Is Furikake Vegetarian Or Vegan? Recipe & Brands

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Furikake is not vegan or vegetarian because this seasoning usually contains bonito flakes and other dried fish to get a strong, fishy, salty, and umami-rich flavor.

If you want to make it vegan, though, you can use nori and shiitake instead of bonito flakes and fried fish, and there are some specialty brands that make vegan versions.

I’ll help you get a great flavor for your dish, even when it’s a great vegan alternative.

Vegan vegetarian furikake recipe

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Vegan/ Vegetarian Furikake Recipe

Joost Nusselder
Furikake would normally use dried fish and bonito flakes to get a lot of the flavor, but with this recipe you can be sure it is a vegan-friendly way to add flavor to your dishes.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Sauce
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 6 shiitake mushrooms fresh is best, but dried will work or use 1 tbsp of shiitake powder
  • 3 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
  • 2 tbsp nori dried seaweed
  • 1 tsp miso paste
  • 2 tsp soy sauce

Instructions
 

  • Heat a frying pan over medium heat and toast the sesame seeds in it for 1 minute (you can also use toasted sesame seeds and skip this step).
    When the pan is properly heated, put the sesame seeds and toast until they produce a bit of smoke and a roasted aroma
  • Pour the toasted seeds from the pan into a large bowl.
    Transfer the roasted sesame seeds into a bowl
  • Rehydrate the dried shiitake in boiling water for 20 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water and cut the stems to throw away, cut the rest into really small pieces. With fresh shiitake you can just cut the stem and cut them up into little pieces immediately.
  • Take the shiitake and add them to the frying pan, add the soy sauce and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Take the seaweed and crumble them into the same pan for about 30 seconds so it becomes infused with the flavors.
    Take the seaweed and crumble it into the bowl of roasted sesame seeds
  • Pour this mixture into the bowl and mix well.
  • Next, add the miso paste and mix it thoroughly.
  • Lastly, add the sugar and salt. You do this last so you can taste and play with the amount of both to get the desired flavor.
    Next, season the mixture with sugar and salt. You can reduce or increase the quantity of both sugar and salt according to your requirements
Keyword Furikake, Vegan, Vegetarian
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

I’ve substituted the bonito flakes and dried anchovies in this recipe for shiitake mushrooms, miso paste and a little soy sauce.

With creativity and ingredient substitutions, you can make furikake vegan, gluten-free, etc.

How to store leftovers of homemade furikake with soy sauce and miso paste?

Furikake is a dry blend of seasonings that typically includes seaweed, sesame seeds, and salt. This dish, because of the substitutes, uses wet ingredients as well so it will last a little less long in the fridge.

If you have leftovers of furikake, it is best to store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze furikake, and it will keep for up to 6 months.

When you’re ready to use furikake again, simply sprinkle it on top of your dish. There’s no need to thaw it first.

Best vegan/ vegetarian furikake brands

Yoshi Vegetarian Furikake Spice Blend

Yoshi Vegetarian Furikake Spice Blend

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Yoshi uses a lot more seaweed and a mix of white and black sesame seeds to still get a strong flavor, even when it’s vegan.

This one comes closest to the furikake flavor a lot of your traditional recipes call for.

Check prices here

Eden Shake Furikake Pickled Red Shiso Leaf Seasoning

Eden Shake Furikake Pickled Red Shiso Leaf Seasoning

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Eden Foods has come up with another way to compensate for the lack of umami from dried fish. It made a flavor of its own to make sure it had a well balanced profile.

The addition of pickled shiso leaf is a great one, although the taste is not very traditional. This is one shake you have to try out on your dish before knowing if it’s a good fit, but it does make a delicious addition to just plain steamed rice!

Check prices here

Also read: how to make takoyaki vegan, a full recipe guide

Check out our new cookbook

Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.

Try it out for free with Kindle Unlimited:

Read for free

Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.