A kimchi pancake is one of the easiest and quickest things to make and is one of Koreans’ all time favorite dishes. It’s hot, spicy, crispy, a little sweet, sour, and a little salty. It is not only a great snack but also it goes well with rice as a side dish, and is great in lunchboxes in place of plain kimchi.
On a rainy day on the weekend, when a Korean family wants something special and cozy to eat, this is something anyone can make using the ingredients we have at home. Then mom will say: “You want me to make kimchijeon?” and everybody will say: “Yayyy!!”
When kimchi is fermented, it tastes sour and pungent with a deeper flavor. All Koreans have well-fermented cabbage kimchi at home, it’s pretty much a staple! We Koreans will always make more kimchi before the current batch runs out, so that means we often have both fresh kimchi and fermented kimchi on hand. Kimchi is available all the time for Koreans.
I made a video for kimchi pancakes ten years ago (including my grandma’s style of kimchijeon), and I decided it was time to update the recipe, remake the video in HD, and include all the tips from the questions that some of you have asked me over the years. The number one question was: “How come my pancake isn’t crispy in the middle?” That’s because you need to use a generous amount of oil, and make sure it gets under the pancake like I show you in the video and explain in the recipe below.
How about having a Korean style kimchi pancake party with your family or friends? Enjoy the recipe and show me some photos of your kimchi pancake day! : )
Ingredients
- ½ pound well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi, chopped into small pieces, plus 2 tablespoons of the brine
- 3 scallions, chopped
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup water
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
- Combine the kimchi, kimchi brine, scallions, sugar, flour, and water in a medium bowl and mix well with a spoon.
- Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. (If you don’t have a 12-inch skillet, use a smaller skillet to make 2 pancakes.)
- Add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the batter into the pan and spread it with the back of a spoon or a spatula to make a large circle.
- Cook until the bottom is golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Carefully turn the pancake over. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil around the edges of the skillet, then lift the pancake with a thin spatula to allow the oil to run underneath and tilt the pan to spread it evenly.
- Cook until the bottom of the pancake is light golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Flip it one more time and cook for another minute.
- Slide onto a large serving platter and serve immediately.
Hi Maangchi,
First time I made it, it was a bit of a disaster. My new skillet is not very large, so the pancake was thick. On medium heat, It was not ready to turn 3-5 minutes. So, I turned the heat down a touch, and cooked it a bit longer. However, even after 12 minutes, it was not ready to turn. The batter was thick enough, but did not adhere enough to turn easily. Not sure if it mattered, but I do not eat sugar. The pancake broke up when turning, but it was delicious all the same.
Next time I made it, I cut the recipe in half to fit my skillet, mixed in a couple of eggs, and I even chopped up a hot dog into small pieces and threw it in. It still didn’t turn easily even with two spatulas. :D But it was a little easier. It broke in half, but it tasted great. I am going to invest in an over-sized spatula, because these pancakes are so quick and easy to make.
I have made my own kimchi for the past 12 years, and I still wasn’t sure how much 1/2 pound of kimchi was. :D According to online sources 1/2lb of kimchi is equivalent to a 1 cup of kimchi. And, when you said brine, I thought, ‘that’ must be the kimchi sauce. So, it’s 1/2 cup kimchi, and 2tbs kimchi sauce. Anyway, thank you for the recipe. As always, your recipes are wonder. By the way, I bought your recipe book and I love it. Cheers!.
I have only just discovered this website and made these yesterday and… SO SO SO delicious! New favourite unlocked! :) Thank you so much for this recipe.
Kimchi pancakes can be made very quickly as long as you have well-fermented kimchi. With the fried egg added, it would make a great meal, too.
Happy cooking!
This is an amazing pancake! I cook Korean dishes according to your recipe and I like everything. But this pancake especially impressed me. The simplicity of its preparation impresses with its taste! I highly recommend eating this pancake when you are cold! Wow!!! I was so carried away by its taste that I forgot to take a photo to share.
I’m so happy to hear that! Kimchi pancake is a delicious dish that can be made quickly and easily, especially if you have well-fermented kimchi in your fridge. It’s one of the many great dishes you can make using kimchi.
Crispy kimchi pancake Made using nasoya’s vegan kimchi and buchimgaaru (korean pancake flour). 맛있네요
My kimchi jeon was tasty but could’ve been crispier.
To make the kimchi pancake more crunchy, it’s important to follow the ratio of each ingredient closely. Additionally, you can add more oil around the edge of the skillet and use a spatula to lift the edges of the pancake and tilt and shake the skillet so that the oil evenly coats the bottom. Cook the pancake over high or medium-high heat until both sides are crispy.
Thank you Maangchi! I look forward to trying more of your recipes. I’ve been shy to try Korean cooking – I couldn’t possibly compete with my Korean MIL’s cooking! She doesn’t cook as much anymore and my kids & hubby miss it. I tried your recipe and then a more involved kimchi pancake recipe from nytimes cooking. They didn’t give the great cooking tips that you did – with the oil. Yours won!!! (No shade on nytimes cooking love them) Ive got a little more confidence to try more Korean recipes. – the family loves Korean food so much – I think they are just being extra kind to their old white mom- I’ve also really loved Eric Kim’s recipes. As a southerner – seems obvious the 2 cuisines would love each other . Thank you for doing this!
If I have leftovers and refrigerate them, how do I reheat them?
I would heat it up in the pan. You could do it in the microwave but I think it would lose its crispiness
I made this for the first time september 16th 2022 and i was amazed how it came out!
I surprised my wife with this wonderful appetizer! I love learning new things!
especially following the recipes of my wife’s youth!
“I surprised my wife with this wonderful appetizer!”
Your message will make us so happy!
Hello! Thanks for sharing your great recipes. I have some leftover blended rice flour (a combination of rice and corn flour?) and I was wondering if I could use that instead of all-purpose flour for kimchi pancakes?
how many pancakes does this recipe itself make? <3
it makes one big 12in pancake
A complete disaster for me. In spite of using plenty of oil, the ‘pancake’ stuck firmly to the pan and disintegrated into bits.
You need a non-stick pan! : )
It’s one of the most important ingredients to make a crispy and round pancake.
Can I use whole wheat flour? And must I alter the amount?
Simple lunch and it’s soo good ❤️
Yes, it looks so good! Not greasy but crunchy and fluffy!
Hi Maangchi
Thanks for the kimchi pancake recipe! So easy to put together and taste awesome!
Jane Lee
Yummy!
I did it ! With homemade kimchi. But not that old… I sadly don’t have a lot of room to store it for a long time.
It was delicious though.
Thank you Maangchi <3
It looks perfect with the makgeolli! : )
Oh wow ! I even get a comment from Maangchi.
Today’s one of my best days ever ! Wheeeeeee o//
Maybe it’s a sign that one day, I’ll be lucky enough to try 김치전 in Korea.
Ooooohhhh. These were a hit! We tried a few types all on the same night. The dipping sauce is especially yummy with these. Thank you again!
does rice flour work just as well?
also what about self raising flour? as i have self raising flour in the house and my local supermarket only has rice flour left due to the pandemic and everyone is staying at home and baking / cooking lmao so i cant find all purpose flour! :)
No answer, eh? I love your user name. It made me chuckle. Did you try the self-rising flour? I am VERY curious. The main ingredients in self-rising flour are all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Those alkaline substances in the baking powder and soda would react violently with the lactic acid present in well-fermented kimchi (LOTS of bubbles but… also, the by-product of that chemical reaction is a form of salt). Sounds like it would make a very fluffy pancake! Please do attempt it and get back to me… if you aren’t too lit :)
I have been making these kimchi pancakes and veggie pancakes for my family for months now. My family ask for them regularly. My only concern about making them so much was the oil…they are basically fried. We try to limit oil in our diet, and we are vegetarians, very health-conscious. So I am always modifying recipes, trying out ways to make them just a little healthier.
Yesterday I decided to try baking kimchi and veggie pancakes. I thought they would probably be ok..edible, but not crunchy like they are when fried.
Well, I was totally shocked! They came out of the oven crunchy, and tasted pretty much the same as when fried in the skillet.
This is how we will make them from now on, and I think they may become an almost daily food for us, since we don’t need to worry about the oil.
I baked them at 400 degrees on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I made them into 6” diameter pancakes. So individual size. I don’t know how long I baked them. It was probably nearly an hour.
We add eggs to this. It adds a softer more custard texture. Very tasty
I made this today and it was so good! My wife and I are very and surprisingly this tasted downright cheesey. Idk what made it taste like fried cheese or if it’s just because we haven’t ate cheese in years but it was delicious!
Made with homemade kimchi…..so yummy. Thank you Maangchi!!!
Made with homemade kimchi, served with homemade makgeolli. All the effort was so rewarding, thanks so much!
Makgeoll and kimchijeon made with your homemade kimchi! It’s such a great combination!
This was SO good! Now that I found a recipe in English that was super easy to follow, I will be making this often! Also it only requires a few ingredients which made it even better!
OMG! It looks very tasty! I have some fermented kimchi in the fridge, so I will make it soon!
I made mine with the last of the Napa cabbage kimchi I had; making room for the new Bok-Choy kimchi! Was really good! Thanks for sharing.
Delicious!
Made it three hours ago, and it was SO GOOD~!! Thank you, Maangchi~ :D
Is old kimchi(a minimum of 6 months) worth making kimchi jeon? Also, how to deal with really old kimchi?
Yes, 6 month old sour kimchi is a good candidate for kimchijeon making! : )
I make chige with my really old kimchi! Perfect for soups or stews!
can i use rice flour instead?
I used gluten free flour and it turned out great. It may not brown as much just because rice flour doesn’t brown as much as wheat flour, but it should still work! It’s more of a glue than anything.
I made this today and oh my god this is so good! I don’t know how I lived without kimchijeon in my life! Thank you for your amazing recipes!