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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)
    kombu (dried kelp)
  • 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 (3 g)
    baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL)
    vegetable oil, for cooking
  • ¼ cup (60 mL)
    vegan okonomiyaki sauce
  • ¼ cup (60 mL)
    vegan mayonnaise

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. In a large pan on high heat, grill the mushrooms until golden on both sides. 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 for 4 minutes, or until the bottom is golden.
  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.
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Let us know what you think

Nutrition info

We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.

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Discussion & Rating

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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 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) 😊

Reply
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 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 🙌

Reply
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 Team - Aug. 31, 2023, 9:18 p.m.

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

Reply
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 Team - Aug. 19, 2023, 8:57 a.m.

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

Reply
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 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 😊

Reply
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 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 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...

Reply
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 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.

Reply
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 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 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 🤗

Reply
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 Team - May 25, 2023, 5:45 p.m.

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

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

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

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!

Reply
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 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! 🙂

Reply
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 🤤

Reply
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 Team - April 26, 2023, 12:34 a.m.

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

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

This were Ah-mazing!!

Reply
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 Team - April 22, 2023, 6:37 a.m.

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

Reply
TiGar’ - April 18, 2023, 7:21 a.m.

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

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!

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

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

Reply
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 Team - April 16, 2023, 10:07 p.m.

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

Reply