I know, I know, two cabbage recipes in a row? While I’m sure some of you are delighted, some might be totally “over” cabbage. But 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. 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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What Else Can You Add to Cabbage Pancakes?
What attracted me to this dish is the extreme flexibility of ingredients, which makes it 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!
I didn’t buy anything special ingredients for my cabbage pancakes. Instead, I used all the ingredients that I had on hand, and you can too. Other vegetables that would be great in these pancakes include:
- kale
- bean sprouts
- radish
- shredded broccoli or Brussels sprouts
- zucchini.
In addition to vegetables, you can toss all sorts of meat into your pancakes. Try:
- shrimp
- canned salmon
- shredded chicken
- pork
- bacon
Have Fun with Toppings!
And that’s just what you can put IN your cabbage pancakes. Don’t even get me started with what you can put ON your pancakes. 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 today, 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.
So, what do you have in your fridge that you could put in or on a savory cabbage pancake?
Cabbage Pancakes (Okonomiyaki)
Servings 6 6-inch pancakesIngredients
PANCAKES
- 2 extra large eggs ($0.53)
- 1/2 cup water ($0.00)
- 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.14)
- 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 ($0.17)
- 2 Tbsp oil for frying ($0.04)
TOPPINGS
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise ($0.28)
- 2 Tbsp sriracha ($0.10)
- 1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds ($0.04)
- 2 green onions ($0.11)
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!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Cabbage Pancakes – Step by Step Photos
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.
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!
Love this recipe! I now keep shredded cabbage in my frig just to make these. I substituted high protein pancake mix for the flour and egg whites to increase the amount of protein and decrease the fat. I use Miracle Whip salad dressing in place of mayo for an extra tang. FYI: at best this recipe only serves 2 or 3 people. Too yummy to serve 6!
This is so fast, and so easy! It started out as a way to use up some leftover cabbage, but now this is definitely going into our regular rotation. We made the okonomiyaki sauce linked above to go with it, and pancakes + sauce + green onions = YUM.
I’m still in the “getting to know you” phase with the new food processor I got for Christmas, so the shredded cabbage ended up more like minced, oops. I think the pancakes held together better this way, but I’m eager to see what the texture is like with properly shredded cabbage.
I needed to use up a bag of coleslaw mix and this worked perfectly! I followed the recipe exactly except I made 2-3 HUGE pancakes. They were so delicious!!!!!! I need to add to the 5 star count because it is well deserved
So delicious and easy!
Amazing!!! I measured my shredded cabbage which was averaged sized and half a head made 7 cups so I left two cups for something else. I’m glad I did because the proportions were perfect.
These sound delicious! The carb count is fairly high for one cabbage pancake though and due to medical condition, I have to watch my carbs intake. I wonder if I substituted cheese for the flour to bind the cabbage and egg together if it would work. I’m definitely going to try it though. Excellent recipe!
I’ve made this with no flour at all. and no cheese. I’m also low carb. It tastes a little more eggy, similar to egg foo young, but it’s delicious, quick, cheap, and nutritious. Kinda perfect.
I made a similar recipe using coconut flour to make it Keto. It came out very well.
I blame this site for my recent obsession with all things cabbage – killing it with the cabbage recipes! I make a version of this using kimchi (chopped) and the brine from the jar in place of cabbage and water, which adds some extra flavor and spice. It’s delicious for any meal, but I especially love it for breakfast over jasmine rice with a soft egg and tons of green onions on top. YUM.
Cabbage is so underrated! Haha! :)
Simple and so so tasty! We devoured them and I’m excited to make them again.
Delicious! I used gluten free flour (Bob’s Red Mill all purpose) and a little more oil for frying and I got 10 cakes using about 1/4 to 1/3 cup mix each (about 1/4 cup oil total and I cooked 4 at a time) . My husband was super impressed, he said he doubted these when I told him I was making “Japanese latkes” but he loved them.
I used Bob’s Red Mill too! It really is the best gluten-free flour.
Haha, they really are Japanese latkes, aren’t they?
We love these and serve the leftover pancakes reheated in the microwave with green enchilada sauce, shredded cheese and a fried egg for breakfast. Japanese and Mexican together. Can’t go wrong!
Have had this a few times as I buy cabbage when it’s on special just to have this! It’s insanely cheap, and when paired with sriracha, is really tasty. I feed just two of us with plenty of leftovers for the next day. This is something I’ll always come back to because it’s just so easy and with just one whole cabbage you can make an impressive amount.
I also like to chuck in other veges if I have them on hand like cauliflower and mushroom.
Highly recommend sambal oelek for the mayo mixture! Although hotter, so mix maybe a teaspoon at a time to get find the right heat
these look so delicious! how can i store them in the fridge or freezer and for how long? thank you!
I just put them in a food storage container and keep them in the fridge for up to four days or so. :) You can reheat in the microwave or in a skillet.
I make this frequently as my family requests it often! We mix it up with various veggies and toppings. It’s always a hit. Great recipe.
These were delicious! The okonomiyaki restaurant near us has been closed due to lockdown, so this recipe was a great way to fulfill a growing craving. We did them with bacon in the batter, and topped with mayo, tonkatsu sauce, and a bit of furikake.