3 Low Calorie Korean Recipes for Weight Loss (Vegan!) (2024)

Today, I shared THREE vegan meal idea that are inspired by my favourite — Korean food! Make sure to watch the video below and to scroll down for the written recipes!

Today’s inspiration comes from Korean food, once again! Since I’m Korean, I grew up eating lots of Korean food and I still love eating them because a lot of them are so easy to veganize.

Although I aleady have tons of Asian- and Korean-inspired recipes on my Everyday Asian Recipes eBook, this batch is made up of healthier, lower calorie options. I want to show you that you can still eat delicious and flavourful food even if you are on a mission to lose a few pounds. I do not believe in sacrificing taste and satisfcation for fitness goals.

The way I do weight loss is like this: rather than focusing on “taking out” ingredients, I focus on ADDING low calorie, high volume ingredients that I know will make the recipes healthier and lower in calories than the original recipe. The Scrambled Tofu on Toast below is a perfect example.

This is a healthier vegan version of Korean street toast, which I have a recipe for in my Everyday Asian Recipes eBook, but I decided to add in a kale-slaw mix to up the veggie game a little more and thus, making the recipe more satisfying and of course, healthy!

Are you excited to know what these low calorie Korean recipes are? Don’t forget to watch the video above and to get the recipe instructions down below if you want to make them!

Scrambled Tofu on Toast

Ingredients (1 serving):

Approximately 367 calories per serving

22g protein / 13g fat / 45g carbs

• A spray of oil
• 1/4 or 1/5 block extra firm tofu
• 1 cup coleslaw or kale-slaw
• 1 tbsp (or more) ketchup
• 1/2 tbsp (or more) mustard
• Few sprinkles of oil or around 1/2 tsp
• 1/4 onion
• 1 tbsp scrambled tofu seasoning
• 1 piece of bread
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add in the coleslaw or kale-slaw, onions, and a little bit of salt. Cook for a few minutes.
2. Place kale-slaw mix in a bowl and mix with ketchup and mustard. Set aside.
3. In the same pan, spray a bit more oil and crumble up the tofu and let it cook.
4. Once the tofu has browned a little, add in the scrambled tofu seasoning and mix well. Add in some ketchup for extra flavour. Once cooked, set aside on a plate.
5. Toast bread in the pan until desired.
6. To assemble, top toasted bread with the kale-slaw mix and then the scrambled tofu.
7. Drizzle on some more ketchup and mustard, if desired, and top with chopped green onions.
8. Enjoy!

Cauliflower & Quinoa Bibimbap

Ingredients (2 servings):

Approximately 442 calories per serving

23g protein / 15g fat / 53g carbs

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 cups of cauliflower
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 cup purple cabbage
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 2 large handfuls of baby spinach
• 1/2 block extra firm tofu
• A pinch of black salt (kala namak) – optional
• 1-2 tbsp gochujang / serving
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil / serving
• 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut up cauliflower and add to a food processor. Pulse until crumbled up. Set aside in a bowl. Do the same with the carrots. Set aside on a separate plate.
2. Cut up zucchini and cabbage into thin, long strips (see video for reference).
3. On a heated pan (with a small amount of oil if your pan is not non-stick), cook the vegetables separately (one at a time), adding in a little bit of salt or pepper if desired. Set aside.
4. Cut up tofu into small cubes and add into a heated pan with a little bit of oil. Cook until golden.
5. Add a pinch of kala namak or black salt if you like to make the tofu a little eggy in flavour. Mix.
6. To assemble, add cauliflower, cooked quinoa, veggies, and pan-fried tofu in a large bowl.
7. Add in the gochujang and sesame oil. Top with sesame seeds.
8. Mix thoroughly and enjoy!

Veggie-Packed Kimchi Stew (Healthy Kimchi Jjigae)

Ingredients (around 4 servings):

Approximately 108 calories per serving

11g protein / 3g fat / 18g carbs

• 1/2 onion
• 2 cups of mushrooms
• 2 heads baby bok choy
• 1 zucchini
• 2 cups sour vegan kimchi with juice
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (around 3-4 cloves)
• 1/2 tsp kelp powder
• 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 32 oz water
• 1 block of soft tofu
• Salt to taste
• A splash of soy sauce
• Optional: 1 tbsp gochugaru

Instructions:

1. Slice onion, mushrooms, and bok choy into thin slices.
2. Chop zucchini into small bite sized pieces
3. In a large wok, add in a little bit of oil and start cooking the onions.
4. Add in the kimchi, minced garlic, and vegetables.
5. Add 32 oz of water, kelp powder, and coconut sugar. Mix and cover up the pan.
6. Once it has come to a boil, add in the soft tofu and chopped green onions.
7. Add in gochugaru (if desired) and soy sauce. Let it cook for around 15 minutes. Adjust flavours if necessary by adding in more of any ingredients.
8. Enjoy with rice!

📌Did you enjoy these delicious low calorie Korean recipes? Check out the following playlist for more Asian-inspired recipes!