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Vegan okonomiyaki! These savory Japanese cabbage carrot pancakes are packed with veggies and so delicious served with sweet and sour homemade tonkatsu sauce. (nut-free with soy-free and gluten-free options)
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Vegan okonomiyaki is an easy weeknight meal. Just shred the veggies, mix them with the batter ingredients, and cook these tender, savory pancakes on the stovetop. The sauce comes together in one bowl!
Okonomiyaki are usually made with eggs, vegetables, and meat. In this vegan version, I’m using lots of veggies, plus some chickpea flour and black salt to give them that signature egginess. You can use all chickpea flour instead of the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free option.
These are absolutely delicious served with sweet, tangy, 1-bowl tonkatsu sauce made with ketchup, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and a little bit of sugar. You can also drizzle on some vegan mayo for a creamy element.
What I love about these Japanese cabbage pancakes is that they are so versatile! You can add veggies of choice, add some sliced mushrooms for a meaty pop of texture, or add more crumbled nori sheet for a fishier flavor, if you like.
No matter how you serve them, okonomiyaki are an absolutely delicious and easy dinner!
Why You’ll Love Japanese Cabbage Pancakes
- quick and easy weeknight meal
- packed with veggies and flavor! Add your favorite veggies of choice, too.
- super quick, 1-bowl tonkatsu sauce to drizzle or dip
- naturally nut-free with easy gluten-free and soy-free options
More Cabbage Recipes
Vegan Okonomiyaki – Japanese Cabbage Carrot Pancakes
Ingredients
For the Pancakes
- 1/2 head of cabbage
- 3/4 cup carrots
- 1/2 red or green bell pepper
- 2 tbsp scallions
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp miso, optional
- 1/8 tsp Indian black salt, kala namak- optional
- 2 tsp crumbled nori sheets , or 1/2 tsp togarashi – optional
- 1/2 cup unbleached white flour (ap flour) , or a mix of rice flour and all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder optional
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
For the Easy Tonkatsu Sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce , or whatever sauce as we refer to it in my house 😉
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- a few tsp water
Instructions
Make the okonomiyaki.
- Shred all the veggies. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, nutritional yeast, miso, black salt, and crumbled nori sheets. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Mix the flours and baking powder into the bowl and mix in. Add a little water to make a mix that can spread. You might not need much, as the veggies leak a lot of water, depending on how you shred them.
- Heat a pan over medium heat, and add the oil. Spread the batter to even it out into 1/4" to 1/2" thick pancake ,and cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side.
- Serve with the tonkatsu sauce, vegan mayo and pickled ginger if you have some. You can also sprinkle on some green onion and sesame seeds.
Make the tonkatsu sauce.
- Mix all the ingredients until well combined, and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients
- veggies – Shredded cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, and chopped scallions add flavor and texture.
- ginger – Boosts the flavor even more!
- sauces – Rice vinegar and soy sauce add moisture and flavor to the pancakes. Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce for gluten-free and soy-free. For the tonkatsu, you need ketchup and vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- spices – White pepper adds a signature flavor, and black salt (kala namak) gives the okonomiyaki an eggy flavor. Nutritional yeast adds umami and color.
- miso – This is optional but adds even more umami! Use chickpea miso for soy-free, if needed.
- nori sheets – Gives this a fishy flavor.
- flour – A mix of white flour, rice flour, and chickpea flour act as the binder. Use more chickpea flour instead of white flour for gluten-free.
- baking powder – This is optional but makes the pancakes fluffier.
💡Tips
- The veggies will release moisture as they sit in the bowl, so the amount of water you need to add to the batter at the end will vary. You want a thick, spreadable batter.
How to Make Okonomiyaki
Shred all the veggies. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, nutritional yeast, miso, black salt, and crumbled nori sheets. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Sift the flours and baking powder into the bowl and mix in.
Add a little water to make a mix that can spread. You might not need much, as the veggies leak a lot of water, depending on how you shred them.
Heat a pan over medium heat, and add the oil. Spread the batter to even it out into 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick pancake ,and cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side.
Serve with the tonkatsu sauce, vegan mayo and pickled ginger if you have some. You can also sprinkle on some green onion and sesame seeds.
What to Serve with Okonomiyaki
Serve these drizzled with vegan mayo, the tonkatsu sauce, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds and green onions. They’re great with some pickled ginger on the side, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Vegan okonomiyaki are naturally nut-free with easy gluten-free and soy-free options. For gluten-free, use more chickpea flour instead of the all-purpose flour and coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. For soy-free, also use the coconut aminos and use chickpea miso for the miso element. Also make sure that your vegan Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free and soy-free.
This is such a fun recipe! I used red cabbage, added mushrooms, and red onion in lieu of scallion. I can see a lot of other veggies going into this! Next time I’ll shred all or some veggies much thinner, though I do enjoy some crunch. This is a keeper. Thank you!
Thrilled you liked it!
I will make these for sure! I just had scallion pancakes at a Korean fusion restaurant in NYC and my passion for Asian pancakes has been rekindled.
But I’ll only make a half or a third, depending on how easy it is to divide the recipe. I see you have settings on your site to double or triple a recipe, but I wonder, is it possible for you to add a setting to reduce the recipe by half or thirds?
Thanks either way!
You can do that. The serving size on the top of the recipe on the left, is editable. So you can change the serving size from 3 to one. You might still need to adjust the amount of flour needed based on the moisture content so you know there might be some adjustments needed as you cook. Just make sure to get the right textures as mentioned in the recipe instructions.
Made this a while ago and we really enjoyed it. Making it again tonight. A nice tasty change from a tortilla. Thank you.
Fantastic! I was not at all convinced this was going to work but it was so easy, the pancakes worked perfectly and were delicious. Thank you so much 😊
So glad you liked them!
Great recipe! Nutritional yeast really boosts flavor and the addition of vinegar did not affect my stomach like overly acidic dishes do. Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed it!
What a fun alternative to the usual besan chilla. We absolutely loved this Japanese version and whats best was that it came together in less than 30 mins! Will be making this all the time, especially for road trips and picnics. I swapped the ratios of white flour and chickpea flour but couldnt tell any difference.
The tonkatsu sauce was a killer too and paired so well with this. Thanks for another awesome recipe, Richa!
Awesome!! So glad you liked it.
Can I either a) make the batter ahead and refrigerate until ready to cook? or b) cook pankcakes ahead and reheat to serve? Which option is better?
Make the batter ahead as the pancakes are best when right off the griddle.