Air Fryer Kimchi Pancake (Is Kimchi Pancake Healthy?)

I love kimchi pancake -- ask anyone I’ve gotten dinner in K-Town with and they’ll tell you how adamant I was about ordering it, even if we just had it last weekend. As a Korean food lover, kimchi pancake was easily a staple in my weekday diet. It's undeniably delicious, but is kimchi pancake healthy?

Kimchi pancake is usually not very healthy, as it is made by deep frying a flour based mix in oil, making it predominantly made up of carbs and fats. A single serving of Kimchi pancake can be up to 370 calories, consisting mainly of fats and carbs with very minimal protein. This makes it a less than ideal food choice for those trying to stay fit. So imagine how excited I got when I realized I could make it with 60% less calories using my air fryer-- meaning I can now incorporate this skinny air fryer kimchi pancake into my weekday meals!

🍎 Calories and Nutrition – Is Kimchi Pancake Healthy?

Kimchi pancake traditionally consists of pancake flour mixed with kimchi and other veggies, and is deep fried in at least 1-2 tablespoons of oil, adding up to about 370 calories, with 28g grams of fat largely from the oil, 23g of carbs from the flour, and 3g of protein. Let's take a look at each of the components that go into a kimchi pancake recipe:

• Kimchi: Kimchi is very nutritious, packed with probiotics and vitamins that make it a good diet food. A quarter cup serving of kimchi is only 5 calories, which is quite low, making it a great low calorie source of minerals and vitamins.
• Pancake flour: A serving of Korean Pancake Mix, which you can buy from Korean supermarkets or on Amazon, runs at about 100 calories, coming mainly from carbs. While this seems low, this can easily add up in calories if not portioned correctly. This is enough to make a 1 person serving, assuming there are some accompanying dishes.
• Oil: One tablespoon of olive oil (or really any oil) runs at 120 calories each -- the oil ends up adding more calories than the pancake mixture itself! A serving of pancake would need about 1-2 tablespoons of oil (about one tablespoon for each side) in order to cook properly. Skimping on oil will actually result in an undesirable spongey and soft texture, and kimchi pancakes are loved for their crispy texture. So how do we go about achieving that desirable texture while still keeping the calorie content of this dish low?

Looking at each component, it’s easy to see that Kimchi Pancake is a high calorie, high fat and carb heavy dish. It also has limited protein. All these factors make it less than ideal for dieting purposes. However, I discovered that with the magic of an air fryer, I can make this recipe with 60% less calories, making it easy to fit into my everyday diet!

🍏 How to Make It Healthy – The Fitsian Method

By using an air fryer to cut down oil usage and mindfully portioning ingredients, I cut down on the calorie and fat content of the kimchi pancake immensely. Here are the key steps I took:

• Portioned out 1 serving of Korean pancake flour, which is only 100 calories.
• Usage of an air fryer eliminates the need for copious amounts of oil. You can use cooking spray instead, which is theoretically 0 calories. Just spray some on the parchment paper, once for each side of the pancake, and you'll still achieve that delicious crispy texture!
• I also added an egg on top of my kimchi pancake to add some protein to the recipe. It also tastes absolutely delicious with the kimchi pancake. Everything is better with an egg on top!

For a detailed breakdown of each ingredients, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this air fryer kimchi pancake recipe, you may refer to the table below:

 🍽 What To Eat It With

While this air fryer kimchi pancake is delicious, it's much better suited as a side dish given its low calorie and protein content. It's best to find some high protein and low calorie dishes to accompany it. Check out some of the options below:

• Dak Galbi: Cheese Dakgalbi is a spicy tasty Korean dish with juicy spicy chicken topped with gooey melted cheese. This recipe is only 357 calories with a whopping 47g of protein. This is a great dish to eat with the kimchi pancake of you increase protein consumption.
• Dakdoritang: Dakdoritang, or spicy Korean chicken stew, is a comforting chicken soup dish complete with juicily braised chicken thigh with flavorful vegetables. In the recipe, I also added noodles, but you can choose to omit if you'd prefer a lower carb version of the dish. This recipe is 370 calories, with 27g protein.
• Korean Popcorn Chicken: These air fried Korean popcorn chicken are such a delicious and guilt-free snack to pair with your kimchi pancake! This recipe is only 333 calories and has 41g protein, making it another great choice for those who want to increase protein consumption.
• Spicy Salmon Sashimi Korean Style: This Korean style soy marinated salmon sashimi is delicious and refreshing. I would liken it to a Korean style poke. This dish has about 450 calories with 39g protein. Keep in mind that this dish is has slightly more calories and fats given that it is made of salmon, but it's still delicious and good for you if portioned properly!

💡Tips and Tricks

Other types of Air Fryer Pancake

Although this recipe is for kimchi pancake specifically, you can easily mix and match ingredients to create a pancake of your choice. Other ideas include scallions for a delicious scallion pancake as well as some seafood for the ever popular seafood pancake.

Use of Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper

To ensure an easy flip midway through the pancake making process, be sure to use either parchment paper or aluminum foil (or both -- I layered the parchment paper on top of the foil to make a sturdier base) and ensure that the bottom is covered with cooking spray. This prevents the pancake from sticking to the bottom and allows for an easy flip, which is often a cause for concern when cooking the same recipe on the stove.

Kimchi Pancake Sauce

Traditionally, pajeon is served with a tangy soy dipping sauce made of soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. I personally also like to dip it with ssamjang for a stronger flavor. You can buy ssamjang from the Korean market or make it yourself by combining gochujang, doenjang, garlic, and sesame oil.

Check out this recipe for a Sweet Tangy Dipping Sauce and this recipe for Ssamjang from My Korean Kitchen.

If you liked this recipe, check out the following:

• Korean Burrito Bowl
• Dak Galbi
• Pepperlunch Recipe
• Healthy Korean food guide
• Cheating Cheat Meals Recipe collection

📋 Ingredient Notes

Kimchi Pancake Base

• ¼ cup Korean pancake flour
• ¼ cup Cold water

Kimchi Pancake Mix-Ins and Toppings

• Cooking spray
• Kimchi
• Mushrooms, corn, and scallions (Optional)
• Scallion & furikake (For garnish)
• 1 egg (Optional, to top)

🔪 Step by Step Instructions

1. Add the pancake mix and cold water into a bowl and mix thoroughly. The mixture should form a past-like consistency.
2. Chop up the kimchi and other vegetables into small pieces. Mix the kimchi and vegetables into the pancake batter thoroughly.
3. Take out the air fryer basket and layer a piece of foil in the basket, and a piece of parchment paper on top.
4. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Pour the pancake mixture onto the parchment paper. Use a spatula to help flatten and shape the pancake batter into a circular shape.
5. Turn the air fryer on to 380F degrees and let air fry for 10 minutes. Once the first side is done, use a spatula to flip the pancake over and fry for another 10 minutes.
6. While the pancake is finishing up, prepare the egg in a skillet if you are using one. I made mine sunny side up in a skillet. I also made a dipping sauce for the kimchi pancake using this simple kimchi pancake sauce recipe.
7. Remove the kimchi pancake from the air fryer and top with the egg. Garnish with green onions and furikake and enjoy!

🍳 Recipe