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Easy Japanese Pancake (Okonomiyaki) Recipe – Step by Step Instructions

If you’ve never had Okonomiyaki before, you are seriously missing out! It’s a Japanese savoury pancake filled with cabbage and whatever meats and veggies you want. It’s crispy, crunchy and smothered in Kewpie Mayo and a sweet, fruity sauce specifically made for this dish. 

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Okonomiyaki covered in mayo, okonomiyaki sauce, furikake and spring onion

Ingredients

The full ingredients and quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the page, but for this Okonomiyaki, you will need:

  • Plain Flour – Any wheat flour will do well here. I used all purpose, but you want something with as little gluten as possible. So, if you have the option, use a cake flour over a bread flour.
  • Baking Powder – Make sure you use baking powder not soda. Baking powder is baking soda and an acid, so it will rise without the need to add any acids to the batter. If you don’t have baking powder, you can use self raising flour instead of plain flour.
  • Eggs – Just ordinary hens eggs. Mine were on the smaller side (50g) so don’t use any that are too big, otherwise you will need to increase the quantity of flour in the Okonomiyaki batter.
  • Green cabbage – The cabbage is pretty essential to this recipe and is one thing I wouldn’t substitute/leave out. You want to finely shave the cabbage because if it’s too big, the mix wont hold together well. Also, you will get big chunks of raw cabbage in your pancake which will overwhelm the other ingredients.
  • Spring Onion – Another ingredient that is pretty quintessential to Okonomiyaki. Of course, if you don’t have it or you really don’t like it, just leave it out, but I don’t think it is the same without it.
  • Corn – Corn is totally optional in this Okonomiyaki recipe, but I added it because I find it gives it a nice bit of sweetness and colour. You can sub it for any other veggies you like, or try cooked meats like prawns, pork or chicken.
  • Kewpie Mayo – Personally, I think Okonomiyaki is more about the toppings than it is about the filling, so Kewpie Mayo and Okonomi sauce are essential. If you don’t have Kewpie mayo, you can use regular mayo, but it really isn’t the same.
  • Okonomiyaki or Bull Dog sauce – Okonomiyaki is a sweet and fruity sauce that is similar to BBQ sauce. You can find it in most supermarkets now or Asian grocery stores, but if you cant get your hands on it, use BBQ sauce, thinned out with a little bit of Worcestershire.
  • Furikake – Furikake is a Japanese seasoning made of nori, sesame seeds, sugar and salt.

 

How To Make Okonomiyaki

Step 1 - Make the batter

To begin, add all of your dry ingredients to a bowl and give it a quick whisk so everything is evenly distributed. Then do the same with wet ingredients by whisking your egg and water together.

Mixing dry ingredients in a bowl
Whisking egg in a small jug

Pour your egg mixture into your dry ingredients and stir to combine. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth. You’re better off having a few lumps of flour than overmixing your batter.

Pouring wet into dry ingredients
Whisking batter in a glass bowl

Step 2 - Prepare the vegetables

Finely shave the cabbage and chop up your spring onion into rings.

Chopping cabbage
Chopping spring onion

Add all of your vegetables to you pancake mix and stir until everything is thoroughly coated in batter. You want the batter to be majority filling that is just held together with batter.

Pouring batter into veggies
Mixing savoury pancake batter

Step 3 - Cook the pancakes

Heat around 1 tbsp of a neutral oil in a medium frypan over a medium heat. Drop in around 1/3 cup of batter, depending on the size you want. You can make mini ones, or opt for one large one and cut it up. Your batter should only be a couple of centimetres thick, so spread it out if you need to.

Okonomiyaki being cooked in a pan

Cook on one side for 3-5 minutes or until golden and crispy on the underside. Carefully flip it over, adding more oil if you need to, and cook for another 3-5 minutes on the other side.

It should be thoroughly cooked in the middle after this time, but if you’d like to check, insert a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean, it’s done. If your skewer comes out with wet batter still on it, finish it off in the oven at 180˚C for 5-10 minutes.

Okonomiyaki being flipped in a pan
Okonomiyaki being cooked in a pan

Step 4 - Serve

Transfer it to a plate and smother it with Okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie mayo, Furikake and more spring onions.

Okonomiyaki covered in mayo and okonomiyaki sauce
Okonomiyaki covered in mayo, okonomiyaki sauce, furikake and spring onion

Can I Store Any Leftovers?

You can, but it really isn’t the same as when it’s hot and fresh from the pan. The longer is sits, the more the crispy edges will become soggy. It will still taste nice but it just won’t be as good. If you are planning on saving some for later, store it in an airtight containing in the fridge without the toppings. You can warm it back up in a pan, microwave or oven when you’re ready.

Can I Make The Okonomiyaki Batter In Advance?

Learn from my mistake and make it as close to cooking as possible. If you make it too early, the water will be drawn out of the cabbage, making the batter too wet.

If you must, you can prepare the batter and vegetables, store them separately, then combine them just before frying. I wouldn’t do this any more than a day in advance however as the flour can oxidise and turn a greyish colour.

Video

Recipe

Okonomiyaki covered in mayo, okonomiyaki sauce, furikake and spring onion

Okonomiyaki with Corn and Cabbage

If you've never had Okonomiyaki before, you are seriously missing out! It's a Japanese savoury pancake filled with cabbage and whatever meats and veggies you want. It's crispy, crunchy and smothered in Kewpie Mayo and a sweet, fruity sauce specifically made for this dish.  
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup Plain flour
  • ¼ tsp Baking powder
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 100ml Water
  • 2 Eggs
  • ¼ Green cabbage (Finely sliced)
  • 2 Spring onion (Chopped into rings)
  • Oil (For frying)
  • Kewpie Mayo
  • Okonomiyaki sauce
  • Furikake

Instructions
 

  • To begin, add all of your dry ingredients to a bowl and give it a quick whisk so everything is evenly distributed. Then do the same with wet ingredients by whisking your egg and water together. 
  • Pour your egg mixture into your dry ingredients and stir to combine. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth. You're better off having a few lumps of flour than overmixing your batter. 
  • Finely shave the cabbage and chop up your spring onion into rings.
  • Add all of your vegetables to you pancake mix and stir until everything is thoroughly coated in batter. You want the batter to be majority filling that is just held together with batter. 
  • Heat around 1 tbsp of a neutral oil (veg, canola, rice bran etc) in a medium frypan over a medium heat. Drop in around 1/3 cup of batter, depending on the size you want. You can make mini ones, or opt for one large one and cut it up. Your batter should only be a couple of centimetres thick, so spread it out if you need to. 
  • Cook on one side for 3-5 minutes or until golden and crispy on the underside. Carefully flip it over, adding more oil if you need to, and cook for another 3-5 minutes on the other side. 
  • It should be thoroughly cooked in the middle after this time, but if you'd like to check, insert a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean, it's done. If your skewer comes out with wet batter still on it, finish it off in the oven at 180˚C for 5-10 minutes. 
  • Transfer it to a plate and smother it with Okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie mayo, Furikake and more spring onions.

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