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Home Β» Meal

18 October 2022 Japanese

Vegan Okonomiyaki - Japanese Cabbage Pancakes

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This Vegan Okonomiyaki - Japanese savory pancakes recipe uses cabbages, mushrooms, and smoked tofu. It's a comforting, hearty and easy to make dish!

Vegan Okonomiyaki

What is Okonomiyaki?

Okonomiyaki is a popular Japanese street food option from Osaka. It is a savory pancake dish containing cabbage, meat, seafood and some other condiments. Okonomiyaki in Japanese is translated to "grilled as you like it", so it's super versatile and can be made in various ways as you like.

Okonomiyaki is one of my favorite Japanese recipes and I'm so excited to make this recipe vegan. Ever since creating it, I've been making this every month. It's convenient for when I want to create something quick with minimal ingredients left in the fridge.

Ingredients

For this recipe, you'll need:

  • Rice flour or All-purpose flour
  • Chia seeds
  • Water
  • Cabbage
  • Shiitake mushroom
  • White onion
  • (Optional) smoked tofu or vegan bacon
  • Green onions (scallions)

The traditional version makes Okonomiyaki with bacon, which is substituted by smoked tofu in this vegan recipe, but you can also use vegan bacon.

Eggs are also commonly used to make the batter stick together better, in this recipe they are substituted by chia seeds. Using accessible ingredients, this recipe is also much quicker and easier to make - in only about 30 minutes. It's perfect for a quick weeknight dinner option that is nutritious, fiber-rich yet so filling and yummy.

Tips to make this recipe

First, combine the flour, chia seeds and water and mix in a bowl. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes, as the chia seeds will help the mixture thickened over time.

Then chop the vegetables: ΒΌ a green cabbage, 200g mushrooms, Β½ yellow onion. Make sure to chop the vegetables as thin as possible - this will help the batter stick together better.

Chop the vegetables

After that, add the cabbage, mushroom and green onion pieces into the bowl and mix well to combine. The mixture makes about 2 Okonomiyaki.

Fry the vegan okonomiyaki

Pour the batter into a non-stick pan, and spread evenly to make sure that there are no holes in the pancake. Add the optional smoked tofu or vegan bacon slices on top, then cover with a lid and let this fry for 5 minutes or until the other side is crispy and golden brown.

Flip the pancakes and fry the other side for 3-5 minutes, before transferring them to a plate.

Flip the vegan okonomiyaki

Assemble the vegan Okonomiyaki with the remaining toppings: Okonomiyaki sauce, vegan mayonnaise, chopped green onions, shredded nori seaweed and sesame seeds.

Assemble the vegan okonomiyaki

Variations of the recipe

As Okonomiyaki means "Grill whatever you want", the possibilities of ingredients for this recipe are endless. There are many variations that can be used in this recipe:

  • Cabbage: you can use Napa cabbage, green or white cabbage.
  • Yellow onions: use chopped yellow onions.
  • Shiitake Mushroom: you can opt for other types of mushrooms.
  • Smoked tofu: I like to get my smoked tofu at my local supermarket, but you can also use vegan bacon substitutes or mushrooms instead.
  • Okonomiyaki sauce: I bought mine from my local Asian supermarket, but you can also make it yourself using ketchup, soy sauce, and maple syrup.
  • Vegan Japanese (Kewpie) mayonnaise: I made by own vegan Japanese kewpie mayo using this recipe by Okonomikitchen, but you can also buy it in some Asian- stores or on Amazon. Alternatively, you can use other vegan mayonnaise!

Why will you love this Vegan Okonomiyaki recipe?

This recipe is:

  • Easy to make
  • Versatile: you can swap the ingredients with what you have on hand.
  • One of the best recipes to clean out the fridge with, as you can use what you have left in the fridge to make it.
How to make Okonomiyaki sauce at home?

Combine 2 tablespoon ketchup, 1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar.

If you have tried my recipe, please let me know what you think by leaving me a review on this page or tagging me on Instagram @veggieanh. I would love to see your creations!

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πŸ“– Recipe

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Vegan Okonomiyaki

Vegan Okonomiyaki


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Veggie Anh
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 2 people 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Vegan Okonomiyaki is Japanese savory pancakes using plant-based ingredients. Super easy to make but result in a hearty, comforting dish that will hit the spot, every time!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup rice flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1.5 cup water
  • ΒΌ a cabbage
  • 100 g shiitake mushroom
  • 4 tbsp oil for frying
  • 200 g smoked tofu (or vegan bacon)

Toppings

  • Okonomiyaki sauce
  • Vegan mayonnaise
  • 1 nori sheet
  • 1 stalk green onions
  • Sesame seeds

Homemade Okonomiyaki sauce:

  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp sugar (maple syrup)
  • 1 tbsp vegan oyster sauce

Instructions

Make the Okonomiyaki batter

  1. In a mixing bowl, add the rice flour, chia seeds, and water. Mix until combined, then set aside. The chia seeds will help thicken the mixture.
  2. Meanwhile, chop the cabbage, mushroom and green onions into smaller pieces. Make sure to chop them as thinly as possible, this will make a more delicious Okonomiyaki and easier to flip.
  3. Add the chopped cabbage, green onions and mushroom to the mixing bowl. Mix well.
  4. Cut the smoked tofu into thin slices.

Fry the Okonomiyaki

  1. On a pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoon oil, then half of the Okonomiyaki mixture.
  2. Add the smoked tofu slices on top and cover with a lid.
  3. Fry for about 5 minutes until the bottom is golden brown, then flip and fry for another 5 mins. Remove from the pan when done.
  4. Repeat this step for the remaining batter to make the second Okonomiyaki.
  5. Transfer the Okonomiyaki to a plate, drizzle on top the Okonomiyaki sauce, vegan mayonnaise, chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Shred the nori sheet with your hands or scissors and add on top.

Notes

Feel free to make the batter ahead and fry later when you have time.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Main Course, Snack
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: Japanese

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2
  • Calories: 615 kcal
  • Sugar: 6.4g
  • Sodium: 223mg
  • Fat: 34.7g
  • Saturated Fat: 4.5g
  • Carbohydrates: 64.7g
  • Fiber: 6.9g
  • Protein: 14.8g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag me @veggieanh β€” I can't wait to see your creations!

If you enjoyed this recipe, also check out some of my other Japanese recipes:

  • 3 origini balls in a lunch box
    Vegan Onigiri 3 ways (Japanese Rice Balls)
  • Fully assembled cold ramen on a plate.
    Vegan Japanese Cold Ramen
  • Vegan Omurice featured image
    Vegan Omurice
  • Fried-Enoki-Mushrooms-featured-image
    Fried Enoki Mushrooms

More Meal

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    Lemongrass Tofu Noodle Salad
  • lunch box idea: black pepper mushroom serve with rice and leafy greens
    Black Pepper Mushroom (Lunch box idea)
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    Vietnamese Mango Salad (Gỏi Xoài)
  • Vegan Mapo Tofu featured image
    Vegan Mapo Tofu

Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Anne-Louise says

    December 30, 2022 at 7:15 pm

    I absolutely love this recipe! It's so simple and yummy, I can't stop making it. I got your ebook, can't wait to try some more recipes!






    Reply
    • Veggie Anh says

      January 09, 2023 at 10:18 pm

      Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe, I can't stop making it either πŸ˜€ Hope you'll enjoy the recipes from the ebook!

      Reply
  2. Pratap says

    June 11, 2023 at 4:10 am

    i replaced the chia seeds with flax seed and even though i did that it was soo goodπŸ˜‹






    Reply
    • Veggie Anh says

      June 13, 2023 at 5:10 am

      That's a really good substitute and I'm glad you liked it!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Anh! I am the blogger, and content creator, and recipe developer behind Veggie Anh. My goal is to inspire you to eat more veggies by sharing my recipes, videos, stories, and more!

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