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Crispy edges, chewy middle, and packed with vegetables: these Korean vegetable pancakes (Yachaejeon) come together in minutes and taste just like Korean street food comfort at home.
Why You’ll Love This Korean Pancake Recipe
I grew up eating savory Korean pancakes on special holidays like Lunar New Year and Korean harvest festivals. They were always my favorite part of the table — golden, crispy on the outside, tender in the center, and perfect for dipping. This version stays true to tradition while using rice flour to keep it gluten-free and extra crisp. You’ll love how simple and flexible this recipe is.
Whether you’re cooking for a celebration or making a quick weeknight side, these pancakes come together fast and taste even better with a tangy dipping sauce. They’re a great way to use up stray veggies, and if you’re into Korean comfort food, try these Korean-style scallion potato pancakes or sweet Hotteok pancakes too.
Watch a Short Video of this Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Egg: Helps hold the batter together and adds a little richness. To make it vegan, use an egg substitute like flax egg.
- Rice flour: Keeps the pancakes light, crisp, and naturally gluten-free. Don’t substitute with regular flour if you’re avoiding gluten.
- Baking powder: Adds a little lift to keep the interior chewy without being dense.
- Cold water: Helps thin the batter to a pourable, crepe-like consistency for extra crispiness.
- Green onion, carrot, zucchini, and onion: This combo offers color, crunch, and a balance of sweet and savory. You can also add mushrooms or bell peppers.
- Avocado oil: A neutral, high-heat oil that crisps the edges without burning.
- Dipping sauce: A mix of coconut aminos, vinegar, and a little sesame oil brings everything together. Add gochugaru for some heat.
These pancakes are flexible. Add mushrooms or bell peppers depending on what’s in the fridge. It’s one of my favorite ways to use up zucchini during the summer. For a spicier twist, check out this kimchi pancake (kimchijeon).
How to Make Korean Vegetable Pancakes (Yachaejeon)
Step 1: Slice all your vegetables before starting.
Step 2: Combine the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg, rice flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly stir in cold water until the batter is thin and pourable, like crepe batter. You might not need the full amount. Fold in all the chopped vegetables.
Step 4: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, pour in half the batter and spread it evenly. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and crisp. Flip, then add another tablespoon of oil around the edge of the pan. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the second side is crisp. Remove from the pan.
Step 5: Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Tips for Extra Crispy Pancakes
- Make sure the batter is thin enough to spread easily. Thick batter leads to mushy centers.
- Use a hot, well-oiled pan for the best golden crust.
- Don’t flip too early — wait until the edges look firm and the bottom is browned.
- For even more crunch, reheat leftovers in the air fryer.
Storage, Reheating + Serving Ideas
These pancakes are best right after cooking, but you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the air fryer for the best results — 350°F for about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve cut into triangles as a side dish, appetizer, or light meal.
Recipe FAQs
Zucchini, carrot, onion, and green onion are traditional, but you can use bell peppers, mushrooms, or cabbage too.
They’re naturally gluten-free using rice flour. To make them vegan, replace the egg with a flax egg or egg replacer.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes per side to get the crispiness back.
A simple sauce made with coconut aminos (or tamari), rice vinegar, water, sesame oil, and optional gochugaru is perfect.
More Korean Recipes
- Leftover Rice Dak Juk (Korean Rice Porridge)
- Instant Pot Korean Beef
- Korean BBQ Meatballs
- Pickled Korean Perilla Leaves (Kkaennip Jangajji)
If you make this recipe, please leave me a star rating and comment below! I love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Follow me on social media Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for even more delicious recipes!
Crispy Korean Vegetable Pancake Recipe (Yachaejeon)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup cold water, plus more if needed
- 4 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces and white parts sliced in half
- 1 carrots, julienned
- 1/2 zucchini, julienned
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp avocado oil, or your favorite cooking oil
Dipping Sauce
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos, or tamari sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar, or white vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp gochugaru, Korean chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Slice all the vegetables before you begin. Combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- Crack and whisk the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add in rice flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
- Slowly stir in cold water until a batter forms – you might not use all of the water. It should be the consistency of a crepe batter. Add more water if the batter seems too thick.
- Stir in the veggies until fully combined.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add half of the batter to the pan spread evenly. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the bottom turns crispy and golden brown.
- Flip, then add another tablespoon of the oil at the edge of the skillet so it can flow down to the bottom of the pancake. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the skillet and repeat with the rest of the batter.
- Serve your Korean vegetable pancake immediately with dipping sauce.
Notes
- Make sure the batter is thin enough to spread easily. Thick batter leads to mushy centers.
- Use a hot, well-oiled pan for the best golden crust.
- Don’t flip too early — wait until the edges look firm and the bottom is browned.
- For even more crunch, reheat leftovers in the air fryer.
- Storage: Store leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator and follow reheating instructions below.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was delicious, had it last night. Thank you for the recipe.
So happy you enjoyed it!
Have this cooking right now, but mine is unable to hold together. I’m very adept at gluten free cooking, so I’m not a stranger to rice flour. I used Glutinous rice flour however, and wonder I’d thst was a mistake. I chose it because I figured I wanted it “starchy” in this recipe, since others I have looked at called for added starch. I also added a little bit of xanthan gum for binding, but I wasn’t able to successfully flip it as a whole. Instead it broke into pieces. I left the cooked pieces to cool slightly on a wooden cutting board, and by the time I had the next pancake in the pan and turned to taste the first, it had gone from crispy & golden to soft & soggy. So I’ve put the pieces in the air fryer to see if that helps.
Should I have chosen just plain rice flour instead?
I definitely recommend regular rice flour! Glutinous rice flour is very different in composition and won’t work for this recipe.
This has become a staple in my house. I love that it combines veg and starch; and you can literally add any vegetable ends you have in the fridge.
So yummy! I added red pepper and cabbage and it was delicious. I was out of sesame seeds so mixed a bit of tshini into the sauce. Will certainly make again.
Made it today. Simple and delicious!
Thank you!
Do you think there’s a way to make these with an AIP egg substitute? I’m largely AIP but have reintroduced white rice amongst other things, but egg whites sadly don’t seem to agree with me! I also don’t eat most common vegan egg substitutes (no flax eggs or aquafaba), and definitely want to avoid commercial egg replacements. Gelatin doesn’t tend to work so well in things that are served warm, so I don’t think that would work. I was wondering about adding some tapioca or arrowroot to the batter, perhaps? Obviously it won’t be quite the same but it might help stick the batter together more and make it a little more moist.
You might be able to do it eggless if you use cassava flour. The batter might not hold as well, but it’ll still work if you work with it gently!
Absolutely delicious! I definitely used a pan that was too small, but the leftovers heated up perfectly in the air fryer. For me it was even better the second day, as was the dipping sauce. What a perfect way to get in more veggies!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Stacie. Thank you so much for leaving a review!!