Pickled Plum
Vegan Bulgogi
Try a vegan bulgogi that honors the savory, sweet, smoky caramelized goodness of the original Korean BBQ beef. Soy curls make the perfect meaty substitute. Learn how to make a gochujang based sauce so flavorful, even rib-eye devotees will be coming back for seconds. Ready in 25 minutes from start to finish.
Why This Recipe Works
- Soy curls mimic meat in the best way. Hearty and meaty – but 100% vegan.
- Traditional Korean flavors. Punchy, savory, sweet and smoky.
- Versatile. Perfect over rice – or use for ssam (Korean lettuce wraps).
Table of contents
- What is Bulgogi
- How to Make it Vegan
- Vegan Bulgogi Ingredients
- Bulgogi Sauce
- Other Meat Substitutes You Can Use
- How to Make Vegan Bulgogi
- Recipe Variations
- Serving Vegan Bulgogi
- Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bulgogi
Bulgoigi is thinly sliced Korean BBQ beef, marinaded in gochujang, soy, sugar and pear – then grilled until lightly caramelized. It’s savory, sweet and has a hint of spice.
How to Make it Vegan
For this vegan version, we’re keeping the Korean flavors as traditional as possible. However I’m using Soy Curls instead of the usual beef. And, instead of marinating the protein, I’m creating a gochujang, sugar and soy based sauce that will be sauteed alongside the soy curls. It was important to me that this vegan bulgogi honored the assertive flavors and meaty textures of the original dish. You’re gonna love this one!
Vegan Bulgogi Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe!
- Soy Curls or Soy Strips: This is soy based protein that, once rehydrated, has a chewy texture and appearance very similar to chicken. These are the soy strips I used for this vegan bulgogi.
- Cooking Oil: Use a neutral oil like vegetable or grapeseed oil.
- Onion: Sliced into thin half moons, the onions soak in the bulgogi sauce and add a pleasing sweetness to the dish.
- Sesame Oil and Sesame Seeds: Toasty and nutty. Use the seeds as a garnish. And add the sesame oil to the pan after you’ve turned the heat off, just before serving.
- Green Onions: Finely chopped scallions deliver a sharp fragrance and crunch.
- Ground Black Pepper: To taste.
Pro Tip Rehydrate your soy curls (or soy strips) in warm vegetable broth instead of water for an added savory element.
Bulgogi Sauce
- Soy Sauce: For salt and umami.
- Brown Sugar: Use raw brown sugar if you can.
- Gochujang: This is Korean chili pepper paste. It’s salty, sweet, slightly spicy – with an umami funkiness. Consider it the backbone of the Korean flavor palate. Grab gochujang on Amazon.
- Mirin: Slightly sweet and tangy.
- Grated Apple: Grated Asian pear and Korean pear are routinely used in beef bulgogi marinade. But apple works just as well as a bright flavor element – and is easier to find at the grocery store. Use whichever you prefer.
- Garlic: 2 cloves, minced.
- Cornstarch: You just need a teaspoon as a thickener for the sauce.
Other Meat Substitutes You Can Use
I usually use soy curls (or strips) for this plant based bulgogi recipe. They mimic the shape and texture of meat super well. But here are a few other meaty vegan suggestions.
- Tofu Cutlet: Firm tofu that’s been fried until golden brown. Slice the block into strips before using.
- Young Jackfruit: Also known as young green jackfruit. Find it in the canned section at Asian grocery stores. Do not use fresh, ripe jackfruit.
- Beyond Steak: These are very meaty strips made of wheat gluten and faba bean protein. Probably closest to the flavor of actual beef.
- Vegan Ground Beef: If you use a vegan ground beef product, it will soak up the sauce quickly. Have extra bulgogi sauce on hand just in case.
While traditional Korean bulgogi is made with beef, don’t worry if the meat substitute you choose looks like chicken – or not like meat at all.
How to Make Vegan Bulgogi
- Rehydrate the soy curls in a bowl with warm water or broth according to the instructions on the package. Then drain.
- Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, add the cooking oil and the onions and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the soy curls and saute for 4 minutes.
- Then add half of the sauce and stir for 1 minute. After a minute, add the remaining sauce, stir and turn off the heat.
- Add the sesame oil, sesame seeds and stir well.
- Transfer to a serving plate and top with green onions and black pepper. Serve hot.
Recipe Variations
Tailor this vegan Korean bulgogi to your specific tastes with a few easy tweaks.
- Make it spicy. The only moderately spicy ingredient in this recipe is the gochujang. While gochujang has a bit of a bite, it’s fairly mild in terms of actual heat. Take it up a few notches with gochugaru (dried Korean red chili pepper flakes) – for a great balance of smoky and spicy.
- Go sweeter or less sweet. Just use more or less brown sugar in the sauce. You can also use monk fruit sweetener or agave nectar.
- Marinate the soy curls for more umami. You can easily infuse even more flavor into the soy curls with a quick soy sauce marinade. After rehydrating and draining the soy curls, place them in a food storage bag with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce for 10 minutes. Discard the marinade before cooking.
Serving Vegan Bulgogi
Pair this recipe with a simple bowl of perfectly steamed white or brown rice.
And when I’m feeling particularly motivated, I like using this soy curl bulgogi to make vegan ssam. To make your own ssam, just wrap the bulgogi inside leafy lettuce leaves like red leaf lettuce or romaine. Parilla leaves work too. Then dip in those parcels in plenty of homemade ssamjang. Delicious!
Of course, it’s not a full-on Korean meal without a few banchan (Korean side dishes). Here are some banchan that pair well:
- Korean Spicy Daikon Radish Salad (무생채)
- Bean Sprout Salad (Sookju Namul)
- Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
- The Best Vegan Kimchi – 김치
Storage
Cover and refrigerate leftover bulgogi for up to 3 days.
- Reheat leftovers in the microwave.
- If you want to recapture the fresh out of the pan flavor, top reheated leftovers with freshly chopped scallions, a light drizzle of soy sauce and a tiny bit of sesame oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only mildly spicy. The only source of heat is from gochujang (Korean red chili paste). Gochujang is more savory, funky and sweet overall. This vegan bulgogi recipe is perfect for people who love authentic Korean flavors, but may be sensitive to spice.
It can be. But you’ll have to make a couple changes. First, sub out the soy sauce in the recipe and use tamari or liquid aminos instead. Second, most mass produced gochujang contains barley malt powder, which is not gluten free. An easy workaround is to make your own gochujang. Here’s a quick homemade gochujang recipe you can follow. But heads up: that gochujang recipe contains honey (which isn’t vegan). You can use agave nectar instead if you prefer to make it both vegan and gluten free.
Sesame oil has a low smoke point. It’s a great flavoring oil, but not a great cooking oil. The delicate, nutty flavor can quickly turn bitter if it gets too hot.
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PrintVegan Bulgogi
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main
- Method: Skillet
