Savory, saucy, and totally satisfying — this vegan jajangmyeon is comfort food at its finest. A Korean-Chinese classic, jajangmyeon is known for its rich black bean sauce tossed with chewy noodles, crisp veggies, and (traditionally) pork. But in this meatless version, we’re keeping all the flavor and texture while skipping the animal products. Think deep umami, caramelized aromatics, and hearty bites — all in a glossy, jet-black sauce that clings to every noodle.
How Are We Making Jajangmyeon Vegan?
Typically, Jajangmyeon is made with pork belly and meat broth. However, the rest of the ingredients are already totally vegan. So, all we have to do it omit the pork belly and substitute meat broth for veggie bouillon paste and water.
Cook Your Black Bean Paste!
No one wants a bitter tasting vegan Jajangmyeon, so make sure to cook the Korean black bean paste well in oil. So, to avoid this, create a well in the middle of your stir fry pan and allow the heat to remove the bitterness from the paste for about 2 minutes.
Ingredient Breakdown
Basically, Korean black bean noodles are made with a very simple sauce. Most of the flavor comes from the black bean paste itself.
- Yellow onion
- Zucchini
- Cabbage
- Neutral Oil
- Korean black bean paste
- Fresh ginger + garlic
- Veggie bouillon paste
- Sugar
- Vegetarian oyster sauce – my favorite brand is Wan Ja Shan
- Cornstarch slurry
Any brand from your local Asian grocery store should work for this recipe, but in particular, I use the one from Lee Kum Kee since it’s generally been easier to find!
You have to make sure to cook the black bean paste in the oil for long enough to remove the bitterness. If it’s still bitter, it means you need to stir fry the sauce for longer.
Vegan Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)
Ingredients
Black Bean Sauce
- 1/2 yellow onion
- one small zucchini
- 1/4 cabbage
- 5 tbsp oil
- 5 tbsp black bean sauce
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 teaspoons garlic
- 1 c water
- 2 teaspoons veggie bouillon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
Other Ingredients
- yakisoba
- daikon radish
- cucumber
Instructions
- First, start by heating your oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add in your onions, zucchini, and cabbage and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- Next, create a well in the center of your skillet and add the black bean paste. Gently, stir fry the black bean paste for about 2 minutes. Then, add your garlic and ginger and stir fry everything together.
- Now, add your water, veggie bouillon paste, vegetarian oyster sauce, cornstarch slurry, salt, and sugar.
- Cook the mixture for another 5 minutes until it thickens on a low medium heat.
- Cook your noodles according to package instructions. (I used yakisoba for this recipe).
- Pour your black bean sauce mixture over your noodles, and serve with fresh cucumbers and daikon radish for garnish.
What did you think of this recipe?