Easy Korean Kimchi Recipe (Keto) (2024)

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

Discover the benefits of Kimchi for gut health, weight loss, and immune system boost. Try our sweet and spicy Korean Kimchi Keto recipe!

Crispy Kimchi Is Healthy And Widely Used Worldwide

When creating our sweet and spicy Korean Kimchi Keto recipe, we kept it simple to allow for substitute ingredients that everyone could find.

Kimchi is rich in vitamins A and C, excellent for gut health and weight loss, and improves your bowel function for an overall immune system boost.

Kimchi for A Keto Diet

We first tried Kimichi from our neighbor, who told us about intermittent fasting and gut health.

Since being on the keto diet, Mrs CBB has dropped nearly 100lbs and wants to improve her gut health and cellular repair.

Cellular repair: When fasted, your cells initiate cellular repair processes.

This includes autophagy, where cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells- Intermittent fasting 101

She needed to incorporate extended fasts to reach the point of autophagy, where she was cleaning out old damaged cells to make room for newly regenerated cells.

This means she fasts about 3-5 days once a month, sometimes twice.

She follows OMAD, One Meal A Day, for the rest of the week.

The keto way of living takes on many forms, but this is where she is at.

Why Make Kimchi?

Mrs CBB was suffering from a sore tummy, increased gas, and overall not feeling her best.

On our neighbor’s advice, he suggested we buy kimchi to help with gut health, but we decided to make our keto style.

Store-Bought Kimchi Prices vs. Homemade Kimchi Prices

We found Kimichi at the grocery store, but you will pay big bucks, $9.99 for a small pot, so don’t waste your time buying it; make it.

This Kimchi keto recipe will make a 2-litre jar of fresh homemade fermented cabbage that you can store indefinitely.

When factoring in the costs for the ingredients, one 2L jar will cost you roughly $8.

Let me tell you, it puts that small pot of kimchi to shame at the grocery store,

The only catch to making kimchi is waiting to ferment, which can take 1 to 5 days, depending on how sour you like it.

We like our kimchi to taste sour, like sauerkraut, so we keep it on the counter fermenting for five days.

The longer kimchi sits at room temperature, the stronger and tarter the flavors will become, but the texture is crispy.

History of Kimchi

Kimchi is a staple in Korean cuisine, is a famous traditional side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish, made with a widely varying selection of seasonings including gochugaru (chili powder), scallions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal (salted seafood), etc.

There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with different vegetables as the main ingredients.

Traditionally, kimchi was stored in-ground in large earthenware to prevent the kimchi from being frozen during the winter months.

It was the primary way of storing vegetables throughout the seasons.

In the summer the in-ground storage kept the kimchi cool enough to slow down the fermentation process.

In contemporary times, kimchi refrigerators are more commonly used to store kimchi.

Napa Cabbage

What is Napa Cabbage?

The word Napa used in Nappa Cabbage is a Japanese word that refers to the leaves of any vegetable.

Napa cabbage is found in most Canadian grocery stores and almost all Asian supermarkets.

Napa cabbage is typically sold per pound and will cost us about $4 for each one we buy.

Other Names for Napa Cabbage Around The World

Napa Cabbage also refers to “White vegetables” where the leaves are lime green and white leaf veins.

• The Korean name for napa cabbage baechu.
• The Japanese name for napa cabbage, Hokusai
• The Chinese name for napa cabbage, báicài

Napa or nappa cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis or Brassica rapa Pekinensis Group) is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China, and is widely used in East Asian cuisine.

Since the 20th century, it has also become a widespread crop in Europe, the Americas and Australia.

In much of the world, this is the vegetable referred to as “Chinese cabbage”. In Australia it is referred to as “wombok”. – Wikipedia

Daikon Radish 101

We struggled to find Daikon Radish in many Canadian grocery stores, but we have a few inside tips for you.

Food Basic and Metro always have Daikon Radish in stock, so if you have one of these grocery stores, head there.

You will also find Daikon Radish at almost all Asian and some Indian grocery stores.

Can you substitute red radishes for daikon radishes in kimchi?

You can add red radishes as extras. However, they are very spicy.

I’d add the daikon and mix in some radishes if you want to add them to the mixture.

The small independent Asian stores will be your best bet to stock up on your keto kimchi ingredients.

We also find that since they buy these products in bulk, you’ll find some of the best prices in the independent shops over the grocery store.

What is Daikon Radish?

We had no idea what we were in for when we needed Daikon Radish as we had not tasted it before.

Daikon (大根, literally ‘big root’), Raphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus Bailey, also known by many other names depending on context, is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, napiform root.

Originally native to Southeast or continental East Asia, daikon is harvested and consumed throughout the region, as well as in South Asia.

It is now available internationally. – Wikipedia

Other names for Daikon Radish to be aware of when grocery shopping around the world are;

• White Radish
• Winter Radish
• Asian Radish
• Long White Radish
• Luobo, Chinese White Radish
• Mooli
• Japanese Radish or True Daikon
• Lobak or lo pak
• Chai Tow or Chai Tau
• Icicle Radish

What does Daikon Radish taste like?

Daikon radish is super crunchy and not nearly as spicy as a red radish.

I find Daikon radish easy to eat, satisfying that crunch, and perfect for pickling or fermenting in kimchi recipes.

Keto Kimchi vs. Korean Kimchi

When creating a Kimchi keto recipe, we needed to keep it as traditional as possible but with fewer carbs.

One of the ingredients we did opt to eliminate is the rice flour, even though many people will say the carbs are little from it.

Compared to the Kimchi our Korean neighbor let us try, we felt we weren’t missing much with our recipe.

If you grew up with kimchi, perhaps you will notice the missing rice flour, but it’s up to you if you want to make a traditional slurry for your kimchi recipe.

We eliminated that step for our kimchi keto-style version and substituted traditional Asian pear or apple for erythritol or keto-friendly sugar.

This still allows for sweetness and the fermentation process to begin, so some form of sugar is essential.

Korean Chili

One ingredient that we had to search for was Korean gochugaru (chilli powder), which we ended up finding in two places: Amazon Canada and a local Chinese supermarket.

Gochugaruis one of the vital spice ingredients in traditional kimchi, so try to find this if you can; if not, substitute it with crushed chilli flakes.

You may also find traditional kimchi has julienned carrots but since they are not keto, we did not add it to our recipe.

Finally, we love fresh limes, so you will find that we used lime juice in our kimchi keto recipe, which gives the fermented flavor a delicious twist.

I’ve also added 2 tablespoons of Diet co*ke Zero with Stevia to the kimchi to kick-start the fermenting process, but this is optional.

Ways To Use Kimchi

Now that we keep a huge jar of our Kimchi keto recipe in the refrigerator, we add it to many recipes.

We often eat kimchi as a crunchy side dish, but we also like adding it to scrambled eggs.

We like to add kimchi to:

• Homemade bone broth with kimchi
• Tacos with kimchi
• Pork Rind Keto Nachos with kimchi
• Keto Cauliflower rice with kimchi

How To Make Easy Keto Kimchi

Preparing the Napa Cabbage

Making Kimchi is a process so I will add it in the sections below.

First, you will want to cut your napa cabbage lengthwise and then into quarters.

From there, remove the core on each quarter of the cabbage and discard it.

Fill a clean sink with cold water and rub 1/2 cup of kosher or flaked sea salt between the leaves.

Don’t be shy with the sea salt even if you think it’s too much; don’t worry, it won’t taste salty.

Lay the cabbage in the sink of cold water or a large bowl and turn it every hour for about 3 hours or until the white flesh can bend without snapping.

Some people like to chop the Nappa cabbage first into small bits for this process, but I do it afterward.

The choice is yours.

Rinse the cabbage under cold water.

Pour the napa cabbage into a strainer to dry the leaves, but keep 2 cups of brine in the strainer for the fermentation process.

As the leaves dry, I slice the Nappa cabbage into long strips, but you can do this before or after.

At this point, I add the julienned daikon radish with the cabbage, waiting for the kimchi paste.

Preparing The Kimchi Spices

Add garlic cloves, erythritol, spring onions (whites only), ginger, Korean chilli flakes, lime juice, cold water, fish sauce, and soy seasoning in a food processor.

You will want to mix it until it’s the consistency of a pancake batter so that it will be thin but as a paste, and that’s what you want.

Wear Gloves To Mix Your Kimchi

I suggest wearing gloves to rub the spices into the sliced cabbage leaves. Otherwise, your hands will stain.

I put the cabbage, daikon radish, and spring onion greens into a large Tupperware container lined with a bag to eliminate staining.

Pour the paste over the cabbage leaves and daikon radish and rub it until everything is coated.

*You can use a large bowl.

Packing the Kimchi

I tightly packed the kimchi into a 2-litre glass jar and added some brine to submerge the cabbage.

Put a bowl or plate under the jar and ensure the lid is tight, as it will bubble as it ferments.

You will know it is fermenting once the bubbles appear, which takes about 1 or 2 days on the counter.

You may want to add more sweetener if you don’t see any bubbles, but it should be fine.

I often open the jar and use a wooden spoon to push the kimchi down and add more brine if necessary.

Most often, I don’t, as it ferments the water from the cabbage is released.

After 3 days, your kimchi keto recipe is done, and you can eat it any way you like.

We store our kimchi in the refrigerator for up to 6 months, always making sure the kimchi is submerged in juices.

Easy Korean Kimchi Keto Recipe (Sugar-Free)

• Recipe Type:Keto
• Cuisine:Korean
• Author:Mr CBB
• Prep time:5 hours
• Cook time:72 hours
• Total time:77 hours

Serves:20

This Kimichi Keto Recipe is simple to make but time-consuming; however, the beautiful results will be worth the effort and can last up to 6 months in your refrigerator.

Ingredients

• 1 large Nappa cabbage
• 1 cup Kosher or flaked sea salt
• water to cover the cabbage
• 1 cup julienned daikon radish
• Kimchi Paste
• 10 cloves of garlic
• 8 spring onions (whites chopped for paste, save the greens)
• 4 tbsps of fish sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 tbsp erythritol
• 4 tbsps liquid soy seasoning or soy sauce
• 4 tbsps grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup of Korean chili powder (add as much or as little as you’d like, as it is spicy)
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• Juice of one fresh green lime

Instructions

1. Slice your Napa cabbage into quarters and remove the core.
2. Fill a clean sink or large bowl with cold water, remove the leaves, and massage salt liberally over each leaf, then submerge in water for up to 4 hours. It is done when the cabbage can bend without breaking the white flesh.
3. Pour the cabbage into a strainer to drain and hold back 1 to 2 cups of brine.
4. Once dry, you can slice your cabbage into strips or leave it whole for the kimchi recipe.
5. Add the julienned daikon radish with your cabbage into a large stainless bowl or Tupperware container.

Making The Paste

1. While the cabbage is soaking, add all of the kimchi paste ingredients into a food processor and mix until it is a paste.
2. Pour the paste over the sliced cabbage and mix it using gloves or rub it into whole leaves so they are covered in the paste.
3. Fill a 2 or 3-litre jar with the completed kimchi and pack it as tight as you can add extra brine to submerge the cabbage for the fermenting process.
4. Leave the jar tightly closed on the counter for 3-5 days, depending on how sour you like your kimchi.
5. Occasionally, open the jar and press the cabbage down using chopsticks or a wooden spoon.
6. Keep the jar sitting on something that can catch any over-spill if it comes out from the jar when you open it or as it ferments.
7. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Healthy Keto Kimchi Is The Best Around

Making a Kimchi keto recipe may seem like a long process, and it is, but the result is worth the work and savings to your budget.

Discussion: What was the best-tasting kimchi you’ve ever had?

Keto Kimchi Nutritional Info: 2 net carbs per 1/2 cup

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