What to Eat with Kimchi

I want to be clear, you can eat kimchi with anything. On its own as a snack, mixed into noodles, on the side with a rich savory stew, with eggs, with green eggs, with ham, in a box, with a fox, in a house, or with a mouse—I promise you, kimchi will wonderfully complement any situation. But there are certain foods out there that just make kimchi sing, and I am here to tell you some of those foods. So without further ado, here is our list of what to eat with kimchi (and don’t forget to read our ranking of the best kimchi at the grocery store).

Just Egg Plant-Based Scramble

Peanut butter and jelly, Troy and Gabriella, breakfast foods and people named Tiffany—some things just go together, and kimchi and eggs are another such combo. Vegan eggs are no exception. With the savory, almost cheesy flavor of kimchi, these tasty fake eggs from JUST Egg taste even better. Justine noted that JUST Egg “looks convincingly like eggs—soft and yellow. And it tastes like reconstituted powdered eggs (in a good way).” So next time you opt for the vegan eggs, slap some vegan kimchi in them, you vegan egg lover, you.

Paldo Fun & Yum Jjajangmen Instant Noodles with Black Bean Sauce

If you are wondering what to eat with kimchi, think deep, rich, savory foods. Why? Because kimchi is bright, tangy, and crunchy and cuts through the oiliness like…well…a hot knife through butter. And there are few foods more rich, oily, and umami-packed than jjajangmyeon, a Korean dish of noodles in a dark, rich, black bean sauce. Plus, Paldo’s instant noodle-ified take on this dish actually approximates the homemade version pretty well. Sporked senior writer Jordan Myrick described how the “noodles are thick, the sauce is delightfully sticky, and the packet is huge.” Go get you a packet of noodles and a big ol’ jar of kimchi and absolutely go to town. You have our permission (not that you needed it).

Jin Ramen Mild Korean Style Instant Noodles

What can I say? Kimchi goes great with noodles whether they are of the saucy or the brothy variety, and the experience of eating these brothy noods is absolutely elevated by a little bowl of kimchi on the side. It’s just so dang pickley and refreshing! Plus, these ramen noodles from Jin are extremely bouncy and chewy (almost restaurant quality) and Jordan described the broth as “spectacular.” So, you really can’t go wrong with these noodles and having them with kimchi just rockets the experience to the moon.

Progresso Beef & Vegetable Soup

Still wondering what to eat kimchi with even though you are already halfway through this article? Don’t you dare worry, friendo, because there is always Progresso. This beef and vegetable soup, while nothing like a hearty chunky stew, still has a uniquely beefy flavor (the beefiest of the beef soups we tried). Plus, our taste testers appreciated “the diversity of vegetables, too—carrots, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, and onion all work together to provide a robust flavor.” They also noted a “faint garlic flavor here too that adds a welcome pungent punch.” So, if Progresso is your go-to soup destination in the grocery aisles, keep doing that, but try pairing it with some bright, salty, zingy kimchi next time!

Fat Tire Beer Bratwurst

Okay, hear me out: Kimchi is just better sauerkraut. Don’t @ me Germany, you know I’m right. Sauerkraut is great, but kimchi just has so much depth and range it should win an Oscar for best dramatic improver of my life. And wouldn’t that spicy, umami, sour, almost cheesy flavor be absolutely divine on a bratwurst? Yes, it would. One could even call it the bratbest (sorry). And these Fat Tire beer brats are the way to go. According to Sporked managing editor Gwynedd Stuart, these are “unbelievably fresh and porky, but with that undertone of a refreshing, tasty Fat Tire ale.” Beer and kimchi already go together beautifully—the pork just ups the ante.

I know I’ve been saying this whole time that kimchi has the capacity to be almost cheesy in flavor. Well, what pairs better with cheesiness than cheese itself? That’s right, kimchi mac is a thing, so if you are wondering what to eat with kimchi and want to take your mac game to the next level, just crack open a box of this absolutely divine macaroni and cheese that our taste testers called “S-tier” as well as “sharp, peppery, creamy, and downright sublime.” Mix in some delicious, juicy, kimchi, and let the magic happen. Mac and kimcheese for the win!