How to Use the Homemade Kimchi Cost Calculator
Before a big kimchi-making session — or even a small batch — it's hard to know exactly how much seasoning to buy. Enter the weight of your cabbage (or radish) and the kimchi type, and this calculator works out how much gochugaru, fish sauce, garlic, and other seasonings you'll need, plus the estimated cost. It scales a standard recipe based on 10kg of cabbage (1kg gochugaru, 500ml fish sauce, 200g garlic, and so on) proportionally to your weight.
The seasoning ratio also shifts by kimchi type. Baechu kimchi (napa cabbage) uses the full standard ratio. Chonggak kimchi uses about 10% less seasoning since the radish itself is naturally sweeter. Kkakdugi is mostly radish, so it uses roughly 20% less gochugaru and fish sauce. Costs are based on typical US grocery prices for Korean seasoning ingredients (often found at Korean/Asian markets), applied per gram or milliliter — the cabbage or radish itself is not included in the total.
Eyeballing ingredient amounts gets less reliable the bigger the batch. Calculating ahead of time helps you avoid running short at the store or buying too much, and knowing the rough cost upfront makes planning a kimchi-making day much easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baechu kimchi uses the standard full ratio of gochugaru and fish sauce. Chonggak kimchi needs a bit less seasoning since the radish itself is naturally sweet, and kkakdugi is mostly radish, so it uses less gochugaru and fish sauce with a bit more sugar.
No. This calculator only covers seasoning ingredients like gochugaru, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and salt — the cost of the cabbage or radish itself is not included.