Transform simple ingredients into a flavorful and satisfying dish with these Savory Cabbage Pancakes (Okonomiyaki). I decided to try my hand at Okonomiyaki, or Japanese savory cabbage pancakes. And as per usual, this is my interpretation of Okonomiyaki, not a traditional representation of the dish. I love putting spins on classics to make them work for my pantry and taste buds.
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“Super delicious! My husband is a little suspicious of anything savory being called a “pancake” so I told him they were “Japanese cabbage hashbrowns” and he loved them lol. Will make again for sure!”
KRISTINE
I’m all about reducing waste over here, so I needed to find a recipe to use up my leftover cabbage, carrot, and green onion from my Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry. This Japanese-inspired recipe is a great “sweep the kitchen” recipe. And you know how I love recipes that accept whatever leftovers you might happen to have in the fridge at the time!
Traditionally, Okonomiyaki has a special sauce that is kind of sweet-salty-tangy (here’s a great Okonomiyaki Sauce recipe from Just One Cookbook if you want to give it a try!). But since I was using what I had on hand, I went a different route. I kept it simple with a drizzle of sriracha mayo, sesame seeds, and sliced green onion, but you could do hoisin sauce, toasted seaweed snacks, a fried egg, bonito flakes, pickled ginger, kimchi, or anything else you like. Honestly, the toppings are where it’s at for this recipe. It’s like pizza (and sometimes called Japanese pizza). The toppings make it fun, unique, and just all around extra special.
Cabbage Pancakes (Okonomiyaki)
Servings 6 6-inch pancakesIngredients
PANCAKES
- 2 extra large eggs ($1.04)
- 1/2 cup water ($0.00)
- 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil ($0.33)
- 3/4 to 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.07)
- 4-5 cups shredded green cabbage ($1.78)
- 1 carrot ( $0.11)
- 3 green onions ($0.30)
- 2 Tbsp oil for frying ($0.04)
TOPPINGS
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise ($0.28)
- 2 Tbsp sriracha ($0.10)
- 1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds ($0.05)
- 2 green onions ($0.20)
Instructions
- Remove any wilted leaves from the outside of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Thinly slice or shred half of the cabbage, or until you have 4-5 cups shredded cabbage. Peel the carrot and shred it using a large-holed cheese grater. Slice the green onions.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, soy sauce, and sesame oil until smooth. Begin whisking in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it forms a thick, smooth batter (about 3/4 to1 cup total flour).
- Add the cabbage, carrots, and green onion to the batter and stir until the vegetables are mixed and everything is evenly coated in batter.
- Heat 1/2 Tbsp oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 3/4 cup of the vegetable and batter mixture. Press it down into the hot skillet to form a circle, about 6 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Place a cover on the skillet to hold in the steam, which will help the cabbage soften as it cooks. Cook the pancake until golden brown on the bottom (3-5 minutes), then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side. Pile the cooked pancakes on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm until ready to eat. Add more oil to the skillet as needed as you cook the pancakes.
- To prepare the sriracha mayo, mix together 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 2 Tbsp sriracha in a small bowl. Drizzle the sriracha mayo over the pancakes just before serving, followed with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and sliced green onion.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Cabbage Pancakes Step-by-Step Photos
Shred the veggies: Begin by shredding the vegetables. You can use a food processor, mandolin, or just a knife. Just remember, the thinner the better. Shred 1/2 of a small head of cabbage (4-5 cups once shredded), 1 carrot (about 1/2 cup), and slice three green onions.
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 extra large eggs, 1/2 cup water, 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil until smooth.
Begin whisking in flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it forms a thick, smooth batter. You’ll need between 3/4 to 1 cup flour.
Add the cabbage, carrots, and green onion to the batter, then stir until everything is well mixed and coated in batter.
Cook the pancakes: Since eggs and flour both like to stick to surfaces when cooked, I highly suggest using some sort of non-stick surface in addition to the oil. I used a cast iron skillet. Heat about 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil in the skillet over medium heat. Once hot, place about 3/4 cup of the vegetable and batter mixture into the skillet. Press the mixture down to form a 6-inch circle that is about 1/2 inch thick. Place a lid on the skillet to hold in the steam (this helps soften the cabbage) and cook until it is golden brown on the bottom (3-5 minutes). Flip the pancake and cook on the second side until golden brown as well. I could actually fit two pancakes in this skillet, but doing one at a time made for prettier pictures. :P
To make the sriracha mayo, stir together 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 2 Tbsp sriracha.
Drizzle the sriracha mayo over the savory cabbage pancake and then top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and more sliced onion. Dig in!
Variations
What attracted me to this dish is the extreme flexibility of ingredients. I didn’t buy any special ingredients for my cabbage pancakes. Instead, I used all the ingredients that I had on hand, and you can too. Other things that would be great in these pancakes include:
- kale
- bean sprouts
- radish
- shredded broccoli or Brussels sprouts
- zucchini
- shrimp
- canned salmon
- shredded chicken
- pork
- bacon
serving suggestions
Serve these with a few fresh sides that keep things light yet satisfying. Start with my Easy Dumpling Soup, which adds cozy comfort and a savory broth. Then brighten up the plate with a Sesame Cucumber Salad, offering a cool crunch and tangy contrast. Together, these dishes create a balanced, veggie-forward spread that’s big on flavor and simple to make!
Very good Americanized recipe! Easy and adaptable, My toddler loves it. I added crispy bacon bits, minced ginger, and rice krispies (to give a tempura textural vibe). Subbed dried chopped onion for the green onions. I also used whole grain einkorn flour and had no issues. For toppings we did mayo, Bachan’s Japanese BBQ, and avocado. So truly a hodge-podge but very tasty!!
I made these in my Oster 4 square cramic waffle maker. They came out great, and lower in calories than frying.
I did not oil the waffle iron, and they browned up beautifully. Great recipe and as others have mentioned….use up anything in the fridge!
I added grated fresh ginger to the basic recipe. My pancakes were flavourful and soft so they didn’t require any additional toppings. I like the ease and adaptability of this recipe. Thank you .
Delicious!! I seasoned and tasted the batter (before adding eggs) to our liking. First couple weren’t as crispy, needed to adjust the heat accordingly to get it right. My teens who hate cabbage absolutely loved it, winner!
Bland and rubbery
This is my favorite way to use up leftovers in the fridge. Have some old lunchmeat, leeks, radishes, celery, rotisserie chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, peas, seafood, pork chops or anything else you need to use up before it goes bad? Throw it in there! As long as you have the base ingredients you can’t go wrong. Used to make these for my roommates and neighbors in grad school and now I make them for my husband. Always a crowd favorite!
Great way to use up leftover cabbage!
Forgot to add the stars
This was delicious! My husband overbought bags of coleslaw mix and this was an excellent use for it.
Easy to make and the toppings added a lot of
flavour. Keeper recipe
Has anyone tried to freeze these?
Healthy, keto friendly, and yummy! I made a large single serving and simply estimated the ingredients, and it came out delicious. I used almond flour, added thinly sliced ham, chili pepper flakes, and served it with miso soup. Total time was 15 minutes for a quick meal with big flavor!
These are so tastey and versitile. I didn’t have soy sauce so used Korean BBQ sauce – yum. I added some shredded ginger and turnip. It seemed like there was too much veggies but after a really good stir, things came together nicely. Served with chicken marinated in tarragon mustard. Definitely a keeper!
Made these for lunch using a little canned salmon. Only change was we added bonito flakes and eel sauce left over from previous sushi prep. They were heavenly. Completely unexpected considering the simple ingredients. Will be adding them to our regular menu. Thank you.
Delicious! I loved these. I used whole wheat flour for about half and it worked well. It’s so versatile.
Not sure how it would work here with the ratios, but the liquid drained from canned chickpeas is often used as an egg substitute.