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Vegan Okonomiyaki

1 hr

Snack

10 ingredients or less

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a Japanese savoury pancake. Variations of this dish can be found throughout Japan, but the base is usually a wheat batter, which coats fillings like cabbage, seafood, meat, grated yam, or even noodles. We were inspired to make a vegan version which uses king trumpet mushrooms for a "meaty" texture and a kombu-infused broth for a taste of the sea.

okonomiyaki

Total

1 hr

Prep

15 min

Cook

45 min

Contains

Soy symbol

soy

Swap out

Gluten symbol

gluten

Free from

Peanut symbol

peanut

Treenut symbol

tree nut

Sesame symbol

sesame

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (180 mL)
    water
  • 0.28 oz (8 g)
  • 3 cups (192 g)
    shredded green cabbage
  • 4
    stalks green onion, chopped
  • 4
    king trumpet mushrooms, cut into 1 cm pieces
  • 5.3 oz (150 g)
    silken tofu
  • ¼ cup (34 g)
    all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp (5 g)
    baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL)
    vegetable oil, for cooking
  • ¼ cup (60 mL)
  • ¼ cup (60 mL)

Optional toppings

Directions

  1. Add the kombu and water to a saucepan. Cook, covered, at a gentle simmer for 10 minutes to make a broth. Allow the broth to cool to room temperature before removing the kombu.
  2. Meanwhile prepare the green onions, cabbage, and mushrooms.
  3. Grill the mushrooms until golden in a non-stick large pan on high heat. Remove them from the pan. Wipe the pan clean, it'll be used to make the pancakes.
  4. Add the tofu to a large bowl. Mash using a fork, or optionally, blend using an immersion blender until puréed.
  5. Then add the flour, baking powder, and cooled kombu-broth to the large bowl*. Stir to combine.
  6. Add the cabbage, green onions, and grilled mushrooms. Stir until everything is coated in batter.
  7. Add some oil to the large pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup of the cabbage mixture. Use a spatula to pat the mixture into a round shape. Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the bottom is golden, about 4 minutes.
  8. Gently flip the okonomiyaki, cover again, and cook on the other side until golden.
  9. Transfer to a plate, drizzle with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, and any other desired toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

  • * After simmering, the broth will have lost some liquid. You should end up with about ½ cup (120 mL). If you got less, add more water. But if you got more, just add ½ cup and stop there.

Storage

  • Okonomiyaki is best enjoyed immediately.

Let us know what you think

Watch it step-by-step!

Nutrition info

Focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. For specific nutrition needs due to a medical condition, consult a dietitian or physician. While we strive to provide accurate nutritional information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. See our disclaimer for details.

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Pea - Oct. 14, 2024, 7:28 p.m.

Total desaster

I have no clue what went wrong - I ended up with a kind of cabbage-sauce.

The second was a little bit better (baked it without the lid).

The batter itself looked good but in the pan it turned it’s consistency totally…

Do you have any ideas? Its somehow feeling like a miraculous chemical reaction what happened…

PUL small logo PUL Team - Oct. 14, 2024, 8:46 p.m.

Hello Pea, we're so sad to hear this! It sounds like there may have been too much moisture in the batter, or the heat might have been a bit low, which could explain the texture shift. You could try using a bit less broth next time or cooking it without the lid right from the start to help it firm up. Also, make sure the pan’s hot enough so the batter sets nicely as it cooks. Similar to other pancakes, a pre-heated pan can make all the difference 🙌

Pea - Oct. 15, 2024, 7:14 p.m.

Thank you very very much - I will give this recipe definitely another try 🙃 All the other cooks couldn’t be wrong!


Marguerite De Valois - Sept. 13, 2024, 9:48 a.m.

Très sympa pour manger sain, bon, et rapidement


Barbara Maguire - Sept. 12, 2024, 10:19 a.m.

I don’t have kombu? Anyone done it without?

PUL small logo PUL Team - Sept. 12, 2024, 2:54 p.m.

Hi there, Barbara, you could either skip the infusion step altogether or consider dried mushrooms to infuse an umami flavour into the broth. We hope you love the okonomiyaki recipe if you give it a try 🙌


Jess - July 17, 2024, 8:39 p.m.

These look so good! Could you make these ahead of time, freeze and then re-fry to heat them up? Also, what could I use in place of mushrooms?

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 17, 2024, 9:05 p.m.

Hey Jess! We find this recipe is the best fresh. We can't say confidently if it'll hold up well in the freezer as it may fall apart - but do let us know if you give it a try. For a substitute for mushrooms, we imagine mock chicken, firm tofu, tempeh, zucchini, eggplant, grated carrot, or jackfruit may work well 🤗


Hello - July 13, 2024, 6:39 p.m.

This was incredible! I read the comments before starting, which I think really helped. I made sure to get my skillet hot before adding the batter, and I made sure to use the best non-stick pan I had. I took the lid off after a couple of minutes so the inside wouldn't be too wet. With the sauces drizzled overtop, this was perfection.


Kasia - July 7, 2024, 4:47 p.m.

Mixture is too dry… The worst okonomiyaki I've ever made

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 10, 2024, 2:02 a.m.

Hi Kasia, thanks for your feedback, sorry to hear the recipe didn't work out for you. Did you make any modifications to the recipe? In case you use cup measurements instead of weight, it can help to ensure that the flour isn't too packed in the cup. If possible, measuring the ingredients in grams/mL ensures even more accurate results (when compared to measuring in cups). It's also important to simmer the kombu in the water with the lid on, to ensure there isn't too much water evaporation. Being too generous with the amount of cabbage can also affect the batter ratio.

Kasia - July 13, 2024, 6:31 p.m.

No, I have not tried because for me this is tasteless. I made according to another recipe. And there is plenty of dough and it is umami and crispy. I think the combination of tofu, flour and konbu does not bring out the umami…


Phillipa - Feb. 17, 2024, 9:05 p.m.

Would you say this is really 45 minutes cooking time or do you think it could be quicker with good preparation? Just wondering if this is accurate as I want to try it.

PUL small logo PUL Team - Feb. 18, 2024, 6:38 a.m.

Hey there, Phillipa, If you have a larger pan, a flat-top griddle, or if you could cook multiple in one go (say, using 2 pans instead of just 1), and that would save you a lot of time. Because we cooked them one at a time, we gave the total cooking time (one takes 8 - 10 minutes to cook, cooking 4 in total = estimated 40 min cooking time) 😊


JennyP - Feb. 14, 2024, 7:24 a.m.

This is a delicious recipe!! My husband and I had it for dinner tonight and loved it!
I found that (like with most pancakes) the 3rd and 4th ones turned out perfectly while the first 2 were a mess. I didn’t let the pan heat up enough initially. Regardless all turned out and I will be making it again! Thank you!

PUL small logo PUL Team - Feb. 14, 2024, 9:20 p.m.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Vegan Okonomiyaki, JennyP! In case it helps for the future, preheating the pan can do wonders 🙌


Martunia - Aug. 29, 2023, 11:50 a.m.

Oh my gosh, it's so incredibly good! I'm on my second pancake and I think I'm going to have one more after that. Grilling mushrooms (I used shiitake) make all the difference. It's so meaty and umami that I myself can hardly believe that there's no meat inside 😅 Great recipe, bravo! You've also convinced me to invest in okonomiyaki sauce and furikake seasoning and that's another hit!

PUL small logo PUL Team - Aug. 31, 2023, 9:18 p.m.

Aw we're so happy the Vegan Okonomiyaki is being enjoyed, Martunia!


Sophie - Aug. 18, 2023, 10:13 p.m.

So so tasty! Love how filling they are too. I found adding a bit more flour for a thicker batter stopped my pancakes from sticking 👌🏼

PUL small logo PUL Team - Aug. 19, 2023, 8:57 a.m.

Ooo thanks for taking the time to share, Sophie! 😃


sandra hilaerts - Aug. 12, 2023, 12:15 p.m.

Hi,

I saw that it was not enough batter so I doubled the amount of water, flour and baking powder. It didn't stick good, but enough then.

Also the recipe doesn't say what you need to do with the tofu, but I guess you just add it to the batter.

It is delicious tho. Very happy with the result.

PUL small logo PUL Team - Aug. 12, 2023, 8:12 p.m.

Hey Sandra, thanks for sharing your experience with the okonomiyaki. We've just rewritten step five to help with clarity 😊


Kate - July 31, 2023, 3:10 a.m.

Mine did not hold together well. I cooked for 4 min with the lid on, and when I opened it up the whole thing was very wet, not cooked yet. I cooked for 5-10 more min with the lid off to dry it out, but I still could not flip it all at once. There's not really anything in here to bind the ingredients together. I might try a diff recipe next time with some Just Egg or Flax egg in it.

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 31, 2023, 4:45 p.m.

Hey Kate, oh no! The flour helps bind together the okonomiyaki when combined with the other ingredients. Just to confirm, did you add only ½ cup (120 mL) of the flavoured broth, and not more? In case it helps, we find this recipe works best when a thinner layer of the batter is poured onto the warm pan. If it's too thick, it might not cook all the way through. And indeed, you could indeed add a flax egg or other binder if you'd like though 😊

Kate - Aug. 27, 2023, 7:06 p.m.

Yes, I only used 1/2 c water. It seemed like my cabbage was much moister than yours. As the cabbage cooks inside the pancake, it gets wetter rather than drier. The part in the video that I don't quite find accurate is at 2:10 when you remove the lid (after "4 to 5 minutes") and the pancake looks so dry and crispy on the bottom. Mine stays wet for about 10 min even if uncovered. Are you sure you cooked it covered? And only 5 min? Did you salt and drain your cabbage or do anything else to it?

PUL small logo PUL Team - Aug. 27, 2023, 7:21 p.m.

Hey Kate, ah gotcha - indeed the the moisture of veggies can affect the final result. In step 3, cooking the mushrooms until most of the moisture has evaporated can help, as mushrooms do tend to release a lot of moisture when cooked. We didn't pre-cook or season the cabbage, but if you feel your cabbage might have a naturally higher moisture content, you could certainly cook it as well like with the mushrooms. Lastly, draining the silken tofu well before puréeing it in the bowl can help reduce moisture also :) We did cook it covered for 4 - 5 min, but if the mixture looks too wet, you did well to remove the lid and let it cook without it. I hope these tips help in case you decide to give it another go!

Annika - Nov. 12, 2023, 2:18 p.m.

I had the same problem. The batter did not stick whatsoever and remained a lumpy wet mess even after 10 minutes of frying on medium heat. It was not possible to flip anything, it just became a scramble...


Gabriela - July 14, 2023, 8 p.m.

The mixture remains uncooked while the outside burns, don't know what I did wrong, followed all the instructions. Did anyone have that problem? 🥺
Otherwise very delicious!

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 14, 2023, 9:23 p.m.

Hey Gabriela, oh no! If the outside is burning, it could be worthwhile to add a touch more oil and lower the stove heat 😊

Gabriela - July 14, 2023, 9:32 p.m.

Thanks for the advice! ☺️ It also worked better once I made them thinner.


Inge - July 4, 2023, 2:12 p.m.

Lijkt me heerlijk om te maken!
Bij het lezen van de info, kwam ik een klein spellingsfoutje tegen ‘the batter is (instead of ‘it’) ?

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 6, 2023, 2:29 a.m.

Hey Inge, thanks for taking the time to share! We can't seem to find the typo 😅 whereabouts in the recipe is it?

inge - July 13, 2023, 11:16 p.m.

it is on the 'info' page of the recipe.
It says: ....it can be found throughout Japan, but the base it (and I think this should be 'is') usually a wheat batter,....etc.
It caught my eye, although it is only a teeny, tiny something :)

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 14, 2023, 12:45 a.m.

Ah gotcha! Just fixed it on our backend, Inge, thank you. It should refresh on the front end of the app soon 🤗


Donna - May 25, 2023, 4:01 p.m.

This dish is a must in anyone's rotation of dishes. I made it twice in one week. It has become one of my favorite dishes to make. Comes together in 30 mins or less. My daughter can't get enough. She has already requested it again.

PUL small logo PUL Team - May 25, 2023, 5:45 p.m.

Aw we're so thrilled to hear, Donna! Thanks a bunch 🤩


Hanna - May 23, 2023, 9:54 p.m.

Could I use the sea weed that you make sushi with instead of the kombu?

PUL small logo PUL Team - May 23, 2023, 10:22 p.m.

Hey Hanna, the nori used to make sushi doesn't really impart much of a taste in the water, so you can either skip the infusion step altogether or consider dried mushrooms to infuse an umami flavour into the broth 🙂 enjoy!


Johanna - May 23, 2023, 5:54 a.m.

Im so excited to try this!
How long will they be good in the fridge? And also can I freeze them?

PUL small logo PUL Team - May 23, 2023, 7:41 p.m.

Hey Johanna, I find this recipe is the best fresh. I imagine you could store the cooked okonomiyaki in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, but without testing it I can't say confidently if it'll hold up well in the freezer (it may fall apart) - do let us know if you give it a try though! 🙂


Hero - May 4, 2023, 2:27 p.m.

Omg I'm obsessed, these were sooo good! So happy to have found a vegan version of these 🤤


Polina - April 25, 2023, 9:38 a.m.

Made today your okonomiyaki for breakfast. And it was sooo good! I used mushrooms I already had in the fridge (which is oyster mushrooms) and I also add carrot, cause why not?! And me and my bf truly enjoy it. Thank you

PUL small logo PUL Team - April 26, 2023, 12:34 a.m.

Oooo thanks so much for sharing your experience with the recipe, Polina! Sounds lovely 😍


Charliene - April 22, 2023, 11:14 a.m.

This were Ah-mazing!!


Alba - April 21, 2023, 8:30 p.m.

Thank you so much for creating this delicious recipe! I substituted with Shitake mushrooms and rice flour and it turned out so well. Definitely one of my new favourites! ^^

PUL small logo PUL Team - April 22, 2023, 6:37 a.m.

Mmm sounds lovely, Alba, we're so glad the recipe was enjoyed 😃


TiGar’ - April 18, 2023, 7:21 a.m.

Looks delicious your recipes are amazing any gluten free suggestions? Thank you so much!

PUL small logo PUL Team - April 18, 2023, 11:06 p.m.

Hey TiGar, rice flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour. In case you're interested and haven't seen it already, clicking the "swap out" button below the recipes servings sizes sometimes lists substitute options 🤓

TiGar’ - April 19, 2023, 12:18 a.m.

Thank you again that’s a great suggestion!


Janine - April 17, 2023, 9:37 a.m.

So so so tasty!! Love the mushrooms in there 10/10


Traya - April 16, 2023, 9:49 a.m.

I have been wanting to make vegan okonomiyaki ever since I had it in Japan, and with this recipe, I had no more excuses for putting it off. And let me tell you: perfection! So delicious! I'll definitely be making this regularly, thank you so much!

PUL small logo PUL Team - April 16, 2023, 10:07 p.m.

Aww we're so thrilled to hear, Traya, thank you 🤗