Kimchi is a popular Korean dish often made of fermented cabbage and vegetables that can be consumed on its own or in various dishes. It’s popular for it’s taste and health benefits. The best kimchi is homemade but if you can’t find the time to make your own, buying it is convenient. Find out here if this Costco Hankook Original Kimchi tastes as good as homemade!
Kimchi is a loved Korean cuisine and my Costco carries the Hankook Original Kimchi. I haven’t reviewed kimchi on the blog before so picked this up to try and review.
If you’re a fan of kimchi you might like the Costco Wildbrine Raw Organic Sauerkraut or the Costco Azuma Seaweed Salad.
Location in Store
You can find this in the refrigerated deli section at Costco, near the tofu and fresh pasta. The item number is 49805.
Taste
I think this kimchi is okay, not the greatest but not bad at all. Definitely not as good as homemade and I think it needs to be added to other dishes rather than eating it alone. It’s better on rice with some sesame oil on it.
I find it quite heavy tasting and really salty. The flavor is sour, tangy, spicy and a bit salty. The texture of the vegetables isn’t mushy but not extremely crispy. I think it’s also very spicy, I don’t have a high tolerance for heat but this tastes hot to me.
Cost
The 1670-gram container costs $11.99 Canadian at Costco. This isn’t too expensive for such a large container of kimchi!
Convenience
There are lots of ways to enjoy kimchi. I love making kimchi fried rice but you can use it in a ton of different recipes or have it on its own.
The kimchi needs to be kept refrigerated and the best before date is a month and a half from the date that it was purchased. I know some Koreans who make their own kimchi buy a special refrigerator to keep it at an optimal temperature to last longer. Buying kimchi is more convenient than making homemade but it’s for sure not as tasty.
Nutrition
Calories
A 100-gram serving is 30 calories, zero grams of fat, six grams of carbohydrates, two grams of fibre, three grams of sugar, two grams of protein and 560 mg of sodium.
Ingredients
The ingredients list is cabbage, seasonings as well as salted shrimp so this particular kimchi is not vegetarian. Kimchi is known for being full of probiotics and nutrients as well as low in calories. The probiotics are coming from the fermented vegetables and probiotics help with gut health. Kimchi is also suspected to boost the immune system and lower inflammation.
Scoring
Taste: 7/10
Cost: 9/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 8/10
Overall
Give it a try!
If you crave kimchi but don’t have access to a Korean supermarket or homemade, this is decent enough to be enjoyable, especially added to other dishes like rice.
Have you tried this kimchi? What did you think?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
Is this kimchi pasteurized?
Is it un-pasteurized? I presume it is because it requires refrigeration. However, it does not explicitly state that it is un-pasteurized. I don’t mind the taste, but it is quite spicy and hot. Not unpleasant at all, but I doubt I will ever ‘crave’ it.
I have fallen in love with this kimchi! It’s been years since I was in South Korea enjoying this with the family of my students. I was shopping the other day in my Costco in Indianapolis and this kimchi was one of the samples. I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted so delicious!! As a Black woman from Washington, DC who loves her cultural cuisine, I definitely recommend this kimchi!! 💕
I eat Costco’s Hankook Original Kimchi everyday, and tonight, after reading this ArsTechnica article that traditional clay jars (onggi) makes the best kimchi: https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/science-confirms-it-the-best-kimchi-is-made-in-traditional-clay-jars-onggi/#p3
I Googled Costco’s HOK to see if it was onggi (not) & found this blog article on it. Thanks for the serving suggestion, Natalie—tomorrow I will try it on Indian Brown Basmati rice ‘& Ho-Ya sesame oil, from Costco too, of course (Business Centre!)
I look forward to comparing it to onggi kimchi!
I just purchased this product 3/21/23… An Asian guy kept asking me and pointing too my basket, while asking, where did you get the kimchee, and I pointed to its location. I got home and seared some scallops and dim sum. I added some kimchee on the side and Bam!! Tangie, slightly hot which calms down after each bite which was lovely. I give it a 9 because I like it hotter!! 😋
Correction 2/21/23
my costco warehouse in nanuet new york sells the jonga brand of kimchee manufactured by daesang in korea. this was recommended to me when i shopped at the korean market far rom my home by a korean shopper who said it was the best to be had and the only brand he and his family bought. it is so good! costco’s price blew me away ~ incredibly lower than at the market. i am a raw vegetarian and into probiotics. this makes a great snack for me. if you have never tried kimchee before, this is the one to look for just know that it has a strong lingering flavour. yummy! i my store did not have this brand, i would try the one listed. p s the azuma seaweed salad is the real deal as well and delicious.