Vegan Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake made with yamaimo, rice flour, cabbage and tenkasu, topped with delicious okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. Learn how to make this popular Japanese street food right in your own kitchen!
Today, I’m finally getting around to sharing one of my favourite Japanese street foods: Okonomiyaki!
What is Okonomiyaki?
Okonomiyaki is a popular street food in Japan, often referred to as “Japanese savoury pancake”. It’s mainly made with a batter using flour, eggs and yamaimo (mountain potato) mixed with cabbage, a protein and other various ingredients.
There are so many different ingredients you could add into okonomiyaki, the options are endless! Especially in recent years, you’ll see ingredients like cheese, mochi, chips and kimchi added to okonomiyaki. The customizability of this dish is reflected in its name: okonomi translates to what you like or how you like it and yaki meaining grilled.
Okonomiyaki is near and dear to my heart and brings back so many nostalgic memories. When we were out and needed a quick meal or snack, we would always turn to Okonomiyaki because of how fast it was to make and we could each order our favourite. Plus, I loved watching the chefs make it right in front of me over a huge teppan (iron griddle). It was incredible how fast their hands moved! I’ve also been to other restuarunts where there is a teppan in the middle of the table and we cook our own and other places where they prepare it in the kitchen and bring it out on a single serve teppan.
Styles of Okonomiyaki
There are two main styles of okonomiyaki that you may run into in Japan: Osaka (Kansai) style and Hiroshima style. I grew up eating the Osaka style because it was much more readily available and it’s much easier to make at home. For the Osaka style, the batter is mixed in with the other ingredients for one large batter whereas Hiroshima style is fried in layers and includes yakisoba noodles. I’ll be covering how to make Osaka style today but stay tuned for the Hiroshima version!
Ingredients for Vegan Okonomiyaki
To make vegan okonomiyaki, there are a couple of essential ingredients that will make it stand out from the rest. I’ve been able to find all these ingredients at my local asian market so I hope you have access to these too! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Yamaimo (Mountain Yam) / Nagaimo (Long Yam): This is what makes the pancakes fluffy and chewy at the same time. This ingredient needs to be grated and it gets very slimy but don’t be alarmed! If you don’t have access to Nagamio I have also tested it using soft/silken tofu and water which works quite well. About 1:1 ratio of tofu and water mashed together.
- Rice Flour: This makes for a pleasant chewy pancake and keeps it gluten free! If you prefer a more traditional-flour texture pancake, use all purpose flour instead.
- Baking powder: Optional, but adds a bit of fluffiness.
- Tenkasu (Tempura scraps): Gives texture and extra fluffiness to the pancakes. You can buy them on amazon or make them at home! Simply just drop tempura batter into hot oil, scoop with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: Gives more umami flavour and replaces the pork belly typically used. You could also use soy curls!
- Kombu Dashi: Gives the pancakes a delicious umami flavour.
- Cabbage: Used in all okonomiyaki and gives texture to the pancakes.
- Okonomiyaki Sauce: This is a MUST. I use the Otafuku’s Okonomiyaki sauce which is vegan (and the most popular). However, if you can’t find you can make a DIY version by mixing ketchup, tonkatsu sauce / Japanese Worcester sauce, soy auce and brown sugar.
- Japanese Mayonnaise: I use my own vegan Japanese mayonnaise here. I don’t suggest using western mayo because the flavour is completely different.
- Anori (dried seaweed): Is particularly more fragrant than just slicing up seaweed.
- Beni Shoga (Pickled Ginger): Thinly sliced ginger can also be used but use less than recipe amount.
- Scallions
Other ingredients you can add to okonmiyaki:
Ingredients I love to add:
- mochi cakes (LOVE THIS ONE)
- vegan cheese (with the mochi… so good)
- corn
- kimchi
- yakisoba (hiroshima style includes this)
- potato chips (so good)
Other ingredients I’ve seen in Japan:
- potatoes
- carrots
- bean sprouts
- sliced onions
- kabocha
How to Vegan Okonomiyaki
Making okonomiyaki is easy. The most difficult part may be flipping the pancake because of how large it is. If you’re new to making okonomiyaki, you can make smaller pancakes that are easier to flip!
- Prepare the Yamaimo: peel and grate the yamaimo into a bowl. Be careful because it is very slimy and slippery!
- Make the batter: add the dashi, rice flour and salt and mix. Then add the other ingredient and mix until combined and everything is coated in the batter.
- Cook: Heat a griddle (this is the one I use when making more than 2) or large pan on high. Once you see some sizzling, decrease the temperature to medium and then spoon the batter creating a large thick pancake (about 2 cm in thickness). Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Covering the pancake keeps the pancakes moist and ensures it cooks all the way through. Carefully but quickly flip the pancake using two turners. Then cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
- Serve: Place on a serving plate and generously drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise. Then garnish with green onions, aonori and more beni shoga.
Chewy yet fluffy, thick and vegetable packed. So much flavour and deliciousness in one pancake!
I really hope you try and love this Vegan Okonomiyaki recipe as much as we do. And if you ever have the chance, defiantly check out okonomiyaki spots in Japan for the experience and because it’s so much fun! My go-to spot for vegan okonomiyaki is Zen in Tokyo. 🙂
More Vegan Japanese Recipes to Try:
- Fluffy Japanese Pancakes
- Yakisoba
- Japanese Curry Fried Rice
- Onigiri
- Chilled Tanuki Udon (Cold Udon Noodle Soup)
- Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Mixed Rice)
- Vegan Gyoza
- Hiyashi Chuka
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
If you recreate this Vegan Osaka Okonomiyaki recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Vegan Osaka Okonomiyaki
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 pancakes 1x
Description
Learn how to make authentic Vegan Okonomiyaki at home! Fluffy, chewy & so flavourful! The perfect veggie loaded Japanese savory pancake for any meal.
Ingredients
- 225–250g yamaimo / chinese yam*
- 1 tsp kombu seaweed dashi
- 3–5 tbsp rice flour or all purpose flour (30-50g)**
- 3/4 tsp baking powder, optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 spring onions, chopped (30g)
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated (60g)
- 2 tbsp tenkasu / tempura scraps (20g // see blog post on how to make it at home)
- 2 cups finely chopped cabbage (180g)
- 1 heaping tbsp beni shoga (25g // or half the amount if using fresh thinly sliced ginger)
Toppings:
- Japanese Vegan Mayo
- Beni shoga
- Anori
- Okonomiyaki sauce
- Green onions
Homemade Okonomiyaki sauce:
- 4 tbsp ketchup (60ml)
- 2 tbsp Japanese Worcester sauce (30ml // Bulldog brand, tonkatu sauce or chuno sauce)
- 2 tsp soy sauce (10ml)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar (12g)
Instructions
- Use a peeler to remove skin off the yamaimo and grate into a large mixing bowl. Yamaimo is very slimy and slippery to be careful when using a grater.
- Add in the dashi, rice flour and salt and stir to combine. Add in the green onions, sliced shiitake mushrooms, tenkasu, cabbage and beni shoga and mix until well combined and everything is coated in the batter.
- Heat a large pan or griddle on high and grease with oil. Once heated, bring the temperature to medium (400 F / 200 C), add half the batter and spread it into a circle about 2 cm in thickness. If flipping a large pancake intimidates you, make smaller pancakes so it’s easier to flip. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Once the bottom of the pancake is golden brown, use two turners and flip the pancake. Cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat for the next pancake.
- To serve, place the pancake on a plate and drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese vegan mayo and garnish with green onions, anori (nori) and more beni shoga.
Notes
- *The more yamaimo is added, the more gooey and mochi-mochi the texture will be. Adjust to your texture preference. If you cannot find yamaimo, you can use 1:1 ratio of soft tofu and water (ie. 112g tofu and 112ml water).
- **This okonomiyaki has a typical mochi-mochi and gooey texture. If you prefer your okonomiyaki to be slightly cooked, you can increase the amount of rice flour (up to 2 tbsp) and add 3/4 tsp baking powder for a fluffier texture.
- Helpful Equipment: mixing bowls, large flat pan, griddle, turner
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer) without toppings.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, japanese
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Made this for a packed lunch, its so delicious!
Loved this recipe! It’s my first time making Okonomiyaki and I’m so glad my wife and my kid enjoyed it.
This recipe was amazing!! My bf and I have been craving okonomiyaki since we visited Japan in 2019, and not only is it vegan, but just through and through delishious!!! Highly recommended!
Okonomiyaki is one of my favs from Japan and I was so happy to able to recreate at home.. and this recipe creates exactly and taste like the one I had in Japan.. so authentic and full of flavours… addition of mountain yam was amazing.. always like to explore new veggies and roots
Thank you for this recipe! Okonomiyaki is another favorite food among the Japanese and other individuals around the world. The meal is famous in parts like Hiroshima and Osaka which are in the western part of Japan. Preparation of Okonomiyaki requires a griddle that facilitates its preparation. You can find more facts about Okonomiyaki here: https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-cultural-presentation-of-sushi-and-okonomiyaki-recipes/
I really enjoyed this recipe, and had a lot of fun making it! I am not a vegan, but I don’t like working with Raw egg, so these ratios made making this a more enjoyable! I used normal kewpie and mentsuyu instead of soy sauce for the Okonomiyaki sauce, but the texture was spot on for Osaka style! If you aren’t a big fan of the tenkasu (since it can be a bit of a lot of oil and a bit of mess to make at home, and some store bought brands contain shellfish), panko also works great, so it may be worth a note! The only criticism I have of this recipe is I always let my batter rest for at least an hour. (Many traditional places will even rest their batter overnight!) It helps to relax the gluten, make the batter fluffier, and improve the flavor, (the umami of the Dashi has more time to commingle with the batter) which may be a given for many bakers and cooks, but not to novices. I can’t thank you enough for the recipe though! It will be great for celebrating the upcoming Star Festival!
This is super yummy!! I actually used grated taro root instead of the Nagaimo because it was super expensive at hmart to get one nagaimo root and I have also tried it with the tofu sub. Both were delicious but I preferred the taro way! I also have just put different veggies sometimes for whatever I have and it turns out great!
Really nice balance of japanese flavors! I subbed buckwheat flour for the rice flour, and blended tofu for the yam…also didn’t have green onion so i added onion powder to the batter and sliced red onion to the cabbage mixture as well. Was really good though fell apart a bit-will try using tapioca starch next time for a chewier texture. I served this with some panfried homemade tofu “pork” on top as well as siracha hempseed “mayo”, pickled ginger, roasted nori, and the recipe on this page for the brown sauce. This recipe tasted better than the last recipe I tried from elsewhere. Lots of flavor and dosn’t taste like it’s lacking anything! I loved the chewiness of the mushrooms in there!
I missed okonomiyaki so much since I became vegan. This recipe tastes even better than I remember and the texture is amazing. I used local yams (brazilian) instead of yamaimo and I think they worked pretty well. 🙂
It tasted absolutely amazing! It was soft and fluffy and just the right amount of chewy too 🙂 I never used nagaimo in anything before and I am so glad I bought it for this recipe! Bin-vegan family members loved it too btw 🥰