Okonomiyaki, or Japanese cabbage pancakes, are my favorite clean-out-the-crisper-drawer dinner recipe. Add whatever vegetables you have on hand to sweet white cabbage, fluffy eggs, and a bit of flour. Cook them on the stovetop, and you’ve got a veggie-packed dinner ready in minutes!
Japanese Cabbage Pancakes are easier than you think!
Ok, here's the thing. I know this recipe might look intimidating. But, truly, it is not. If you can make an omelet or pancakes, you can make okonomiyaki.
In fact, I think making okonomiyaki is easier than typing okonomiyaki, and I have both typed it and made it many, many times so I would know. This is something I whip up fairly frequently because it relies on mostly staple ingredients, comes together quickly, and makes for a super healthy meal. Okonomiyaki are good hot, cold, or at room temperature, and at any time of the day. I love this for us!
As a nutritionist, I can't help but being in love with cabbage. I feel like cabbage deserves more love than it gets, to be honest (cabbage steaks, ILYSM). It has fiber, vitamins C and K, and a good amount of folate and antioxidants. Combine that with protein-packed eggs in this cabbage pancake, and you’ve got a satisfying meal to enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or a vegetarian main dish!
This dish is sometimes known as Japanese pizza (but really, it's not anything like pizza at all other than being round and sliced into wedges). There's Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, Osaka-style okonomiyaki, versions with Japanese mountain yam and others with pork belly. Today we're making HNL-style cabbage pancakes.
These okonomiyaki are more veggies and eggs than they are flour, and they end up being filling yet still very light. I like to add in some onion and grated carrot, and I'm sure whatever other kinds of grate-able or slice-able veggies you've got lying around would work just fine. If I'm already shredding carrots and cabbage for Spicy Coleslaw, I just double my shredding and set some aside for cabbage pancakes. Prep once, cook twice, my friends!
Let's make Okonomiyaki together!
Step 1: Shred, slice, and dice your produce
Start by getting all of your shredding, chopping, slicing, and dicing out of the way.
Toss the vegetables with the salt in a colander or mesh strainer. If you are using pre-shredded coleslaw mix (no shame in that game!), get in there with your hands and massage the salt into the cabbage, which will help tenderize it a bit.
Step 2: Whisk, baby, whisk!
Whisk the eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and flour in a mixing bowl.
Step 3: Mix it up
Stir the cabbage, carrot, and onion into the batter. Make sure you fold the mixture over several times so that all the veggies get a good coating.
Step 4: Make those cabbage pancakes!
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of neutral-flavored cooking oil and a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.
I like making a couple of medium-sized okonomiyaki—pour about half of the batter into the skillet and smooth the top with a spatula. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom.
Flip that baby over, then cook until the second side is also golden brown, then slide the pancake onto a cutting board and let it rest for about 1 minute.
Small, medium, or large? You decide!
To make one large okonomiyaki, pour all of the batter into the skillet and smooth the top with a spatula. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Slide the pancake onto a large plate, then invert the skillet over the plate and flip again. Cook until the second side is also golden brown, then slide the pancake onto a cutting board and let it rest for about 1 minute before slicing into wedges with a knife.
To make two medium okonomiyaki, follow the same process but use half the batter for each pancake.
To make mini okonomiyaki, drop ¼ cup scoops of batter into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes more on the second side.
Serving suggestions
Traditionally, okonomiyaki is served with okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise, but sometimes I drizzle mine with a bit of plain yogurt and a few dashes of hot sauce. Okonomiyaki sauce isn’t vegetarian, but for a close approximation, you can use vegan Worcestershire sauce mixed with a little bit of ketchup.
Pickled ginger, toasted sesame seeds, and thinly sliced scallions are also excellent toppings for your cabbage pancakes.
Tips for Perfect Okonomiyaki
Beat the eggs well. This incorporates more air into the batter, giving your okonomiyaki a light, creamy texture.
Use a nonstick skillet. Or, if you prefer, a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. This will help the pancake slide out easily. There’s nothing more depressing than a dinner that ends up stuck to the pan.
Don’t crank up the heat. You don’t want the outside to burn before the inside is cooked through.
Variations
I can think of a million ways you can jazz up this recipe. Leeks? Kale? Spicy peppers? Crumbled seaweed? What's ripe in your garden right now? This really is a recipe where you can use just about any vegetable, from grated summer squash to broccoli stalks left behind after making a broccoli tart.
Okonomiyaki (Japanese Cabbage Pancakes)
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely shredded cabbage
- 1 large carrot grated
- 1 small yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon fine-grain salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce I love Braggs
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- oil for frying see notes
- Japanese mayonnaise for serving
- Toppings of choice toasted sesame seeds, pickled ginger, sliced scallions, and cilantro are good options
Instructions
- Place the shredded cabbage, carrot, and onion into a colander or mesh strainer, and sprinkle with salt. Toss to combine, and let it sit while you are preparing the batter.2 cups finely shredded cabbage, 1 large carrot, 1 small yellow onion, 1 teaspoon fine-grain salt
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and flour. Whisk into a smooth batter.4 large eggs, 2 teaspoons light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Add the cabbage, carrot, and onion to the batter and stir to combine.
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of neutral-flavoured cooking oil, along with a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil for flavour.oil for frying
- Now you have options!
- To make one large okonomiyaki, pour all of the batter into the hot skillet at once. Use a spatula to smooth out the top. Wait about 5 minutes, then carefully lift one side with a spatula to check the bottom. If it's golden brown, carefully slide the pancake onto a large plate. Invert the skillet over the plate and turn everything back over to flip the pancake. Cook for about 5 min more on the second side. Slide the cooked pancake onto a cutting board and let rest for about 1 minute before slicing into wedges.
- To make two medium-sized okonomiyaki, use the same process as above, but this time only pour half of the batter into the hot skillet. You will need to repeat this process twice.
- To make mini okonomiyaki, drop ¼ cup scoops of batter into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes more on the second side.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- If you want to save prep time by starting with a bagged coleslaw mix, by all means go for it. I recommend massaging the salt into the cabbage in the first step, which will help it break down and become a bit more tender.
- Refrigerate Japanese cabbage pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can eat leftovers cold, let the pancake come to room temperature, or reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through.
- Okonomiyaki can also be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 1 month. Let it thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Andrea says
I really liked this - it's quite simple and very tasty. I topped with the suggestion of yogurt and (chili crisp), along with scallion and pickled ginger. Thank you!
Katie Trant says
So glad you enjoyed this, Andrea!
Merlie says
Thank you for sharing your recipe for cabbage pancake. It’s delicious. My husband likes it He wants me to save the recipe. This is another great way of eating a good amount of cabbage.
Katie Trant says
So happy you like this one, Merlie! It's a favorite in our home as well.
Victoria Mitchell says
Just made these and they’re sooo good. Easy too!
Janene says
It seems kind of like a frittata. A good way to use whatever vegetables are on hand. Thanks for sharing.
Katie Trant says
Kind of! But the eggs are more of a binder than a feature in this recipe.
Gwen Cicone says
This was a great way to use my abundance of cabbage. My husband and I both enjoyed them. And they come together quickly once the cabbage and carrots are shredded.
Katie Trant says
Hey Gwen! So happy to hear you enjoyed this. And yes, if you have the cabbage and carrots shredded, it does come together really quickly!