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Vegan Japchae (Korean Stir Fried Glass Noodles)

July 10, 2019 By Lisa Kitahara 61 Comments

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vegan japchae korean glass noodles
vegan japchae korean glass noodles

This Vegan Japchae (잡채) recipe is a delicious gluten free and vegetable packed dish ready in under 30 minutes!

vegan japchae korean glass noodles

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!

vegan japchae korean glass noodles ingredients

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!

vegetable sweet potato noodles in a wok

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.

vegan japchae noodles on a white plate

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.

vegan japchae korean glass noodles

If you recreate this Vegan Japchae recipe please share it and let me know what you think by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

korean glass noodles closeup shot

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vegan japchae korean glass noodles on a white plate

Vegan Japchae


★★★★★

5 from 45 reviews

  • Author: Lisa Kitahara
  • Total Time: 25
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
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Description

This Vegan Japchae (잡채) recipe is a delicious gluten free and vegetable packed dish ready in under 30 minutes!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 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

  1. 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 teaspoon 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. 
  2. Slice all the vegetables into match stick sized pieces. They should all be relatively the same size. Cut the tofu into thin rectangles.
  3. Put all the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and stir.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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: ¼ of recipe
  • Calories: 484
  • Fat: 11g
  • Carbohydrates: 22g
  • Protein: 16g

Keywords: vegan japchae

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vegan korean glass noodle recipe

Okonomi Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you purchase something through my amazon affiliate links, I earn a small commission that helps me produce consistent content at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my plant based kitchen!

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Reader Interactions

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Cheïma says

    October 19, 2019 at 2:49 pm

    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 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      October 21, 2019 at 11:41 am

      Hi Cheima,
      Yes, Japchae is so good super happy you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  2. Carina Maria says

    November 07, 2019 at 10:40 am

    Very delicious and perfect for meal prep! 🙂 Will cook it again for sure!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      November 13, 2019 at 3:09 am

      Hi Carina!

      Thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
  3. K says

    November 17, 2019 at 1:05 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      November 21, 2019 at 10:05 pm

      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!

      Reply
    • Rhe says

      June 06, 2020 at 6:29 pm

      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.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  4. Danika says

    January 19, 2020 at 2:15 am

    So delicious! Simple to make and turned out great. This will be a new household staple

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Sharon Wu says

    January 25, 2020 at 4:19 am

    AMAZING recipe! Definitely going to be made on repeat. Vegan/healthy never tasted so good. My boyfriend loves it too 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Sam says

    January 31, 2020 at 9:39 pm

    Can I use normal firm tofu? I haven’t been able to find smoked.

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      February 07, 2020 at 4:17 am

      Yes! I would stir fry it in some sesame oil and soy sauce first so theres more flavour 🙂

      Reply
  7. Sherry Simmons says

    April 08, 2020 at 8:21 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      April 09, 2020 at 11:47 am

      Yay I'm so glad you enjoyed this Sherry! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Tina LeBlanc says

    April 29, 2020 at 3:45 pm

    Such a delicious combo - I didn't have glass noodles, so just subbed a half package (half of 454g pack) of rice noodles.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      April 30, 2020 at 10:58 pm

      So happy to hear you enjoyed!

      Reply
  9. Toni Dager says

    May 03, 2020 at 4:39 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Toni Dager says

    May 07, 2020 at 2:26 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      May 07, 2020 at 11:47 am

      So happy to hear you both enjoyed!

      Reply
  11. M says

    May 20, 2020 at 5:05 pm

    Sooo good, just made this for the family and I will definitely be using this recipe in the future!

    Reply
  12. Christine says

    May 23, 2020 at 6:37 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  13. Christie says

    May 30, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  14. Native Forest says

    May 30, 2020 at 6:22 pm

    I loved the recipe so much! It was so delicious, I made it twice already. Thanks again for the recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  15. surbhi says

    June 06, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    Turns out really well ! If you’re using light soy sauce like me, just go ahead and sprinkle some salt on top !

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  16. Anoushka says

    June 26, 2020 at 10:23 am

    This recipe is so delicious and versatile! It turned out so well, and it was super simple to make as well!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  17. @thefernemoji says

    July 01, 2020 at 10:27 pm

    Love japchae and this was super easy to make, and our results were awesome - love having smoked tofu in the dish too. Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  18. Alma I Reed-Herrera says

    August 05, 2020 at 2:28 am

    Easy to find ingredients and super easy to make and super delicious

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  19. Jacqueline says

    September 21, 2020 at 6:47 am

    Followed this recipe and it turned out amazing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  20. Snehal says

    September 24, 2020 at 5:10 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  21. Hannah says

    September 24, 2020 at 9:01 pm

    so easy and so delicious!!! A go to of mine when craving Asian but want to keep it healthy!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  22. Claudia says

    October 01, 2020 at 8:58 pm

    LOVED this recipe. I will make vegan japchae again soon. Thank you for sharing.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  23. Trina says

    October 01, 2020 at 11:20 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  24. Ines says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:24 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  25. Eve says

    November 15, 2020 at 2:56 pm

    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

    Reply
  26. Byron Foster says

    December 09, 2020 at 12:54 am

    I’m making this for the third time in three weeks! So full of delishousness!! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  27. Danica says

    December 12, 2020 at 7:43 pm

    Very delicious & easy recipe. I love sweet potato noodles, this recipe is definitely a staple with the easy to find ingredients

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      December 14, 2020 at 10:17 am

      So glad you enjoyed, Danica! 🙂

      Reply
  28. Ines says

    December 14, 2020 at 6:54 pm

    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!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      December 15, 2020 at 10:43 am

      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!!

      Reply
  29. Karina says

    December 16, 2020 at 7:55 pm

    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。

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      December 25, 2020 at 1:14 pm

      Thank you so much Karina, that makes me so happy! So glad you enjoyed 🙂

      Reply
  30. Logan Georgison says

    December 30, 2020 at 5:04 am

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  31. Tiffany says

    January 21, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    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

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara says

      January 26, 2021 at 10:49 pm

      So happy to hear this was a hit for you, Tiffany! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  32. Charlotte Mae says

    February 26, 2021 at 12:41 am

    Delicious! My whole family loved it, even my dad who is a huge meat eater. Highly recommend!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  33. Heidi Cecilie says

    March 23, 2021 at 8:13 am

    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

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  34. Indira says

    April 08, 2021 at 12:45 pm

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  35. Kristina says

    April 18, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    Fantastic recipe and it came together so quickly!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  36. Karen Agreda says

    April 27, 2021 at 9:43 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  37. Kat says

    May 03, 2021 at 5:42 pm

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  38. Judy says

    May 31, 2021 at 1:04 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  39. Pre says

    August 05, 2021 at 7:20 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  40. Phoebe says

    August 16, 2021 at 10:24 am

    Made this and as always it absolutely hit the spot!
    Simple and very delicious, will definitely make it again as requested by my partner 🤣

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  41. Leah says

    August 30, 2021 at 12:49 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  42. Breanna says

    September 05, 2021 at 2:39 pm

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  43. Rihab Chaieb says

    September 16, 2021 at 11:05 am

    Amazing ans easy recipe! This will definitely
    Be a staple in my
    Weekly cooking! Thank you 🙏🏽

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  44. Barb says

    November 12, 2021 at 12:37 am

    I made this tonight. So easy and so delicious! Thank you for sharing how to make it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  45. Lillian says

    November 20, 2021 at 1:41 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  46. Lacey says

    January 06, 2022 at 1:47 pm

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  47. Riley says

    February 15, 2022 at 5:04 am

    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!!! 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  48. Emily says

    May 06, 2022 at 1:51 am

    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.

    Reply
  49. Haley says

    February 19, 2023 at 2:56 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Lisa. Welcome to Okonomi Kitchen! Here you'll find delicious vegan recipes that are healthy, simple & easy to make.
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