This recipe is a vegan version of Japchae - Korean mixed noodles dish. It is a light and delicious recipe, can be made in 30 minutes. The chewy and sweet noodles perfectly complement the crunchy veggies and the savory sauce.
What is Vegan Japchae?
Japchae is a popular Korean stir-fry noodles dish. These noodles used in this recipe have a bouncy, chewy texture that works so well with the crunchy vegetables and the savory soy sesame sauce. It's often mixed with a meat protein, but for the vegan version of the recipe, I use smoked tofu.
In the original recipe, all the vegetables are stir-fried separately. I make this recipe super easy and simplified, perfect for when you're in a rush or are lazy sometimes like me 😛 I stir fry all the vegetables together for 1-2 minutes, and they are still so good!
What makes this Vegan Japchae recipe special?
This Japchae is one of my favorite dinners to make when I'm craving something easy, light, fresh and healthy. It's a Korean stir-fry noodles dish that uses a variety of fresh veggies and protein sources that can be customizable. Feel free to mix up the ingredients and use what you have on hand.
Make it for a dinner, or bring it to a potluck to share with friends or family!
Ingredients
The noodles used in japchae are glass noodles (Dangmyeon noodles) made from sweet potato starch, they have a chewy, slightly sweet taste and are also gluten-free.
- Japchae noodles: also known as glass noodles, or Dangmyeon noodles.
- Veggies used here are bell pepper, carrot, spinach, shiitake mushroom and green onion. You can swap them with any available veggies you have, like zucchini or broccoli.
- Protein: you can use a variety of plant protein sources, like tofu, edamame, mock meats or beans.
- Sauce: the sauce creates a burst in flavors and is quite simple to make. It can be customized and made gluten-free by swapping soy sauce with gluten-free options or tamari. Feel free to taste the japchae after mixing the ingredients and add more soy sauce to taste.

If you have tried my recipe, please let me know what you think by leaving me a review on this page or tagging me on Instagram @veggieanh. I would love to see your creations!
Print📖 Recipe

Vegan Japchae
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 people 1x
Description
This is an easy and lazy version of vegan Japchae - one of Korea's most loved dishes that can be made in 30 minutes. The noodles are chewy and sweet, whereas the veggies make the dish light, fresh and delicious.
Ingredients
- ½ an onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red bell pepper (or other color)
- 1 small carrot
- 4 shiitake mushroom
- 1 green onion
- 100 g smoked tofu
- 1 tbsp oil
- 50 g spinach
- 125 g Korean sweet potato noodles
- sesame seeds
Sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Chop the onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrot, shiitake mushroom, green onion and smoked tofu into thin slices.
- Combine the soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil to make the sauce.
- In a pot, add water and bring to a boil. Cooking the Korean sweet potato noodles according to package instructions (mine takes about 5 minutes), drain and rinse under cold water.
- While the noodles are cooking, heat up the oil, when it's hot, add in the onion and garlic and fry for one minute.
- Add the bell pepper, carrot, mushroom and fry for 1-2 minutes or until slightly wilted.
- Add in the drained noodles, smoked tofu slices, and green onion. Pour the sauce on top. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Korean
Keywords: 30-minute meal, college recipes, comfort food, fresh, noodles, rainbow veggies, weeknight friendly
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