Vegan Japchae

This Korean-style stir fry is a delightful swirl of glass noodles, colourful veggies, and crispy tofu bites. Ready in 30 minutes, wok to bowl, it's the perfect quick-fix meal for those busy weekdays.

Vegan Japchae Recipe

Info

Nutrition per serving
NutrientAmountRDA
Net Carbs63.5 g23.1%
of which Sugars11.5 g12.8%
Fibers6.3 g22.3%
Fats11.8 g18.2%
of which Saturates1.7 g8.6%
of which Omega 32.4 g218.8%
Proteins15.2 g32.9%
Calcium294 mg29.4%
Vitamin A259 mcg37%
Vitamin C160 mg213.6%
Iron7.6 mg51.5%
Potassium943 mg26.9%
Sodium964 mg41.9%
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Kcal421 21%
Macro split
  • net carbs 66%
  • sugars 12%
  • fats 12%
  • saturates 2%
  • proteins 16%
  • fibers 6%
*RDA based on a 2000 kcal diet;
**Nutritional data sources: USDA, food labels.
KCAL
421 per serving
TIME
30m
HEALTH

Japchae is a veggie stir-fry made with glass noodles (dangmyeon 당면), very popular in Korea, especially during festivities. While the classic version includes meat, like beef and pork, and sometimes eggs, we made our vegan, with only plant-based ingredients.

Japchae means mixed vegetables, but don't let the simple name fool you! This recipe is easy to make, but it's rich, flavourful and so very colourful. It is truly worthy of celebration and will bring joy to your table (and belly), as it did ours!

The veggies we used are onions, a colourful selection of peppers, spinach, and mushrooms. We followed the advice of Korean cookbooks that suggest stir-frying veggies separately, to retain their isolated colour and flavour. It is indeed a good tip, but if you are low on time, feel free to stir-fry everything together.

The other cool thing about this recipe is the glass (cellophane) noodles. We loved them in our glass noodle pad thai and wanted to use them again in a recipe you would like as well. We think we hit the mark with this one!

There are many varieties of glass noodles. We suggest you use the one made from sweet potato starch, as it is the one traditionally used in Japchae. We also tried mungbean and arrowroot glass noodles, and they were yummy too.

A nice bowl of these Korean stir-fried noodles makes a balanced meal under 500 calories and provides 30% of your RDI for fibres, 34% RDI for proteins, and only 8% RDI for saturated fats. Scroll below to discover the other ingredients we used and follow our simple steps to get this done!

And if you're in the mood for more stir-fry recipes with tofu, check out this Thai tofu recipe with cashews and red peppers — utterly delicious!

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Japchae noodles low carb and keto-friendly?

Virtually all noodle dishes, including this Japchae recipe, are not low in carbs. A typical bowl of noodles provides at least 40g of net carbs, which means they're not suitable for those following a keto diet where 50g is the entire daily carb allowance.

Classic noodles are made with flour, either wheat or rice flour, while glass noodles with starch extracted from potatoes, mung beans, or tapioca.

Therefore, if you want to make this stir-fry keto-friendly, you can swap noodles with low-carb alternatives, like:

  • Shirataki noodles, a type of Japanese noodle made from konjac yam

  • Zucchini noodles

  • Kelp noodles

  • Edamame noodles

  • Homemade egg noodles, swap flour with almond flour and add turmeric for colour

Can I have Japchae stir-fry if I am vegan?

While the classic japchae recipe includes meat like beef and pork and sometimes eggs, our recipe is 100% plant-based.

To make it vegan, we replaced meat with tofu, diced into bite-sized cubes and stir-fried until crispy. Tofu, like other soy-based products, is also a source of complete plant-based proteins, meaning it provides all the nine essential amino acids.

Is the classic Japchae recipe gluten-free?

Yes, this Korean-style stir-fry is traditionally prepared with sweet potato glass noodles, also known as dangmyeon. Being made from the starch of potatoes, these noodles are gluten-free and thus suitable for those following a no-gluten diet.

By the way, with our free Smart Search tool, you can easily filter recipes according to your dietary needs, including food allergies. Check it out here!

Can I reheat stir-fried noodles?

If you have any leftover noodles, you can store them in the fridge for up to three days and then reheat them for a quick midweek meal.

They will taste even better as the noodles will have time to soak in all the flavours. Reheat the stir-fried noodles in a non-stick skillet with a dash of vegetable oil. Fry them for a few minutes or until warm and fragrant and enjoy.

Ingredients

Adjustments
Serves
Measuring System
Glass Noodles220 g
Rapeseed Oil1 tbsp
Red Onion1
Yellow Peppers1
Green Peppers1
Red Peppers1
Shiitake Mushrooms350 g
Spinach160 g
Firm Tofu400 g
Gluten-Free Soy Sauce4 tbsp
Maple Syrup1 tbsp
Sesame Oil1 tbsp
Rice Vinegar1 tbsp
Chilli Flakes to taste
Sesame Seeds to taste

Step 1

Soak the glass noodles in a bowl with warm water for 10-15 minutes.

Then drain them well and keep them aside while you stir-fry the vegetables.

Soaked glass noodles

Step 2

Thinly slice the onions, peppers, and mushrooms and dice the tofu into bite-sized cubes.

Heat the rapeseed oil in a wok or large skillet and stir-fry the prepared vegetables, spinach, and tofu.

You can stir-fry each ingredient separately in little oil starting from the lightest to the darkest coloured one, according to the classic recipe, or cook them all in one go if you're short on time.

Fry the vegetables for about 4-6 minutes, just enough for them to soften but still stay crunchy. For the tofu instead, aim to get the cubes nicely seared and crispy on all sides.

Japchae vegetables stir fried in a wok

Step 3

Set the stir-fried ingredients aside and transfer the soaked noodles into the wok.

Cook them for 5 minutes or until they soften.

Glass noodles stir fried in a wok

Step 4

Now, transfer the veggies and tofu back into the wok and tip the soy sauce, maple, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.

Season with salt and black pepper and stir-fry all for a 5 more minutes.

Glass noodles and vegetables stir-fry

Step 5

Finally, divide the japchae noodles among serving bowls and sprinkle them with chilli flakes and sesame seeds.

Vegan korean japchae with tofu chillies and sesame

Tips

  • You can marinate the tofu cubes in a bowl with 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of vinegar, 1 tsp of maple, and 1 tsp of chilli flakes. Leave them to soak for 5-10 minutes and then stir-fry them in the wok following our recipe above.

    Or try one of our other tofu seasoning ideas like this firecracker sauce-coated tofu, miso-marinated tofu, or garlic honey-glazed tofu.

  • Add shredded seaweed nori sheets ("gim" or "kim" in Korean) to the stir-fry to get extra nutrients and a deeper flavour.

  • You can find glass noodles also under the name of clear noodles, bean thread noodles, or cellophane noodles. They can be made from sweet potato starch, mung bean starch, tapioca, or arrowroot starch.

  • If you can't eat soy, replace soy sauce with coconut amino sauce or a mixture of balsamic vinegar and rice vinegar. Also, swap tofu cubes with other meat-free alternatives like seitan or Quorn, or use canned beans like adzuki or mung beans.