5 Kidney-Friendly Recipes From Around the World

Discover a world of flavor without leaving your home with five kidney-friendly dishes from around the globe. No passport required—just your appetite for adventure!

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1. Vegetable Spanish Paella
2. Vegan Pimento Cheese Dip
3. Bibimbap Oatmeal
4. Codfish with Eggplant
5. Avocado and Pea Guacamole

1. Vegetable Spanish Paella

Paella is a colorful Spanish rice dish that originates from the western Mediterranean coast. While traditional paella typically features chicken, pork, rabbit, or snails, our vegetarian version puts vegetables in the spotlight, making them the star of the show.

Serving size: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup red bell pepper, small diced
• 1 cup fresh tomato grated or canned (no salt added)
• Five cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp saffron threads
• 1 cup short-grain white
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3 or 4 lemon wedges for garnish
• Six canned artichoke hearts marinated in olive oil and vinegar for garnish
• One canned roasted red bell pepper thinly sliced for garnish
• One rosemary to cook the rice and 1 for garnish

Directions

1. Heat vegetable stock in a separate pan.
2. Infuse saffron with a couple of tablespoons of hot vegetable stock for at least 10 minutes before adding to the paella.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat. Then, add bell pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes; add tomato paste, paprika, and garlic (avoid burning garlic). Then add the grated tomatoes, stir everything together, and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper. Slowly pour the hot broth, ensuring it's covered by stock, add saffron infusion, and stir for 1 minute. Then, add the rice and Don't stir after incorporating to avoid releasing more starch. At this point, add the fresh rosemary. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook covered for 5 minutes and uncovered for another 18-20 minutes.
4. You want a crispy layer of rice called socarrat to form on the bottom of the pan. Once the rice is done, increase the temperature to medium-high heat for 2 minutes to create the socarrat.  
5. Remove the paella from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
6. Garnish with marinated artichokes, red bell peppers, lemon wedges, and fresh rosemary.

Get the full recipe and nutritional information.

2. Vegan Pimento Cheese Dip

Your tastebuds will dance with joy when you try NKF's version of a staple Puerto Rican party food called "sandwichitos de mezcla."

Serving size: 1 tablespoon

Ingredients

• One red bell pepper
• 1 cup cooked white beans, unsalted
• 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of water
• ⅛ tsp of salt
• Whole wheat bread

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. Cut the pepper in half. Remove the stem and seeds. Place it upside down on a baking tray. Cook for 30 minutes.
3. Let the pepper cool. Remove the skin.
4. Add all the ingredients to a food mixer. Blend until you have a homogeneous mixture.
5. Use the mixture as a dip or to make "sandwichitos de mezcla." For the sandwich, add one tablespoon of the mixture to two slices of low-sodium white or whole wheat bread without phosphate additives and cut into four triangles or squares.

Get the full recipe and nutritional information.

3. Bibimbap Oatmeal

Try our unique twist on bibimbap, a beloved Korean dish typically made with rice, meat, vegetables, and a sunny-side-up egg drizzled with a savory sauce. We swapped the rice for oatmeal, making it the perfect meal, morning, noon, or night! 

Note: This recipe may not be appropriate for people with stage 5 kidney disease or who are on dialysis. 

Serving size: ½ of whole

Ingredients

• ½ cucumber, thinly sliced
• ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
• ¾ cup rice vinegar
• 3½ tsp sesame oil
• Three garlic cloves, minced
• 1¾ cup no-salt-added vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
• Two medium carrots peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 oz shiitake or white mushrooms
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• Two green onions, chopped (for garnish)
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tsp sugar

Directions

1. Pickle vegetables. Combine cucumber, red onion, and vinegar in a bowl. Let sit, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
2. Make oatmeal. Heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add one garlic clove (minced) and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add oatmeal and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Cook vegetables. Combine 1/4 cup of water, coconut aminos, two garlic cloves (minced), and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl. Heat ½ teaspoon sesame oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add carrots and about two tablespoons of the coconut amino mixture. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Heat another ½ teaspoon of sesame oil and add mushrooms and two tablespoons of coconut amino mixture. Cook until tender, about three minutes. Set aside. Heat an additional ½ teaspoon sesame oil and add spinach and the remaining coconut amino mixture. Cook for one minute until just wilted.
4. Divide cooked oatmeal between two bowls. Top with cooked and pickled vegetables. Garnish with green onion.
5. Optional hot sauce. Whisk one tablespoon of gochujang, one teaspoon of water, one teaspoon of sesame oil, and ½ teaspoon of sugar and drizzle over bibimbap.

Get the full recipe and nutritional information.

4. Codfish and Eggplant Stew

Enjoy a taste of Puerto Rican culture with each spoonful of this satisfying stew that combines two of the island's staple ingredients–codfish and eggplant.

Serving size: 1 cup

Ingredients

• One medium yellow onion, sliced
• 4 cups eggplant, cut into small cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup unsalted tomato sauce
• ½ cup water
• 1 tbsp sofrito
• Four cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 8 ounces codfish filet without phosphorus additives
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• Puerto Rican hot sauce, for taste

Directions

1. Preheat a large skillet with a lid on the stove over medium heat.
2. Add oil, onion, and eggplant. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. During this time, stir 2-3 times and over again.
3. Combine tomato sauce, water, sofrito, minced garlic, and dried parsley in a small bowl. Mix.
4. After 10 minutes, add the liquid to the skillet. Stir.
5. Add codfish filets to the skillet on top of the cooked onion and eggplant. Season the cod with salt and pepper. Cover and boil for 4 minutes.
6. Flip the cod filets, cover them, and cook them for 4 minutes.
7. Flake the codfish and mix well.
8. Serve hot over white or brown rice. Finish with hot sauce to taste.

Get the full recipe and nutritional information.

5. Avocado and Pea Guacamole

Guacamole originates from South Central Mexico, where avocados flourish in warm temperatures and high humidity. This version uses fewer avocados to lower the potassium but maintains the same flavor you know and love.

Note: Avocados are high in potassium. This recipe may not be appropriate for people with kidney disease stages 3-5. 

Serving size: ¼ cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen peas, slightly thawed
• One medium avocado
• juice from 1 lime
• ½ cup grape tomatoes, diced
• ½ cup red onion, diced
• One jalapeño, seeded and minced
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• One clove of minced garlic

Directions

1. Place peas in the bowl, food processor, or mini chopper and pulse until the peas are smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, cut or mash the avocado until desired consistency.
3. Transfer peas into the bowl and add lime juice, tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, and salt. Stir everything together with a fork.
4. Serve with raw vegetables or low-sodium tortilla chips.

Get the full recipe and nutritional information.

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