I’m back with another Korean Pancake recipe and this time it’s for some Yachaejeon 야채전! or Korean Vegetable Pancakes!
WHAT IS YACHAEJEON?
Yachae, 야채, is vegetable; while jeon, 전, is a general term for pancake in Korean. So put it together and you have vegetable pancakes or Yachaejeon 야채전.
So Yachaejeon 야채전 literally translates to vegetable pancakes.
These Korean Yachae Jeon 야채전 or Vegetables Pancakes can easily be customised to your liking. For my version of Yachae jeon, I used a mix of zucchini, sweet potato, carrots, onions, and scallions but you can also use vegetables such as bell pepper, cabbage, etc.
I also made my own dipping sauce to pair with this vegetable jeon or vegetable pancake.
OTHER KOREAN PANCAKES:
THE PANCAKE BATTER
The batter is a very thick batter and is a simple mix of the following:
Dry Ingredients
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- corn starch or potato starch
- salt or black salt (for an “eggy” flavour)
- turmeric powder optional for colour
The full recipe is down below!
Wet Ingredients
- room temperature water plus more to adjust consistency
THE VEGGIES
You’re free to use whatever other veggies you prefer! 🙂
For my pancakes, I used a mix of the following:
- 1 medium zucchini sliced into match sticks
- 1 small sweet potato sliced into match sticks or shredded (i used orange sweet potato)
- 1 medium carrot sliced into match sticks or shredded
- 1/2 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 long green chili or jalapeño optional for heat
- 1 bunch scallions or green onions around 2 cups, chopped or thinly sliced
MIX THE VEGETABLES INTO THE BATTER
Mix everything together for the korean vegetable pancakes batter.
TO COOK THE VEGETABLE PANCAKES OR YACHAE JEON
I used a non-stick pan. I highly recommend using one! It’s also important that your pan has been preheated well and is hot before you add in the oil and the veggies/batter.
- Add enough oil to add to coat the surface of the pan. Once hot, scoop a generous amount of the batter and veggie mix. Spread these over your pan and get these as thin as possible without exposing the surface f the pan. So you’ll want to spread it as thin as possible but still cover the surface of the pan. I use a spoon to spread it evenly onto the pan.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat or until the batter starts to dry up. You can also cover your pan if your pancake is thick, this way the vegetables will better cook down.
- If you covered your pancake, remove the cover and allow the excess steam to evaporate. Press down on the centre of your pancake. Once the top o the pancake and sides start to dry up, carefully scrape the sides and check underneath if the it’s lightly brown or golden.
- Carefully flip the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side until golden brown and crisp.
- If you want extra crispness, allow the pancakes to cook over low heat for another 3-4 minutes on each side or until its a deep golden brown (a slight char is great too!) to get really nice and crisp on the outside.This way any excess moisture from the batter and veggies will evaporate and you’ll get crispier and less doughy pancakes.
SERVE AND ENJOY YOUR KOREAN VEGETABLE PANCAKES
- Slice your pancakes into small squares or bite-sized pieces. This is best enjoyed with a good dipping sauce! I also find it a lot easier to cut the pancakes using a pair of scissors.
Find the full recipe for these pancakes below! You can also check out my homemade dipping sauce recipe.
STORING LEFTOVER PANCAKES/MAKING IN ADVANCE
I like to cook pancakes in big batches. I store the cooked pancakes in an air-tight container or wrap these in some aluminium foil and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks. To reheat, I just pan fry the pancakes on a pan for 3-4 minutes on each side or until crisp. You can also heat these in your oven toaster.
I keep these whole because it’s easier to flip them on a pan. Afterwards, that’s when I sliced these into bite-sized pieces.
OTHER KOREAN VEGAN RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
- Vegan Kimchi
- Korean Beansprout Salad
- Bibim Guksu (Korean Mixed Noodles)
- Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
- Kimchi Noodle Soup with Dumplings
- Kimchi Noodle Stir-Fry
- Jjajangmyeon
Looking for more Vegan Asian recipes?
You can get a copy of my upcoming cookbook, Vegan Asian!
If you crave vegan-friendly versions of classic Asian dishes, this cookbook is packed with Southeast and East Asian dishes inspired by those I grew up enjoying at home and those I’ve tried from my travels. From iconic Thai dishes to piping-hot Japanese fare and everything in between, the recipes in this will take your palate on a delicious food trip across Asia, and hopefully keep you coming back for more!
Vegan Yachae Jeon 야채전 (Korean Vegetable Pancakes)
Yachae Jeon 야채전, which literally translates to vegetable pancakes, are Korean vegetables pancakes that can easily be customised to your liking. For my version of Yachae jeon, I used a mix of zucchini, sweet potato, carrots, onions, and scallions but you can also use vegetables such as bell pepper, cabbage, etc.I also made my own dipping sauce to pair with this vegetable jeon or vegetable pancake.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (see notes for subs)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp corn starch or potato starch
- 1 1/2 tsp salt or black salt (for an "eggy" flavour)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder optional for colour
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup room temperature water , plus additional 2-4 tbsp water to adjust consistency
Vegetables of Choice (see notes)
- 1 medium zucchini , sliced into match sticks
- 1 small sweet potato , sliced into match sticks or shredded (i used orange sweet potato and added them raw)
- 1 medium carrot , sliced into match sticks or shredded
- 1/2 medium onion , thinly sliced
- 1 long green chili or jalapeño , optional for heat
- 1 bunch scallions or green onions , around 2 cups, chopped or thinly sliced
- Other vegetables of choice sliced
Cooking
- Neutral oil I used vegetable oil
Dipping Sauce to Serve
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar , adjust to taste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- Gochugaru or chili flakes/powder optional
Instructions
- You can watch the video below to see how to make these.
- In a large mixing bowl, add in all the dry ingredients. Mix well.
- Slowly pour in the water while mixing. Mix until you’ve reached a thick batter consistency. If the batter is still too thick, you can add 2-4 tbsp more water.Do note that the batter is thick and should coat the vegetables well.
- Mix in the veggies of choice into the batter and mix evenly to coat. See notes for other vegetable options and cooking tips.
DIPPING SAUCE
- Mix everything together and feel free to adjust to your taste. You can easily make this dipping sauce before hand.I recommend to make this before cooking the pancakes.
COOKING THE PANCAKES
- Heat a medium/large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Note that the size of your pancake will depend on the size of your pan. IMPORTANT: I highly recommend using a non-stick pan for the best results and so that your pancakes do not stick to your pan. It's also important that your pan has been preheated well and is hot before you add in the oil and the veggies/batter.
- Add enough oil to add to coat the surface of the pan. Once hot, scoop a generous amount of the batter and veggie mix. Spread these over your pan and get these as thin as possible without exposing the surface of the pan.I use a spoon to spread it evenly onto the pan.If there are holes, feel free to scoop some of the batter to cover them.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes over medium or medium heat or until the batter starts to dry up. You can also cover your pan to cook down the veggies.
- If you covered your pancake, remove the cover and allow the excess steam to evaporate. Press down on the centre of your pancake. Once the top o the pancake and sides start to dry up, carefully scrape the sides and check underneath if the it's lightly brown or golden.
- Carefully flip the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side until golden brown and crisp.
- If you want extra crispness, allow the pancakes to cook over low heat for another 3-4 minutes on each side or until its a deep golden brown (a slight char is great too!) to get really nice and crisp on the outside.This way any excess moisture from the batter and veggies will evaporate and you'll get crispier and less doughy pancakes.
- Repeat this for the rest of the batter.
- See notes for more tips.
- Slice your pancakes into small squares or bite-sized pieces. This is best enjoyed with a good dipping sauce (recipe here or in the card above)! I also find it a lot easier to cut the pancakes using a pair of scissors.
- How to enjoy your jeon? I love mine with a hearty Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew) or Jjajangmyeon. Best enjoyed with some Vegan Kimchi, too!
STORAGE AND REHEATING TIPS
- Store the cooked pancakes in an air-tight container and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks. To reheat, pan fry the pancakes on a pan for 2-3 minutes on each side until crisp. You can also heat these in your oven toaster.
WATCH Video
Notes
VEGETABLES + TIPS
- You can really opt to add whatever veggies you have for these pancakes! Other great additions are cabbage, mushrooms, bell peppers, potatoes, etc.
- I usually use a total of 5-6 cups of sliced/chopped vegetables.
- Cooking your veggies: I used all raw vegetables for this, even for the sweet potatoes. They cook down nicely on the pan but be sure to evenly spread them so they can be as thin as possible. You can also opt to cover the pan to be sure the vegetables cook down, especially if your pancake is a bit thick.
- Veggies releasing liquid: certain vegetables will release quite a lot of liquid over time as it sits in the batter. If this is the case, you can add an additional 1-3 tbsp of flour and mix it with the batter to thicken it before cooking.
- I personally like to get my pancakes as thin as possible so both sides are very crisp and it’s thin so you won’t notice the insides being a bit chewy/doughy from the veggies/flour mix.
- Do note that as it cools, the pancakes will sog especially as it sits on a plate. It may also be due to the veggies since some veg tend to continue to release extra moisture as it sits after cooking.
- A great way to remove excess water is to salt your veggies first and squeeze out excess liquid before mixing it in the batter. This way the extra moisture draws out. This is completely optional and I actually always skip this step but this could help maintain that crisp longer. If doing so, I recommences to skip the salt in the batter or the overall batter mixture may be too salty form the salted veg.
FLOUR
- I personally haven’t tried other flour alternatives for this recipe but some have used gluten-free flour mixes, whole wheat flour, and even chickpea flour. Do note that the texture and consistency can change but if you don’t mind then it shouldn’t be a problem!
- Since some flours can be dense, you can add an additional 1/4 tsp of baking powder if needed. You may also need to add some more water if the batter is too thick. But ideally the batter should be thick enough to coat the vegetables and not be runny when spread out on the pan.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1119mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 7257IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 3mg
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This Post Has 93 Comments
I made this for dinner tonight. I am not the cook in the family, my husband is, so my cooking is always a surprise. I wanted to get more veggies in our meals AND try to flip a giant pancake. The results were excellent, we loved this recipe and leftovers will be served at a lake picnic tomorrow.
Hi, do you think I could swap all purpose flour to whole wheat flour?
Hi! I personally haven’t tried it but some have made this with chickpea flour so whole wheat can work too but the pancakes may turn out more dense. I’d recommend adding more baking powder if needed! You can make the batter first and try cooking a small pancake and see from there 🙂
These were a super tasty, quick supper. I thin-sliced cabbage, onion and red pepper, and shredded a carrot, and used 1/2c of chickpea flour. So delicious! I will make them thinner next time (that’s on me) and I’m sure they’ll be even better. Even with a good bit of oil in a non-stick pan, they stuck a little bit, maybe because they are a bit thick.
Thanks so much Andrea!
Hi, they look lovely. Could they be frozen and reheated? Would make a lovely quick camp food if prepped ahead. Thank you.
Hi Elaine! I usually just refrigerate mine after cooking lots of pancakes. Longest I’ve stored these cooked in the fridge is around 2 weeks and I just reheat a couple every time. I’ve tried freezing these too but I found that they did get a bit soggy from the extra moisture, but still great when reheated well (I usually pan fry these to reheat and crisp up). Hope this helps!
can I bake this instead of frying?
Hi Aireen! I haven’t tried baking this but if you do it might be best to place it in a cast iron pan so you can place the whole pan in the oven. Hope this helps!
Whats the recipe for the dipping sauce?
Hi Dan! The recipe is here: https://thefoodietakesflight.com/dumpling-dipping-sauce
Made today, added shredded cabbage, so good!! Sauce is the perfect finishing touch and you only need to tiniest bit. Definitely adding this to my recipe list. Now off to find some more tasty recipes from your site! Thanks 🙂
Thank you Jan!! So happy you liked these!!
I just made these tonight. They were really good. Will definitely be making these again.
Thanks Char! ◡̈
Fantastic recipe! I tripled it (large family), & it turned out perfect! Excellent crispiness and the turmeric made them turn out so beautiful!
Thank you Angie!! Hope you all enjoyed your pancakes!! 🙂
Can you substitute almond or coconut flour to make them gluten free?
Hi Haley, I haven’t tried this with coconut /almond flour. I wouldn’t recommend coconut because this can give a very coconut-y flavour. Some have tried this with chickpea flour and worked out great. Hope this helps!!
So delicious. Thank you for the recipe I used to gluten-free flour and it worked out great. Added purple cabbage instead of carrot for some color contrast. So tasty with your sauce recipe too!
Happy to hear you enjoyed it!! What kind of GF flour did you use btw? ◡̈ thanks!
Hi! Trader Joe’s sells gluten free flour mix of tapioca & potato starches, brown and white rice flours… It’s not organic the only downfall:(
Thanks for sharing! ◡̈
I just made these and I’m in love. OMG, I can’t stop eating them. I used 1 c. gluten free flour, the baking powder, etc. and added some italian flavored bread crumbs. I just used a bag of 3 color Cole slaw, shredded carrots and 1 bunch of green onions. I used Tony’s light yum-yum sauce for dipping and this is definitely a fav.
wow! these are delicious, especially with the sauce. they instantly became a regular recipe for me – they are great to make with all of your veggies that are about to go bad!
Thanks so much tori!! ◡̈
Delicious! My omnivore husband had to try some and he liked it too. I was a little worried about being able to flip it without veggies flying every where, but I only lost one strip of Chile pepper.
Thanks Wes! And hope you got to save that chile! haha
Made it with whole wheat flour and it was delicious!!! Very filling!
Happy to hear you liked it!! Thanks Laura ◡̈
This recipe is absolutely delicious! Super easy and tasty. Can’t stop eating it?Thank you Jeeca
Thanks so much Angel ◡̈
These are looking amazing! Can I swap spelt flour instead of all purpose flour? Thank you! I am so
in love with your recipes.
Hi Alex! haven’t tried it myself but some have tried this with chickpea flour and whole wheat. Texture will change, of course, but if you don’t mind then that shouldn’t be a problem!
Its sooo good!!!🥺🥺🥺 Thank you soo much for sharing this!!
Thank you so much Sarah! ❤️
How about using rice flour as a GF option?
Hi Dina! The texture of rice flour will yield a very dense and somewhat chewy pancake so I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re looking for a GF option, chickpea flour would be better. I haven’t tried it myself but a few people have and were happy with the results. ◡̈
Hi Jeeca! Do you recommend adding more spices such as paprika or curry to the mix? Loved the recipe xo
Hi Andrea! You’re free to add spices to the mix to give your own unique take on it! Some have added curry powder and even garam masala for an Indian-inspired twist. I personally like to keep mine as-is since I love mine with the dipping sauce. ◡̈
Yes I made it delicious
Thanks so much Paula!!
Can you use arrowroot instead of potato or corn starch?
Yup that works too ◡̈
I tried to make these but they came out super mushy and not crispy, and I’m not sure why?
Hi Madi, the outer is usually very crunchy for me but the insides can be a bit mushy especially if you don’t get to spread the batter as thing as possible and it’s a bit thick. I also use a non-stick pan that I preheat well before adding oil and adding the batter mix in. Then once the batter dries up, I flip it over and repeat the same for the other side. I sometimes like to leave it on longer even after it’s golden brown on both sides since this allows for excess moisture to draw out from the veggies. If doing so, I usually leave it on a steady medium/med low heat so it doesn’t burn but continues to slowly cook down. Also important to note that tt does lose its crunch over time especially as it cools. Hope this helps!
Just made this. I thought it came out really well. I fried it without oil in a nonstick skillet. I did use a lid because I was worried about the sweet potato and carrot cooking. It felt like I had too much veggie for the batter (added red cabbage), but it still came out yummy. For the dipping sauce, we don’t use oil or sugar so we subbed sesame seeds and maple syrup. Everyone enjoyed. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Karen, glad it turned out great!!
Hello! do you think that these could freeze well?
Hi Jackie, they’re a lot better refrigerated and last 1-2 weeks. I have tried freezing this and they logged a bit because of the moisture but when I thawed and pan-fried them again, they turned out crisp but broke a part a bit. If you don’t mind then that shouldn’t be a problem. ◡̈
I made these last night. My family loved them. Definitely in rotation.
Glad you guys did! thanks so much Katie!! ◡̈
I made this last night and it was delish! Thanks! BUT how do you get it so crispy? I followed the recipe exactly. Upon first flip, the top is crispy but them turns soggy after the bottom is frying.
Hi Zalina! I like to get mine as thin as possible so both sides are very crisp and it’s thin so you won’t notice the insides being a bit mushy from the veg/flour mix. Though as it cools it tends to sog especially as it sits on a plate but the exterior still stays crisp. It may also be due to the veggies since some veg tend to continue to release extra moisture as it sits after cooking. A great way to remove excess water is to salt your veggies first before mixing it in the batter. This way extra moisture draws out. Completely optional and I actually always skip this step but this could help maintain that crisp longer. Hope this helps! ◡̈
I loved making the recipe. It turned out so amazingly tasty. Although I used carrots, lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, spring onions, coriander stalks.
Glad you liked it! ◡̈
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I will soon!! These savory korean pancakes look amazing!! Only have one question and it’s about putting the sweet potatoes raw or if you cook them a lil before hand. Thank you.
I add them raw ◡̈
I’ve made this a couple of times lately with whatever veggies I have to hand and it’s so good! Tonight was with sweet potato, cabbage spinach, onion & brussel sprouts. The dipping sauce is tasty. Thanks!
Glad you liked it! Thanks sonia ◡̈
Just made this tonight and loved it! I couldn’t get it as crispy, but that’s on me, as they were pretty thick. Overall taste was yummy, esp with black salt! My non-vegan mom loved it too 🙂
Yay glad to hear she loved it too ◡̈ thanks Sandy!
Hi! Would it be ok to make this batter 1 day before before frying it?
I like to meal prep as much as possible. Thanks!
Hi Kristen! You can but the vegetables will release extra moisture as it sits in the batter so the batter may turn a lot runnier than desired. So I recommend to add 2-3 tbsp or more flour to the batter again before cooking. Hope this helps ◡̈
Hello Jeeca,could I just make a suggestion?
Maybe you could give us amount of vegetables in cups ,all vegetables I mean ? As your recipe call for 2 cups of scallion or green onions only and with all other vegetables ( plus additional ) on end we can have 5- 6 cups or more and then adjustments must be made with dry ingredients as there is not enough butter for proper coating. So dry ingredients + ? cups of veggies.
Thank you for sharing.
Iva
Hi Iva, for the amount of batter I’d day 5-6 cups is enough to coat the amount of vegetables but if you want more of the doughy bite from the pancakes and less of the vegetables, you can lessen vegetables to 4 cups. Hope this helps!
I made these today since I didn’t know what to eat and they are AWESOME. I ate them with some gochujang bibimbap sauce since I keep that on hand in my fridge and that worked really well! Next time I’ll try your dipping sauce.
I can imagine how good this is with that gochujang sauce. Thanks for trying it out Lynn! ◡̈
Love this recipe! Just wondering though if you only want one serve and have leftover batter, would it be better to store the batter for another day or make up all the pancakes at once and just reheat the pancakes? Thanks 😊
Hi Grace! I recommend to cook all the pancakes and just reheat on a pan or in an air-fryer when ready to enjoy. Since if you leave the batter to sit overnight, the vegetables will continue to release water and run down the batter. Hope this helps!! ◡̈
I just made this! My first pancake was a little thick , but still delicious! as the batter sat with the veggies in the bowl they were better coated and my 2 nd one is thinner and cooking now! This is really delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe and your video!!!!
Thank you Heidi! And yes the vegetables continue to release water so as they sit the batter gets a bit runnier! Hope you enjoyed yours! ◡̈
Looks great can’t wait to try this. You’re like a samurai with that knife!
Thank you Theresa! ◡̈
Excellent Pancakes! Excellent Directions! I can’t believe I nailed it with the first one too. I was worried about having undercooked vegetables so I used a vegetable peeler just on the sweet potatoes and carrots. Everything was delicious even dipping sauce. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
So happy it turned out great! And so glad you liked it. Thank you Jacqueline! ◡̈
This looks amazing and easy to make! My only critique is that there needs to be measurements for the pancake batter! I’ve never made it from scratch so I don’t know what the proportions are!
Nevermind! I found the full recipe. I also want to say – I found you on IG and you’re so cool! Thanks for being the best!
I was just about to say that the recipe’s in the card below. Glad you found it. And thank you so much Derek! ◡̈
I’ve been trying for ages to make a vegetable pancake that is really crispy, and I’ve done it now, thanks to your recipe and detailed instructions. 😀 Thank you very much! More power to you!
Thank you Arianne, hope you enjoyed your pancakes!! ◡̈
I subbed with gluten-free oat flour and it was quite sad 🙁 the oat flour barely crisped up, even with extra cornstarch and generous oil + high heat. Might try this again with millet flour.
Hi Zee, I wouldn’t recommend this with oat flour. The texture will really be different. Your best GF option would be chickpea flour. I haven’t tried it myself but some have done this with chickpea flour and were happy with ti!
Yum! I used to buy similar pancakes at Trader Joe’s, but this is so easy to make and i get to decide what goes in. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks Viktoriya! ◡̈
I also added some broccoli and julienned boo choy stems…yummy new appetizer for my recipe book!
Great additions! ◡̈
Hi! I’m just trying them for the first time, and i’m curious what kind of vinegar?
Thanks!
Hi Melyssa! For the dipping sauce I use rice vinegar but even regular white vinegar is good too! ◡̈
Delicious! I used gluten free four for my husband. But it was still so crispy! The sauce was amazing. I put in a little sriracha sauce to add heat since that’s what I had on hand. Thanks!
So happy you guys liked it! Thanks so much Sabrina ◡̈
We are trying to make these and they smell delicious. The batter is not cooking all the way through even with a thin pancake. Is this expected, that they’re gooey inside? Should they be cakey like an American pancake?
Hi Dana, it’s normal that it’ll be a bit gooey and won’t be cakey like an American pancake. ◡̈