Korean Sweet Potato Pancakes

Quick answer

Total time: 27 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 6

About this dish

Goguma-jeon is a Korean sweet potato pancake made by julienning peeled sweet potatoes, folding them into a batter of pancake mix, water, salt, and a touch of sugar, then spreading the mixture thin in an oiled pan and frying both sides until golden.

The sweet potato's starch gelatinizes in the heat and bonds with the batter to create lacy, crisp edges, while the center retains the tuber's natural moist sweetness. Keeping the pancake thin is non-negotiable-pressing the batter flat with the back of a spoon ensures even cooking and maximum crunch, because thick portions steam internally and turn soggy. Adding a teaspoon of sugar to the batter amplifies the sweet potato's subtle sweetness and encourages faster caramelization at the edges.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

sweet potato300 gg

pancake mix90 gg

water110 mlml

salt⅓ tsptsp

cooking oil2 tbsptbsp

sugar1 tsptsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Heat

Peel 300g of sweet potato and cut it into thin, even julienne strips about 0.3cm thick.

Trim any thicker pieces so the potato cooks at the same pace and does not stay firm inside.
2

Season

In a wide bowl, combine 90g pancake mix, 110ml water, 0.3 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar.

Whisk until the dry flour disappears and the batter looks thick enough to cling to the sweet potato.
3

Step

Add the julienned sweet potato to the batter and fold gently so the strips do not break.

Stop when the batter lightly coats the spaces between the strips instead of pooling heavily at the bottom.
4

Control

Add 2 tablespoons cooking oil to a pan and preheat over medium heat for about 1 minute.

The pan is ready when a small bit of batter sizzles gently around the edges without smoking.
5

Heat

Spoon the mixture into the pan and press it very thin with the back of the spoon.

Keep the heat at medium and fry for 3-4 minutes, until the edges set, look lacy, and turn golden.
6

Heat

When the underside is deep golden, slide a wide spatula under the pancake and flip it carefully.

Cook for 2-3 minutes more, then remove it when both sides feel crisp and let it rest briefly before serving.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Goguma-jeon are julienned sweet potato pancakes with crispy edges held together by natural starch.
Finish cue: When the underside is deep golden, slide a wide spatula under the pancake and flip it carefully.
Avoid this: Add the julienned sweet potato to the batter and fold gently so the strips do not break.