Kimchi Potato Pancakes. Crispy, savoury potato pancakes packed with umami-tasting kimchi! This is a great side dish, snack or appetizer idea. An easy 5-ingredient recipe.
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What are Kimchi Potato Pancakes?
Kimchi Potato Pancakes are a Korean-twist to your classic potato pancakes. These crispy pancakes are made of grated potatoes, kimchi, all-purpose flour, and egg and fried in hot oil until golden brown.
These Korean-inspired potato pancakes are absolutely delicious, tender and crispy on the edges. Packed with that savory umami flavor you get from the kimchi! There's so much flavor in kimchi you don't even need to season these pancakes.
They serve well as a snack, appetizer or side dish and are easily made with minimal ingredients! Perfect for all the kimchi-lovers out there, like myself. I created this recipe years ago because I am obsessed with this Korean ingredient!
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.Â
- Yellow russet potatoes
- Well fermented kimchi: get the precut kind at the Korean grocery store. The precut kind is labelled as "mat kimchi".
- All-purpose flour: or substitute with gluten-free baking flour if you're gluten-free
- Large Egg: to help bind everything together
- Neutral oil:Â like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils.Â
How to make Kimchi Potato Pancakes
Grate Peeled Potatoes
First grate your peeled potatoes with a box grater or a food processor. Transfer grated potatoes to a colander.
Rinse Grated Potatoes with Cold Water
Rinse the grated potatoes with cold running water to remove excess starch. Strain out the excess water by giving the colander a good shake.
Wring out the Water
Transfer the grated potatoes into a clean tea towel and wring out as much water as possible. The drier the potatoes are, the more crispy your pancakes will be.
Create Pancake Batter
Place the grated potatoes in a large mixing bowl, along with all-purpose flour, egg and chopped kimchi. Mix thoroughly until ingredients are well combined and the batter is sticky.
Fry Pancake Batter
In a large pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Spoon about ¼ cup of the batter into the hot pan.
Flatten Pancake
Flatten batter into a thin pancake using the flat side of your measuring cup. Do not overcrowd the pan and fry the pancakes in small batches depending on the size of your pan.
Flip Over
Flip pancakes over. Pour another 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil around the pancakes. Fry on the other side until golden crispy brown. Remove pancakes from pan and transfer to a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Excess oil creates for soggy pancakes.
Serve & enjoy!
Serve with your favourite condiment and enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.Â
Expert Tips
- Use yellow russet potatoes as they are starchy and are perfect for making the best potato pancakes.
- Grating with a box grater takes more time but it's worth it as it creates the perfect shreds.
- If you're tight on time, use a food processor with a grating blade to shred the potatoes.
- Rinse the grated potatoes with cold running water to remove the excess starch which causes the pancakes to be less crispy.
- Wring out as much water in the potatoes as possible! Excess water creates soggy pancakes.
- Don't skimp on the oil! This makes the pancakes crispier.
Other recipes you may like!
- Enoki Mushroom Egg Pancake
- Chinese Spicy Sour Potatoes
- Korokke Japanese Potato Croquettes
- Korean Shrimp Leek Pancake
- Asian Sesame Smashed Potatoes
📖 Recipe
Easy Kimchi Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 7 small yellow russet potatoes peeled
- 2 cups packed kimchi finely chopped
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Instructions
- First grate your peeled potatoes with a box grater or a food processor. Transfer grated potatoes to a colander.
- Rinse the grated potatoes with cold running water to remove excess starch. Strain out the excess water by giving the colander a good shake.
- Transfer the grated potatoes into a clean tea towel and wring out as much water as possible. The drier the potatoes are, the more crispy your pancakes will be.
- Place the grated potatoes in a large mixing bowl, along with all-purpose flour, egg and chopped kimchi. Mix thoroughly until ingredients are well combined and the batter is sticky.
- In a large pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Spoon about ¼ cup of the batter into the hot pan.
- Flatten batter into a thin pancake using the flat side of your measuring cup. Do not overcrowd the pan and fry the pancakes in small batches depending on the size of your pan.
- Flip pancakes over. Pour another 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil around the pancakes. Fry on the other side until golden crispy brown. Remove pancakes from pan and transfer to a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Excess oil creates for soggy pancakes.
- Serve with your favourite condiment and enjoy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Adding kimchi to these crispy potato cakes is simply tantalizing. What an epic upgrade to traditional hash browns!
Rosemary
Oh my gosh this is like the Asian version of German potato pancakes and I love it! Potatoes are the best vegetable 🙂
Sherri
Love this twist on potato pancakes! The kimchi must add so much flavor and the color of the pancakes is amazing! 🙂