Buchujeon Garlic Chive Pancake. A crispy, flavourful, savoury pancake with the aromatic flavours from garlic chives, green and white onion. Absolutely delicious and even tastier when paired with a soy vinegar dipping sauce. Great as an appetizer, snack or side dish. Ready in just 20-30 minutes. A popular dish in Korean cuisine.
I remember my first time having crispy chives pancake. The version I had was similar and it contained seafood but I remember the most tastiest part of this dish was the garlic chives and onions. Years later, I discovered through my dose of BTS’ Bon Voyage that Korean Garlic Chive Pancakes without the seafood were a thing. It is called “Buchujeon” in Korean. And honestly, I love this version so much because it’s vegan and egg-free! Some versions do contain egg but I wanted to make this completely plant-based.
What does Buchujeon taste like?
Picture a very crispy pancake that is packed full with garlic chives, white onion and green onion. The onions and chives are browned and almost charred to a crisp giving this pancake an even better taste. And then with every bite you can get that delicious chewy pancake. It’s so good on its own or paired with my soy vinegar sesame sauce.
This is the best Buchujeon recipe I’ve made and I’m so thrilled to share it with you!
Easy to make!
This Korean garlic chive pancake recipe is incredibly easy to make. You are essentially mixing your chopped aromatics into a bowl with flour, salt and water until it becomes a thick batter. Then frying it in a very well oiled pan on both sides until golden crispy brown.
The trickiest part may be flipping the pancake over but with the help of a plate, you’ll be fine!
Watch how I made it!
Tips for making the best Buchujeon
- As tempting as it looks, do not add more flour to the batter for this Buchujeon recipe. It may look bare and you're probably thinking, "how is this going to form a pancake?" but if you do add more flour, you will get a very mushy undercooked pancake. Just trust me on this one
- Chop the chives into 1 inch pieces. This will help it mix evenly with the batter
- Chop the white onions and green onions into thin 1 inch pieces as well for even mixing.
- Make sure to follow the instructed amount of oil. Yes, ¼ cup is a lot but you will really need it for this pancake. Otherwise it will stick making it very difficult for you to flip. The pancake should be sliding around your pan for an easy flip.
- Charring is recommended. It really brings out that delicious taste from the aromatics.
- Make sure to cook it on both side until it’s crispy brown and cooked through inside. You may need to leave it on the pan over low heat to ensure it’s cooked through.
- To cut the Buchujeon Garlic Chive Pancake, use sharp scissors or transfer to a cutting board and slice with a sharp knife.
FAQ
What are Korean pancakes called?
They are called “Jeon” in Korean.
What is buchu in Korean?
Buchu means “Garlic Chives” in Korean and they are popularly used in Korean cooking.
Can I use normal chives?
Personally, I have not tried using normal chives but I can imagine it working out fine. I would just recommend keeping the heat temperature lower as normal chives are much thinner and will burn easily.
How do you pronunciate Buchujeon?
Buchujeon pronunciation: Bu-chu-je-on
Other Korean recipes you may like!
KOREAN STREET TOAST WITH HAM
SWEET SPICY GOCHUJANG CHICKEN
KOREAN POTATO SALAD
GANJANG BIBIM GUKSU
SPICY GOCHUJANG SESAME TOFU
SUNDUBU RAMEN
For this recipe
You will need the following ingredients for this Korean pancake chives:
- ½ cup white onion, sliced into thin 1-inch long pieces
- 1 cup green onion, sliced into thin 1-inch long pieces
- 2 cup garlic chives, sliced into thin 1-inch long pieces
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup neutral oil
Buchujeon sauce:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp gochujang
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- Sprinkle sesame seeds
How to make Buchujeon
- Slice your white onion, green onion and garlic chives into 1-inch-long pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- To the bowl, add all-purpose flour, salt and water. Mix well until it becomes a thick batter.
- In a 12-inch non-stick pan set over medium heat, add oil. Then carefully lower batter into the pan. Spreading the batter across the pan evenly. Pressing the batter down firmly with a spatula.
- Fry on each side until golden crispy brown, about 5-10 minutes on each side. Tip: to flip the pancake, slide the pancake onto a large plate, then flip the non-fried side of the pancake into the pan.
- Once done, the pancake should be crispy, a bit charred, brown and cooked through. If you notice that the pancake is still not cooked through, leave it on the pan to cook over low-medium heat until it is. It should not be gooey inside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together your ingredients for the dipping sauce until well combined. Serve with pancake.
Give it a try!
Well, I hope you give my vegan Buchujeon Garlic Chive Pancake a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed my Korean garlic chive pancake, please share it with your family and friends or on social media!
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Made this recipe and loved it?
If you could leave a star rating for my vegan Buchujeon, I would greatly appreciate it 🙂 Thanks so much!
Take care,
Christie
*This post for my easy Buchujeon contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn from qualifying purchases through additional affiliate programs
Buchujeon (Garlic Chive Pancake) Vegan
Ingredients
- ½ cup white onion sliced into thin 1-inch long pieces
- 1 cup green onion sliced into thin 1-inch long pieces
- 2 cup garlic chives sliced into thin 1-inch long pieces
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup vegetable oil avocado or neutral kind
Buchujeon sauce:
- 2 tbsp regular soy sauce not light or dark!
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp gochujang
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ⅛ tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice your white onion, green onion and garlic chives into 1-inch-long pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- To the bowl, add all-purpose flour, salt and water. Mix well until it becomes a thick batter.
- In a 12-inch non-stick pan set over medium heat, add oil. Then carefully lower batter into the pan. Spreading the batter across the pan evenly. Pressing the batter down firmly with a spatula.
- Fry on each side until golden crispy brown, about 5-10 minutes on each side. Tip: to flip the pancake, slide the pancake onto a large plate, then flip the non-fried side of the pancake into the pan.
- Once done, the pancake should be crispy, a bit charred, brown and cooked through. If you notice that the pancake is still not cooked through, leave it on the pan to cook over low-medium heat until it is. It should not be gooey inside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together your ingredients for the dipping sauce until well combined. Serve with pancake.
NOTES
- As tempting as it looks, do not add more flour to the batter for this Buchujeon recipe. It may look bare and you're probably thinking, "how is this going to form a pancake?" but if you do add more flour, you will get a very mushy undercooked pancake. Just trust me on this one
- Chop the chives into 1 inch pieces. This will help it mix evenly with the batter
- Chop the white onions and green onions into thin 1 inch pieces as well for even mixing.
- Make sure to follow the instructed amount of oil. Yes, ¼ cup is a lot but you will really need it for this pancake. Otherwise it will stick making it very difficult for you to flip. The pancake should be sliding around your pan for an easy flip.
- Charring is recommended. It really brings out that delicious taste from the aromatics.
- Make sure to cook it on both side until it’s crispy brown and cooked through inside. You may need to leave it on the pan over low heat to ensure it’s cooked through.
- To cut the Buchujeon Garlic Chive Pancake, use sharp scissors or transfer to a cutting board and slice with a sharp knife.
What a fun party starter or late night binge watching snack! I'm just loving all of the savory flavors in this pancake, too... it's the perfect plant-based treat!
I made this twice over the weekend, and it was delicious.
I used a tablespoon of regular chives instead of garlic chives, because I couldn't find fresh chives and good luck finding garlic chives on Maui.
For the sauce, I halved the amount of vinegar, and subbed unseasoned rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. I also used twice as much gochujang in my dipping sauce.
Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Jennifer! So glad you enjoyed it with normal chives. Great substitution!