“Gimbap costs ₩3,000 per roll—how much would it cost to make at home?”
“I want a veggie-packed, healthy gimbap…”
Sound familiar? Same here. I started making it myself and found it’s much easier, tastier, and more economical than I expected!
Today I’m sharing the perfect vegetable gimbap recipe I refined over three years of weekly practice. Even total beginners can succeed—every pro tip is included. Ready?
🎯 Why Homemade Veggie Gimbap?
Before we start, here’s why I’m obsessed with vegetable gimbap.
5 Reasons to Love It
1) Budget-friendly
- Store price: ₩3,000–4,000 (per roll)
- Homemade: ~₩10,000 for 4–5 rolls (about ₩2,000 per serving!)
- Half the cost, twice the flavor.
2) Healthy
- Big boost in vegetable intake (up to ~50% of daily recommendation)
- You control sodium
- Zero additives
- Great nutritional balance
3) Great for weight management
- ~250–300 kcal per roll (about 70% of meat gimbap)
- High fiber → longer satiety
- Low fat, nutrient-dense
- Perfect lunchbox food
4) Infinitely customizable
- Load it with the veggies you love
- Skip what you don’t
- Easy to adapt for allergies
- Kid-friendly variations
5) Fun to make
- A great family activity
- Awesome for teaching kids to cook
- Weekend home-party menu
- Picnic perfection
💚 My experience: I used to need 30 minutes for one roll; now I make three rolls in 15 minutes. I prep on weekends and snack all week.
📝 Ingredients (Makes 4–5 Rolls)
Essentials
Rice
- 2 cups white rice (or 1.5 cups brown + 0.5 cup white)
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Seaweed
- 4–5 sheets gimbap nori
- TIP: Choose sturdy sheets (e.g., Gwangcheon-gim) so they don’t tear.
Core Veg (the classic 5)
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 bunch spinach (or 15 perilla leaves)
- 150 g pickled radish (or dill pickles)
- 150 g burdock root (braised)
- 1 cucumber
Optional add-ins (for extra volume!)
- 2 fish cakes (pan-grilled)
- 3 eggs (rolled omelet)
- 5 imitation crab sticks
- 1/2 bell pepper (red or yellow)
- 1 avocado (creamy texture)
- 5–6 lettuce leaves (crunch)
- 10 perilla leaves (herbal aroma)
- Kimchi, finely chopped
Seasonings
- 3 Tbsp sesame oil
- Salt, to taste
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp vinegar (highly recommended for the rice)
Tools
- Bamboo mat (makisu)
- Sharp knife (a dull blade smashes rolls!)
- Cutting board
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium frying pan
👨🍳 Prep Work = 50% of Success
Preparation is everything. Invest love here and your gimbap will taste twice as good.
🍚 Cooking the Rice (Most Important!)
Brown + White Blend (recommended)
1.5 cups brown rice + 0.5 cup white rice
2.2 cups water (brown absorbs more)
Soak 30 min, then cook
All White Rice
2 cups rice
2 cups water
Soak 20 min, then cook
Seasoning the Rice (key step!)
- Spread hot rice in a wide bowl
- Add 2 Tbsp sesame oil + 1/2 tsp salt + 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- Add 1 Tbsp vinegar (optional but strongly recommended)
- Fold gently to aerate
- Cool to lukewarm (too hot = seaweed tears)
💡 Pro tip: A splash of vinegar makes rice glossier and keeps it fresher. You won’t really taste the sourness.
🥕 Sautéed Carrots
Prep
- Peel carrot
- Julienne to ~0.5 cm thickness
- Length: about the width of the seaweed (~20 cm)
Cook
- 1 Tbsp oil in a pan
- Sauté 2–3 min over medium heat
- Pinch of salt
- Stop while still slightly crisp (it will keep softening as it cools)
🥬 Blanched Spinach
How to blanch
- Salt 1 tsp in boiling water
- Add stems first (30 sec)
- Submerge leaves (30 sec more)
- Rinse in cold water; squeeze very well
- Season with 1 tsp sesame oil + pinch of salt
Moisture control = everything
- Excess water = soggy rolls
- Pat dry with paper towels
- Squeeze into a tight ball
Perilla-leaf option
- Swap spinach for 15 perilla leaves
- Rinse, dry well, and use as is (fragrant and easy)
🥒 Cucumber
Method 1: Salt Cure (recommended)
- Quarter lengthwise
- Toss with 1 tsp salt; rest 10 min
- Squeeze out moisture
- Lightly brush with sesame oil
Method 2: Quick Sauté
- Julienne
- Briefly toss in a pan with a pinch of salt (about 1 min)
- Keep the crunch
💡 Why cure? Pulling out water keeps the roll from getting mushy. Nail this and you’re halfway there.
🍄 Braised Burdock (Ueong Jorim)
Ingredients
- 150 g burdock (or a prepared product)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Directions
- Julienne burdock (or use store-bought)
- Simmer all ingredients
- Reduce until glossy and almost dry (~10 min)
- Finish with sesame oil
Time-saver: Store-bought burdock is totally fine and fast.
🥚 Rolled Omelet (Gyeran-mari)
Fail-proof method
- 3 eggs + pinch of salt (+ minced scallion, optional)
- Beat well (no need to foam)
- Oil pan; medium-low heat
- Pour 1/3 of egg
- When half-set, roll up from one edge
- Repeat with remaining egg in two additions
- Slice to gimbap-width strips
Tips
- Heat control is everything
- A square pan helps
- Start with chopsticks; switch to a spatula when confident
🍥 Other Fillings
Pickled radish
- Cut into long batons
- Pat dry
- Don’t overuse (can be salty)
Imitation crab
- Use as is or lightly pan-toast for nuttier flavor
Fish cake
- Dry-toast on both sides
- Brush with a little soy as you go
- Slice into long strips
🎨 Rolling—At Last!
Once everything’s prepped, rolling is a breeze. Try once or twice and you’ll get it fast.
Pre-Roll Checklist
- Slightly dampened bamboo mat
- Sharp knife (lightly oiled with sesame oil)
- All fillings within reach
- Small bowl of water (for fingers)
- Cutting board
Step-by-Step
Step 1: Place the seaweed
- Shiny side down on the mat
- Leave the top 1/4 of the sheet bare for sealing
Step 2: Spread the rice (critical!)
Amount: ~150 g (a little less than a fist)
Thickness: ~0.5 cm, even
Coverage: bottom 3/4 of the sheet (leave top 1/4 bare)
Tip: Wet fingers to prevent sticking
Common mistakes
- Too thick → hard to roll, bursts
- Too thin → fillings spill out
- Aim for a thin, even layer
Step 3: Add fillings
Place slightly below the center line
From bottom → up:
1) Spinach (or 1–2 perilla leaves)
2) 2–3 carrot batons
3) 1–2 pickled radish strips
4) A line of braised burdock
5) 1–2 cucumber batons
6) 1 strip rolled omelet
7) 1 crab stick (optional)
8) 1–2 fish-cake strips (optional)
💡 Pro tip: Pile fillings in a compact mound instead of spreading widely—rolling becomes much easier.
Filling logic
- Firm items (carrot, radish) near center
- Softer items (spinach, egg) to the sides
- Pat watery items dry again
Step 4: Roll!
- The first tuck is everything
- Lift the mat, wrap tightly over the fillings
- Press firmly to set the cylinder
- Finish the roll
- Pull the mat toward you to keep tension
- Roll steadily, pressing as you go
- Seal
- Moisten the bare edge of seaweed
- Place seam-side down
- Compress once more with the mat
Avoid these
- Loose first tuck → rolls burst
- Over-tightening → fillings squirt out
- Even, firm pressure is key
🔪 Slicing—The Final Hurdle
Perfect roll, sad slices? Not on our watch.
When to Slice
- Rest 5–10 minutes after rolling
- Let the nori absorb a bit of steam
- Cut too soon → crumbles
- Wait too long → nori gets leathery
Clean Cuts Every Time
Knife prep
- Wipe blade with sesame oil or water
- Clean and re-oil between each cut
- A sharp blade is non-negotiable
Cutting sequence
1) Trim 1 cm off each end (chef’s snack!)
2) Cut the roll in half
3) Cut each half into 3–4 pieces
4) Aim for 8–10 pieces per roll
Technique
- Don’t “saw” back and forth
- Press down in one smooth motion
- As you exit the cut, push slightly forward
Extra tips
- Save end pieces for home eating
- Middle pieces are the prettiest (great for photos)
🎨 Plating & Storage
Plating
Lunchbox
- Stand pieces upright (show the cross-section)
- Fill gaps with cherry tomatoes or fruit
- Layer perilla or lettuce under for a pretty base
Serving plate
- Arrange in a circle
- Place braised sides in the center
- Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds
For Instagram
- Natural light near a window
- Neutral background (wood board, linen)
- Add a small dish of pickles for color balance
- Shoot overhead for pattern, 45° for height
- Wipe the knife between cuts for clean edges
