Is Furikake Vegetarian Or Vegan? Recipe & Brands
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.
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Vegan/ Vegetarian Furikake Recipe
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).
- Pour the toasted seeds from the pan into a large 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.
- 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.
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 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.
Eden Shake Furikake Pickled Red Shiso Leaf Seasoning
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 out our new cookbook
Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.
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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.