Bibimbap

This bibimbap recipe is bowl food at its best! Topped with gochujang sauce and seasoned veggies, it's fresh, healthy, and packed with bold flavor.

Bibimbap

This bibimbap recipe will make anyone fall in love with bowl food. When I talk about bowl food, I mean any recipe that consists of a base, such as noodles or rice, a protein, vegetables, and a flavorful sauce. I’ve had my fair share of grain bowls and noodle bowls over the years, but without question, bibimbap is bowl food at its best.

If you’ve never heard of bibimbap, it’s a Korean rice bowl topped with assorted vegetables, spicy gochujang, and an egg and/or meat. It’s one of the most well-known Korean dishes, and once you try it, you’ll see why. Each component contributes something essential to the bowl – think richness, heat, or crisp texture. Of course, my bibimbap recipe is meat-free, so it puts the vegetables front and center. Each one is lightly seasoned before it’s added to the bowl, highlighting its unique taste and texture. Combined with warm rice, fiery sauce, and a perfect runny egg, the veggies create a veritable explosion of flavor and texture. If you love veggie-forward dishes that pack a big punch of flavor, this bibimbap recipe is just the thing for you.

Cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, and spinach in a bowl

Bibimbap Recipe Components

My bibimbap recipe starts with these three traditional components:

  • RiceWhite rice is traditional for bibimbap, but brown rice or cauliflower rice would work here too.
  • A sunny-side up egg – Break the yolk and mix it into the bowl to create a sauce-like coating for the rice and veggies. If you’re vegan, skip the egg, or replace it with baked tofu or tempeh.
  • Gochujang sauce – If one ingredient is the real star of bibimbap, it’s the gochujang sauce. Its spicy, sweet, funky flavor comes from gochujang paste, a fermented red pepper spread that’s commonly used in Korean cuisine. As far as flavor goes, there’s really nothing else like it.

Then, I add the veggies! Bibimbap can be made with a wide assortment of vegetables, so feel free to use what you like. Make a simpler bowl with two or three veggies, or add your favorites. Steamed or sautéed cabbage, bok choy, or daikon would all be great here. Can’t pick? This combination is fantastic:

  • Cucumber – I thinly slice cucumber and marinate it with rice vinegar and sesame oil to give it tangy, nutty flavor.
  • Bean sprouts – Lightly blanched, they add a delicious crunch to this bowl.
  • Shredded carrots – I lightly sauté them in sesame oil so that they soften just slightly. I use my julienne peeler to cut the carrots here, but if you don’t have one, grated carrots will work just as well.
  • Sautéed shiitake mushrooms – Again, you can make bibimbap with any vegetables, but I especially love the mushrooms here. Tamari and rice vinegar highlight their rich umami flavor.
  • Sautéed spinach – Sesame oil and tamari give it toasty, savory flavor. Make sure to squeeze the excess liquid out of the spinach after you cook it so that your bibimbap isn’t watery.

Gochujang sauce

 Assembling and Eating Bibimbap

To make this recipe, start by cooking the rice. While it simmers, whisk together the sauce and prep the veggies. Start with the cucumber so that it has time to marinate. Then, blanch the bean sprouts, and sauté the carrots, mushrooms, and spinach. Last but not least, cook the eggs.

Assemble each bowl with a base of cooked rice, and top it with the egg. Place the vegetables in sections around the perimeter of the bowl, surrounding the egg, and drizzle with the gochujang sauce. When you’re ready to eat, break the egg yolk and mix the components together. (Bibimbap translates literally to mixed rice, after all!) The runny egg yolk and sauce will combine to coat the rice and veggies, which makes the bowl really flavorful and fun to eat.

Mixing bibimbap with chopsticks

I like to serve my bibimbap with extra sauce, sliced green onions, and kimchi on the side and mix them in as I eat. Feel free to skip these components, or add them to your bowl from the get-go. Again, this recipe is flexible, so customize it to create a bowl you love!

Bibimbap recipe

More Rice Bowl Recipes

If you love this bibimbap recipe, try one of these rice bowls next:

Get This Recipe In Your Inbox
Share your email, and we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, enjoy daily doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!

Bibimbap

rate this recipe:
5 from 33 votes
Serves 2
Bibimbap is a Korean rice bowl filled with assorted vegetables, gochujang sauce, an egg, and meat. My recipe skips the meat, but you won't miss it one bit. The seasoned veggies and sauce fill this bowl with flavor!

Ingredients

Bowls

  • ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
  • teaspoons sesame oil, divided
  • 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • ½ teaspoon tamari
  • 2 cups cooked short-grain white rice
  • 2 fried eggs, or 1 cup cubed baked tofu
  • 4 ounces sautéed shiitake mushrooms, optional
  • 1 recipe Gochujang sauce
  • Sesame seeds
  • Sea salt
  • Kimchi, optional, for serving
  • Chopped scallions, optional, for serving

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, toss the cucumber slices with ½ teaspoon rice vinegar, ¼ teaspoon sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
  • Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Drop in the bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
  • Heat ½ teaspoon sesame oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes until a little bit soft, and then remove from the pan and set aside. Heat ½ teaspoon more sesame oil in the skillet and add the spinach and tamari. Cook, tossing, for 30 seconds or until just wilted. Remove from the skillet and gently squeeze out any excess water from the spinach.
  • Assemble the bowls with the rice, cucumber slices, bean sprouts, carrots, and spinach. Top with a fried egg or baked tofu. Add the mushrooms, if using. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle generously with the gochujang sauce. Serve with kimchi and scallions, if desired, and the remaining gochujang sauce on the side.

Notes

*I use Mother in Law's Gochujang which I get at Whole Foods. Other brands may vary in flavor and spice level.

38 comments

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Kathy hogan
    06.18.2022

    Do you think adding fish cake would be too much with the egg. I like both

  2. Ian H
    04.02.2022

    5 stars
    Holy cow. My advice to anyone who’s looking at this recipe is to stop searching. My advice to anyone who’s making something else tonight is to change your plans. This is what you need to make. Tonight, tomorrow, and maybe the next day.

    Absolutely delicious. It’s a perfect match between flavors, textures, and spice levels and is absolutely going into our regular rotation.

    Thank you doesn’t cut it, but thank you.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.05.2022

      Hi Ian, I’m so glad you loved it!

  3. Caitlin
    11.16.2021

    5 stars
    Loved this recipe! So good!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.17.2021

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  4. Sabine
    06.27.2021

    Can Gochujang sauce be used in place of the paste? I could not find the paste at the grocery store. Only the sauce
    Thank You

    • Sabine
      06.27.2021

      Never mind.
      I was looking for the paste to make the recipe for the sauce, but will just use the Gochujang store bought sauce

      • Poppy
        07.11.2021

        You can get the paste at anyAsian market.

  5. ridhi
    06.05.2021

    this is amazing, i loved it sooo much, and so did my family!!

  6. Susan
    05.05.2021

    5 stars
    This is absolutely delicious! I didn’t change a thing. Thank you!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.06.2021

      I’m glad you loved it!

  7. Babette
    04.23.2021

    5 stars
    I’m pregnant so I’ve been reluctant to buy bibimbap at restaurants due to the listeria risk. I decided it’s probably safe to make it fresh myself. My husband is vegetarian and we both agreed this was absolutely delicious. Only thing I added was mayonnaise. I know it’s not traditional but I usually find there’s Mayo in the ones we buy locally and I LOVE it.

    This recipe was amazing, I made the shiitakes and sauce

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.23.2021

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  8. Chelsea
    04.05.2021

    5 stars
    Adding this to my weekly meal prep! So fast, healthy and easy! Also my mom likes it which is saying something since she’s kind of picky!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.06.2021

      yay! I’m so glad you both loved it.

  9. Chimac
    02.04.2021

    Wow, this Bibimbap is amazing!
    I made this recipe last time.
    It was so GOOD. My family members are loving this recipe.
    Now I can share your blog with my friend circle.
    I am so glad after seeing your recipe, Thanks for sharing this recipe.
    Food is one of the biggest topics of conversation online and offline. Keep it up, I am waiting for your next recipe. Your blog is very useful and helpful for me.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.04.2021

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  10. MARCIA DUNSKER
    01.04.2021

    5 stars
    love this recipe but just one change. get a crust at bottom of the rice. chewy greatness

  11. Michelle
    08.26.2020

    Hi, this looks fantastic. Can you recommend a good brand of kimchi?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.26.2020

      Hi Michelle, I really like Mother-in-Law’s kimchi. I find it at whole foods.

  12. Rachel
    07.25.2020

    5 stars
    This was SO delicious, my whole family loved it! Thank you for the recipe!

  13. Rebecca
    07.18.2020

    5 stars
    This was sooooooo good!!!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.19.2020

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  14. Rebecca
    07.18.2020

    How many calories is in this recipe?

  15. amy
    07.14.2020

    any idea how many calories are in this recipe? 🙂

  16. Anne-Marie
    06.27.2020

    Question: Should the sesame oil be dark (toasted) or light?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.27.2020

      I use toasted sesame oil, but either one will work just fine.

  17. Stacy
    06.14.2020

    Do you know the macros for this by chance? I am so excited to make this!

  18. Cassi
    06.03.2020

    This was easy to make and tasted phenomenal!!! Even my kids loved it!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.05.2020

      I’m so glad you all loved it!

  19. Maria
    04.25.2020

    5 stars
    Best thing I’ve ever made!! Such an excellent recipe!🤤

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.26.2020

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  20. Alicia
    03.08.2020

    you have such a cute blog ! I love the design. I also love bibimbap 🙂

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.