Last Updated on 26/06/2024 by Adina
This savory bacon okonomiyaki or Japanese cabbage pancake recipe is served with homemade okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. Try our simple and delicious recipe.
These Japanese cabbage pancakes, or bacon okonomiyaki, are an incredibly satisfying dish you can whip up using simple ingredients. A popular street food in Japan, the pancakes are best served drizzled liberally with homemade okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise.
This simplified version of okonomiyaki uses ingredients commonly found outside Japan. It is suitable for those who may not have access to typical Japanese products like Kewpie mayo, tonkatsu sauce, dashi, and others.
Try Katsu Sando with Tonkatsu Sauce or Ground Turkey Teriyaki Rice Bowls, too. Or make Zucchini Feta Pancakes or Oatmeal Patties.
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What is Okonomiyaki?
Okonomiyaki, translated as “grilled as you like,” is a savory Japanese cabbage pancake (or some might call it Japanese pizza) made with lots of cabbage, some pancake batter, and topped with several other ingredients.
The cooked pancake is then topped with some delicious okonomiyaki sauce and served with Japanese mayonnaise.
There are two main types of okonomiyaki: Kansai (Osaka) style and Hiroshima style.
In the Kansai style, all ingredients are mixed into the batter and grilled. Today's bacon okonomiyaki follows this style, with chopped cabbage mixed into the batter. In the Hiroshima style, the pancake is cooked first, and then the remaining ingredients, starting with lots of cabbage, are piled on top.
Recipe ingredients
Cabbage: White or green cabbage, very finely shredded.
Bacon: Thinly sliced bacon, as much as you need to cover each Japanese pancake. I needed about 18 very thin and narrow bacon slices (2 packs, each weighing 3.5 oz/ 100 g) for the okonomiyaki.
Japanese mayonnaise: If available, use the original product, which is Kewpie mayo, a rich, creamy, slightly sweet Japanese mayonnaise made with egg yolks and rice vinegar. If not available, use our simple homemade mayo mixture.
Okonomiyaki sauce is a thick, savory Japanese sauce with a sweet and tangy flavor. It's made with soy sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.
Dashi: You can make this dashi for ramen or use a dashi packet or dashi powder. If unavailable, water will do just fine.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make bacon okonomiyaki?
Step #1: Mix the ingredients for the Japanese mayo.
Step #2: Whisk the okonomiyaki sauce ingredients.
Step #3: Finely shred the cabbage and the carrots and finely slice the green onions.
Step #4: Whisk eggs, dashi or water, soy sauce, and salt. Slowly add the flour and whisk to obtain a thick, smooth batter.
Step #5: Add the vegetables.
Step #6: Add about 1 cup of batter to the pan and press with a spoon to form a circle.
Step #7: Cover with halved bacon slices.
Step #8: Cook bacon okonomiyaki for 5 minutes until golden brown. Flip and cook, covered, for another 3-5 minutes or until golden brown
Tips for making Japanese cabbage pancakes
It is best to use two pans to reduce the time you spend frying the pancakes.
Adjust the heat when cooking the bacon okonomiyaki pancakes. Start with medium-low heat, but if you notice that the underside of the first okonomiyaki you cook is too dark, turn the heat down a bit more.
Use a lid to cook the okonomiyaki. The steam that forms inside the pan helps cook the cabbage and carrots.
Place the cooked pancakes on a plate and keep them warm in the oven (at about 180°F/ 80°C) while you cook the rest.
Can I make bacon okonomiyaki in advance?
I don't recommend it. The cabbage will release too much liquid and will make the batter watery.
The bacon cabbage pancakes are also best when served immediately when they are hot and crispy. When cool, they will become a bit soggy.
I don't mind eating the leftovers, though. If I have any, I keep them for 1-2 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and I mostly eat them cold on bread and with some tomato wedges on the side. You can reheat bacon okonomiyaki in a pan.
Bacon Okonomiyaki – Japanese Cabbage Pancakes
Equipment
- Large non-stick pan or cast-iron skillet, Note 1
- Large knife or mandoline slicer (optional), Note 2
Ingredients
Japanese Mayonnaise:
- 4 tablespoons regular mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Okonomiyaki Sauce:
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Okonomiyaki:
- 1 lb cabbage shredded, 450 g, about 5 cups
- 1 cup carrots shredded, 50 g
- 4 spring onions divided
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup dashi or water, 125 ml
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120 g
- 7 oz thinly sliced bacon halved, 200 g, Note 3
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil or as needed
- sesame seeds
Instructions
Japanese mayonnaise:
- Mix mayonnaise ingredients. Set aside.4 tablespoons regular mayonnaise + 2 teaspoons rice vinegar + ½ teaspoon sugar
Okonomiyaki sauce:
- Whisk sauce ingredients. Set aside.1 ½ tablespoons sugar + 2 tablespoons oyster sauce + 4 tablespoons ketchup + 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Japanese cabbage pancakes:
- Prepare vegetables: Shred the cabbage with a mandoline slicer or large chef's knife and grate the carrots on the large whole of the box grater. Set aside. Thinly slice the green onions. Set aside about ¼ of the green onions, preferably more green parts, for sprinkling over the okonomiyaki later.1 lb cabbage/ 450 g + 1 cup carrots + 4 spring onions
- Okonomiyaki batter: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, dashi or water, soy sauce, and salt together. Slowly add the flour and whisk to obtain a thick, smooth batter.2 large eggs + ½ cup dashi / 125 ml + 2 tablespoons soy sauce + ¼ teaspoon fine salt + 1 cup all-purpose flour/ 120 g
- Stir in the vegetables.
Make Japanese pancakes:
- Add batter to pan: Heat about ½ tablespoon of the oil in the skillet. Add about 1 cup of batter to the pan and press with a spoon to form a circle about 6 inches/ 15 cm in diameter and about ½ inch/ 1.2 cm thick.½ tablespoon oil from 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil , use it in batches
- Cover the pancake with some bacon slices, as much as needed to cover the okonomiyaki, depends on the size of the bacon slices.7 oz thinly sliced bacon/ 200 g
- Cooking temperature: Cover the pan with a lid, this will help the cabbage get soft. Turn the heat a bit down so that the underside of the pancake doesn't get too dark. If you notice that after you have turned the first pancake, adjust the temperature again. The pancakes should be golden brown and not too dark.
- Cook the pancake on the first side for 5 minutes until the bottom is golden brown. Flip with a spatula and cook, covered, for another 3-5 minutes or until golden brown (Note 1). Place the cooked okonomiyaki on a plate and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest.
- Cook the next pancake: Add a little more oil to the pan before starting with each okonomiyaki.
- Serve okonomiyaki: When all the Japanese cabbage pancakes are cooked, brush them with okonomiyaki sauce. Drizzle with the Japanese mayonnaise. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions and sesame seeds, and serve. sesame seeds
Notes
- Batches and pans: It is preferable to use two pans when cooking okonomiyaki, you can only cook one at a time, and cooking 6 of them will take quite a while. Using two pans will halve the cooking time.
- Using a mandoline slicer for shredding the cabbage is optional, but it makes life easier. Otherwise, a large chef's knife works just as well.
- Bacon: I needed about 18 very thin and narrow bacon slices (2 packs, each weighing 3.5 oz/ 100 g) for the okonomiyaki. Use as much thinly sliced bacon to cover the pancake as needed.
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Hi Adina - these Japanese pancakes are amazing. I have never seen anything like them, and whenever bacon is involved, well...enough said! Your photos are stunning, makes me want to whip up a batch today. The only ingredient I don't have in my pantry for this is the oyster sauce, but that's not a big deal to find. Looks like lots of delicious flavor, thanks for another great recipe!
Marvellina | What To Cook Today says
Your version looks just as good as the original one. I love okonomiyaki. My husband and I have this "rule", if a Chinese restaurant serves Japanese food, do not the Japanese food, especially the sushi and sashimi, they are hardly ever good like you said, a joke! I have yet to encounter one that can do both well. If a sushi restaurant offers ramen, we do not order their ramen either. We usually go to the ones that specialized in ramen noodles. It's just us though. We have had enough bad experiences to come up with such conclusion LOL! sadly, they are consistent with our findings !
Anca says
They are delightful. I've made them for my Taste the World and they were delicious.