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Love kimchi?? Love vegetable fritters?? Then you NEED to make kimchi pancakes! Perfect for days when need a spicy change to your lunch or dinner plans!
For these Korean Savory pancakes, Kimchi Jeon, Kimchi is mixed with a simple batter and lightly fried for snacks, a side dish, a light meal, or as we were served them, an appetizer. Think along the lines of zucchini pancakes but with more flavor and zest!
Am I a Korean Food Expert?
NO. So you know these are not traditional or in any way meant to be traditional. This is me, making something I tried in a Korean restaurant, at home so I can eat it more often. There are many popular Korean food blogs out there will traditional and modern Korean recipes. If you’re looking for a Korean food expert please visit Maangchi or Korean Bapsang!
We love fermented foods and seeing kimchi pancakes on the menu at a new Korean restaurant in the next town over piqued our interest. Once our waitress suggested them as a popular dish we knew we were sold! They did NOT disappoint!
What you need
- eggs
- water
- soy sauce
- Kimchi Brine
- sesame oil
- sugar
- all purpose flour
- Kimchi-see notes below
- chopped white onion
- oil for light frying I use light olive oil or vegetable oil
- large bowl
- medium bowl
- small bowl
- spatula
- wooden spoon
- stove top griddle, frying pan, or electric griddle, nonstick pan
What to serve with Kimchi Pancakes?
Whether you make full-size frying pan pancakes or small dipping sizes these are best served with a sauce. Serve these fritters with a little dipping sauce made out of soy sauce and rice vinegar. OR use any sauce you like, even spicy sriracha aioli would be amazing!
Serve them with a little salad, or as a starter to a bigger Korean meal. Or ANY meal really! I like to make them for weekend lunches when everyone is kind of waiting around for a meal, and no one wants to make anything. When I make them on the weekend they are the WHOLE meal.
Mind your Kimchi
The thing about a GOOD Kimchi pancake is that it all depends on the Kimchi so be sure you get something you enjoy. The kimchi carries the flavor, it’s the main flavor of the pancake. Do not buy second-rate kimchi for these pancakes and then end up surprised that you don’t care for them.
That being said make sure you DO like the kimchi beforehand. Don’t buy something that you wouldn’t eat and expect a pancake made from it to be something you’ll like. Once I picked up a very spicy kimchi and it was just too spicy for everyone to enjoy. Some of us liked it, but some of us couldn’t eat it. If you like it spicy you can always use a mild Kimchi and then add red pepper flakes to some of the pancakes as they cook.
And yet another time the kimchi had a very overbearing fishy taste that was just so-so once cooked into pancakes. Check your ingredients see what’s in it, don’t be afraid to try new Kimchi, it’s almost always tasty when fresh out of the jar but cooking it can bring out some unpalatable flavors, like that overbearing fishiness.
Really do your research, read the labels, and know what you like. You may have to try 2-3 before you find one you like. It’s worth it though.
And of course, if you make Kimchi, then try making these pancakes with your homemade kimchi recipe! And invite me over!!
To fry these
If using a regular frying pan or electric griddle or stove top griddle using a dollop of oil makes these super easy to fry up. If you’re using non-stick use a little oil to help them brown up.
The batter for these is really thick too. A cookie scoop works well to scoop and drop these on a hot griddle. Or you can use tongs and just pinch some up and plop it down.
Mini Kimchi Pancakes (fritters)
Why did I make them small mini pancakes instead of one giant-sized pancake?? KIDS! It’s easier to make a bunch of mini-size fritters and feed a bunch of people all at once. Obviously, you can make them any size you like, just increase the cooking time. and be sure to pat them out to make them cook through and easy to turn over.
Got Leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave, air fryer, OR on the stovetop. They are not as crispy when reheated but the air fryer does a good job of almost getting them there!
The batter for these is really thick too. A cookie scoop works well to scoop and drop these on a hot griddle. Or you can use tongs and just pinch some up and plop it down. There’s no wrong way, just don’t make them too big.
Kimchi Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- 2 TBSP Kimchi Brine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups Kimchi
- 2 TBSP white onion chopped
- 2 TBSP oil for frying
dipping sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- whisk the eggs, water, soy sauce, sesame oil, kimchi brine, and sugar together in a large bowl
- add the flour, and whisk again, it will be thick like pancake batter
- put the kimchi in a colander over a medium bowl and let some of the brine drip out, this way your batter will be thick like pancake batter, and not too thin, but don't drain too much liquid
- then roughly chop the kimchi and add it to the bowl
- add the chopped onion
- stir together with a spatula or spoon
- put a griddle on to heat at medium, I used a stovetop you can use an electric griddle or a large frying pan
- add a little oil to the griddle and let it heat up
- drop the batter by small scoops on the hot griddle, make the pancakes roughly 2 inches across, cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through, you can make the pancakes as big or small as you like, just adjust the cooking time
- while the pancakes cook stir together the sauce ingredients
- serve the pancakes hot as they come off the griddle
- serve the sauce in a pitcher and set out little bowls for people to dip in
- keep cooking until the batter is gone and everyone is happy
Notes
Nutrition
