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Breakfast for dinner · 25 minutes

Waffle-Iron Kimchi Pancakes

Kimchi pajeon batter goes into a waffle iron, so every pancake comes out with deep, crisp pockets for the dipping sauce and nobody has to flip anything.

Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
2
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VeganDairy-freeEgg-freeWaffle iron

The best part of kimchi jeon is the crisp, lacy edge, and a waffle iron is basically a machine for making edges. The grid gives each pancake twice the browned surface of a skillet version, the batter cooks evenly top and bottom, and there’s no tense flip with a floppy pancake the size of the pan.

The batter is flour, a little potato starch for crunch, ice-cold water and a splash of kimchi juice for color and tang. No eggs needed, which makes the whole thing vegan as long as your kimchi is. Your waffle iron has been waiting for a savory job.

The recipe

Waffle-Iron Kimchi Pancakes

Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min · Total 25 min · Serves 2

Ingredients

Tap to tick off as you go.

For the pancakes

For the dipping sauce

Method

  1. Step 1: Heat the waffle iron

    Preheat the waffle iron to medium-high (or its standard setting). Mix all the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

  2. Step 2: Mix the batter

    Whisk the flour, potato starch, salt and sugar. Add the cold water and kimchi juice and stir just until no dry flour remains; a few lumps are fine. Fold in the kimchi, scallions and gochugaru. The batter should be thick but spoonable.

  3. Step 3: Cook the first pancake

    Brush the plates generously with oil. Spread about ½ cup of batter over the center of the bottom plate, pushing the kimchi and scallions into an even layer. Close and cook for 4–5 minutes, until deep golden and crisp, without opening early.

  4. Step 4: Keep them crisp

    Lift the pancake onto a wire rack, not a plate. Re-oil the plates and repeat with the remaining batter; you’ll get about 4 pancakes.

  5. Step 5: Cut and serve

    Cut each pancake into wedges along the grid with scissors or a knife and serve hot with the dipping sauce.

Good to know

  • Keep the water ice-cold and don’t overmix. Cold batter that hasn’t developed much gluten fries up crisp instead of chewy.
  • Oil the plates before every pancake, even on a nonstick iron. The kimchi’s sugars and juice stick hard when the plates run dry.
  • If the first one is pale when the iron’s light says done, give it another minute or two. The color is your timer, not the light.

Swaps

All-purpose flour
Make it gluten-free: a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend or sweet rice flour, with tamari in the sauce
Scallions only
Add a handful of thinly sliced zucchini, shredded carrot or chopped mushrooms; squeeze watery vegetables dry first
Waffle iron
A 10-inch nonstick skillet with 2 tbsp oil, 3–4 minutes per side over medium-high

Questions people ask

Is kimchi vegetarian?

Often not. Traditional cabbage kimchi is usually made with fish sauce or salted shrimp, so look for a jar labeled vegan or check the ingredients.

Can you make pancakes in a waffle iron?

Yes, any thick, pourable batter will cook in a waffle iron. Oil the plates well and expect 4–5 minutes for a savory pancake like this one.

How do you make kimchi pancakes crispy?

Use ice-cold water, add some potato starch or cornstarch, and cook in plenty of hot oil or a well-oiled waffle iron. Cooling them on a rack keeps the bottoms from steaming soft.

Get the cabbage kimchi, scallions and garlic from a farmer.

This recipe is only as good as what goes in it. Find a farmers market or CSA farm near you, or get a produce box delivered when there’s no market this week.

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