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Easy Kakiage Tempura (Japanese Vegetable Fritters)

ByJuri Austin Published on Updated on
8 Comments
5 from 6 votes
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This Kakiage is a crispy and delicious Japanese vegetable fritter sure to become your all-time favorite. Try it for an easy, flavorful fried dish!

Looking for tempura dishes? Try my Vegetable Tempura, Eggplant Tempura, Sweet Potato Tempura, or Okra Tempura!

Kakiage on a baking tray.

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From Gianfranco: “Semplice e bello, grazie da Venezia !”

I’ll walk you through the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you enjoy it!

Why You Will Love This Recipe 

  • The thin slices of vegetables, coated in a light batter, create an irresistibly crispy texture.
  • This recipe is straightforward and easy to follow, with only 6 ingredients.
  • The Kakiage is easy to customize with a diverse array of ingredient variations to suit your preferences (See the “Variations” section).

Kakiage

Kakiage is a tasty tempura dish crafted from thinly sliced vegetables, coated in a light batter, and fried to crispy. Enjoy it on its own or as a topping for rice bowls, known as kakiage don. It’s also a popular addition to noodle dishes like udon and soba (kakiage udon, kakiage soba).

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Kakiage Tempura Recipe:

Ingredients for vegetable Kakiage.
  • Vegetables: Onions and carrots are the most popular ingredients for kakiage, and adding scallions will give it a nice pop of green color. You can also try the different ingredients listed in “Variations.”
  • Batter: We use cake or all-purpose flour, potato starch, and cold water. You can substitute potato starch with corn starch.
  • Oil for deep frying: I use rice oil to get an extra crispy texture. You can use vegetable oil, olive oil, or fresh cooking oil.

How To Make Kakiage: STEP BY STEP 

Here are some quick visual instructions! For the video and all the detailed ingredients and instructions, go to the printable recipe card below.

How to make kakiage.

Step 1

Cut vegetables. Add cold water, flour, and potato starch.

How to make kakiage.

Step 2

Combine well.

How to make kakiage.

Step 3

Put vegetables in a frying pan heated to 160C/320F.

How to make kakiage.

Step 4

Deep-fry until crispy.

Kakiage on a baking tray.

It has a light, crispy texture that’s absolutely amazing! Please enjoy this kakiage immediately, or you will lose the crispy texture over time. I don’t recommend keeping them in the fridge. 

Recipe Tips

  • Cut the vegetables into even slices so that they cook evenly and the kakiage will have a uniform texture.
  • Use cold water rather than lukewarm water. The batter will be light and airy and crisp up beautifully when fried.
  • While deep-frying, make a couple of small holes inside to make it easier to fry.
  • Scooping the vegetables with a large spoon and shaping them round can help ensure that each kakiage is roughly the same size, which will help them cook evenly.
  • Keep the temperature of the oil between 160C/320F – 170C/338F for best results.
  • Place the cooked kakiage on a wire rack or paper towels to remove the excess oil, which will help to keep them crispy.

Variations

You can add many other ingredients to kakiage to create different flavor profiles and textures. Here are some popular alternatives:

  • Root vegetables – Burdock root, lotus root, sweet potatoes, potatoes
  • Green vegetables – Green beans, edamame, green peas, kale, green parsley
  • Other – Natto, sakura ebi (small shrimp), nori seaweed

How to Eat Kakiage

Kakiage on a plate.

Dip your kakiage in mentsuyu or simply sprinkle with salt. Mentsuyu is made from dashi, mirin, and soy sauce, adding a rich flavor to tempura. Alternatively, a touch of salt can enhance the natural flavors of the vegetables.

What To Serve With

To complement this kakiage tempura, serve it with steamed rice, wakame miso soup, and pickled daikon for a well-balanced Japanese lunch.

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Kakiage on a baking tray.

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I hope you enjoy this Kakiage! If you try it, don’t forget to leave a rating to share your thoughts—I love hearing from you!

玉ねぎとにんじんのかき揚げ

Easy Kakiage Tempura (Japanese Vegetable Fritters)

5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Save
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Juri Austin
This Kakiage is a crispy and delicious Japanese vegetable fritter sure to become your all-time favorite. Try it for an easy, flavorful fried dish!

Equipment

  • Frying pan 22cm (9 inches)

Ingredients

Batter

Instructions

  • Cut vegetables: Thinly slice an onion, cut a carrot into thin strips, chop a scallion, and put them in a bowl.
  • Add batter ingredients: Add water to the bowl and combine lightly, then add flour and potato starch and combine well.
  • Prepare a pan: Put oil (2 cm/1 inch) in a frying pan and heat to 160C/320F.
  • Deep-fry: Scoop the vegetables with a spoon and slowly put them in the pan. When one side is golden brown (about 1-2 minutes), flip it over and deep-fry until golden brown.

Video

Notes

  • Substitute: You can substitute potato starch with corn starch.
  • Storage: Please enjoy this kakiage immediately, or you will lose the crispy texture over time. I don’t recommend keeping them in the fridge. 
  • Portions: 4 thin Kakiage
  • It is important to cut the vegetables into even slices so that they cook evenly and the kakiage will have a uniform texture.
  • Use cold water rather than lukewarm water. The batter will be light and airy and crisp up beautifully when fried.
  • Scooping the vegetables with a large spoon and making them round can help ensure that each kakiage is roughly the same size, which will help them cook evenly.
  • Keep the temperature of the oil between 160C/320F – 170C/338F for best results.
  • While deep-frying, make a couple of small holes inside to make it easier to fry.
  • Place the cooked kakiage on a wire rack or paper towel to remove the excess oil, which will help keep them crispy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g
Course: Side
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: Kakiage
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8 Comments

  3. 5 stars
    Hi Juri
    Excellent recipe, the combination of veggies was great and my kitchen smelled so good while the fritters were cooking, they were crispy and so flavorful, all I did was add a little salt just before I ate them.
    Thanks again for sharing your great recipes.

    Reply