Bibimbap

This bibimbap recipe is my spin on the famous Korean dish. I top this delicious rice bowl with gochujang sauce, seasoned veggies, and a fried egg.

Bibimbap

This bibimbap recipe might be my favorite rice bowl I’ve ever made…and I’ve made a lot of them! My spin on Korean bibimbap, it consists of white rice topped with seasoned vegetables and a fried egg. I serve it with a sweet and spicy bibimbap sauce that absolutely PACKS this bowl with flavor. It’s delicious—I hope you try it!

What is bibimbap?

Bibimbap is one of the most well known Korean dishes. It’s a rice bowl topped with assorted vegetables, spicy gochujang, and an egg and/or meat, often beef. Each component contributes something unique to the bowl—think richness, heat, or crunch. The components are meant to be mixed together before eating—the Korean word “bibimbap” translates to “mixed rice” in English.

Of course, my recipe is meat-free, but the vegetables and punchy sauce still fill it with a fabulous combination of textures and flavors.

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

Ingredients

My bibimbap recipe starts with two base components:

  • RiceWhite rice is traditional for bibimbap, but brown rice or cauliflower rice would work here too.
  • A fried egg – Traditional bibimbap is sometimes topped with a raw egg yolk, but I like to use a cooked sunny side up egg on mine. If you’re vegan, skip the egg, or replace it with baked tofu or tempeh.

Bibimbap Vegetables

Then, I add the veggies! I like to use these:

  • 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 – To highlight their rich umami flavor, I cook them with a little rice vinegar and tamari or soy sauce.
  • Sautéed spinach – Sesame oil and tamari or soy sauce 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.

Feel free to use other veggies if you like. This bibimbap recipe works well with a wide assortment of vegetables. Swap in steamed or sautéed cabbage, bok choy, daikon, or any veggie you love. You can also simplify your bowl by using just two or three veggies.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

My Bibimbap Sauce

Bibimbap is typically served with some type of gochujang sauce. Gochujang is a Korean fermented chili paste with a bold sweet, spicy, and umami flavor.

For this recipe, I make a simple bibimbap sauce out of gochujang, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and maple syrup. Sweet, spicy, and a little funky, it adds amazing flavor to this rice bowl! See my gochujang sauce recipe to learn more about it.

Whisking bibimbap sauce

 Assembling and Eating Bibimbap

To make this recipe, start by cooking the rice. Use my method for how to cook rice on the stove, or make Instant Pot rice if you prefer.

Meanwhile, prep the remaining components:

  • Whisk together the sauce.
  • 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.
  • Lastly, fry the eggs.

Mixing bibimbap with chopsticks

Once the components are ready, you can assemble the bowls. Fill each with a base of cooked rice, and top it with an egg. Place the vegetables in sections around the perimeter of the bowl, surrounding the egg, and drizzle with the sauce.

When you’re ready to eat, break the egg yolk and mix the components together. The runny egg yolk and sauce will combine to coat the rice and veggies, which makes the bowl really flavorful and fun to eat.

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!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Tip: These bibimbap components are simple to make, but prepping them all at once takes time.

Get ahead by prepping the sauce and veggies in advance. They’ll keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Bibimbap recipe

More Rice Bowl Recipes

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

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Bibimbap

rate this recipe:
5 from 47 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 2
This bibimbap recipe is my spin on the traditional Korean rice bowl. I top it with assorted vegetables, a fried egg, and gochujang sauce. It's so flavorful and satisfying! Get ahead by making the sauce and prepping the veggies up to 3 days in advance.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, toss the cucumber slices with the rice vinegar, ¼ teaspoon of the 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 another ½ teaspoon of the sesame oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until a little bit soft, and then remove from the pan and set aside. Heat the remaining ½ teaspoon 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.

39 comments

5 from 47 votes (36 ratings without comment)

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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.