There are many different kinds of Korean pancakes using vegetables, seafood, or meat in Korean cuisine. We call this type of pancake “jeon.” Among them, this kimchi pancake snack is one of the most popular Korean pancakes. Today, I want to share some secrets to make really tasty kimchi pancakes with you. When I was little, I used to visit an aunt’s house and she made kimchi pancakes for me. I love kimchi pancakes, and her kimchi pancakes were the best ever. She gave me some tips about how to make good kimchi jeon. Some people asked me, why I call some Korean dishes “pancakes,” even though they are not sweet, and not even close to the American pancakes that you might be imagining. Another word that could describe Korean pancakes is “fritter” – batter mixed with different kinds of ingredients: vegetables, seafood, meat, and so on. π
Yield: Β½ Dozen 8-inch Pancakes
Short Korean Lesson
- SunMul (μ λ¬Ό) = Gift
- Saengil (μμΌ) = Birthday
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- β Frying Mix (or β Cup All Purpose Flour)
- 1 Cup Well Fermented Kimchi
- β Cup Kimchi Broth
- ΒΌ Cup Milk
- β Cup Water
- 1 Egg
- 1Β½ tsp Sugar
- β Generous tsp Salt
Directions
Chop 1 cup of kimchi into 1-inch pieces. The most important tip for delicious kimchi pancakes is using well-fermented kimchi. Sour (old) kimchi works great too. When you cut kimchi on your cutting board, the cutting board will get stained. Here is a tip: Put some wax paper on top of your cutting board before cutting the kimchi. π
In a bowl, add 1 cup of all-purpose flour and β cup of frying mix. To make the pancakes a little crispier, I like to add some frying mix to the batter. However if you don’t have the frying mix or don’t want a crispy texture, you can use another β cup of flour instead.
Add 1Β½ tsp of sugar and a generous β tsp of salt into the bowl. Mix everything together. Adding some sugar is a secret ingredient from my aunt. π Depending on how salty your kimchi is, you might need to adjust the amount of salt.
Pour ΒΌ cup of milk and β cup of water into the dried ingredients. Milk is another secret ingredient from her, but if you cannot eat milk or do not have it, you can use another ΒΌ cup of water instead.
Add 1 egg and β cup of kimchi broth. Several people have asked, “What is kimchi broth?” π While the kimchi is fermenting in the jar, a liquid forms from the fermentation process of the napa cabbage. That is what I call kimchi broth. You can use it for other kimchi dishes such as Kimchi fried rice or kimchi soup, so don’t throw away your valuable kimchi broth. π It will give these dishes an extra burst of kimchi flavor.
Before you add the kimchi to the batter, stir the batter until it doesn’t have any chunks and gets a consistency like pancake batter.
Add 1 cup of chopped kimchi into the batter. If you don’t have enough kimchi broth, you can add a little more water and kimchi to get enough flavor.
Mix thoroughly. Oh, it already looks delicious, even without frying.
In a non-stick pan, add generous amount of oil. Heat the pan on medium-high. I said generous! =P
According to your pan size, get 1 or 2 scoops of batter and pour it into the pan.
It is important to spread the batter out thinly for crispy pancakes. π
When the surface of the pancake starts to cook, flip it over.
Pressing the pancake with a spatula helps the pancake fry better and makes it crispier.
Occasionally flip the pancake, but not too often. When both sides of the pancakes are nicely brown and crispy, it is done. π
Again, it is a very simple and delicious dish. You should try this someday, especially if you love kimchi. hehe Thanks π
That’s a pretty funky recipe! I cook mine just with a pancake/frying mix that I buy from the korean market (it’s just a flour/baking soda/salt/pepper mix), kimchee, water and either squid or octopus (cut into little ~1/4″ x ~1/2″ pieces).
This is probably my favorite korean dish. π
hi Dexter,
Yep.. a little different…isn’t it ??? that’s why I call.. some ingredients are secret ingredients..hehe Try my version of kimchi jeon someday too..hehe thanks :
thanks for sharing, aeri. this is probably one of my favorite dish as well. i too, like dexter, just use the “pancake mix” that i buy from a korean market but this sounds interesting and i will try it next time. milk and sugar huh? it must be good if you’re sharing it w/us.
hi sandy,
yep..I also love kimchi jeon.. try my recipe also someday..hehe and let me know if you like it. thanks π
Wow thanks… I was just about to search for a recipe to use up my kimchi. I bought way too much! I’ll be reporting back to you later to tell you how it went. π
hi Chris,
It’s good to have lots of kimchi..hehe give me some.. jk.. yep.. try it and let me know. thanks
Recipe looks yummy. Could this be adapted to other vegetables like cabbage? I love spicy food, but my husband doesn’t.
hi Mel,
Oh.. sorry but you can’t use other vegetables like cabbage for this recipe. It’s very special recipe using fermented kimchi.. you can check my other vegetable pancake recipes such as.. zucchini,, garlic chives..please check picture index for them..thanks π
Oooh that looks so yummy, I can’t wait to try it!
hi Eleen,
yep..it is very yummy… TRY IT !!! hehe..thanks
WOWOW!!
I’ve never had this before. I’ll wait for your video, very patiently. π haha
please post a picture of bryson soon.
love you!
YAYAYA! the video is up. π
thanks aeri!
hi farleen,
BTW.. where is YOUR PICTURE to enter the contest !!! I want YOURS SOOOOO BAD !!!
hi farleen,
Oh.. NEVER ??? you have to try this then.. haha.. it was quick to post the video.right ?? Bryson was helping me this morning by sleeping..hehe thanks π miss you !!!
You know I am not much of a cook, but I am sure with the amount of details given here I can do it.
Allen
hi round cutting board,
Yep.. you can do it.. ^^ thanks :0
hi Aeri –
This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try – thanks for posting aunt’s secrets π
Can you also post ingredients for dipping sauce?
hi amyskitchen,
You are welcome. hehe.. aha.. you don’t need any dipping sauce for this pancakes..thanks π
Hi Aeri!
I hope you and Bryson are doing well. I love this dish. I have never thought of using wax paper for your cutting board. That’s a great idea!
Mimi
hi MrsDarth,
Hey~~~ I missed and wondered about you and your baby.. how’s going over there ??? Did your body back to normal like before you pregnant ??? I have problem to loose my weight..especially belly fat.. don’t know what to do about it.. I hope you are okay.. ^^ anyway.. very happy to see you again ~~~ I want to see your baby’s picture..
Thank you Aeri for the video, will try it soon π thanks for the tips
hi momoei,
You are welcome.. I hope you like it. thanks π
this is nice, and made easy with the picture. I also started a cooking blog. You can have a look at it… there is french food and mix food and cookies !
hi tiffany,
Oh.. what is your cooking blog address ??? I want to visit yours too…hehe π
Hi Aeri,
First, I want to congratulate you on the birth of your son! Secondly, I love this recipe! I can never get the consistency right, but this is perfect! Thanks as always!
hi Jennifer,
Thank you !!! That’s great you can get right consistency… yep…that can make difference for your kimchi jeon. Happy for you. π
Aeri-First your little Bryson is just absolutely adorable! I wish my Hailey had that much hair and she’s almost two! Barely no hair at all!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kimchi Pancakes! They are my favorite. Hailey and I have them probably once every other week. I will have to try your recipe. Thanks!
hi joy,
Thanks for your kind words. He has his father’s genetic about hair. I know she will have lots of hair later.. btw.. her name is pretty.. “Hailey”.. it has any meaning ?? I hope you and your daughter like my recipe also. π
Hi Aeri!
We LOVE your recipe. I combined your recipe with the one I use and it turned out even better! Hailey had 2 little pancakes!
“Hailey” means From the Hay Clearing. haha I heard her name on a tv show and just really liked it.
hi Joy,
oh.. you got success.. that’s great !!! hehe..
aha..hay clearing.. ^^ thanks
Aeri, how many grams would be in 1 cup of all-purpose flour? By the way, i LOVE kimchi jeon – this is the first korean food i had! YUM YUM! π
hi Lilluz,
1 cup of flour is.. about 160 g… I hope you like this recipe.. thanks
Hey Aeri,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I bought the batter powder before, but not knowing how to read Korean, I always couldn’t get my pancakes right! I will definitely try this soon. XD
hi tw1light,
Now you will get right one.. π try it someday.. thanks
Hi Aeri ! I’ve a question about your ingredients.. what is kimchi broth? is it like kimchi liquid ?
gomawo ^^
hi Petitnem,
yep.. I meant kimchi liquid.. ^^;;
i’ll try this for my Honey… =)
both of us love Korean Food!!! ^__^
hi angelamhiere,
hehe my husband and I love Korean food too. . π
I just made this for lunch ^^, and it was really nice.
I had to add more water and broth, because my batter didn’t turn out to be as runny as yours. Did you use exact measurements, or just by approximation?
Hi Emi,
Yep.. to make a exact recipe, I measure everything with measuring cups and spoons..where are you from?? because I heard that depending on countries the measuring size can be different. I’m using American brands.
Hi Aeri
I just made this last sunday for my family n it taste awesome. I did not have milk so i substitute with milk powder and water:) Had 3 pancakes for myself, haha think i’ve put on weight:)
hi Cassandra,
Oh… so milk powder worked good ?? I always wondered if I can use milk powder instead of milk for some of American food because usually we don’t have milk in our refrigerator.. π
Hello Aeri!
I do love all your cookings and I’m learning from you! However, I have a question regarding to the measurement you are using. For 1Tbsp or Tsp, are you using the American standard measurement? Because what I can observe from the video, 1 tbsp should be a little bit, however, yours seems a lot. Maybe I see it wrong, but please let me know what kind of measurement you are using! I want to cook this for my boyfriend!
Thank you so much!
hi Lushia,
Thanks for your comment.
I use American standard measurement. ^^ what kind of measurement do you use ??
hey ive been watching your vids from youtubes., and im very excited to try your recipes., ^^, can you show ustoo, how to make kimchi??? thanks
hi Joan,
I already posted a kimchi recipe and video.. =P I will put links here just in case… try my recipes.. thanks π
http://aeriskitchen.com/2009/01/napa-cabbage-kimchi-λ°°μΆ-κΉμΉbaechu-kimchi/
http://aeriskitchen.com/2009/08/easy-napa-cabbage-kimchi-mak-kimchi-λ§κΉμΉ/
Dear Aeri, Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful crispy kimchi recipe. My family loves it & so do I hiaks!
As I do not know what kind of frying powder to use, I replaced it with self-raising flour(which I normally mixed with all-purposes flour for frying) & it works very well!!
hi SJ,
self-raising flour.. wow..that’s a good tip..^^ thanks.. I’m happy to read our review..:)
Hello Aeri,
I used the American measurement too. I tried a lot of your recipes and they all worked perfectly!! My boyfriend enjoyed the dishes as much as I did and now he thinks of me as a really good korean dish cook! haha. He’s now going back to Korea but he said he would miss my dishes so much! Thank you Aeri for your video and recipes!! The recipes and cooking experience were greatly valuable to me and my boyfriend! Thanks!
hi Lushia,
Thank you for your message.. oh.. so you and your bf will be long distant couple ?? that’s sad.. he will come back ?? or you will go to Korea someday ?? I hope that you guys can be together soon again..^^
PLEASE teach me how to cook kimchi. i love kimchi food … some body can help me ?? thanks π
hi shiela,
sorry.. what is your question ??? You want to learn how to make Kimchi.. or you want to know how to use kimchi.. which means.. you want to learn more recipes using kimchi ???
Hi Aeri, thank you so much for your recipe. I’m a beginner at cooking, let alone Korean. But I’m learning quick thanks to you. My first attempt taste wonderfully. Thanks again!
hi Jessica,
You are welcome. π Soon you will be an expert for Korean cooking. Thanks π
I love your videos ^ O ^
its so helpful and it looks delicious
I tried this and the results were delicious! Thanks so much! π
I like your blog. It is very informative and involves a lot hard work to capture all this pictures. This is the first time, I cooked Kim Chi pancake, and it turned out very well. My version is slightly different from yours, I put in more onion and kimchi into the better. It worth the efforts, the pancake turns out to be very tasty.
I take the chances to try out the new purchased spatula , it works really well for pan cake.
I’ve made kimchi jeon several times since living in Korea but this recipe is by far the best one yet! Thanks for another great recipe dear Aeri!
~A
I had some old kimchi I had that I didn’t want to throw out and found your recipe online.
I have to admit. I was really scared making this and using all the kimchi ‘juice’. I was scared it would taste too strong. But I was wrong! This was very light tasting with the perfect kimchi flavor that I love. Thank you for sharing this!
I have tried a few of your other recipes and they have all turned out amazing. I’ve tried recipes for a few different Korean blogs and yours have always turned out the best and most delicious. π
hi andkenfly,
Thank you very much for your comment. I always wonder how people like my recipes… when they try them. I’m so glad that you enjoyed them. π please try more and let me know the result..hehe
Oh my gosh i made this today and it was soooooooo good.
I didn’t make it that thin so it wasn’t that crispy but it was still good!!! π
I love these so much! Do you know if these are healthy for you?
hi Sara,
About your question, well.. I think.. kimchi part is healthy..but the oil and flour part is not that healthy ^^
Hi! That plate of kimchi pancake is making me droooooool and have successfully convinced me to try my hands at making one! π I’d like to ask if it would turn out well even without the kimchi broth? I intend to purchase a pack of kimchi to make the pancake, thus I dont have any leftover or broth to use :((
hi Rachel,
It will be better with extra kimchi broth..but if you don’t have..I will say add a little more kimchi pieces instead..thanks
I had a student whose mom made these for me but wouldn’t share the recipe stating it was too hard! Yours tastes even better than hers! Thanks so much! I don’t eat egg, so I just left that out. I’ve tried your recipe about 3 different ways now! I found I like to use 2/3 cups of flour and 1/3 cup of korean frying mix. My son and I really enjoy these and they were EASY to make! Thanks so much again!!!! π
Made kimchi and now set to venture and try some of your other recipes, those Korean dramas do make you hungry!.
I was wondering if we can eat those cold. Can I cook them and keep some in the fridge for 1 or 2 days? Or do we have eat them freshly made? If it’s the case, can I prepare the mixture and keep it in the fridge to the next day?
BTW, thanks a lot for your superb recipes. I’m always glad to try something new and tasty. π
hi Ithry,
If it’s just few hours, I will just keep it in the room temperature and eat again. But if you want to keep it for one or 2 days in the refrigerator.. take it out and refry it with a little bit of oil ..and eat. You can also use toaster oven to reheat it for easy way. The pancake texture will be harder in the refrigerator..so it’s better to reheat to eat. Thanks
Aeri, i want to ask π
how many liters would be in ΒΌ Cup Milk
and β Cup Water?
i want to try it:D hehe
The conversion program said..
1/3 cup = 0.0788627 liter
1/4 cup = 0.0591471 liter
thanks
Thank you so much for sharing all your great recipes! My family and I love them and when I need help cooking Korean this is my second stop! Aside from my Korean mother in law. I will be trying these today and I am so very excited
What is the frying mix called in Korean? Thank you.
Nevermind, I just clicked on it.
Lovely recipe, thanks! Can’t wait to try it. Most Americans are ignorant of their own language and think ‘pancakes’ MUST be sweet; that is not the case at all. A pancake can be sweet or savory. No explanations or word substitutions required for people who don’t know basic food types in English when it is their first language.
I’ve got a question about the texture of the jeon after it is cooked. Are they supposed to be crispy? After cooking these twice, as soon as the jeon cool down to room temperature they become really soft and chewy. Is that what is supposed to happen? Thank you π
hi Jez,
Your texture is right. When it just fried, it will be more crispy..but later it will be soft and chewy.. thanks
κ°μ¬ν©λλ€
I made this but it didn’t taste right at all. :(( Not trying to hate on your site just letting the viewers know.
hi sarah,
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t like this recipe. It is hard for me to know what was wrong with your kimchi jeon since I don’t know what you did.. and each person has own taste.. it can be just you don’t like kimchi jeon??… As a Korean, I think this is pretty authentic kimchi jeon recipe and you can see comments below that there are many people liked this recipe and left positive review about it.. I always test my recipes and try to measure ingredients accurate as much as I can.. so people can get the best result to try my recipes. This kimchi jeon recipe is one of my favorite recipes I made. That’s why I had to explain all these things..Still thanks for your honest opinion. Hope you can find some other recipes that you will like on my blog.
hey aeri ssi i hope u’r doing good i just wanna say that i love u’r recepies and all are great there is nothing to say only that u’r a good cook
hi sisita,
Oh, your comment is very sweet. Thank you very much. π
hi aeri, I have difficulty finding the all purpose flour here in Korea. What’s the name in it here? My dictionary doesn’t help me a lot in translating it.
Anyway, I’ve been a frequent visitor of your site since I came here in Korea.. All your recipes are very helpful, not to mention the great taste.
hi Anna,
Actually to make Korean pancake (jeon).. you do not have to worry much about ..what kind of flour you will use.. just get normal type.. but if you want to know the exact name for it (all purpose flour) in Korean.. then.. it is “λ€λͺ©μ λ°κ°λ£¨” in korean. ^^ Thanks for your comment. Hope you have a wonderful time in Korea.
Can you use leftover Kimchi jigae to make jeon? Or will the kimchi be too soft because it is already cooked?
Thanks!
hi cindy,
haha you are right.. I like my kimchi jeon more crispy.. so maybe not..leftover kimchi jigae..it was a creative idea though..anyway.. I like to eat leftover kimchi jigae with rice.. hehe thanks
Ma sit so yo! These were so good I had to hold myself back from finishing all in one sitting. I reduced the 1 cup ap flour to 3/4 cup as suggested by Angel, and because I didnt have frying flour, I added 1/2 tsp baking powder to 1/3 ap flour. Pancake edges turned out lightweight and crispy. Thanks Aeri for sharing the recipe together with its ‘secret ingredient’ Stay healthy and well
hi Michelle KL,
That’s great..^^ Good job. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed your jeon. awesome..hehe thanks ^^
How old should the Kimchee be? If I buy a jar of kimchee how long should I keep it?
hi Sherry,
It depends on how sour or old kimchi you can eat. Kimchi is fermented food, so you can keep it for months.. however some people don’t like too sour or too old kimchi, so they will eat it before it becomes too old. Thanks
How long will it last in freezer this is a question for all jeon
hi Matthew,
You can keep over a month.. until the freezer burn gets too bad..
Just made this for breakfast today.. It really is so very tasty and yummy.. love your recipes!
Awesome.. Thank you π
It might sound a bit strange, but maybe you should adopt the Yiddish word “Latkes” for “pancakes” like these because, though some latkes might have a sweet component, such as when applesauce is served over Potato Latkes, it is not an inherent part of the latke itself,
but, rather, a topping. In fact, usually, the latke itself is a somewhat savory food item…such as spinach latkes or squash latkes, etc. If you referred to pancakes like these as “latkes”, people would immediately know that you’re not talking about sweet breakfast “pancakes”.
hi Olen,
Oh.. that’s a good point… thanks for sharing your opinion.. only thing is.. even myself I’ve never heard of the word “latkes”.. and most people using the name korean pancake for “jeon”… so it is a little difficult for me to use not common word.. but you do have a good point.. the word pancake reminds .. sweet breakfast pancake… Thanks..