This sukiyaki recipe is made with vegetables and tofu in a savory and flavorful broth. A family friendly healthy meal done in less than 30 minutes!
If you need a delicious way to get in your dose of veggies, then hot pot is perfect choice. You can change it up for your preferences because almost anything goes!
This post was originally published on January 20, 2015.
Japanese food is not in my Greek culture, but I grew up eating a lot of it. I love udon soups and miso soups but Sukiyaki is one of my top favorite warming meals!
Sukiyaki Ingredients
More often than not Japanese hot pot dishes are made with thinly sliced beef cooked either in the broth or in a cast iron pot, but since this version is a vegan take on sukiyaki I used tofu instead. See below for some variations, but here's what we usually use:
- Tamari
- Mirin rice cooking wine
- Sake
- Sugar
- Rice noodles, shirataki noodles, udon noodles, cellophane noodles, or any you prefer.
- Bok choy
- Napa cabbage
- Shiitake mushrooms, or other varieties such as enoki mushrooms
- Chinese broccoli or broccolini
- Carrots
- Green onions
- Extra firm tofu
- Water
- Oil or veggie broth for sautéing
How to Make Sukiyaki
- Prepare the noodles by rinsing or soaking if necessary.
- No need to boil, they will cook in the sukiyaki broth.
- In a large soup pot, sauté the green onions and mushrooms with a dash of oil, or broth, until slightly browned.
- Remove and set aside to add later.
- Add the water, Tamari (or Soy), mirin, sake and sugar to the pot and simmer until the sugar is dissolved.
- Mix in the broccoli and carrots to the pot. Simmer for a few minutes.
- Then add the bok choy and cabbage. Simmer a few more minutes.
- Turn the heat to low and add the mushrooms, green onions, tofu and noodles.
- Allow to warm for a few more minutes until everything is just cooked.
- Turn off the heat, dish up into bowls, and serve.
More Veggies for Hot Pot
The beauty of Japanese sukiyaki is that you can use a wide variety of vegetables. We like what I've included in the recipe, but feel free to choose from any of these hot pot veggies:
- Mushrooms - shiitake, enoki, oyster, or brown mushrooms are best.
- Onions - green onions, thinly sliced red or sweet onions.
- Bell peppers
- Spicy peppers
- Broccoli or broccolini
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Corn
- Cabbage - Napa cabbage (AKA Chinese cabbage), savoy cabbage, red cabbage, and even green cabbage can be used.
- Bok choy
- Kale
- Spinach
- Potatoes
- Squash
- Bean sprouts
- Snow peas
- Radish
Make sure to add in any firm veggies on the earlier side as they will take longer to cook. More delicate items like spinach should be added in just before serving.
Adding Protein
Boost your sukiyaki recipe with more flavor or protein!
I use extra firm tofu that simply cooks in the broth, but you could use grilled tofu for added texture, or any of these flavors:
Don't need this recipe to stay vegan? Feel free to add any of these ideas into your homemade hot pot creation:
- Steak
- Wagyu
- Ribeye
- Brisket
- Short rib
- Pork
- Pork loin
- Pork belly
- Lamb shoulder or leg
- Chicken
- Breast
- Thigh
- Shrimp
Slice all proteins (with the exception of the shrimp) as thin as possible to ensure they cook fully in the sukiyaki broth. Alternatively you can sear or cook them fully in a separate pan before adding to the bowl.
What to Serve With Sukiyaki
Believe it or not, the authentic way to enjoy Japanese sukiyaki is with some raw eggs on the side to dip the meat in! It's not vegan, and it's not too common here in the states, but you can still up the flavor with these:
- Sukiyaki sauce - this is made with soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and sake.
- Dashi
- Soy sauce
- Sriracha
- Chili sauce
- Hoisin
- Ponzu
You can also pair this hot pot dish with a side salad topped with Japanese ginger carrot dressing, or even some homemade vegan sushi rolls!
Common Questions
Most recipes use soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, and sake. Occasionally dashi will be included as well.
The base of this broth gets its umami flavor with soy sauce (Tamari for gluten free), mirin, sake, and sugar. The added veggies also contribute to the pverall taste of the soup.
The two types of sukiyaki are kanto style and kansai style. This sukiyaki recipe follows the kanto style where the sauce is added to the pot first and then the remaining ingredients are cooked in the broth. The kansai style is cooked and eaten in stages.
More Soup Recipes
Warm up and fill up with any of these vegan soup recipes:
Homemade Sukiyaki Recipe (Japanese Hot Pot)
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- ¾ cup Tamari or soy sauce if you don't need gluten free
- ¾ cup mirin rice cooking wine
- ½ cup sake
- 3 tablespoons sugar see note
- 8 ounces asian noodles rice, shirataki, udon, cellophane or other noodles of choice (I did a mix)
- 2 cups chopped bok choy
- 2 cups chopped napa cabbage
- 2 cups stemmed and sliced shitake mushrooms
- 1 cup Chinese broccoli or broccolini
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup green onions cut into 4 inch pieces
- 1- 14 ounce package extra firm tofu cut into cubes
- oil to sautée veggies or broth if oil free
Instructions
- Rinse and soak noodles in hot water to soften, if necessary depending on the kind of noodles you chose. Shiratake simply need to be rinsed, but some cellophane and udon may need to be soaked in hot water to soften before adding. Drain when done.
- In a large soup pot, sauté the green onions and mushrooms with a dash of oil, or broth, until slightly browned. Remove and set aside to add later.
- Add water, Tamari (or Soy), mirin, sake and sugar to the pot and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Add broccoli and carrots to the pot. Simmer for a few minutes. Then add bok choy and cabbage.
- Simmer a few more minutes. Then turn heat to low and add mushrooms, green onions, tofu and noodles. Allow to warm for a few more minutes until everything is just cooked.
- Turn off heat and serve.
Notes
- You can arrange switch up the veggies and protein for anything you prefer.
- You can use regular sugar or another sugar like coconut or maple if you prefer.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Katrushka
"I used Tamari, but you can always use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos if you want to avoid soy."
Sorry I got here years later:
Bragg's Aminos is made with soy and water. On the label of a 32 ounce bottle that I have here it says: "Vegetable protein from soy beans and Purified water."
Bragg's uses a different process in making their Liquid Aminos than fermented soy sauces. And unlike fermented, traditional soy sauce, that process does not include fermentation.
So those preparing food for those with soy sensitivities or allergies, beware.
I am looking forward to trying this recipe!
Cheers and Best!
veggiesdontbite
Woopsie! That is supposed to say COCONUT aminos! All fixed! Thanks for checking that!
amy
I made this tonight and it was amazing! The broth has a great flavor and the mushrooms are meaty. We didn’t have mirin. so I substituted sherry with a little sugar, and also veggie stock for the water. I also used Udon noodles. Even my 6 year old loved it.
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you loved it Amy!! Thank you so much for letting me know. And thanks for letting us know the subs you used that worked!
Emily Kemp
I love the sound of this, it's my type of comfort food plus it's healthy.. bonus!
Katy
I loved sukiyaki when I still ate meats. It's been probably 10 years since I've had it. This recipe sounds wonderful!
veggiesdontbite
Me too Katy!! That's why I created this. You'll love it!!
Michelle@healthiersteps
Looks amazing, now I can make sukiyaki at home, thanks for the recipe!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Michelle!! Let me know if you try it!
Italia Caruso
I love colours of your recipe!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Italia!
Linda @ Veganosity
I love the look of this soup. Noodles and broth always gets my vote.
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Linda! We love it too!!
Jenn
This looks so good! Perfect for a cold winter night!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! Yes, so great!
The Vegan 8
This looks so amazing and all of the awesome flavors have me dribbling with drool! Great ingredients girlfriend!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Brandi! It's a great combo loaded with veggies!
Kristina
yep, I need to make this one and SOON. I could eat this kind of thing every day, and the flavors here sound SO good!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! I could too! Like every day! I actually kind of have...lol
Jordyn
I LOVE noodle soups and am always looking for new ideas to make them.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Jordyn! This one is so easy to make and really tasty! Let me know if you give it a try. I love hearing feedback from everyone!
The Healthy Secret Identity
Looks amazing! i've never tried sukiyaki before, can't wait to try it!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much! You'll love it, so easy to make and super flavorful! Let me know if you try it!
Dina
I remember how much we all loved sukiyaki, this sounds even better. I should give it a try.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! Yes, I was craving it the other day and everywhere I called only served it with meat. This creation reminds me so much of the kind we always went out and ate as kids!
Val - Life Of A Vegaholic
I've never heard of sukiyaki, but by the looks of it I'm going to have to try it out soon! This looks super yummy & easy Sophia 🙂 Now, would you be able to make this dish in like a crockpot or something?
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much!! Its so easy to do and very flavorful. I wouldn't do it in the crockpot because it is so quick to cook and you don't want your veggies or noodles overcooking. It only took about 5 or so minutes before it was ready to eat!
Val - Life Of A Vegaholic
I was just curious that's all. But a dish that looks super yummy & easy PLUS it doesn't take that long to make?! That sounds like MY kind of dish! Haha! Love your blog by the way! You should check out mine 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Yes!! Its the best kind of meal. Lol. Thanks so much for following!! I'll definitely check your blog out!!
The Vegan 8
I have never heard of sukiyaki before, but just looking at the ingredient list, I know I would love it (minus the mushrooms, lol!) 🙂 I love these spices and flavors and looks like a total giant bowl of yumminess!! I just love the whole sweet and salty flavor combo of Asian food...it's so addicting.
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Brandi! Its a super simple and easy dish to make and you can add or take out whatever veggies you want