Easy Vegan Korean Pancake Recipe || Yachaejeon

Vegan Korean pancakes make a great appetizer or a really tasty side dish. But, sometimes I eat them for dinner … shhhhhhh, don’t tell anyone! They’re just so good!

These golden brown, savory pancakes are absolutely loaded with vegetables. And they can be customized to suit your personal preferences. Or, if you are an all around veggie lover, like I am, they are a fantastic way to use up surplus vegetables from the fridge.

This Korean pancake recipe is a vegan version of the traditional Korean side dish that is made with eggs. They are absolutely delicious. Once you’ve had them you’ll want to make them a regular part of your menu rotation.

What Are Vegan Korean Pancakes?

Vegan Korean pancakes are a light, crispy pancake made with a variety of julienne cut vegetables. The pancake batter that is in this dish is really nothing more than a way to hold the veggies together as they cook. 

It provides some structure for the pancakes to form. But it isn’t a significant part of the flavor profile.

The flavor comes, almost exclusively, from the variety of amazing vegetables used to make this dish. And the savory soy sauce based dipping sauce commonly served on it’s side.

These vegan Korean vegetable pancakes are pan fried; giving them a crispy crust and a soft tender inside. 

Ingredients Needed To Make The Pancakes

The main feature of this recipe is all of the different vegetables. The mixture of vegetables suggested in this recipe is based on what I tend to regularly have on hand in my own kitchen.

These can be swapped out for the vegetables of your choice. You’ll find suggestions for suitable substitutions further down in this post.

• ZUCCHINI – Any variety of zucchini will work well in this recipe.
• POTATOES – Yellow potatoes are a great choice for this dish.
• ONION – Red onion was used to make the recipe for this post. Any onion will work well in this dish. This is a signature flavor in this recipe. So, it should be chosen according to personal preference. And it should always be included in the vegetable mix. Yellow onion would be my second choice for this recipe.
• CARROTS – This vegetable lends a bit of sweetness to the dish. It offsets the other savory flavors just enough to subtly tantalize the tastebuds.
• FLOUR – All purpose flour is used to make these veggie pancakes.
• WATER – Well water is all you need to make this recipe. If you have treated water, pick up some spring water at the store. Ice the water before using it to make this recipe and the outside of the pancakes will be crispier.
• CORNSTARCH – This ingredient is used to hold the pancakes together. It replaces the eggs used in traditional Korean vegetable pancakes batter.
• GARLIC – Fresh garlic is best in this recipe. You can use granulated garlic or garlic powder if it’s all you have in the house.
• SCALLIONS – Fresh scallions, also known as green onions, are pretty key in this dish. 
• RED CHILI PEPPER – This is an optional ingredient. 
• OIL – Vegetable oil works well for frying these pancakes.

Ingredients Needed To Make Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce

The pancakes for this recipe are made with pretty common ingredients. Some of the sauce ingredients may not be as commonly found in many kitchens as they are in my own. 

They are, however, well worth keeping on hand in the kitchen. Even if only for this particular recipe. So, don’t hesitate to pick them up. They really do make the dish.

While the pancakes are cooking, a simple dipping sauce can be made using the following ingredients …

• AMINO ACIDS – For best results use amino acids for this recipe. Soy sauce can be used. However, the flavor is not nearly as powerful.
• SESAME OIL – Sesame oil is used to make the sauce for this dish.
• HONEY – A good quality local honey is the way to go here. The ingredients of commercial honey are becoming more and more questionable.
• RICE VINEGAR – This is the best variety of vinegar to make this sauce.
• SESAME SEEDS – Toasted sesame seeds are recommended for this sauce recipe. Any sesame seeds will work.
• GARLIC – Fresh pressed garlic works best in the dipping sauce for this dish.

How To Make Vegan Korean Pancakes

Cut the vegetables julienne style and place them in a large mixing bowl. Press the garlic into the bowl. Add the chili pepper, thinly sliced, into the bowl as well. Mix together well.

Whisk the flour and cornstarch together in a medium size bowl. Add the ice cold water and whisk into a very thick batter.

Pour the batter over the veggies and stir until they are well coated.

Heat enough oil in a cast iron skillet to fully cover the bottom of the pan. Place some pancake mixture into the skillet and spread it out.

Cook over medium heat until the underside is golden brown. Turn it over and let the other side cook. Repeat until all of the pancake mixture is cooked; keeping the surface of the pan covered in oil.

Cut the cooked pancakes with a sharp utensil. A pizza cutter is a great way to get this job done.

Drop scallions over the top of the pancake before serving.

Make the dipping sauce by putting all of the ingredients for it in a small bowl and whisking them together well.

Variations For Vegan Korean Pancakes

The signature flavor of Korean-style vegetable pancakes is onion. It is highly recommended that you include this veggie in the mixture you make for this recipe.

But apart from that you can use absolutely any veggies you like in this dish. This makes it a really fantastic way to help clear out the fridge at the end of the week.

Or when you’ve gone overboard a bit while shopping at the farmer’s market.

Try using bell pepper, cabbage, sweet potatoes, or mushrooms as alternatives to the vegetables in the recipe as it’s written for this post. They are all great choices.

I plan to give brussel sprouts a try the next time I make this dish.

You can switch out the red chili pepper for a jalapeno, a thai chili or a green chili. You could even leave it out all together and fry the pancakes in a little chili garlic oil instead.

If you want to use potato starch or tapioca starch instead of corn starch they will both work equally well. 

And if it’s not important to you that this remain a vegan recipe go ahead and cut a little shrimp, lobster, or crab into thin slices and add it to the mix.

If you go this route, you may want to replace the onion completely with scallions.

You’ll end up with seafood scallion pancakes to die for. Making these pancakes this way is suitable for a pescatarian diet.

How To Serve This Dish

There is no doubt that this dish is at it’s best when it is served straight from a hot cast iron skillet pan. But if you find yourself with leftovers you can successfully reheat them.

I put mine in the oven, or reheat them in a skillet, because I don’t keep a lot of small appliances in my kitchen.

I imagine an air fryer would be the best option for reheating these pancakes though. As it would be the best way to keep them crispy. 

Or you can just eat them cold. Okay. Okay. I know that option isn’t going to appeal to everyone.

But there must be others out there, like myself, that would enjoy a cold vegan Korean pancake from the fridge. 

Dare I say … for breakfast in the morning?!?!

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