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Okonomiyaki is a well-known Japanese street food, often cooked on flat griddles at markets and festivals. The name translates loosely to “grilled as you like,” which reflects how flexible the dish can be. It’s a savory pancake filled with vegetables and other ingredients, then topped with sauce and garnishes. This vegan version from Yang Liu and Katharina Pinczolits’ cookbook Vegan Asian Street Food brings that same idea into a home kitchen without losing its core identity.
The batter combines flour, plant milk, and pureed yams, which gives the pancake a soft, slightly springy texture. Shredded cabbage, onion, and strips of smoked tofu add structure and flavor. Once cooked, the pancake gets brushed with a sweet and savory sauce, then finished with vegan mayonnaise, seaweed flakes, and pickled ginger. Each layer adds something different, from umami depth to sharpness and crunch.
Read more: Miso Tofu Ramen
You can make okonomiyaki any time you want a quick, filling meal that doesn’t rely on complex steps. It works well for lunch or dinner and can be shared straight from the pan, much like it is at street stalls.
This recipe is republished by Vegan Asian Street Food: Over 80 Plant-based Recipes for Every Occasion by Yang Liu and Katharina Pinczolits, £24, hardback, Hardie Grant Books, published 22 January 2026. Photography © Katharina Pinczolits
How to make this Japanese staple
Ingredients
- 150 g plain all-purpose wheat flour
- 200 g fresh yam peeled and pureed
- 150 ml plant-based milk
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 200 g cabbage shredded
- 50 g onion diced
- 100 g smoked tofu cut into thin strips
- 1 spring onion sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 60 ml canola rapeseed oil
- 40 g vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons aonori dried seaweed flakes
- 30 g beni shōga pickled red ginger
OKONOMIYAKI SAUCE
- 3 tablespoons chuno sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato sauce ketchup
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the wheat flour, pureed yam and plant-based milk to form a batter. Add the garlic, cabbage, onion, smoked tofu, spring onion, salt and ground black pepper, and mix well.
- To make the okonomiyaki sauce, mix the chuno sauce, vegan oyster sauce, tomato sauce and maple syrup in a small bowl.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the canola oil and tilt the pan a little so the oil covers the base of the pan evenly. Add half of the batter and, using a spatula, press it into a flat pancake about 1 cm (½ in) thick.
- Cook for 1 minute, then cover and cook for another 3–4 minutes, until lightly browned. Place a plate that’s larger than the frying pan over the pan, flip the pan carefully and slide the pancake back into the pan. Cook the other side for another 2–3 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Regrease the pan with the remaining canola oil and repeat to make another pancake.
- Brush the sauce on the top of the okonomiyaki, squeeze over the vegan mayonnaise, and sprinkle with aonori flakes and beni shōga to serve.
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