Korean Vegetable Shrimp Pancake

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These extra crispy Korean Vegetable Pancakes with Shrimp are chock full of fresh veggies and shrimp, suspended in a slightly chewy fritter batter and then dunked in a sweet, spicy, savory dipping sauce. Hungry yet?

finished recipe cut into wedges and served on a board with dipping sauce and chopsticks

These savory pancakes make the best appetizers for happy hour, but they could also make an easy weeknight meal because of the volume of vegetables required and the flexibility of ingredients. It’s ideal for a Thursday night when you’re eager to finish the last sad carrots, wilting bunch of green onions, leeks, red onions - any and all veggies welcome!

Don't sleep on the Korean Gochujang Pancake Dipping Sauce! It's a modified version of a classic soy dipping sauce. I’ve left it more concentrated and added Korean gochujang paste for an extra kick.

What you'll need to make this recipe:

ingredients for recipe laid out on a counter and labeled

Before we get to the step by step directions, a few notes about the ingredients:

Shrimp: for a vegetarian pancake, omit the shrimp. For a protein-rich pancake, leave them in! Just ¾ cup of shrimp does the trick here, so it's economical, as well!

Veggies: the recipe calls for green onions, leeks and carrots in the mix, but use what you have. Be sure everything is cut into similar sizes so they cook at the same time.

Flour: I use self-rising flour for a bit of lift. If using all purpose flour, add a pinch of salt and baking powder.

Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.

Step by step instructions:

1. Prep vegetables

Start by cutting your leek, carrots and green onions into 2-inch julienned slices. I used a bag of pre-shredded carrots, which worked perfectly. Aim for 3-4 cups total.

scallions, leeks and carrots julienned and on cutting board

2. Make pancake batter

Combine one large egg and cold water in a small mixing bowl and whisk well. Combine flour, cornstarch, ground ginger, salt, and white pepper in a second medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the cold liquid batter into the flour mixture and mix just until combined (there will be lumps - don't be alarmed).

egg mixture pouring into dry flour and spice mix

3. Make Korean pancake filling

Pour the pancake batter over the julienned leeks, spring onions and shredded carrots. Stir, then add the small shrimp.

shrimp added to vegetable and batter mix

4. Cook Korean pancake

Heat 2 tablespoons of neutral oil in a large nonstick skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add half of the pancake mixture (about 1.5 cups) to the hot oil directly in the center of the pan, ensuring vegetables and shrimp are evenly distributed around the frying pan.

half of shrimp and veggie batter poured into a skillet

After about 2 minutes, lower the heat to medium, and cook for another 2-4 minutes after turning down the heat, then flip. To flip easily, use a dinner plate to slide the cooked side of the Korean vegetable pancake from the pan onto the plate, then flip the uncooked side down into the pan.

veggie pancake flipped in a skillet to show the golden brown side.

Cook for a total of 4-6 minutes on the second side, using a spatula to check that you have achieved the crispy texture you want before removing from the pan. Move the finished pancakes to a cooling rack in a warm oven (200℉) while making the next pancake (batter should make 2 large pancakes).

Move the finished pancakes to a cutting board and slice into wedges or squares, top with cilantro and serve with Spicy Korean Dipping Sauce.

finished recipe sliced and served on a board with dipping sauce and chopsticks

5. Make the dipping sauce

To make the dipping sauce, combine the soy sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, chili crisp and gochujang in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir to ensure sugar has dissolved. Add sesame seeds, if using. Taste and adjust seasoning.

ingredients for dipping sauce laid out on a counter and labeled

Korean pancake on a board with dipping sauce

6. Garnish and serve

Sprinkle diced cilantro over the top of the pancake and serve with dipping sauce immediately.

Korean pancake on a board with chopsticks

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FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:

Pancake variations:

The vegetable combination is flexible, based on your preferences. In general, I would try to ensure about half the total vegetables were an allium - onion, leek, shallot, or similar. But garlic scapes or garlic chives would also be delicious here, or a combination of carrots and garlic scapes. Finally, you could skip the fresh vegetables altogether and add diced and drained kimchi to the pancake batter. This version is known as a kimchi jeon at your local Korean restaurant. It is spicy and funky and a delicious home run.

You could omit the shrimp and enjoy a chewy and crispy veggie pancake. But you have endless seafood options to add to this savory pancake, as well. You know that seafood mix in the frozen aisle of the grocery store that we never know what to do with? This is it, team! Break out the frozen mixed seafood and test it in this Korean pancake recipe. You could also use calamari, clams or a combination of all of them.

The self-rising flour and cornstarch combination creates a chewy pancake that mirrors your local Korean restaurant. Rice flour can provide a similarly pleasing texture, but it has been harder to find in Lisbon. Since cornstarch is a pantry staple for me, it did the trick! If you only have all-purpose flour, supplement it with an extra pinch of salt and baking powder.

What should I serve with this Korean Vegetable Pancake with dipping sauce?

I love this as an appetizer or happy hour treat. You can also serve it with Korean Fish Cake Side Dish and a side of kimchi and vegetables sautéed in sesame oil. Or serve it with Crispy Korean Tofu.

Do I have to make giant pancakes with this mixture?

You can make any size you like, just adjust the cooking time, as necessary. I have made smaller, ½ cup batter sized pancakes and they tasted delicious. Although I do recommend adjusting your pan size accordingly. The pancakes turn out best when you can fill the bottom of the pan, edge-to-edge, and let the batter build up around the sides of the pan while it cooks.

How to store leftover Korean vegetable pancakes?

To store, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. To reheat, warm in a skillet with a teaspoon of neutral oil over medium high until heated through and crispy. Alternately, you can reheat on a rack in a 425℉ oven for about 8 minutes, until warm.

Korean Vegetable Shrimp Pancake with Gochujang Dipping Sauce

What you'll need to make this recipe: