Easy One Pan Kimchi Fried Rice — 380 Calories, 20 Minutes
April 13, 2026 · Plateful of Joy · 19 min read
Easy One Pan Kimchi Fried Rice
The best thing you can make with leftover rice — tangy, spicy kimchi fried rice ready in 20 minutes with one pan and a handful of pantry ingredients.
If there’s one recipe every Korean home cook knows by heart, it’s kimchi fried rice. Called kimchi bokkeumbap in Korean, this dish transforms leftover rice and a jar of kimchi into something deeply satisfying in under 20 minutes. This easy one pan kimchi fried rice is the kind of meal you’ll make on repeat — tangy from the kimchi, savoury from the soy sauce, and rich from the gochujang and sesame oil.
Kimchi is now sold at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Tesco and Sainsbury’s — it’s gone fully mainstream. And once you have a jar in your fridge, this one pan kimchi fried rice becomes your fastest, most flavourful weeknight dinner.
💡 The golden rule of kimchi fried rice: Use day-old cold rice. Fresh rice is too moist and turns mushy in the pan. Cook your rice the night before, refrigerate it, and your fried rice will have that perfect separate-grain texture every time.
Nutrition Per Serving
Values are estimates. Add 80 calories per fried egg topping. Use our Recipe Calculator for your exact version.
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Calculate My Calories →Ingredients
Most of these are pantry staples. The only specialty ingredient is kimchi — and it’s now available everywhere from Whole Foods to Walmart to Amazon. Once you have it, this recipe comes together in 20 minutes flat.
Main Ingredients
For the Sauce
Nasoya Kimchi — Spicy Napa Cabbage (14 oz)
The most widely available kimchi brand in US supermarkets — found at Whole Foods, Target and on Amazon. Crunchy, tangy, perfectly fermented. A must-have fridge staple once you start Korean cooking.
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How to Make One Pan Kimchi Fried Rice
Mix the sauce
Whisk together gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside. This takes 30 seconds and makes the whole dish come together fast.
Cook the protein
Heat neutral oil in a large pan or wok over high heat. Add bacon, spam or ham. Cook 3–4 minutes until slightly crispy. Remove and set aside. (Skip this step for vegetarian version.)
Fry aromatics and kimchi
In the same pan, add onion and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Add chopped kimchi and kimchi juice. Stir fry on high heat for 3 minutes until kimchi softens and starts to caramelise. This step builds the base flavour — don’t rush it.
Add rice and sauce
Add cold rice, breaking up any clumps with a spatula. Pour sauce over rice. Stir fry on high heat for 3–4 minutes, tossing constantly, until every grain is coated and slightly toasted. Return the cooked protein to the pan.
Scramble eggs through
Push rice to the sides. Crack 2 eggs into the centre. Scramble quickly, then fold into the rice before fully set. This creates rich, fluffy egg pockets throughout the rice.
Fry topping eggs and serve
In a separate small pan, fry 2–4 eggs sunny side up with crispy edges. Serve kimchi fried rice topped with a fried egg, spring onions, sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil. The runny yolk acts as a sauce — absolutely incredible.
✅ High heat is non-negotiable: Fried rice needs a screaming hot pan. If your pan isn’t hot enough, the rice steams instead of frying and turns clumpy. Get the pan smoking hot before you add anything — this is the single biggest difference between restaurant and home fried rice.
T-fal E76597 Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Wok — 14 Inch
A proper wok makes all the difference for fried rice. This one heats evenly, handles high heat brilliantly and the nonstick surface means nothing sticks. Perfect for all Asian one-pan cooking.
Find on Amazon →*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
One Pan Kimchi Fried Rice — Swaps & Substitutions
Make it work with what you have. These swaps are all tested and delicious.
| Original | Easy Swap | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kimchi | Sauerkraut + 1 tsp gochugaru | Different but works in a pinch |
| Bacon / Spam | Tofu, edamame or just skip it | Great vegetarian version |
| Jasmine rice | Any leftover cooked rice | Even brown rice works |
| Gochujang | Sriracha (use less — it’s hotter) | Walmart, Whole Foods, Amazon |
| Sesame oil | No good sub — buy it, it’s worth it | $3–5 at any Asian aisle |
| Eggs | Skip for vegan — add extra tofu | Still delicious without |
🌟 Make it a complete meal: Serve alongside miso soup, a simple cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar and sesame oil, or steamed edamame. Adds almost no prep time and turns this into a restaurant-quality Korean spread.
Used different ingredients or portions?
Get the exact calorie count for your version using our free Recipe Calculator — just enter your quantities.
Calculate My Version →Storage & Meal Prep
- Fridge: Up to 3 days — fried rice keeps well and reheats perfectly
- Freezer: Up to 2 months — freeze without the egg topping
- Reheat: Hot pan with a splash of soy sauce — 2–3 minutes tossing continuously
- Meal prep tip: Cook a big batch of plain rice on Sunday — use it for this kimchi fried rice, the gochujang chicken and the bulgogi bowl across the week
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