White Kimchi (Baek-Kimchi)
No Heat, Different Microbes
Remove the gochugaru. Change the bacterial community.
Chad Waldman
Analytical Chemist · April 19, 2026
Prep
30 min
Ferment
3–5 days
Total
5 days
pH Target
4.0–4.5
Salt
2.5% by weight
Yield
1 quart
Most Americans think kimchi means red and spicy. That's fair — the neon-orange jars at the grocery store have defined the category. But baek-kimchi predates that entirely. Gochugaru, the Korean red pepper flakes that give modern kimchi its signature heat and color, didn't arrive in Korea until the late 16th century, introduced by Portuguese traders via Japan. Before that, all kimchi was white kimchi.
This matters beyond food history. Capsaicin — the active compound in chili peppers — is antimicrobial. It selectively affects different bacterial species at different concentrations. A 2021 study from the World Institute of Kimchi (PMID: 34146398) showed that kimchi made with hot pepper powder had a higher ratio of Lactobacillus sakei and a lower ratio of Leuconostoc mesenteroides compared to kimchi made without capsaicinoids. Remove the gochugaru, and Leuconostoc and Weissella get an unrestricted early run. The bacterial community is genuinely different.
I made this for a friend who can't handle spice. She ate half the jar in one sitting and then texted me asking if she was now a fermentation person. She is. This is the kimchi gateway drug for everyone who thinks they don't like kimchi — what they don't like is heat. The fermented, funky, garlicky, gingery character of kimchi? They're fine with that.
Why baek-kimchi is the original
The word baek(백) means white in Korean. Baek-kimchi isn't a modern variation or a health-food compromise — it's the older form. Kimchi records date to at least the 13th century, but records of gochugaru in kimchi don't appear until the 17th century or later. For centuries, Koreans made kimchi with salt, garlic, ginger, and aromatics only.
Today, baek-kimchi is often made for people who are elderly, ill, or young children — populations who can't tolerate heat but who still need the probiotics and preserved vegetables that kimchi provides. It's particularly common in winter, where its clean, bright flavor balances heavy stews and rice dishes without adding heat.
The flavor profile is completely different from red kimchi: lighter, more delicate, subtly sweet from the Asian pear, with the sharp edges of garlic and ginger mellowed by fermentation. It doesn't have the umami depth that gochugaru adds, but it has a clarity that red kimchi doesn't. They're the same ferment. They taste like different things.
Ingredients
- 1 lb napa cabbage (about half a small head)
- 2.5% coarse sea salt by weight (use a scale — don't guess)
- 1 Asian pear or Fuji apple (peeled and cored)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 inches fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegan)
- 1 tsp sugar (feeds early-stage LAB)
- 4 scallions (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 cup daikon radish, matchstick cut (optional but traditional)
Use our Salt Calculator for exact amounts by weight. Check your fermentation environment with the Lab Calculator.
Instructions
1Salt the napa cabbage
Quarter the cabbage lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces. Weigh the cabbage, then toss with 2.5% of that weight in coarse sea salt. Mix well and let sit 1.5–2 hours, tossing every 30 minutes. The cabbage will wilt significantly and release liquid. This draws out water, collapses cell walls, and begins creating the anaerobic environment LAB need.
Chemist's note
Weigh your cabbage. 2.5% by weight is precise — use our Salt Calculator. Too little salt and you get mushy, unsafe kimchi. Too much and you'll suppress the bacteria you want.
2Rinse, drain, and squeeze
Rinse the cabbage 3 times under cold water, tasting as you go — it should be pleasantly salty, not harsh. Drain in a colander for 20 minutes, then squeeze handfuls firmly to remove as much water as possible. Pat dry with a towel if needed. The drier the cabbage at this stage, the crisper the final kimchi.
Chemist's note
This is the step most people rush. Excess water dilutes the brine, raises pH, and gives off-bacteria an opening. Squeeze harder than you think you should.
3Make the white kimchi paste
In a blender or food processor, combine: 1 Asian pear or apple (peeled, cored, roughly chopped), 6 cloves garlic, 1.5 inches fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegan), 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons water. Blend until smooth. The pear provides natural sweetness and enzymes that tenderize the cabbage. There is no gochugaru. This is the whole point.
Chemist's note
Asian pear (bae) is traditional. It has a high water content and subtle sweetness that doesn't overwhelm. A Fuji apple is a fine substitute. The enzymes in pear also soften cabbage texture during fermentation.
4Combine and stuff
Toss the drained cabbage with the white paste and add 4 scallions cut into 1-inch pieces, and optionally 1 cup matchstick daikon radish. Mix thoroughly with gloved hands — every piece of cabbage should be coated. The paste will look light and creamy, not red. Taste it. It should be bright, garlicky, gingery, and slightly sweet.
Chemist's note
The gloves aren't just for cleanliness — garlic and ginger can irritate skin during extended contact. This is especially true if you're making a large batch.
5Pack the jar and add brine
Pack the kimchi tightly into a quart jar, pressing down hard with your fist until liquid rises. If the vegetables aren't fully submerged after packing, mix 1 cup water with 1 teaspoon sea salt and pour in enough to cover. Leave 1.5 inches of headspace — white kimchi produces CO2 and will bubble up in the first 48 hours. Seal loosely or use an airlock lid.
Chemist's note
White kimchi is more delicate than red kimchi. Keep it submerged and away from oxygen to prevent surface yeast (kahm). If kahm appears, skim it off — it's not dangerous but tastes flat.
6Ferment 3–5 days, then refrigerate
Leave at room temperature (65–72°F) for 3–5 days. Taste after day 2. White kimchi is ready when it's gently effervescent, tangy, and the flavors have melded — the garlic should mellow and the pear notes sweeten. Target pH is 4.0–4.5. Because there's no capsaicin, fermentation may start slightly faster in the first 24 hours as Leuconostoc mesenteroides gets an unrestricted early run. Move to the fridge when it tastes right.
Chemist's note
White kimchi is best eaten young — within 2 weeks. It doesn't develop the deep funk of aged red kimchi. It stays bright, clean, and crisp. After 3 weeks it can get soft and sour. It's not unsafe, just different.
The microbiology of going white
Based on articles retrieved from PubMed, the science here is specific and interesting. A 2021 study published in the Journal of Food Science (PMID: 34146398, DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.15785) examined the effect of capsaicinoids from hot pepper powder on kimchi's microbial community. Kimchi made with hot pepper (HP) and hot pepper alcohol extract (HPE) had a significantly higher ratio of Lactobacillus sakei and lower Leuconostoc mesenteroides compared to kimchi made with only the HP residue after extraction (HPER — which retained fiber but lacked capsaicinoids). The capsaicinoids were the variable. Remove them, and the community shifts. Leuconostoc and Weissella dominate earlier and more completely in white kimchi.
This matters because Leuconostoc mesenteroides is a heterofermentative LAB — it produces both lactic acid and CO2, which is why your white kimchi will be bubblier and lighter in texture than red kimchi. A 2005 study (PMID: 16084269, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2004.11.030) using 16S rRNA clone libraries found Weissella koreensis predominating in most kimchi samples, with Leuconostoc gelidum, Leuconostoc gasicomitatum, and Lactobacillus sakei also common. Without capsaicin selecting against certain strains, white kimchi leans harder into this early-stage Leuconostoc/Weissella community.
A 2020 study from the World Institute of Kimchi (PMID: 32126467, DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126481) using metataxonomics and metabolomics showed that raw ingredient microbial niches drive community assembly. The garlic and kimchi cabbage microbiomes are the most important. In gnotobiotic experiments, Weissella koreensis produced reversible metabolic outputs — meaning its presence or absence meaningfully changes the flavor and acid profile. White kimchi gives this organism more space to operate.
And a 2013 PCR-DGGE study (PMID: 23314371, DOI: 10.4014/jmb.1210.10002) found that temperature, not ingredients alone, further shapes LAB succession: at lower fermentation temperatures, Leuconostoc dominates over Lactobacillus even more strongly. If you ferment your white kimchi at 65°F rather than 72°F, you'll push even further toward the Leuconostoc-dominant profile. Cooler, bubblier, lighter.
Read more on our Science page.
