Wonderfully crisp on the outside, chewy and flaky on the inside, this Gluten-Free Korean Veggie Pancake is a treat! It’s filled with veggie goodness and easy to make. You’ll love it as the perfect appetizer, side, or snack any time of the day. The soy dipping sauce makes every bite even better!

A white plate containing gluten free Korean veggie pancake.

Savory pancakes are one of the genius ways to use up any vegetable scraps you have laying in the refrigerator. This Gluten-Free Korean Veggie Pancake demonstrates how you can turn simple ingredients into something quick and good.

This is a crowd-pleaser, even those who are gluten intolerant can enjoy it. My family devours it the moment the veggie pancake gets to the table.

Korean Pancakes in Japan

Korean pancake or jeon (pan-fried battered food in Korean) is a very popular food in Japan, and it goes by a different name called Chijimi (チヂミ).

Japanese people love everything Korean – from TV dramas to music, to fashion, and to food. With a delicious crunch and tenderness, the Korean pancake craze is here to stay, and it’s becoming a staple dish for Japanese home cooks to make for the family.

When we make it at home, we usually reach for any available vegetable scraps left in the refrigerator. Because that’s the beauty of it. You can use whatever you have, and modify to your version.

In my recipe today, I used the 3 most universally common ingredients: onion, carrot, and scallion.

A white plate containing gluten free Korean veggie pancake.

Making Gluten-Free Korean Pancakes

I have a Korean Pancake recipe with shrimp and scallions on the blog, but for this recipe, I wanted to make it gluten-free.

It took me several trials to perfect the pancake batter that is:

  • flavorful
  • crispy around the edges with a chewy tenderness on the inside
  • and gluten-free (without too much work)

At the end of my testing, my family and I concluded the best batter was made with the combination of this gluten-free flour and rice flour. The gluten-free flour is made of garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, whole grain white sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and fava bean flour, and the pancake batter was a lot tastier than a simple quick homemade mix of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch.

  • Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour on Amazon
A white plate containing gluten free Korean veggie pancake.

Savory Soy Dipping Sauce

The dipping sauce is the ideal complement to the Korean pancakes. The savory pancakes are already delicious as they are, but I highly recommend dipping them in the sauce for an extra punch of flavors.

You’ll need just 5 simple pantry ingredients to whisk it together.

  • Soy sauce
  • Rice vinegar
  • Sesame oil
  • Sesame seeds
  • Gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes) (if you like it spicy)
A white plate containing gluten free Korean veggie pancake.

Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce

I love using gluten-free tamari soy sauce from Kikkoman USA whenever I make gluten-free recipes.

Kikkoman Gluten Free Soy Sauce | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

Instead of wheat, the gluten-free soy sauce is made from rice, soybeans, and salt. It is preservative-free.

You can find the gluten-free soy sauce in the Asian aisle in major grocery stores, including Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, or your local large retailers. You can also purchase it on Amazon.

A white plate containing gluten free Korean veggie pancake.

How to Make Korean Pancakes

Here’s the quick overview of the cooking process:

  1. Make the dipping sauce.
  2. Cut ingredients.
  3. Make the batter.
  4. Add in the ingredients to the batter and mix all together.
  5. Fry the pancake on both sides. Enjoy it with the dipping sauce!
A white plate containing gluten free Korean veggie pancake.

Helpful Cooking Tips for Korean Veggie Pancake

1. Choose ingredients that are easy and fast to cook

If you’re new to making savory pancakes, I’d avoid ingredients that are hard to cook.

For example, many Japanese versions of Korean Pancakes include thinly shredded gobo (burdock root). But if you’re not good at julienning gobo, it’s best to avoid because it takes forever to cook thick pieces of gobo.

2. Cut the ingredients thinly

Because the ingredients are mixed in with the batter and will be cooked at the same time, you want to make sure they are cut into thin, uniformed sizes.

Onion, carrot, and some denser ingredients should be cut thinly so that they get cooked faster. You can always use a mandoline slicer or julienne peeler or simply use thin vegetables like garlic chives and scallions.

3. Don’t be shy on oil

I’ve tried making the pancakes with less oil, but the result is less satisfying. You can only achieve the crispy crunchy edges by frying the batter in the hot oil. So don’t skimp on it.

The amount of oil varies depending on the size of the pan, but you should add enough to the pan to move it around. 2 mm depth of oil is a good amount to start.

To add a touch of a fragrant nutty aroma, I use dark roasted sesame oil and non-toasted sesame oil for my recipe. You can mix canola (vegetable) oil and roasted sesame oil, too.

4. Make smaller pancake first

If you are not comfortable about flipping the pancake in the frying pan, start by making smaller size pancake first. It’s the matter of practice, and you’ll get better.

Your spatula should be big and flexible enough to scoop the pancake and flip.

5. Be patient

Let the pancake batter sits untouched until it firms up. If you flip too early, the batter will break. It should be golden, crunchy, and looks delicious before you flip, and ONLY ONCE.

A white plate containing gluten free Korean veggie pancake.

Ideas for Variations

  • Scallion and shrimp
  • Chinese chives (garlic chives)
  • Seafood mix such as shrimp and squid
  • Shredded kale

More Savory Pancakes You’ll Love

A white plate containing gluten free Korean veggie pancake.

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A white plate containing gluten free Korean veggie pancake.

Gluten-Free Korean Veggie Pancake

4.84 from 50 votes
Crisp on the outside, chewy and flaky on the inside, this Gluten-Free Korean Veggie Pancake is a treat! It’s filled with veggie goodness and easy to make. You’ll love it as the perfect appetizer, side, or snack anytime of the day. The soy dipping sauce makes every bite even better!

Video

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2 (pancakes)

Ingredients
 
 

For the Soy Dipping Sauce

For the Vegetables

  • ½ onion
  • 6 green onions/scallions
  • 1 carrot

For the Batter

  • ¾ cup gluten-free flour (I love Bob’s Red Mill GF All-Purpose Baking Flour; read the post for details)
  • ¼ cup rice flour
  • ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • cup water (up to ¾ cup or 180 ml; adjust according to your flour)

For Frying the Pancakes

  • 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (skip for vegan)
  • 2 Tbsp neutral oil (1 Tbsp per pancake)
  • 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (1 Tbsp per pancake)
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Instructions
 

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    Gluten-Free Korean Veggie Pancake Ingredients

To Make the Soy Dipping Sauce

  • Grind 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds in pestle and mortar, leaving some sesame seeds unground to add a texture.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 1
  • Add the rest of the sauce ingredients: 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1 Tbsp water, ½ tsp toasted sesame oil, and ¼ tsp gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes). Mix it well together. Set aside.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 2

To Prepare the Ingredients

  • Slice ½ onion as thinly as possible so it will cook faster.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 3
  • Cut 6 green onions/scallions into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. Cut the white parts of the green onion in half lengthwise so they will cook faster.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 4
  • Cut 1 carrot into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. Slice each piece into thin slabs.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 5
  • Then, cut the slabs into julienned strips. Set all the ingredients aside in a tray or plate. If the vegetables are wet, you may pat dry with a paper towel so it won’t the moisture won’t dilute the batter.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 6
  • Beat 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) in a small bowl and set it aside.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 10

To Make the Batter

  • Combine ¾ cup gluten-free flour, ¼ cup rice flour, and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt in a large bowl.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 7
  • Mix well with chopsticks and gradually add ⅔ cup water.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 8
  • Mix the batter as you continue to add the water slowly. The consistency should be thinner than a pancake batter but slightly thicker than a crepe batter.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 9
  • Add the chopped vegetables to the batter and mix well together. Scoop the batter from the bottom to mix.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 12

To Fry the Pancakes

  • Cook one pancake at a time. Heat a large frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil and 1 Tbsp roasted sesame oil.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 11
  • Mix the batter one more time and ladle half of the mixture (or a quarter, if you‘re doubling the recipe) into the frying pan. Spread it evenly into a thin round shape, making sure it’s flat and there’s no hole.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 13
  • Pour half of the beaten egg (or a quarter, if doubling the recipe) on top. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 4–5 minutes. If the pancake is browning too fast (or too slow), adjust the heat to lower (or higher).
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 14
  • Flip it over and cook for another 3–4 minutes.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 15
  • Once the bottom is golden brown, transfer to a cutting board.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 16

To Serve

  • Cut into small squares and transfer to a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.
    GF Korean Veggie Pancake 17

To Store

  • You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for a month. Reheat in the oven or toaster oven till crisp.

Nutrition

Calories: 463 kcal · Carbohydrates: 64 g · Protein: 12 g · Fat: 20 g · Saturated Fat: 8 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 93 mg · Sodium: 829 mg · Potassium: 383 mg · Fiber: 9 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 5628 IU · Vitamin C: 15 mg · Calcium: 132 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: green onion, savory pancake
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4.84 from 50 votes (40 ratings without comment)
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I added the egg into the batter (oops) before added the veggies. Turns out brilliantly!

Hi Tricia! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!

I am in Germany and we don’t have Bob’s, so I used the normal brand I have at home and rice flour. Like one of the other comments, I also had to add a lot more water but the recipe still turned out really well. They were a bit thicker in the end but I added shiitake mushrooms as well and even then non-gluten free family members really liked it. I used to travel a lot in Korea and Taiwan for work and the savory pancakes were my favorite before I was gluten free. I am happy to find something that tastes similar. Thanks for the metric option as well.5 stars

Hi Erika! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!🙂

Very tasty recipe! I will be making these frequently. Thank you for including gluten free recipes, it means a lot to those of us who have to eat gluten free 🙂

One question: which kind of rice flour do you use? I know it’s not mochiko but there is a big difference between Bobs Red Mill rice flour (more coarse my ground) and rice flour you will find at an Asian grocery store (very finely ground). I had to add significantly more water than the 3/4 cup to my batter and I’m wondering if it’s because my rice flour was different. I am good about measuring flour correctly (not packing it down) so that wouldn’t be the issue. Of course gf flour blends all vary widely too so who knows. Thanks!5 stars

Hi Marcie! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed the gluten-free version.🙂
Nami uses the Bob’s Red Mill rice flour and GF All-Purpose Baking Flour for this recipe. The gluten-free flour is made of garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, whole grain white sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and fava bean flour.
We hope this helps!

I’m usually a fond of your recipes, unfortunately this one didn’t turn out to be our taste. I miss having this dish at our local korean restaurant, especially the tangy/flavourful dipping sauce, so I wanted to try this one out. The sauce is not what I imagined, too salty? and missing something… maybe sugar? mirin? Is there perhaps another go to dipping sauce you use for this dish?

Hi Mandy! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Instead of this Soy Dipping Sauce, try this Dipping Sauce. https://www.justonecookbook.com/korean-pancake/
We hope this works better for you!

It’s called Pajeon, ya putz

Hi Lara! Thank you very much for your input!🙂

Thank you for a gluten free recipe! My son loves these kinds of pancakes. Very happy to make and have some with him!

I hope there’s a gluten free tempura recipe on the site! 🤞😃5 stars

Hi Liv! Thank you very much for your kind feedback! We are so happy to hear you and your son enjoyed veggie Pancake!
Yes! We have a gluten-free tempura recipe on site. https://www.justonecookbook.com/gluten-free-tempura/
We hope you enjoy it!

In step 3 you use half the beaten egg. What do you do with the other half?

Hi Karen! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
As shown on the recipe card, this recipe makes two pancakes, and the other half is for the second pancake. (Step 2, used half of the batter) 😉
We hope this helps!

Thank you for sharing! I have been struggling to find a gluten free batter that captures the essence of this wonderful dish! Well done!!! I must say this rivals the best of pajeon batters!

The elasticity and chewiness is just perfection 💖. Thank you so much!5 stars

Hi Paula! We are so happy to hear this recipe worked out well for you!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!

Wonderful recipe! I followed your directions almost exactly (carrots I cut thinner and I added octopus) and it turned out so yummy! I also used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose gf flour and it turned out very well. Thank you 🙏5 stars

Hi LMartin! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
We are glad to hear it turned out yummy!

I made this meal three times last week (it’s a cheap and easy meal and I did all the cutting on the first day) and the only alteration I made was to add about a teaspoon of peanut butter to the sauce. This really enhanced the flavor for me and my husband. I will definitely keep this recipe in my back pocket for guests! It was delicious every time.

Hi LMartin! Peanut butter! What a great idea!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!😊

This looks great, but, I don’t particularly want to buy a bag of GF flour. Can I simply use AP wheat flour, with maybe some chickpea flour mixed in?

Hi Minnie, The pancake texture will be different, but sure, you can do that.
Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!

Will be making again soon! Came out perfect the first time. Very thankful for a gf version!!!5 stars

30C9AC73-5D3D-43FB-80AE-326B8E2BD12B.jpeg

Hi Sam! Wow!🤩Nice photo of your Veggie Pancake! We love it!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.🥰

Hi can I use mochiko for this as a rice flour?

Hi Rebecca, To achieve crispiness on the outside, chewy and flaky on the inside, we recommend using rice flour for this recipe.
Mochiko is a type of glutinous rice flour (or sweet rice flour) made from Mochigome, glutinous short-grain Japanese rice. It’s a sticky and chewy texture than rice flour.
If you use mochiko, we recommend using less amount to balance the texture.
As Nami mentioned in this post, at the end of her testing with many different flour types, the texture was perfect with rice flour.
We hope this helps!

Thanks for this, I’ll be making it this week! Next how about gluten-free… okonomiyaki?

Hi Brent! Thank you for your request! We will make sure to add it to Nami’s list.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy Korean Veggie Pancake. 😃

I made Nami’s Okonomiyaki with gluten free flour (I used King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure of Measure flour). I omitted the tenkasu/tempura bits but I feel like you could sub in a gluten free brand of crispy rice cereal (not Rice Krispies as they contain malt). Other than that just use gluten free ingredients to make her simple okonomiyaki sauce. Everything else should already be gluten free. It turned out absolutely delicious. No special recipes required.

hello, can i make this recipe without the egg?

Hi Mihika, Sure. You can make this without the egg. Enjoy!

Hello! Do you think we could use chickpea flour batter in place of egg? I know the gluten free flour already has chickpea flour in it, but what I meant is to use it as the ‘egg’ in this recipe. What do you think?

Hi Wen, Thank you for experimenting with Nami’s recipe.
We believe it should work, but we haven’t tried it before, so we’re unsure if the pancake texture would be similar.
Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

Will be making this soon i never had korean veggie pancake before perfect for my after office snacks and meals will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya

Hi Ramya! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post! We hope you enjoy Korean Veggie pancake.😃