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Korean

Kimbap

Non-vegetarian

김밥 · gimbap

Rolls of sesame-seasoned rice and seaweed wrapped around egg, spinach, carrot, cucumber and ham, sliced into rounds — Korea's go-to picnic food.

Kimbap is a Korean rice dish from South Korea, ready in about 1 hour and made with short-grain rice, nori and danmuji (yellow pickled radish). It serves 5 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A top-down view of vibrant kimbap rolls sprinkled with sesame seeds on a stylish black tray.
Photo: ufuk iseloglu / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
40 min
Cook
20 min
Total
1 h
Serves
5
Level
Intermediate
Calories
384

Plus cooking the rice.

Ingredients

5 rolls

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rinse and cook the rice in a rice cooker (opens in a new tab) or covered pan until tender. While still warm, season it with 1 tbsp sesame oil (opens in a new tab), half the salt and half the sesame seeds (opens in a new tab), folding gently.

  2. Step 2

    Blanch the spinach (opens in a new tab) for 30 seconds, rinse in cold water, squeeze dry and season with a pinch of salt and the remaining sesame oil (opens in a new tab).

  3. Step 3

    Season the eggs (opens in a new tab) with a pinch of salt and cook in a lightly oiled pan as a thin omelette; cut into long strips. Briefly stir-fry the carrot (opens in a new tab) and then the ham (opens in a new tab) in the same pan.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Lay a sheet of nori (opens in a new tab) shiny-side down on a bamboo mat. Spread a thin layer of rice over two-thirds of it, then line up strips of each filling (egg (opens in a new tab), spinach (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab), ham (opens in a new tab), cucumber (opens in a new tab) and pickled radish) across the rice.

    • 10 min

  5. Step 5

    Roll up tightly from the filled end, using the mat to press it into shape. Brush the outside with a little sesame oil (opens in a new tab) and sprinkle with sesame seeds (opens in a new tab). Repeat.

    • 10 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  6. Step 6

    Slice each roll into 1.5 cm rounds with a sharp, damp knife.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Keep kimbap cool and eat the same day — cooked rice should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

About this dish

Origin
South Korea · Commonly attributedIts relationship to Japanese makizushi is debated; it is a long-established Korean dish in its own right.More food from South Korea
Dish
Lunch · Snack · Rice dishes · Wraps & rolls · Street food
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Blanched, Boiled
Taste
savoury, nutty, fresh, mild
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free
With the listed swaps: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Pork-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Portable / lunchbox · Child-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Short-grain rice · Nori · Toasted sesame oil · Egg · Spinach · Carrot
Techniques
Pan-frying · Stir-frying · Boiling · Blanching · Pickling

Allergens

  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Sesamefrom toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

384 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 225 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 14%
  • Carbohydrate 56%
  • Fat 30%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy384 kcal171 kcal
Protein13.1 g5.8 g
Carbohydrate53.5 g23.8 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat12.9 g5.7 g
Saturated fat2.1 g0.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol123 mg55 mg
Sodium718 mg320 mg
Salt equivalent1.8 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
515 mg
Calcium
97 mg
Iron
2.8 mg
Magnesium
68 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
19 mg
Vitamin D
0.7 µg
Vitamin B12
0.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
113 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Danmuji (yellow pickled radish): Raw daikon used as a stand-in; danmuji is daikon pickled with salt, sugar and vinegar, so sugar and sodium are understated.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Wipe the knife with a damp cloth between cuts for clean slices.

Common mistakes

  • Spreading the rice too thickly makes the roll burst.

Serve with

  • Pack for picnics, or serve with tteokbokki as a snack-bar meal.

Storage

  • Best eaten the same day; refrigeration hardens the rice.

Reheating

  • Leftover slices can be dipped in egg and pan-fried.

Variations

  • Bulgogi kimbap: Fill with cooked beef bulgogi instead of ham.
  • Chamchi kimbap: Canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise and perilla leaves.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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