Easy Gochujang Cabbage Fried Rice! This flavorful and craveable skillet meal is surprisingly easy to make without spending hours in the kitchen and brimming with nourishing goodness.

This Easy Gochujang Cabbage Fried Rice is packed with big flavor: spicy, sweet, and savory all in one comforting bowl. Tender cabbage adds a lightly crisp, veggie-forward bite, while gochujang brings that signature Korean heat that’s balanced just enough with a touch of sweetness and salty depth. If you love Asian-inspired meals, quick weeknight dinners, or anything spicy and satisfying, this fried rice hits the sweet spot.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

We love a great fried rice, and this one is seriously delicious, you gotta try it. There’s something about that bold gochujang flavor that makes every forkful feel exciting, while the cabbage keeps it fresh and flavorful (not heavy).

It’s the kind of meal that comes together fast, smells amazing while it’s cooking, and tastes even better once everything gets tossed together just right. If you’re craving easy spicy fried rice with a Korean twist, this is your sign, make a batch and enjoy it warm, cozy, and full of that irresistible sweet-heat goodness.

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This Gochujang Cabbage Fried Rice is full of delicious spicy, sweet and salty deliciousness. If you enjoy spicy Asian foods, then this tasty dish is just for you.
• Taste Testing the Sauce: The good news is you can taste test the sauce as you are building it. Be sure not to add the cornstarch while you are in the taste testing phase. This way you can get a very solid picture of what the sauce tastes like before committing it to the recipe. Once you are happy with the flavor, then add the cornstarch. The cornstarch thickens the sauce when it cooks, and the cornstarch flavor is cooked away once it gets hot.
• Gochujang: Gochujang is a thick, spicy, and savory-sweet Korean fermented chili paste that is a staple in the Korean cuisine. It comes in mild, medium, and hot. If you are concerned about heat, select a mild version. We used a medium heat level in this dish.
• Amount of Gochujang to Use: The amount of gochujang used in this dish is relative to the type of gochujang being used as gochujang ranges from mild to hot. Read the label to determine what type of gochujang you are using. Additionally, the level of heat tolerated is largely an individual preference. When taste testing, note that the heat builds on the back of the palate rather than the front.
• Gochujang Substitutions:This main component of this recipe is built around the Gochujang. We do not have any substitutions to offer.
• Cooked and Refrigerated Rice: Cooked and refrigerated rice works best when making this dish.  If you use recently cooked rice, it will be too gummy and sticky. Using cooked and refrigerated rice (preferably made the day before or earlier in the day) allows the rice to dry out enough to showcase distinct individual grains of rice making a better textured dish.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered air-tight container.

This fried rice can be frozen.

Pantry Products:

• Gochujang: We used OFood Gochujang Premium Korean Red Chili Paste – Medium. Feel free to use your favorite Gochujang Korean Red Chili Paste. Be sure to watch the label as Gochujang ranges from mild to hot.
• Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.
• Molasses: We used Grandma’s Unsulfured Original Molasses.  Feel free to use your favorite molasses.  We do not recommend black strap molasses as it can sometimes be bitter. You can leave the molasses out of the dish if you wish.  The molasses adds excellent depth of flavor and is reminiscent of brown sugar.

Kitchen Equipment:

• Large skillet

If you try this flavorful dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Easy Gochujang Cabbage Fried Rice

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 15 Minutes
• Total Time: 25 Minutes
• Yield: 6 Cups 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Korean Inspired
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This Easy Gochujang Cabbage Fried Rice is packed with big flavor: spicy, sweet, and savory all in one comforting bowl.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients

• 1 – [ 16 oz. ] shredded cabbage/carrot (coleslaw mix) *
• ¼ cup water

Sauce Ingredients

• ¼ cup reduced-sodium tamari *
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (+/-)
• ½ teaspoon molasses *
• 1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons gochujang (+/-) *
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch to ¼ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)

Other Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked and refrigerated brown rice (or rice of choice) *
• ¼ to ½ cup roasted peanuts (optional)

Optional Toppings

• Sprinkle green onions, sliced
• Sprinkle roasted peanuts

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Instructions

1. Place all the Sauce Ingredients into a small bowl, whisk to combine, set aside.
2. Add the coleslaw mix into a large skillet, heat over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, add ¼ cup of water, sauté until the cabbage reaches the desired tenderness. Add a splash of water, if needed, to prevent burning.
3. Add the Sauce Mixture and increase the heat to a high heat, stir constantly until the sauce starts to thicken about one minute, then reduce the heat to medium and add the cooked and refrigerated rice and roasted peanuts, stir well to ensure all the rice, cabbage, and peanuts are evenly coated, then heat for several minutes until the rice is hot and heated through. Be sure to watch the mixture to ensure it does not burn.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat. Sprinkle on optional toppings, if desired, then serve and enjoy!

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Notes

Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Products Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Equipment Used.

Servings:  4 (makes 6 cups)

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