Learn to make these gluten-free cabbage bacon fritters topped with sriracha mayo with this recipe using simple ingredients. On the table in less than 30 minutes, these fritters make a great appetizer or side for any meal. Gluten-free and dairy-free.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Vegan

Cabbage bacon fritters are a great gluten-free appetizer recipe for St. Patrick’s Day or any occasion, really! They’re gluten-free and dairy-free, and can even be made egg-free and vegan!

As always, this recipe was born out of Saturday afternoon meal desperation. Toward the end of the week I tend to be scrounging for something to eat before our big grocery haul on Sundays.

Lucky for me I had some cabbage lying around that was just waiting to be used and as always, I had bacon. I don’t think we ever run out of bacon honestly.

It’s like a little bacon fairy comes into our refrigerator to replenish our stock whenever we’re running low. That or we never fail to buy it at the grocery store. Either one. I’m choosing to believe a bacon fairy truly exists.

What resulted was a crispy cabbage pancake loaded with flavor. Seriously, these cabbage fritters are the epitome of a cabbage GLOW UP.

What are cabbage fritters?

These cabbage bacon fritters are *technically* cabbage bacon pancakes, since fritters are actually fried. Instead, these cabbage fritters are lightly cooked in a skillet until nice and crispy.

Whether you want to call them cabbage bacon fritters or cabbage bacon pancakes… I’ll let you decide!

What is the inspiration behind these cabbage bacon fritters?

There is a Japanese dish called okonomiyaki, which is a savory cabbage pancake typically made with wheat flour, eggs, and scallions. You’ll often see it drizzled with toppings, such as mayo.

While my version is not at all traditional, it does take the main parts of okonomiyaki to form one tasty cabbage fritter! Just without the gluten or gluten! But, don’t worry – there’s still a sriracha mayo on top!

A photo of cabbage bacon pancakes on a plate topped with green onions and sriracha mayo.

Are these cabbage pancakes gluten-free?

Typically cabbage pancakes are not gluten-free, but don’t worry I’ve got you covered. My version (as always) is completely gluten-free and dairy-free!

The main gluten culprits in a traditional cabbage pancake are the wheat flour and soy sauce. Instead, use your favorite gluten-free flour blend as a binder. I personally like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour.

Soy sauce is made of soy and wheat and is often one of those hidden sources of gluten you find out about shortly after starting a gluten-free diet. Tamari sauce is soy sauce made without the wheat! It’s readily available at most grocery stores right next to the soy sauce.

Just a little bit of tamari sauce gives these cabbage bacon fritters great umami flavor.

Can cabbage bacon pancakes be made dairy-free?

These cabbage pancakes are already dairy-free, with the use of unsweetened almond milk as our binder. If you are able to consume dairy, you can always use regular milk, instead.

If you have a nut allergy, I recommend soy milk instead of almond milk. Always be sure to use unsweetened unflavored non-dairy milk. Trust me, you don’t want to add vanilla flavor to these savory cabbage pancakes. It will not be good.

Can cabbage fritters be made vegan?

These cabbage fritters can be made vegan! First, you’ll need to omit the bacon from the recipe. It will still be delicious without it, I promise.

You’ll also need to use non-dairy milk as stated in the recipe and use a flax egg instead of a regular egg. I’ve tested with both a flax egg and regular egg, and both work!

For the sriracha mayo, use a vegan mayo instead of regular mayo, which is made with eggs. I highly suggest Just Mayo.

A photo showing the steps to make gluten-free cabbage bacon fritters by first adding shredded cabbage, egg, cooked bacon, gluten-free flour, salt, pepper, garlic, tamari, and green onions to a large bowl, mixing it all together, and cooking in a skillet before topping with sriracha mayo.

How to make cabbage pancakes

It’s so simple to turn vegetables into savory little pancakes. Cabbage is no different!

Cabbage pancakes are a great way to use leftover cabbage. Just shred it all up, and mix together with the batter ingredients: gluten-free flour, an egg or flax egg, green onions, bacon, tamari sauce, and non-dairy milk.

Then drop portions of the batter on a heated skillet with oil and cook on both sides until crispy.

Drizzle with a spicy sriracha mayo and eat!

How to Shred Cabbage

There are many ways to shred cabbage for this cabbage pancake recipe. You can even use pre-shredded cabbage that comes in a bag at the grocery store.

Though, it is so simple to shred your own cabbage at home and more economical, too! You can shred your cabbage ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or so if you want to prep ahead.

Shred Cabbage With a Knife

You can use a knife to shred the cabbage. This is an easy technique to do and only takes a few minutes. Keep in mind that it works best to have thin shreds, so the thinner you can slice the cabbage the better!

To shred your cabbage with a knife:

Cut the cabbage into quarters, slicing through the stem. If you cut the cabbage horizontally, it will fall part.
Remove the core of the cabbage.
Thinly (and carefully) slice the cabbage into shreds.

Note: You’ll want to use a knife that is larger than the cabbage. I pretty much exclusively use a chef’s knife which has a 6 to 7 inch blade when slicing anything, including cabbage. This knife is a powerhouse in the kitchen!

Shred Cabbage with a Food Processor

The food processor is my favorite way to shred cabbage. You’ll need a shredding attachment with your food processor in order to do this. The grating attachment will be too small, but the slicing attachment would also work.

Cut the cabbage into quarters.
Remove the core of the cabbage.
Cut cabbage into smaller pieces that can fit through the food processor feeding tube.
Place the shredding disc on your food processor. You can also use the slicing disk.
Feed the cabbage through the tube of your food processor to shred the cabbage.

Note: I have a KitchenAid food processor that gets so much use because of this attachment. I also use it religiously to shred carrots and blocks of cheese!

A photo of shredded cabbage in a bowl with cooked bacon, and an egg for cabbage bacon fritters.

How to serve cabbage pancakes?

I love to serve my cabbage pancakes with the sriracha mayo in this recipe. It adds a little spicy kick and flavor to the fritters.

The spicy sriracha mayo just takes a minutes to make and is so worth it! Just mix together mayonnaise (or vegan mayo), lemon juice, tamari and sriracha. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients if needed. Some may like a spicier sriracha mayo that I do.

How to store leftover cabbage bacon fritters

While these cabbage bacon fritters taste best served immediately, you can store any leftover fritters in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Just reheat in a skillet.

I recommend eating any cabbage pancakes that have sriracha mayo on them right away as they will get soggy if stored in the refrigerator. It’s best to drizzle with sriracha mayo just before eating.

How to Make Ahead Cabbage Bacon Pancakes

As I’ve already mentioned, these cabbage bacon pancakes do taste best when served immediately after cooking, but there are a few things you can do to prepare ahead!

The bacon can be made 1-2 days ahead of time. For this recipe, I cooked the bacon in a skillet, but you can also bake your bacon in the oven if you want to make a big batch. It’s so easy and there’s less cleanup! Just store the bacon in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it for this recipe.

You can also shred the cabbage ahead of time. It will last in an airtight container up to 2 days before use.

The sriracha mayo can be made ahead, too! Mix together all of the ingredients and store in a container in the refrigerator up to a few weeks. It’s also great topped on tacos, burgers and more!

A photo of cabbage bacon fritters on a plate topped with spicy sriracha mayo and green onions.

Looking for more cabbage recipes? Try these!

More Gluten-Free St. Patrick’s Day Recipes You’ll Love

This recipe was originally posted on March 17, 2016 and updated on February 11, 2020 with new photos, tips and tricks to help you make these cabbage bacon fritters perfectly every time!

Cabbage Bacon Fritters