Featuring chewy rice cakes cooked in a sweet and spicy chili sauce, this vegan tteokbokki is seriously addictive! It is easy to make, customizable, and ready in 30 minutes.
Have you tried tteokbokki? It is a popular Korean street food made by simmering chewy rice cakes in an umami and spicy broth made from gochujang. This amazing dish and my vegan miso ramen have been my go-to comfort food, especially during the colder months.
This vegan tteokbokki is moderately spicy and might not be suitable for those with a low heat tolerance. If you want a spice-free version, I recommend trying my jjajang tteokbokki.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Bold in flavors, fiery, and incredibly delicious
- A quick one-pan recipe that is easy to make
- Highly customizable to suit your personal preference
- The ultimate comfort food that is warm and satisfying
🤔What is tteokbokki
Tteokbokki, also called ddukbokki or topokki, is a popular Korean street food and can be directly translated to ‘stir-fry rice cakes.’ It primarily features chewy rice cakes and fish cakes cooked in a rich and spicy sauce made from gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste).
While there are many variations of tteokbokki recipes, this is the classic form without additional ingredients. However, you can add any ingredients that you like.
To make this recipe vegan, we will not include fish cakes. Although I keep it simple, you can add more vegetables or plant-based protein like seitan chicken cubes, yuba sheets, or pan-fried tofu.
🌶️What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Korean rice cakes - Also known as garaetteok, they are cylinder-shaped rice cakes made from glutinous rice flour. They have a chewy and bouncy texture.
- They come either as fresh, refrigerated, or frozen. Refrigerated and frozen rice cakes must be soaked in hot water before cooking.
- Korean rice cakes can be found in some larger groceries or Asian markets. You can also purchase them online.
- Gochujang - A fermented chili paste commonly used in Korean cooking. You can get it in groceries (usually in the international food aisle), Asian markets, or online.
- Soy sauce - This can be substituted with tamari or shoyu.
- Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes) - You can find it in most Asian markets or online.
🔪How to make
Soak rice cakes in warm water for 10 minutes. (Omit if using fresh rice cakes.)
Heat some oil in a pan, and add garlic. Fry until fragrant, about a minute.
Add broth along with gochujang and the rest of the seasonings. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Then, add rice cakes.
Simmer rice cakes for 10-15 minutes or until they are tender and chewy. Top vegan tteokbokki with sesame seeds and green onion before serving!
✅Helpful tips
- Adjusting the spice levels -You can adjust the heat of this dish by changing the amount of gochujang and gochugaru. For a milder tteokbokki, use mild gochujang and omit gochugaru.
- Adjust the amount of broth added - If you want a thicker sauce, reduce the broth by ¼-½ cup. For a soupier tteokbokki, add more broth.
- Enjoy immediately - Rice cakes will naturally harden as they cool down. It is best to enjoy it while warm. If your rice cakes are hard, reheat them until they are tender and soft.
- Storing leftover - Leftover vegan tteokbokki can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove, adding some water to thin the sauce. Simmer until the rice cakes are soft and chewy.
- Make it gluten-free - Use a gluten-free gochujang and soy sauce.
✨Variations and add-ins
As mentioned above, this is just the basic recipe. Here are some add-in ideas to beef up your vegan tteokbokki:
- Veggies - Napa cabbage, mushrooms, carrot, broccoli, zucchini
- Plant protein - tofu puffs, yuba sheets, pan-fried tofu, seitan chicken cubes, soy curls
- Broth - Substitute vegetable broth with kelp dashi for a more umami dish.
- Rabokki - Replace ½ of the rice cakes with 1 instant ramen noodles.
- Toppings - toasted sesame seeds, green onion, vegan shredded cheese
🥟How to serve
Here are some side dishes I love to pair with this vegan tteokbokki:
- Vegan kimchi or pickled radish (danmuji)
- Side dishes - tofu kimbap, blanched vegetables, tofu dumplings
- Drinks - teas like green tea or brown rice tea, bubble tea, iced lemon barley water
❔Commonly asked questions
For the best results in tteokbokki, it's recommended to use cylinder-shaped rice cakes, also known as garaetteok. Sliced rice cakes can also be used, but they require less cooking time.
Rice cakes can be found in fresh, refrigerated, or frozen forms. While fresh rice cakes are preferred, they can be challenging to find. Therefore, many people choose to use the refrigerated or frozen variety.
If you want a less spicy version of tteokbokki, simply decrease the amount of gochujang used and balance out the saltiness by adding more soy sauce. You may also choose to use a mild gochujang instead. To further reduce spiciness, you can leave out gochugaru altogether.
To reheat tteokbokki, it's recommended to use a pan and add a small amount of water or broth to thin out the mixture. Let it simmer for a few minutes until the rice cakes become soft. Alternatively, you can use a microwave. Add some water or broth to tteokbokki, then heat it in 30-second bursts until the rice cakes are soft.
Rice cakes can be found in some groceries in the refrigerated or frozen section. Alternatively, you can get them in your local Asian market or online.
If your tteokbokki sauce is too thin, it may be because you added too much broth. To fix this, you can create a slurry by combining 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of water. Add it to your tteokbokki and allow the mixture to simmer until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency.
🍽️More vegan Asian dishes
If you did make this recipe, do leave a rating and comment down below, we love hearing from you! Subscribe to My Plantiful Cooking to get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get the latest updates. 😉
📖 Recipe
Vegan Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Korean rice cakes garaetteok (450g)*
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons gochujang use gluten-free if needed
- 2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitutes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari/shoyu (us gluten-free if needed)
- 1-2 teaspoons gochugaru optional
Instructions
- Soak rice cakes in warm water for 10 minutes. (Omit if using fresh rice cakes)1 lb Korean rice cakes
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a pan, and add garlic. Fry until fragrant, about a minute.4 cloves garlic
- Add broth along with gochujang and the rest of the seasonings. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.2 ½ cups vegetable broth, 3 tablespoons gochujang, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1-2 teaspoons gochugaru
- Add rice cakes and allow them to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until they are tender and chewy. Add more broth if needed.
- Top vegan tteokbokki with sesame seeds and green onion before serving!
Notes
- They come either as fresh, refrigerated, or frozen. Refrigerated and frozen rice cakes must be soaked in hot water before cooking.
- Korean rice cakes can be found in some larger groceries or Asian markets. You can also purchase them online.
- Adjusting the spice levels -You can adjust the heat of this dish by changing the amount of gochujang and gochugaru. For a milder tteokbokki, use mild gochujang and omit gochugaru.
- Adjust the amount of broth added - If you want a thicker sauce, reduce the broth by ¼-½ cup. For a soupier tteokbokki, add more broth.
- Enjoy immediately - Rice cakes will naturally harden as they cool down. It is best to enjoy it while warm. If your rice cakes are hard, reheat them until they are tender and soft.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Join the discussion !