Bibimbap

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallySesameSesame oil and seeds season the vegetables and the finished bowl.
• UsuallySoyGochujang and soy sauce contain soybeans; the bean sprouts are often soy.
• UsuallyGlutenMost commercial gochujang contains wheat; soy sauce in the beef and greens.
• UsuallyEggsA fried egg or raw yolk on top.
• SometimesFishFish sauce in some vegetable seasonings; fish in seafood versions.
• SometimesMolluscsCockle (kkomak) and other seafood bibimbap.
• SometimesCrustaceansThe kimchi served alongside often contains salted shrimp.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Easy to make vegetarian: ask for no beef (and no egg for vegan), then check the vegetables for fish sauce.
• Not suitable for coeliacs (celiacs) as standard: gochujang and soy sauce usually contain wheat.
• Halal needs checking: the beef is rarely certified and commercial gochujang often contains added alcohol.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is bibimbap?

Bibimbap is a bowl of warm rice topped with separate piles of seasoned vegetables, a little beef and an egg, which you stir together with chilli paste before eating. The name means "mixed rice": bibim (mixing) and bap (cooked rice). It's an everyday lunch in Korea and one of the country's best-known dishes abroad.

What's in it

The toppings are namul, vegetables blanched or sautéed and seasoned individually, usually with sesame oil, garlic and salt or soy sauce. A typical bowl has:

• Spinach, bean sprouts, carrot, courgette (zucchini), bracken fern (gosari), shiitake and radish
• Beef, minced or thinly sliced, seasoned like bulgogi; sometimes raw (yukhoe)
• A fried egg or a raw yolk
• Gochujang (red chilli paste), sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds

Well-known versions include dolsot bibimbap, served in a sizzling stone bowl so the rice crisps at the bottom, Jeonju bibimbap from the city known for it, sanchae bibimbap with wild mountain greens, and kkomak bibimbap with cockles.

Allergens and diets

Sesame is part of the seasoning on almost every vegetable and the finished bowl. Note that kkaennip ("sesame leaves" on some English menus) are actually perilla, a different plant.

Soy comes from gochujang, which is made with fermented soybean powder (meju), from soy sauce, and from the bean sprouts, which in Korea are usually soybean sprouts (kongnamul). Gluten mainly comes from gochujang: most commercial brands contain wheat flour or wheat, though wheat-free ones exist. Soy sauce in the beef and greens adds more.

The egg is easy to remove. Some kitchens season vegetables with fish sauce. Seafood versions bring cockles and other molluscs, and the kimchi served alongside usually contains fish sauce and often salted shrimp (crustaceans).

On the menu

Bibimbap is written 비빔밥. Prefixes tell you the style:

• 돌솥비빔밥 dolsot bibimbap: hot stone bowl
• 육회비빔밥 yukhoe bibimbap: raw beef
• 산채비빔밥 sanchae bibimbap: mountain greens, often vegetarian-friendly
• 꼬막비빔밥 kkomak bibimbap: cockles
• 전주비빔밥 Jeonju bibimbap
• 고기 빼고 gogi ppaego: without meat

Side dishes (banchan) come free and refills are usually free too.

How to eat it

Add as much gochujang as you like, then mix everything thoroughly with a spoon before eating. In a stone bowl, leave the rice against the hot sides for a minute to crisp.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.