Vegan Tteokbokki aka chewy Korean rice cakes with gochujang and fermented black bean sauce, smoky tofu mince and crispy kale. It’s a super satisfying, flavor-packed recipe that comes together pretty quickly, all in one pan. It’s simple, but it’s really delicious.
In today’s recipe chewy Korean rice cakes are coated in a rich, savory-spicy sauce made with gochujang and fermented black beans, then combined with smoky, crispy tofu mince and slightly charred kale. It’s hearty, flavorful, and comes together surprisingly quickly.
This is the kind of dish that works really well for a quick dinner when you want something comforting but not boring. Once you’ve made it once, it’s super easy to tweak depending on what you have at home.
It’s also a great way to turn a classic Korean street food into a full, balanced meal. Traditional tteokbokki is often served as a snack, but adding tofu and greens makes it more filling and nourishing.
Tteokbokki with Tofu Mince and Crispy Kale is…
- fully vegan and plant-based
- spicy, savory, and slightly sweet
- chewy and comforting
- packed with umami
- quick and easy to make
- customizable
- inspired by Korean street food
- perfect for weeknight dinners
What’s Tteokbokki?
Tteokbokki is a popular Korean dish made from chewy rice cakes (called tteok) cooked in a flavorful sauce, usually based on gochujang, a fermented chili paste. It’s often sold as street food and enjoyed as a comforting, spicy snack or meal.
The texture is what makes it special. The rice cakes are soft, dense, and pleasantly chewy, soaking up all the sauce while keeping their bite. Traditional versions often include fish cakes or eggs, but it’s very easy to adapt into a fully plant-based dish.
Where to buy Korean Rice Cakes?
Korean rice cakes can usually be found in Asian supermarkets, especially Korean grocery stores. Look for vacuum-packed fresh rice cakes in the fridge or freezer section.
If you don’t have access to an Asian store nearby, many online shops also carry them. Just make sure you’re buying cylindrical rice cakes (often labeled tteokbokki tteok) for this recipe.
How to make Tteokbokki with Tofu Mince and Crispy Kale
Start by soaking the rice cakes in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften them. This step helps them cook evenly and improves their chewy texture. While they soak, prepare the other components.
Cook the kale in a hot pan with a little oil until wilted and slightly crispy on the edges, then set aside. In the same pan, cook the crumbled tofu until golden and crispy, then season with soy sauce for extra flavor.
Mix together the sauce using fermented black beans and their soaking liquid, gochujang, ssamjang, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic. Add the sauce to the pan with the tofu, then stir in the kale, green onions, and drained rice cakes. Let everything cook together for a few minutes so the flavors combine.
Finally, add a simple starch slurry to thicken the sauce and give it that glossy finish. Cook for another minute until everything is well coated and heated through. Serve immediately while hot and chewy.
Customize it the way you like it!
Play around with the sauce! Make it spicier or milder, add extras like sesame seeds or oil, mushroom sauce or powder, or seaweed. You can also turn it into a rosé sauce with vegan heavy cream or cream cheese.
Instead of crumbled smoked tofu, try store-bought vegan mince or crumbled tempeh. And add extra veggies, if you like. Carrots, napa cabbage, mushroom, or zucchini work all great here.
And don’t forget about fun toppings: sesame seeds, melty vegan cheese, sliced nori, or vegan hard boiled egg are all awesome here!
More quick vegan recipes to try:
- Rice Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Vegan Broccoli Pesto Pasta
- Hungarian Mushroom Paprikash
- Creamy Butter Beans with Wild Garlic
- Vegan Penne alla Vodka
- Greek Style Loaded Fries
- Easy Vegan Lentil Nuggets
- Hungarian Green Pea Stew
Tteokbokki with Tofu Mince and Crispy Kale
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 1x
Ingredients
- 500 g Korean rice cakes
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 150 g kale, roughly chopped
- 200 g smoked tofu, crumbled
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 green onions, sliced
Sauce
- 3 tbsp fermented black beans, soaked for at least 10 minutes
- 1 tbsp ssamjang
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)
- 1 tbsp starch
- salt
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Add rice cakes to a bowl and pour hot water over them. Soak them for 10 minutes, so they soften.
- Heat up a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat. Add kale, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale softens and crisps up on the edges.
- Transfer kale to a plate, and place the pan back on the stovetop. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, and turn heat down to medium. Add crumbled tofu, and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tofu is crispy. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce, and cook for one more minute.
- While tofu is cooking, prepare the sauce. Add soaked fermented black beans, 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid (or water), ssamjang, gochujang, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, gochugaru (omit if you don’t want it to be too spicy), and a pinch of salt to a bowl, and whisk together to combine.
- Pour sauce over the crispy tofu, add kale, green onions, and drained rice cakes, and mix everything together. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until everything is heated throughout.
- In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of water and one tablespoon of starch. Pour over tteokbokki, and cook for one more minute, until the sauce thickens. Serve immediately. Enjoy
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
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