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30 Minutes or Less, Better than take out, Dinner, Vegetarian · August 1, 2022

Vegetarian Korean Bulgogi

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vegetarian bulgogi

Today is meatless Monday featuring Korean Bulgogi but make it vegetarian using impossible meat substitute. This dish has all of the flavors from the classic Korean beef bulgogi dish, but it is lightened up with no meat.  The whole dish comes together in under 30 minutes making it perfect for an easy weeknight meal. 

lightened up version

Ditch the meat in this recipe for a lighter version of a classic Korean dish. Bulgogi is found in most Korean restaurants. Typically, Bulgogi is made with beef, but this recipe uses a meat substitute like impossible or beyond meat to make this vegetarian. This dish can easily be made vegan by substituting the honey for agave.

ready in under 3o minutes

I have been really into easy quick dinners lately; no fuss is my favorite. Just because the recipe is easy to make doesn’t mean we are lacking in flavor. Once the impossible meat is cooked and sauced it is hard to tell that this dish is meatless. The savory, sweet, umami flavors of the dish pair so well together.

vegetarian bulgogi with sauce
ingredients needed to make vegetarian Korean bulgogi
  • Vegetarian Meat substitute (like impossible, beyond or your favorite brand)
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Preferred cooking oil 
  • Soy Sauce
  • Sesame Oil
  • Brown Sugar
  • Honey
  • Gochujang (Korean Chili Paste)
  • Sesame seeds (garnish)
  • Scallions (garnish) 
  • Shredded Carrot (garnish)
  • Fresh or pickled Cucumber (garnish)
how to make vegetarian Bulgogi step by step

STEP 1: Dice onion and chop garlic. Prepare fresh or pickled cucumber by slicing, and shred carrot. Make your sauce by mixing soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, honey, garlic, and Gochujang in a bowl and set aside for later. If you are serving the dish with rice, start the rice now. 

STEP 2: Heat a large pan to medium heat and add in your preferred cooking oil. Add in your impossible meat or meat substitute and onion. Break up your meat substitute with the back of a spoon and cook for 10 minutes.

STEP 3: Add in sauce and cook for 5-10 minutes more. Top with sesame seeds and scallion.

STEP 4: Assemble your vegetarian Korean bulgogi bowl. Add rice, bulgogi, carrots, and cucumber. Serve immediately and enjoy!

vegetarian bulgogi
notes for success

Feel free to top with your favorite condiments. Some classic options are carrots, scallion, kimchi, marinated bean sprouts, fresh or marinated cucumber. You can adjust the spice level by adding less gochujang. 

storage

You can store your vegetarian Korean bulgogi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  

vegetarian bulgogi finished

Are you looking for more flavorful weeknight dinners? Here are some of my favorites~

  • Vegetarian Pad Thai
  • Sweet Thai Peanut Chicken
  • Chicken Meatballs and orzo in a Red Pepper Sauce

If you make this Vegetarian Korean Bulgogi, be sure to leave a comment and rating. Suggestions and substitutions are welcome. I appreciate your support and feedback and I try my best to respond to each and every comment! Thank you!

vegetarian bulgogi
Print Recipe

Vegetarian Korean Bulgogi

This is a vegetarian version of the classic Korean dish Bulgogi. By using a meat substitute like impossible meat or beyond meat, we get all the sweet, and savory flavors of the classic bulgogi with no meat.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Author: Jennifer Struss

Ingredients

  • 12 oz Meat Substitute (beyond or impossible)
  • ½ Onion
  • 1 tbsp Cooking oil (vegetable, canola, olive)

Sauce

  • ¼ cup Soy Sauce
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
  • ¼ cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • 2 tbsp Gochujang
  • 4 tbsp sliced scallions
  • 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
  • ½ cup shredded carrot (optional)
  • ½ cup Fresh or Marinated Cucumbers (optional)

Instructions

  • Dice your onion and mince the garlic. Slice Scallions. Prepare fresh or pickled cucumber by slicing, shred the carrots, set the garnishes aside for later. Make your sauce by mixing soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, honey, minced garlic, and Gochujang in a bowl and set aside for later. If you are serving the dish with rice, start the rice now.
  • Heat a large pan to medium heat and add in your preferred cooking oil. Add in your impossible meat or meat substitute and onion. Break up your meat substitute with the back of a spoon and cook for 10 minutes.
  • Add in sauce and cook for 5-10 minutes more. Top with sesame seeds and scallions.
  • Assemble your vegetarian bulgogi bowl. Add rice, bulgogi, carrots, and cucumber. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to top with your favorite condiments. Some classic options are carrots, scallion, kimchi, marinated bean sprouts, fresh or marinated cucumber. You can adjust the spice level by adding less gochujang. 

Posted In: 30 Minutes or Less, Better than take out, Dinner, Vegetarian · Tagged: Korean, vegan, vegetarian

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