Easy Apple Kimchi: Sweet-Spicy 20-Minute Recipe

What Is Easy Apple Kimchi?

Easy Apple Kimchi is a fresh Korean side dish that coats crisp apple pieces with gochugaru, aromatics, fish sauce, salt, and green plum syrup. It balances sweetness, gentle heat, savory depth, and the clean crunch of fresh fruit. Unlike many kimchi recipes, this version needs no advance salting or long fermentation.

You can eat it as soon as it is mixed. In Korean cooking, a freshly made kimchi intended for immediate eating is often called geotjeori. The flavor becomes more blended after refrigeration, while the apples soften slightly but keep a pleasant bite.

this …

This Easy Apple Kimchi recipe is especially practical when you want a quick companion for a Korean meal. It also works beside roast chicken, turkey, or roast beef, where its bright fruit and chile flavors provide a fresh contrast to richer foods.

Easy Apple Kimchi Ingredients

The recipe card is the authority for the quantities below. Use Fuji apples for their balance of sweetness and firm texture. Honeycrisp apples also work well. The amount of plum syrup should stay measured carefully because very sweet apples can make the finished kimchi sweeter than intended.

• 2 lb Fuji apples, with Honeycrisp as another suitable choice
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 4 green onions
• 1/2 Tbsp Korean solar sea salt, also called cheonilyeom
• 2.5 Tbsp Korean chili powder, or gochugaru
• 1 Tbsp anchovy sauce or fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
• 0.25 tsp ginger, grated or finely chopped
• 1 tsp green plum syrup, or maesil cheong; the source also permits a small sprinkle of sugar

Gochugaru gives the mixture its red color and chile character without hiding the fruit. Fish sauce supplies the savory note typical of this version, so the recipe should not be described as vegan. Maesil cheong rounds out the seasoning with a light sweet and tart quality.

How to Make Easy Apple Kimchi

Prepare a large mixing bowl, a clean cutting board, and a sharp knife. Because the apples are eaten raw, wash your hands and rinse the fruit under running water before cutting. The FDA guide to selecting and serving produce safely also advises cutting away bruised or damaged areas.

1. Cut the apples. Wash and core the apples, then cut them into bite-size pieces. A practical method is to quarter each apple first and cut each quarter into smaller pieces. Thin-skinned organic apples do not need to be peeled.

2. Prepare the onions. Cut the yellow onion into 3/4-inch cubes. Cut the green onions into 1.5-inch lengths so they distribute easily among the apple pieces.
3. Prepare the aromatics. Chop the garlic. Grate the ginger or chop it very finely so no large, sharp pieces remain in the mixture.

4. Salt the produce. Put the apples, yellow onion, and green onions in the bowl. Sprinkle the Korean solar sea salt over them and toss until it is distributed.

5. Add the gochugaru. Sprinkle the Korean chili powder over the salted apples and onions. Toss again, turning the pieces until they are evenly coated.

6. Finish the seasoning. Add the garlic, ginger, fish sauce, and green plum syrup. Mix gently so the seasonings cover the fruit without crushing it.

7. Serve or refrigerate. Taste the kimchi immediately, or transfer it to a clean container and place it in the refrigerator. The flavors will become more integrated over the next few days.

Tips, Variations, Serving, and Storage

Balance the sweetness

The main variable is the natural sweetness of the apples. The source recipe uses 1 teaspoon of plum syrup. With especially sweet Fuji apples, adding more can make the fresh mixture taste too sweet. Honeycrisp apples paired with the measured teaspoon produced a balanced result in the source author’s test.

A reader reported enjoying a half Fuji and half Granny Smith mixture, but that is anecdotal rather than part of the canonical recipe. The source article notes that Granny Smith apples are less suitable on their own and may need peeling. For the most predictable first batch, use Fuji or Honeycrisp.

Keep the texture crisp

Cut the apples into similar bite-size pieces so they season at the same rate. Toss gently after adding the liquid ingredients. This is a fresh, refrigerated kimchi, not a shelf-stable preserve, so do not leave it at room temperature for canning or long-term storage.

Choose simple pairings

Serve the kimchi with rice and Korean dishes, or use it as a fresh counterpoint to roasted meat. Its sweet and spicy character also fits a fusion holiday plate. For another savory option, pair a small serving with Korean BBQ chicken.

Refrigerate promptly

Place the finished kimchi in a clean container and refrigerate it right away. The source recommends eating it within 7 to 10 days. Its seasoning will mellow and blend during that period, while the apples may shrink slightly. This short storage window suits the recipe’s fresh style and lack of a pre-salting stage.

Easy Apple Kimchi FAQs

Apple Kimchi

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

What Is Easy Apple Kimchi? Easy Apple Kimchi is a fresh Korean side dish that coats crisp apple pieces with gochugaru, aromatics, fish sauce, salt, and green plum syrup.

• Total Time: 20 min
• Yield: 10 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

2 lb fuji apples, Honeycrisp also work well
1/2 each yellow onion
4 each green onions
1/2 Tbsp Korean solar sea salt (cheonilyeom)
2.5 Tbsp Korean chili powder (Gochugaru)
1 Tbsp anchovy sauce or fish sauce
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
0.25 tsp ginger, grated or chopped fine
1 tsp green plum syrup (maesil cheong), or sprinkle little bit of sugar

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1-Wash, core and cut apples into bite: Wash, core and cut apples into bite size pieces. I usually cut into quarters then into smaller pieces. No need to peel if using thin skin and organic apples. See picture.
2-Cut onions into 3/4 inch cubes: Cut onions into 3/4 inch cubes. Cut green onions into 1.5 inch length pieces.
3-Chop garlic and ginger or grate ginger: Chop garlic and ginger or grate ginger.
4-In a large bowl, add apples, onions: In a large bowl, add apples, onions and green onions. Then sprinkle Korean solar sea salt (Cheonilyeom) and toss.
5-Sprinkle red chili powder (gochugaru) to apples: Sprinkle red chili powder (gochugaru) to apples and onions, toss again.
6-Add garlic, ginger, fish sauce and plum: Add garlic, ginger, fish sauce and plum syrup the gently mix everything.
7-That’s it: That’s it! Eat it right away or refrigerate and enjoy over the next few days as it gets ripened.

Last Step:

Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.

• Author: Ruby Bennett
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 5 min
• Method: no_cook

Nutrition

• Calories: 56
• Sugar: 10
• Sodium: 170
• Fat: 0.4
• Saturated Fat: 0.1
• Carbohydrates: 14
• Fiber: 3
• Protein: 1