Vegetarian in Korea: How to Eat & Order (Real Guide)

Let’s be honest from the start: eating vegetarian in Korea can require more questions than some visitors expect. A dish can look meat-free and still use anchovy or other animal-based broth, and some kimchi contains fermented seafood. That doesn’t mean vegetarian travelers can’t eat well here — it simply means you need to check a few ingredients and know how to explain your diet. Here’s the practical version.

Why It’s Harder Than It Looks

The challenge isn’t a lack of vegetables; it’s the animal-based ingredients that can appear in broths, seasonings, and side dishes:

• Broth (육수): some soups and stews use anchovy, beef, or other animal-based broth, even when the visible ingredients look vegetable-based.
• Kimchi: many varieties of traditional kimchi can contain 젓갈 (jeotgal, fermented seafood) or fish sauce, although recipes vary.
• 액젓 (fish sauce) and other seafood-based seasonings can also appear in sauces and side dishes.
• Side dishes: a vegetable-based banchan may use a seasoning or sauce that contains seafood or other animal products.

So the safe move is to ask, not assume — especially about broth, kimchi, and sauces.

Dishes to Check First

With a small tweak or a question, these can be useful options:

• 비빔밥 (bibimbap) — rice mixed with vegetables and sauce; ask about meat, egg, and the sauce if you avoid them
• 김밥 (gimbap) — 야채김밥 (vegetable gimbap) may be an option, but check the ingredients
• 된장찌개 / 순두부찌개 — possible options, but confirm the broth and ask whether meat or seafood is included
• 콩국수 (kongguksu) — chilled noodles in a soy-milk broth, commonly served in summer; check the restaurant’s preparation
• 나물 (namul) — seasoned vegetable side dishes, although the seasoning can vary
• 두부 (tofu) dishes and 부침개/전 — some versions are vegetarian, while others may contain meat or seafood

There is no single Korean menu item that is automatically suitable for every vegetarian diet, so asking about the ingredients is often more useful than relying on the dish name alone.

Temple Food

One of the most useful options to know is 사찰음식 (temple food) — a traditional Korean Buddhist food culture centered on plant-based ingredients.

Korean temple food does not use animal-based ingredients except dairy, according to the Korean Temple Food Cultural Agency, and traditionally avoids the five pungent vegetables known as 오신채 (oshinchae), including garlic, green onions, chives, and related ingredients.

That makes temple food particularly relevant for vegetarians and vegans, although visitors with strict dietary requirements should still check the specific restaurant or meal being served.

Dedicated vegetarian and vegan restaurants are also available in larger cities, and services such as HappyCow can help you find them.

The Phrases That Actually Help

These do the heavy lifting — Korean, pronunciation, meaning:

• I’m vegetarian → 저는 채식해요 (jeo-neun chae-sik-hae-yo)
• I don’t eat meat → 고기 안 먹어요 (go-gi an meo-geo-yo)
• Please leave out the meat → 고기 빼주세요 (go-gi ppae-ju-se-yo)
• I don’t eat seafood either → 해산물도 안 먹어요 (hae-san-mul-do an meo-geo-yo)
• No egg, please → 계란 빼주세요 (gye-ran ppae-ju-se-yo)
• Is there anchovy broth in it? → 멸치 육수 들어가요? (myeol-chi yuk-su deu-reo-ga-yo?)

That last one is an especially useful question when ordering soups or stews. Asking about the broth can reveal an ingredient that isn’t obvious from the visible contents of the dish.

A Realistic Expectation

Being vegetarian in Korea can mean asking more questions than you might at home, particularly about broth, kimchi, sauces, and side dishes. But between temple food, adaptable dishes such as bibimbap, and vegetarian and vegan restaurants, there are plenty of ways to explore Korean food.

Keep “고기 빼주세요” and “멸치 육수 들어가요?” ready, and learning how to read a menu makes spotting your options far easier.