Avocado Kimchi Rice Cakes

03/05/23

(Updated 01/30/24)

A savoury snack idea featuring kimchi. These rice cake bites are easy and quick to make, coming together in minutes. With prebiotic fibre from avocado and probiotic goodness from kimchi, they're gut-loving too!

Jump to Recipe

Are you a fan of the quintessential millennial meal, avocado toast? If so, you’ll love this avocado rice cake snack, taken to the next level with the addition of delicious kimchi.

Kimchi, a traditional Korean dish featuring fermented vegetables, is known for its unique flavour, which is sour, salty, spicy and tangy all at once. Two words here: flavour bomb! It’s a quick and easy way to add a flavour punch, like this savoury snack idea.

As a Registered Nutritionist, I love including a variety of probiotic-rich foods, like kimchi, in my diet thanks to their gut-loving properties. Due to its fermentation process, kimchi contains probiotics, which are live micoroganisms that offer health benefits (1).

Gather Ingredients

Brown rice cakes. A classic OG snack made from puffed rice pressed into round cakes. Opt for an unflavoured variety.
Kimchi. While a cultural food, kimchi is increasingly popular globally, found in the chilled section of many supermarkets. Otherwise, visit a specialty store for a jar.
Avocado. The creaminess of avocado is amazing with tangy/salty/spicy kimchi. Make sure your avocado is nice and ripe. These will yield to firm, but gentle, pressure when touched.
Sesame seeds. Totally optional, but for a nice little garnish overtop.

Step-by-Step: Avocado Kimchi Rice Cakes

1. In a small bowl or on a chopping board, mash the avocado flesh with a fork. A few lumps left here and there is AOK!

2. Spoon (or fork) the mashed avocado onto the rice cake and smear it across nice and evenly.

3. Load ’em up with kimchi. To max out the flavour, drizzle over a little kimchi juice from the jar.

4. Finish with a pretty garnish of black or white sesame seeds, or hemp seeds – whatever’s handy.

Kitchen Tips

Not a fan of kimchi? Feel free to substitute for your favourite variety of sauerkraut. It’ll also do the job👌.
Not a fan of rice cakes? This topping idea will work with wholegrain crackers or even overtop of your favourite toast.
Want to make it a meal? Add flaked hot smoked salmon overtop the kimchi and serve with a leafy side salad. Yum.

Serving & Storage

For peak texture and flavour, prepare this snack right before you intend to eat it. Once you load wet ingredients onto a crisp rice cake, it’s a downhill slide to soggy town.

Otherwise, you can prep it a smidge in advance – just store it in an airtight container fridge and aim to eat within the day.

Nutrition Q&A

Is kimchi vegan? Traditionally, and generally, no. Fish sauce, and types of salted seafood (like anchovies), are commonly added, but it does depend on the blend. The good news for my vegan friends: vegan kimchis exist for sale and/or it’s also easy to make your own at home (sans seafood).

Is kimchi gluten free? Kimchi is generally gluten-free, but not always. It always pays to check the label if needed, as some of the seasoning ingredients, like fish sauce, may have gluten (not all do).

What’s the difference between prebiotics and probiotics? Probiotics are beneficial bacteria found in foods (or supplements), that can provide an array of health benefits, from aiding in immune function, to improving mood, to weight management (2). Prebiotics are foods, mostly types of fibre, that act as a fuel source for these bugs. Eating both probiotics and prebiotics will help ensure you have the right balance of microbes within you. Fun fact – this snack idea contains prebiotics (avocado) and probiotics (kimchi)!

Thanks for reading. Looking for more ways to jazz up rice cakes? Try these chocolate-coated rice cakes with nuts and seeds.