3 garlic cloves
- 6 shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated
- large handful of spinach
- sesame seeds
Sauce
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook sweet potato noodles following the directions on the package. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Add 1 tsp of sesame oil to coat the noodles, and then use scissors to cut the noodles (around 3-4 times). In the same pot, add in the spinach and blanch for 30 seconds. Rinse with cold water and squeeze the excess liquid out using a towel. Chop the bundled up spinach in half.
- Slice all the vegetables into match stick sized pieces. They should all be relatively the same size. Cut the tofu into thin rectangles.
- Put all the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and stir.
- In a large wok, over medium high heat fry the smoked tofu with a little bit of sesame oil just until lightly browned on each side. Transfer into another bowl and set aside.
- In the same wok, fry onions and garlic for 1 minute. Then add in the shiitake mushrooms and carrot and fry for another minute. Add in the zucchini and scallions and fry for one more minute. Slightly turn down the heat and add in the noodles, spinach tofu and sauce. Toss and cook until all the sauce is all soaked up.
- Serve and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Entree
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 484
- Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Protein: 16g
SAVE IT FOR LATER!
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Love it, tastes amazing, but the “under 30 minutes” thing is a lie… Sure, I was making a double portion, but still, it took me 2 and a half hours just to chop them up into matchsticks. What kinda Gordon Ramsey type knife skills do you need to fit that into under 30 minutes, I have no idea.
so delicious! this was very easy, and super tasty. the chopping of the veggies into matchstick size was a bit tedious, but honestly so worth it.
I made this today and wow, what a great recipe! Thank you for sharing!
i want more Recipe.
So yummy! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing it!
How would you adapt this if using fresh mushrooms instead of rehydrated? Is the cook time the same?
Hi Samantha! The mushrooms need a bit more time to cook if its raw, just until wilted 🙂
this is a regular in my dinner rotation! very tasty
This was the best tasting korean dish I ever made. Thank you so much! It’ll forever be a staple in my house 🙂
Made this for a work potluck and it turned out delicious and was a hit! My first time making this I used a cast iron pan and the onion was still a bit raw compared to the other ingredients so my second time making this I ended up cooking each ingredient separately and turned out great. I will probably cook ingredients separately or cook the onion a bit longer. Thanks for the recipe! Will make again!
One of my faves! It was super validating to find a recipe for japchae that doesn’t tell you to cook each vegetable separately, which was one of the most daunting elements of attempting japchae for the first time.
Also, sometimes instead of tofu, I use marinated soy curls for the protein (I try to go for a beefy flavour/texture — soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, gochugaru and minced garlic and ginger).
The best noodles i ever had.
Better than what i have tried so far from asian restaurants.
Instead of sugar i used Agave syrup and it was amazing.
Thank you for the recipe!
I absolutely LOVED this vegan recipe for this noodle dish!! Incredibly easy to make! It’s going to be on rotation in my house. I didn’t have tofu but added extra veggies and it was still amazing. Also, I used coco aminos instead of soy sauce and it was perfect! Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
Love Japanese Food ❤️
I just made this recipe for the second time in the past week. My family loves it. Thank you!
Thank you for the recipe.
Can I use regular tofu instead of smoked?
Please, which brand of Korean noodles has no squid ink ?
I was told at Asian store Sempio glass noodles were Vegetarian.
Went to cook – ingredients:
Tapioca starch
Sweet potato starch
Sodium alginate
SQUID INK !!!
Which brand do you use that has no Squid Ink ? Thank you …
My go to japchae recipe and one of my favorites to make for meal prep 🤤 I like to make marinated soy curls as a main protein with it. Great way to use up veggies too.
Excellent recipe! Very tasty. This was our first experience with sweet potato noodles /japchae and both my husband and I lived the results. I love how detailed and instructive this recipe is. It’s also quite clever in the way everything comes together. We cubed then air fried extra firm tofu in cornstarch, smoked paprika, and a bit of iodized salt. Turned out great. This one’s a keeper – will be making again and again.
So delicious. I used only 3 tablespoons soy sauce cause I’m salt sensitive & it still came out amazing. One of my new favorite Korean recipes!
Really good. I added mung bean sprouts and used oyster instead of shitake because that’s what I had. Also had to use hot sesame oil because I was out of roasted- which worked out awesome- I love Japchae, but always love heat! I even doubled up on the veggies to be healthier!
Got the sweet potato glass noodles off of amazon as they aren’t sold where I live. This recipe was a huge hit at my work. Didn’t have smoked tofu so just pan fried the tofu with a little liquid smoke and it worked perfectly. I’ve never had japchae before and this was absolutely delicious.
So so delicious, and accessible! I was easily able to sub in the vegetables that I had on hand, and I was so proud and pleased that I was able to cook something that tastes just like from a restaurant. I will absolutely be sharing this recipe with friends, family, and hope to incorporate it into my regular cooking routine.
Absolutely recommend!!! 🙂
Delicious and easy to make! I made this for dinner when I was short on time & it did not disappoint. Everything came together quickly and the flavor was spot on. I didn’t have smoked tofu, so I just sautéed my tofu pieces with a tiny drop of liquid smoke mixed into the sesame oil to get that smokey flavor & it seemed to work really well.
I loved this recipe! Thank you for explaining why everything was done the way it was! I learned a lot.
I had to make some substitutes but all turned out fine, especially when following the “cook each veggie in their own, one by one” method. I used bell peppers instead of zucchini and pressed tofu instead of smoked (just be sure to add a bit more seasoning there). I also added some JUST Egg strips. This was gobbled up quickly by my non-veg family. The sauce ratio was just perfect. Will be making this again!
Oh also for those of you who buy the noodles in a large bag and see three large bundles (my bag was 605g overall), using one bundle worked just fine for me, seasoning and portion wise. Yum!!
Quick and simple recipe that’s really versatile. It’s easy to substitute any veggies that you may have languishing in your fridge. I recently used peppers as my “green” since I was out of spinach. I’ve made this japchae with rainbow chard and collards before too. All delicious substitutions!
I made this tonight. So easy and so delicious! Thank you for sharing how to make it.
Amazing ans easy recipe! This will definitely
Be a staple in my
Weekly cooking! Thank you 🙏🏽
Such a easy yummy recipe! Will definitely become a weekly staple. Served it for my friend when she came over for dinner and she begged me for the recipe. She’s a picky eater and she LOVED it.
I made this and it was delicious. I added Oumph instead of Tofu & to the sauce I also added garlic, pepper and Mirin to the sauce as well.
I love Japchae & this version is quick and tasty!
Made this and as always it absolutely hit the spot!
Simple and very delicious, will definitely make it again as requested by my partner 🤣
Love this recipe! Gluten free, full of veggies and flavour. It’s become a weekly staple. I like how I don’t have to cook all the veggies separately, but the integrity and flavour of the dish remains. Thank you Lisa!
I love this approach where I don’t need to cook each vegetables separately 😉 and they still taste amazing! Honestly this is even better than the ones that I order from the restaurants in Malaysia. I also did minor twist where I replaced the noodle with shirataki noodles, and they still turns out amazing!
This was so good! Used lots of other random veggies I had (shredded cabbage, red pepper) and it turned out awesome. Used extra firm tofu instead. And we tried chili crisp on top, that was a great finisher! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe, can’t wait to make it again.
The recipe was so delicious and simple! My daughter, who is the pickiest eater on the planet, loves the noodles and veggies (which she also normally doesn’t touch). Even my husband devoured it. Will be making again!
This recipe was so delicious and simple! My daughter, who is the pickiest eater on the planet, loves the noodles and veggies (which she also normally doesnt touch). Even my husband devoured it. Will be making again!
Fantastic recipe and it came together so quickly!
I’m vegetarian so this recipe was perfect…..according to Ayurveda, sweet potato is one of the best foods so I am glad I can make this, as I am trying to cut down on wheat and rice. I will just add some green chilles next time to make it spicier.
Absolutely delicious and super easy to make! I would recommend making a bit more sauce though, but that may be because we like our food saucy hehe
Delicious! My whole family loved it, even my dad who is a huge meat eater. Highly recommend!!
This recipe was so good, I’ve already made it two more times 😋 I’ve been wanting to try japchae for so long and I’m glad I found this recipe to do it. So simple and so delicious
So happy to hear this was a hit for you, Tiffany! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This was so satisfying! I added double the veggies and tofu to make it a bit more meal prep friendly and it was so so good. Highly recommend, will definitely be adding this to my go to recipes. Substituted the sugar for two stevia packets and it worked out pretty well.
This is such a delicious recipe! 10/10 would recommend. This was my first time making Japchae and it was bomb! I added about twice the amount of sauce added and had it with scrambled eggs on top. ありがとうございます！ごちそうさま。
Thank you so much Karina, that makes me so happy! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
I made this dish at least once a month, I’m obsessed with it. It has become one of my to go dish whenever I’m not sure what to make. I almost always have the ingredients in the fridge and it is so easy to make, packed with flavors, I’m in love haha.
Thank you for sharing this delicious Korean recipe with us!!
Me too! We make it so often and love that we can use veggies we have in the fridge– so glad you enjoyed this recipe!!
Very delicious & easy recipe. I love sweet potato noodles, this recipe is definitely a staple with the easy to find ingredients
So glad you enjoyed, Danica! 🙂
I’m making this for the third time in three weeks! So full of delishousness!! Thank you!
After making trying out other recipies… this one stands out. It’s so awesome and yummy. I tried it with some chicken and eggs it was delicious. Family loved it. Thank you so much Lisa
Absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made this dish at least three times now, it’s becoming one of my favorite meals, it’s so easy to make and it’s packed with flavors! So grateful that I know about this blog, all the recipes on it are too bomb! Thank you for everything Lisa!
Recently tried JAPCHAE at a Korean/japanese fusion restaurant by my house. And LOVED it.
I actually had a package of sweet potato noodles I was trying to sort outward to make for supper. And the recipe in the back was JAPCHAE. The original recipe calls for meat. And since I’m vegetarian I decided to look up a vegan one on Pinterest!
This recipe was so easy, simple and delicious. My boyfriend and I kept going back for more. And the sauce ingredients were minimal.
Can’t wait to make this again!
LOVED this recipe. I will make vegan japchae again soon. Thank you for sharing.
so easy and so delicious!!! A go to of mine when craving Asian but want to keep it healthy!!
This was so delicious and easy to make. I got all of the ingredients at my usual grocery store. I love how adaptable it is. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand!
Followed this recipe and it turned out amazing!
Easy to find ingredients and super easy to make and super delicious
Love japchae and this was super easy to make, and our results were awesome – love having smoked tofu in the dish too. Thanks!
This recipe is so delicious and versatile! It turned out so well, and it was super simple to make as well!
Turns out really well ! If you’re using light soy sauce like me, just go ahead and sprinkle some salt on top !
I loved the recipe so much! It was so delicious, I made it twice already. Thanks again for the recipe!
This recipe was simple and delicious! It’s a great base recipe to build off of and use whatever produce you have on hand — swapped smoked tofu with marinated tofu, zucchini with red bell pepper and marinated portobello mushrooms for dried shiitake.
Really yummy! I used soy curls instead of tofu and it was delicious! I can eat tons of this for some reason…so light and comforting!
Sooo good, just made this for the family and I will definitely be using this recipe in the future!
My husband and I made this a couple weeks ago, and it was delicious! The store was out of tofu, so we added in extra veggies – YUMMY! *Will definitely make this again!
So happy to hear you both enjoyed!
I made this dish about a week ago, and my husband and I LOVED it – really delicious! The store was out of tofu, so we added some extra veggies – YUMMY!!! *We also put the mushrooms on the side because my husband loves them, but I can’t eat them. We’ll definitely make this again!
Such a delicious combo – I didn’t have glass noodles, so just subbed a half package (half of 454g pack) of rice noodles.
So happy to hear you enjoyed!
I’m making this again. It’s an excellent vegan recipe but I think I’ll add a little chicken breast this time. I love the glass noodles, they are my favorite noodles. * * * * * – five stars!
Yay I’m so glad you enjoyed this Sherry! 🙂
Can I use normal firm tofu? I haven’t been able to find smoked.
Yes! I would stir fry it in some sesame oil and soy sauce first so theres more flavour 🙂
AMAZING recipe! Definitely going to be made on repeat. Vegan/healthy never tasted so good. My boyfriend loves it too 🙂
So delicious! Simple to make and turned out great. This will be a new household staple
Just made this tonight and it turned out very well! It made more than I expect– is this a dish that can be frozen easily?
Hi K!
So glad you enjoyed! I’m not sure how the noodles would be defrosted but if you do let me know how it goes!
Such an easy recipe. Swap out whatever you don’t like for veggies you do like. Super yummy. The sauce can be used for other dishes as well. I will definitely make this again.
Very delicious and perfect for meal prep! 🙂 Will cook it again for sure!
Hi Carina!
Thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed!
I made it as a meal prep ! This is the best korean dishe ^^ Japchae is very conforting and satisfying for healthy meal that give good nutrients and energy 🙂
Hi Cheima,
Yes, Japchae is so good super happy you liked it 🙂