I love making Okonomiyaki, especially with crispy bacon and juicy prawns, as a treat every few months. This savoury Japanese pancake, a street food favourite from Osaka, combines a perfect blend of flavours and textures. If you’re craving bacon or shrimp Okonomiyaki, this authentic recipe brings the streets of Osaka right to your kitchen. With just a few simple ingredients, you can make this dish at home. Ready to try your hand at an Osaka-style Okonomiyaki recipe? Let’s get started!
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Bacon and Shrimp Okonomiyaki Recipe: Quick Comfort Food
I’m a big fan of this Okonomiyaki recipe because it’s quick, easy to prepare, and full of bold, unique flavours. It’s one of my go-to comfort foods when I want something special. While I haven’t had the chance to visit Japan yet, I first tasted Okonomiyaki at Abeno, a Japanese restaurant in London, where they cook these savoury pancakes on a hot plate right in front of you - giving that authentic street food vibe. I’ve tweaked my version to suit my taste, and I have to say, it might just be better than the one I tried in the restaurant!
Pin itWhere Okonomiyaki Comes From
Okonomiyaki means “grilled how you like it”, which tells you everything: a savoury pancake of flour, egg and shredded cabbage that you load with whatever you fancy, then finish with the sauce, mayo, bonito flakes and spring onion.
Its roots go back centuries to a simple flour-and-water pancake, but it really took off as street food in the twentieth century, especially around Osaka and Hiroshima, when it was cheap and filling in hard times. Those two cities still argue over whose style is best. This is the Osaka way, with everything mixed through the batter.
Okonomiyaki Styles: Osaka vs. Hiroshima
Japan is home to two main styles of Okonomiyaki, each originating from distinct regions with its own preparation techniques.
- Osaka-Style (Kansai-Style) Okonomiyaki: This popular version features a batter made from flour, eggs, grated nagaimo yam, dashi stock, and shredded cabbage. Additional ingredients like pork belly, shrimp, squid, or cheese are often mixed in. Once cooked, the pancake is drizzled with a rich, sweet-savoury Okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and topped with bonito flakes and green onions.
- Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki (Hiroshima-yaki): Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki takes a layered approach. Each component - batter, cabbage, bean sprouts, pork belly, or even noodles - is cooked separately and then stacked together. The final dish is topped with Okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and green onions for a flavour-packed finish.
Beyond Osaka and Hiroshima: Regional Variations of Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki’s versatility has inspired regions across Japan to create their own unique versions. In Tokyo, you’ll find “monjayaki,” a thinner, runnier variant served with a spoon rather than chopsticks. The Kansai region offers “negiyaki,” where green onions replace cabbage as the main ingredient, adding a fresh twist to this classic dish.
The Role of Katsuobushi in Okonomiyaki
Katsuobushi, or dried bonito flakes, is a key topping that adds depth to the flavour and texture of Okonomiyaki. Made from fermented, dried bonito (a type of tuna), katsuobushi is known for its umami-packed, smoky flavour. When sprinkled over the hot pancake, the thin flakes seem to “dance” due to the rising heat, creating a visually captivating experience that enhances the authenticity of the dish.
In Okonomiyaki, katsuobushi isn’t just about taste - it’s about texture, too. The light, airy flakes contrast beautifully with the soft pancake and rich sauces. Combined with the savoury Okonomiyaki sauce and creamy mayonnaise, katsuobushi lifts each bite with a perfect burst of umami. This ingredient is a must if you want to capture the true essence of Japanese street food in your Okonomiyaki recipe.
How to Make Okonomiyaki, Step by Step
Full quantities are in the recipe card below. The batter needs a rest before the cabbage goes in, so read ahead: getting the order right is most of what makes okonomiyaki work.
- Make the batter first and give it a proper rest. Put the cold stock in the bowl and whisk the flour and baking powder into it a little at a time. Beat in the egg, then the grated potato and the black pepper. Cover it and leave it at least thirty minutes. An hour is better, overnight better still.Flour into liquid, not liquid onto flour, is the difference between a smooth batter and ten minutes chasing lumps, and the fix if yours comes out almost solid. Warm stock starts working the flour straight away and makes a heavy, rubbery pancake. The potato does the job mountain yam does in Japan, binding the batter and keeping the inside light. The rest lets the flour soak up the liquid, which is what holds the pancake together when you turn it.
- Cut and dry the cabbage while the batter rests. Cut the cabbage into rough pieces about three centimetres across, not fine shreds. Dry it well in a salad spinner or a clean tea towel, and keep it in its own bowl until you cook.Fine shreds collapse into the batter and make the pancake wet and heavy. Rough pieces keep some bite and hold air. Wet cabbage thins the batter and is the commonest reason okonomiyaki turns out soggy, and cabbage sitting in batter weeps water.
- Get everything else ready before the pan goes on. Mix the okonomiyaki sauce, cut the bacon in half, slice the spring onion and shallot, and grate the ginger and garlic.Once the first pancake is in the pan there is no time to measure sauce or hunt for the mayonnaise.
- Fold it all together at the last minute. Cabbage, prawns, ginger, garlic, shallot and spring onion into the rested batter. Fold, do not stir, for about thirty seconds. If the mixture looks loose and will not hold together, beat in another egg now.Beating it works the gluten and makes it tough and rubbery. Too little binding is the commonest reason an okonomiyaki falls apart when you turn it, and it is much easier to fix now than later.
- Shape it in the pan, and do not press it down. A tablespoon of oil over a medium heat, not low. Add a quarter of the mixture, shape it into a round about two centimetres thick, then lay half the bacon on top. Now leave it alone.Low heat steams it instead of browning it. Osaka style is meant to stay tall and airy, and pressing forces out the air. Pressing belongs to Hiroshima style, where the layers need to stick together.
- Cover the pan for the first side. Lid on, five to six minutes. Turn it when the edges look dry and set and the base is deep golden.The lid is the whole trick: it traps enough steam to cook the middle while the base browns, so it is not burnt outside and raw inside.
- Turn it in one decisive movement. Two fish slices make it easier, or slide it onto a plate, put a second plate over it, flip, and slide it back in. If it tears, push it back into shape and carry on. Lid back on for another five to six minutes. It is done when the prawns are pink right through and a skewer in the thickest part comes out clean and hot.A nervous half-turn breaks it, not the flip itself, and nobody will see a tear once the sauce is on. The prawns go in raw and the bacon starts raw, so check it, do not go by the clock.
- Dress it and eat it straight away. Brush okonomiyaki sauce over the top, pipe Kewpie mayonnaise in fine lines and add a good handful of katsuobushi, plus aonori and a little benishoga if you have them. Cooking several? Keep the finished ones on a rack in a low oven at about 70C, not stacked.The bonito flakes curling in the heat is the theatre of the dish. Okonomiyaki is at its best within a minute of leaving the pan, and stacking softens the crust.
Recipe Card for Osaka Style Okonomiyaki with Prawns and Bacon
Osaka Style Okonomiyaki with Prawns and Bacon
Osaka style okonomiyaki: a thick, cabbage-packed Japanese pancake with prawns folded through the batter and streaky bacon crisping on top, finished with okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie mayonnaise and katsuobushi that moves in the heat.
Equipment I Use
Ingredients
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, whisk together plain flour, baking powder, stock, and egg until no lumps remain. Add grated potato and black pepper and mix well. Cover and let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes.
While the batter rests, cut the cabbage into rough pieces about 3 cm across, not finely shredded, and dry it well in a salad spinner or a clean tea towel. Keep it in a separate bowl until you are ready to cook.
Mix the okonomiyaki sauce ingredients together, cut the bacon in half, slice the spring onion and shallot, and grate the ginger and garlic.
Fold the cabbage, prawns, ginger, garlic, shallot and spring onion through the rested batter for about 30 seconds. Do not beat it. If the mixture looks loose, beat in another egg.
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with 1 tbsp of oil. Add a quarter of the mixture and shape it into a round about 2 cm thick, then lay half the bacon on top. Do not press it down: Osaka style is meant to stay tall and airy, and flattening it forces out the air.
Cover the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the edges look set and the base is deep golden.
Flip it in one decisive movement, using two fish slices if that helps, then cover again and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes. It is ready when the prawns are pink and opaque and a skewer pushed into the thickest part comes out clean and hot.
When ready, remove the Okonomiyaki from the pan and garnish it with sauce, mayonnaise, and katsuobushi. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve hot and enjoy!
Chef’s notes
- Cabbage: cut it into rough pieces about 3 cm across and dry it well. Do not shred it finely, which is what makes the pancake soggy.
- Batter: thick but pourable. If it looks loose and will not hold together, beat in another egg before it goes in the pan.
- Do not press it down. Osaka style stays tall and airy; flattening forces the air out. Pressing belongs to Hiroshima style, where the layers need to bond.
- Doneness: the prawns are raw in the batter and the bacon starts raw on top, so cook until the prawns are pink and opaque and a skewer in the thickest part comes out clean and hot.
- Swaps: squid or thinly sliced pork belly in place of the prawns, or leave out the seafood and bacon for a vegetarian version. No sweet soy sauce? Use soy with a little honey. No mirin? Honey with a splash of rice vinegar.
- Leftovers: cool without toppings, then 3 days in the fridge or a month in the freezer. Reheat in a hot oven rather than a microwave, which costs you the crust.
- About the nutrition. The figures cover one pancake as the recipe makes it. The mayonnaise and katsuobushi on top carry no quantity here, so they are not counted - a generous squeeze of Kewpie adds a good deal.
Nutrition per serving
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FAQ for Osaka Style Okonomiyaki with Prawns and Bacon
What does okonomiyaki mean?
It roughly means “grilled how you like it” - a savoury Japanese cabbage pancake you can fill with your favourite ingredients.
What is the difference between Osaka and Hiroshima style?
Osaka style mixes everything into the batter, while Hiroshima style layers it with noodles. This is the simpler Osaka style.
What can I use instead of okonomiyaki sauce?
Mix brown sauce or Worcestershire with a little ketchup, soy sauce and a pinch of sugar for a quick homemade version.
Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes. Leave out the prawns and bacon and add extra cabbage, spring onion, sweetcorn or mushrooms.
How do I store and reheat leftover okonomiyaki?
Leave the toppings off anything you are not eating straight away, let it cool, then wrap it well. It keeps three days in the fridge and about a month in the freezer. Reheat it in a hot oven, around 180C, for ten to fifteen minutes from the fridge or twenty five to thirty from frozen, then sauce and dress it once it is hot. A microwave works but you lose the crust entirely. It is also perfectly good cold the next day, which is how a fair few people in Japan eat it.
Do I need mountain yam (nagaimo)?
No. Nagaimo is what gives okonomiyaki in Japan its slightly pillowy inside, and it is genuinely hard to find outside a Japanese grocer. My recipe uses grated potato instead, which binds the batter and keeps it light. If you want to go further, whisk two egg whites to soft peaks and fold them in at the end, or simply double the baking powder. Well drained silken tofu does a similar job.
Can I make it without dashi?
Yes. My card uses vegetable stock, and it works. Dashi is the more traditional choice and gives a deeper, faintly smoky background, so use it if you have it, and if you are buying it look for soup stock rather than soup base, which is a much saltier thing and will make the batter taste harsh. Leftover ramen broth is a good cheat.
What is tenkasu, and do I need it?
Tenkasu is the crisp scraps of leftover tempura batter, and it is what gives okonomiyaki in an Osaka restaurant that light, slightly craggy texture. It is optional and my recipe leaves it out. If you want to try it, a couple of tablespoons folded in with the cabbage is plenty, and crushed tempura seaweed snacks are a decent stand-in.
What kind of cabbage should I use?
Sweetheart, pointed or plain green cabbage. Not napa or Chinese leaf, which holds far too much water and turns the pancake wet no matter how carefully you cook it. The cut matters as much as the type, so see step two.
Can I use shrimp instead of prawns, or make it with just seafood?
Prawns and shrimp are the same thing here, so use whichever your shop calls them, cut into pieces so they cook through in the batter. For a seafood okonomiyaki, drop the bacon and use a mix of prawns, squid and scallops, patted very dry first. Anything wet going into the batter is working against you.
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes, with a plain gluten free flour blend in place of the plain flour. The texture is a little more fragile, so the extra egg mentioned in step three is worth adding from the start. Check the sauce as well: Worcestershire sauce and most bottled okonomiyaki sauces contain wheat, so use a gluten free version of each.
Pin itMore recipes you’ll like
- Try my Japanese Potato Curry and Japanese Katsu Curry
- Try my Thai Style Fish & Prawn Curry and Seafood Spring Rolls
- Try my 5 Shrimp and Prawn Recipes, from creole to paella.
Video Recipe for Okonomiyaki
A Few Words from the Chef
I got the idea from a programme about Japanese street food and then made okonomiyaki over and over until I had it exactly where I wanted it. I later ordered one in a very good Japanese restaurant in London and, honestly, mine was better, at a fraction of the price.
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Is the potato cooked or raw in this recipe? In the video it looks cooked when it’s being grated.
It is grated raw in this recipe 🙂
Thank you!!
You are welcome!