Vegetable Pancake
This 20-minute Korean inspired vegetable pancake recipe is an excellent Scrappy Cooking opportunity to use up a variety of veggies. Crispy, golden brown, and impossible to resist – this will be on repeat in your kitchen.
Scrappy cooking is a lot more than just using the unwanted parts of fruit or veggies. There are many ways to prevent food waste through cooking, and one of them involves finding recipes that allow you to use a wide variety of leftover vegetables.
I like to think of it as “raiding the kitchen“, and when I set out to write a cookbook full of scrappy recipes, I made sure to include plenty of meals like that! If you love learning new ways to use produce and avoid food waste, you need a copy of PlantYou Scrappy Cooking!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This vegetable pancake is the perfect opportunity to use a whole bunch of different vegetables knocking around your fridge at the end of the week.
- If you love dishes like the Italian scarpaccia or Korean yachaejeon, you’ll love this scrappy vegetable pancake recipe. For a traditional Korean pancake recipe that inspired this one, check out this post.
- This is such a versatile recipe! You can eat it for any meal, serve it on its own or with sides, enjoy it hot or cold…
- Crispy, crunchy, and endlessly satisfying, this vegetable pancake has the perfect texture in every bite.
- Plant diversity is key to a healthy gut, and you can pack a whole lot of veggies into this vegetable pancake.
Key Ingredients
- Zucchini and cabbage are the perfect combo for a crunchy pancake addition.
- Carrots are a powerhouse vegetable that is good raw or cooked. But let’s face it, it’s not uncommon to have a single leftover carrot!
- All-purpose flour and chickpea flour help bind everything together.
- Turmeric adds a hint of warmth and a golden hue.
- Peanut butter or tahini dipping sauce perfectly complements the crispy pancake exterior and adds extra flavor.
Hack It!
- Customize depending on whatever you have in your fridge! This will help you avoid wasting leftover veggies in a simple and effective way.
- If you are allergic to wheat or gluten, you can enjoy this recipe with oat flour, gluten-free flour mix, or corn flour. Just beware that the texture will be somewhat different depending on what you use.
- I kept the seasonings pretty simple, but you can add your favorite herbs and spices into the mix. Try this recipe with paprika, sumac, tomato powder, lemon salt, or chili flakes.
- For an alternative way to cook this vegetable pancake, you can bake it on a sheet pan or use a waffle iron, similar to this hash brown recipe.
How to Make Vegetable Pancake
Step 1: Grate or julienne your veggies. Prepare the dip ingredients (if making).
Step 2: In a large bowl, add the flour, chickpea flour, salt, black pepper, turmeric and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
Step 3: Add the water and stir to create a thick batter.
Step 4: Pour in the sliced vegetables. Mix until evenly combined.
Step 5: In a non-stick pan over medium heat, add avocado oil or olive oil. Scoop 1/4 cup of the vegetable pancake mixture into the pan, then flatten with a spatula until it covers the bottom.
Step 6: Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip. Let it cook for about the same amount of time until crispy on the other side.
Step 7: Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger, sriracha, sweet chili sauce, and 2-3 tablespoons of water.
Step 8: Enjoy warm with the peanut dipping sauce or dip of choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Switch out the all-purpose wheat flour for gluten-free flour mix or oat flour. Use tamari soy sauce since it does not contain gluten.
These pancakes will last 3-4 days in the fridge. To reheat, I suggest using an air fryer to restore the crispy outside.
So long as you keep the proportions similar, almost anything. Try this recipe with broccoli (stem or florets), bell peppers, even apples!
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Waffle Iron Tofu Salad
- Spicy Peanut Noodles
- Rice Paper Dumplings
- Scarpaccia Zucchini Tart
- Shirazi Salad Pitas
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The Recipe: Vegetable Pancake
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini, grated or julienned
- 1 carrot, grated or julienned
- ½ red onion, julienned
- ¼ head cabbage, julienned
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup water
Dipping sauce
- ½ cup peanut butter, or tahini
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, tamari for GF
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 2 tbsp sriracha, adjust spice as needed
- 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 2-3 tbsp water, to thin as needed
Equipment
- Box Grater or shredder
Instructions
- First, grate or julienne the vegetables.
- Then, in a large bowl, add the flour, chickpea flour, salt, black pepper, turmeric and baking powder. Stir until combined, then add the water to create a thick batter. Pour in the sliced vegetables, and stir until combined.
- At this time, you can also prepare the dipping sauce. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger, sriracha, sweet chili sauce and 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, to thin.
- In a non-stick pan over medium heat, add avocado oil or olive oil. Scoop 1/4 cup of the pancake into the pan, then flatten with a spatula until it covers the entire circumference. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until crispy.
- Enjoy warm with a dipping sauce of choice.
Notes
- Customize depending on whatever you have in your fridge! This will help you avoid wasting leftover veggies in a simple and effective way.
- If you are allergic to wheat or gluten, you can enjoy this recipe with oat flour, gluten-free flour mix, or corn flour. Just beware that the texture will be somewhat different depending on what you use.
- I kept the seasonings pretty simple, but you can add your favorite herbs and spices into the mix. Try this recipe with paprika, sumac, tomato powder, lemon salt, or chili flakes.
- For an alternative way to cook this vegetable pancake, you can bake it on a sheet pan or use a waffle iron, similar to this hash brown recipe.