This vegan Korean fried chicken is inspired by crispy Korean fried chicken, but vegan! It’s a super quick and easy recipe and can be made in under 20 mins using an air fryer!

In Korea, one of the popular dishes is crispy fried chicken, which is smothered in a sweet and spicy red sauce. Luckily the ingredients for the fried chicken sauce are vegan and so all we have to do is replace the meat with a plant-based alternative.

I’ll show you the best vegan meat to use and how to make delicious and crispy vegan Korean fried chicken!

Recipe for Vegan Korean Fried Chicken

To make vegan Korean fried chicken, you need to find a meaty alternative that’s vegan.

Luckily for us, we have something called Soy Curls, which basically replicates meat in such a great way! Soy curls replicate chicken in texture and even taste based on your seasoning! To make it crispy chicken, you just need a little corn starch, and it’ll become super crispy on the outside.

The Korean fried chicken sauce is very easy to make – simply by mixing a few ingredients together while the soy curls are cooking nicely in the air fryer. If don’t want to make the Korean sauce, of course, you can toss the crispy soy curls in any other type of sauce such as barbecue or buffalo. 

Ingredients

• Soy curls
• Corn starch

Korean Fried Chicken Sauce (vegan):

• Gochujang (Korean Red Pepper Paste)
• Maple Syrup or any plant-based syrup
• Ketchup
• Soy sauce
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder

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The recipe is meat-free, dairy-free & nut-free!

To make this recipe gluten-free, use a different sauce with your fried soy curls that is gluten-free as Gochujang is typically not gluten-free. You can’t make the recipe soy-free since the main star, soy curls are made from soy but can try to experiment with a soy-free vegan alternative.

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How To Make Korean Fried Chicken (Vegan)

Begin making your vegan Korean fried chicken by soaking your dry soy curls in warm or hot water for about 5-10 minutes until completely softened. Drain and squeeze out excess water from your soy curls

Next, add soy curls into a large mixing bowl along with corn starch. Toss to coat. 

Air fry your coated soy curls at 370 degrees for 10-12 minutes, tossing halfway through. 

In the meantime, make your Korean fried chicken sauce by mixing together gochujang, maple syrup, and ketchup. Give it a good mix. Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients and mix until smooth: soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and water.

Take the soy curls out of the air fryer and place them in a mixing bowl along with the sauce. Toss until well-coated. 

Plate and top with green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy the vegan Korean fried chicken on its own or with rice!

NEED MORE VEGAN RECIPE INSPO? CHECK THESE OUT:

• Vegan Tteokbokki
• Creamy Rosé Tteokbokki
• Korean Soft Tofu

If you enjoy Korean recipes, try these Korean seaweed rice rolls called Kimbap!