Homemade Kimchi with Vegan Kimchi Option

Name: Homemade Kimchi with Vegan Kimchi Option
Prep time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h
Cuisine: Asian, Korean
Ingredients: 8 to 9 lbs. Napa cabbage; 1 1/4 cups coarse sea salt (split); 3 cups cold water; 24 cloves garlic; 1 ½ to 2 inches fresh ginger (peeled and chopped); 1 medium white onion (peeled and quartered); 1 1/2 cups Korean radish (cubed (1 small radish or 3/4 of a medium radish)); ½ Fuji apple (peeled and cut into 4 pieces); ½ Korean pear (peeled and cut into 4 pieces); ½ cup fish sauce (plus more, if needed); 2 cups Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru); 1 to 2 bunches scallions (chopped into 1 to 2 inch long pieces); ½ cup water if needed

Instructions

Prep:6h

My Aunt's homemade kimchi recipe is delicious, flavorful, refreshing and easy to make! Plus, I'm sharing a naturally sweetened vegan kimchi version, too! If wanting to make a small batch: use 1 large (or 2 small) Napa cabbages (5-6 lbs.). Use 1/2 cup coarse sea salt, 1 1/2 cups cold water, 5 to 10 cloves garlic (start with 5 cloves and then taste), 1 inch fresh ginger, 1/2 medium sized onion, or one small onion, 1/2 cup Korean radish, 1/4 Fuji apple, 1/4 Korean pear, 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1 cup gochugaru, 1 bunch green onions. Blend everything as noted below in the recipe card, taste and adjust anything as needed.

Updated at: Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:39:09 GMT